City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Over the course of the season, Pennsbury has followed a semi-reliable pattern: win two games, lose one. Win three games, lose one. Win another two games, lose one.

And so forth.

With the postseason now here, it’s a pattern that Falcons coach Bill Coleman would like to snap.

“If you could tell me [how], that’d be great,” he joked.

Pennsbury (15-7, 8-4), the runner-up in the Suburban One League’s National Division, has a tough draw in the semifinals of the SOL tournament, matchup up against American champ Plymouth-Whitemarsh (19-3, 14-0) in the final of four games to be played at Bensalem High School on Saturday.

The Falcons have won their last two games, albeit without leading scorer Addison Howard. The 5-foot-10 senior guard injured his leg in a loss to Council Rock North; his status for tonight is unknown.

Howard is the second of two Pennsbury starting guards who have missed several games due to injury; fellow senior Tyler Sessa-Reeves missed a stretch in January after suffering a concussion.

“A few things have taken place over the course of the year, Tyler getting a concussion in the middle of the season definitely did hurt with bringing that consistency and...being able to play together throughout the season and build through tough times, so that definitely hurt,” Coleman said. “It did also allow for some of the younger kids, especially [junior guard] Raylil Winton-Law to step up and get an opportunity. So there was a good and bad take from it.”

Look for this one to come down to two factors: Pennsbury’s ability to handle P-W’s relentless full-court pressure -- led by junior twins Ahmad Williams and Ahmin Williams, who also do a bulk of the scoring -- and who wins the battle up front.

The Falcons have a deep and experienced group of forwards led by St. Francis (Pa.) commit Mark Flagg (6-8) plus fellow seniors Billy Warren (6-7) and Joey Monaghan (6-4) as well as junior Chad Weldon (6-8) sophomore Gary Francis. But Colonials coach Jim Donofrio has one of the area’s more intriguing prospects in 7-foot sophomore Naheem McLeod, who can’t step out and shoot like Flagg though he can defend the rim like nobody else in the league.

“He’s still seven feet tall and presents various different challenges, offensively and most importantly on the defensive side of the floor,” Coleman said of McLeod. “But yeah, we are in a little different position where we can throw two or three big kids at him and feel comfortable with it.”

Donofrio and P-W have a somewhat-conflicted history with the three-year-old SOL playoff, electing not to participate in the inaugural event two years ago before losing in the semifinals a year ago after the remainder of the league pressured them into playing. At the time, he cited the extra games inserted into the schedule as too much action in too short a span between the end of the season and beginning of the district playoffs.

But the PIAA’s shift from four classes to six changed the district playoff dates, with teams that get second-round byes in the 6A tournament -- including every team in the SOL playoffs --not playing until Feb. 21. Donofrio didn’t want his team to go two full weeks without competition.

“Forgetting my personal feelings on it, it’s an entire new world that I have to figure out how to psychologically work on,” Donofrio said. “There’s two weeks off from the start of the district tournament and then you get a bye. All of that is a whole new challenge, it’s a whole new world now.”

Prediction: Plymouth-Whitemarsh 58, Pennsbury 54

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Game One: Abington vs. North Penn

A fww hours before Pennsbury and Plymouth-Whitemarsh do battle, the SOL’s National Division and Continental Division champions will do battle as Abington (18-4, 12-0) and North Penn (18-4, 11-1) meet.

Abington is in expected territory, as the Galloping Ghosts have been in the 6A top 10 all year long; they’re currently No. 4 in Michael Bullock’s latest rankings. North Penn is the upstart, after going 11-12 (6-8) a year ago, John Conrad’s much-improved Knights won the Continental for the first time since 2011.

“They’re definitely athletic, they play hard, they’ve got some strong kids, physically,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “We noticed that they like to get after it, they’re smart, they’re well-coached, we’ll have our hands full. We’re definitely up for the challenge.”

Look out for a physical battle in the post between Abington senior Joe O’Brien (6-8) and/or sophomore Eric Dixon (6-7) and North Penn senior David Giuliani (6-5).

Giuliani, a D-II Merrimack (Mass.) commit, is a crafty inside-out scorer with a terrific motor who can cause opponents fits. Grasty counters with Dixon, a 6-7 lefty with several Division I offers, and O’Brien, an even bigger body who’s a bruiser in the post.

“He’s good, he’s strong, got nice size, shoots it well,” Grasty said of Giuliani. “Our bigs will have their hands full.”

Outside of Giuliani, Conrad has a versatile, athletic group that includes future VMI quarterback Reece Udinski (6-4), future WVU football player Ricky Johns (6-4), senior wing Lance Ford (6-4) and senior forward Derek Heiserman (6-5), plus sophomore guard A.J. Mitchell (5-10).

Abington’s talent is in its youth, with Dixon and fellow sophomore Lucas Monroe, a 6-5 lefty point guard; those two and junior Robbie Heath, a 6-1 guard, are the three leading scorers for Grasty’s Ghosts. They also get good contributions from senior Eric Dougherty, a 6-6 sharpshooting wing, plus 6-0 senior Rob Young.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3:45 PM.

Prediction: Abington 65, North Penn 58