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PENNRIDGE 56, BENSALEM 39
In the opening seconds of Saturday’s SOL Tournament semifinal game, Trent Fisher put the Rams on the scoreboard with a basket in close. After a Bensalem miss, Fisher hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer from the top of the circle, spotting the Rams a 5-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
It turned out to be a preview of things to come.
“If Trent’s hitting shots from the perimeter, that obviously makes us that much better and more powerful offensively,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “When he gets the ball inside, they’re going to double team him, and it opens up the floor.
“Defensively, if we have some issues, if we get beat off the dribble, there’s Trent controlling the paint, blocking shots. He controls the game offensively and defensively for us because he rebounds so well, he blocks shots, and he actually slides his feet well. He can actually defend guards.”
Fisher – who buried three 3s – finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds, and Christian Guldin added an impressive double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“Christian’s control – that was a tough game to control,” Behrens said. “As a point guard, he did a great job of not turning the ball over. He had one turnover. That’s pretty good with that kind of pressure.”
The duo proved to be double trouble for the Owls and propelled the Rams into Monday’s SOL Tournament title game for the second time in as many years. Last year, they fell to Abington in the championship game.
“No Pennridge team has ever won the whole SOL Challenge,” Fisher said. “Winning this tonight puts us in contention for a championship against Cheltenham on Monday.
“Our goal this year was winning the division, which we did, and then winning the SOL Challenge, which we have a chance to do Monday. That would be huge for us.”
After Fisher’s five straight points, Colin Post scored on a drive, Fisher buried a pair at the foul line, and Guldin connected on a pull-up, spotting the Rams an 11-0 lead just over three minutes into the game. Aaron Sander put the Owls on the scoreboard when he buried a 3, but Fisher answered with his second 3-pointer at the other end. A pair of Post foul shots put the Rams on top 16-3. They led 18-5 after Fisher – who had 12 points in the frame – slammed home a dunk late in the quarter.
The Owls came to life in the second quarter. It was a 20-13 game when Jeremiah Alexander – who had six points in the quarter – connected on both ends of a one-and-one. Sanders, who had five rebounds and a pair of steals in the frame, also sank both ends of a one-and-one to pull the Owls to within five. It was a 24-21 game at halftime.
“Tonight when I came out I felt like I was shooting pretty well in warm-ups,” said Fisher, who picked up his second foul three minutes into the second quarter and took a seat on the bench. “Bensalem is a fast team, and we knew if we broke the press and we were looking opposite, we would get layup after layup, which we were doing in the beginning. We were getting a lot of open shots, but then foul trouble hit us a little bit. Late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter, we were really struggling, and they came back and hit a lot of free throws, which was slowing the pace down.”
A bucket by Alexander on the opening possession of the second half pulled the Owls to within one. Connor Pleibel answered with a three for the Rams, and after a Bensalem miss, Fisher connected on a baseline 3-pointer that gave the Rams a 30-23 lead.
A basket by Ryan Benscoter sent the Rams into the final quarter with a 38-29 lead. Behind six points from Fisher, the Rams closed it out with an 18-10 tear.
“We knew they were a little tired knowing that we were pushing the ball more towards the fourth quarter, and they all seemed to look gassed,” Fisher said. “We had the upper hand. We kept pushing, and they weren’t getting back too well, and we were just playing great defense on them.
“Every team that we’ll be playing now is a really good team. It shows what kind of team we are and how far we came from the beginning of the year, proving the critics wrong, and we’re a team not to be messed with.”
Also for the Rams, Post had seven points.
“I thought a kid like Colin Post played well today,” Behrens said. “He jump stopped and got in there. He’s really stepped up.
“Six weeks ago, we were thinking about putting him on JV. Now he’s a main starter for us. Colin Post is really been a big reason why we’ve been so successful, and I’m really proud of him the way he stepped up. In the beginning of the year, he wasn’t getting a lot of minutes, and now it’s hard to get him out of the game.”
Ryan Benscoter added six points.
“Our bench did a nice job,” Behrens said. “Ryan Benscoter did a nice job coming off the bench and getting some big rebounds and Anthony Phillips.
“Paul Croyle was one of our starters who’s been hurt most of the year, and he hit a three tonight, so we kind of had a little welcome back party for Paul. This is his third game from trying to get back from his broken foot. It’s taken some time, but I think each game he plays he feels more comfortable. That was nice to see for Paul because he’s been out six weeks. He’s been a great teammate, but I think he wants to get back and get some minutes. It was great to see him score.”
For the Owls, Alexander’s 10 points led the way. Sanders and James Ashford both added seven.
Pennridge (17-6, 9-3 SOL) will take on Cheltenham in Monday’s SOL Tournament title game at Council Rock South (7:30 p.m.).
“Obviously, we were really excited to play in the Suburban One Challenge,” Behrens said. “It was an honor to play against competition like Bensalem, obviously, CB West and Cheltenham, so we felt like this was an honor to play. I thought our kids earned it this year for winning our conference.
“I know some people have different thoughts. We came to play to win – we’re going to try and win Monday night too, and so is Cheltenham. You’re playing a game – let’s go win. It’s not rocket science. Let’s not make it too complicated. If you’re playing a basketball game, you play to win.”
Bensalem is off until the second round of the District One 6A Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Game Summary brought to you by
Pennridge 18-6-14-18 56
Bensalem 6-15-8-10 39
Pennridge (56) – Connor Pleibel 1 0-0 3; Ryan Benscoter 3 0-0 6; Luke Yoder 1 0-0 2 Paul Croyle 1 0-2 3; Christian Guldin 5 2-2 14; Colin Post 2 3-4 7; Trent Fisher 8 2-2 21; Totals 21 7-10 56.
Bensalem (39) – Travis Robinson 0 5-8 5; Aaron Sanders 2 2-4 7; Rahul Koli 2 0-0 5; Jeremiah Alexander 3 4-6 10; James Ashford 2 3-4 7; Trey Maddela 1 0-0 2; Matt Ebner 1 0-0 3; Totals 11 14-22 39.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Trent Fisher 3, Christian Guldin 2, Paul Croyle Connor Pleibel, Bensalem – Matt Ebner, Rahul Koli, Aaron Sanders