City of Basketball Love

Tyler Sandora (@tyler_sandora)

--

In the first round of this year’s PIAA District 1 tournament, Bensalem kept its playoff hopes alive by beating Pennsbury on a buzzer-beater courtesy of senior Kris Shields.

But in the second round, things didn’t go quite as well. The Owls lost to top-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh by 31 points. But the loss didn’t mean their state hopes were over, only diminished; they would have to go to the playback round and win two games there.

After losing by 31 points, it can be hard to regain confidence and get right back into the swing of things. But the Owls didn’t let that loss bring them down.

“The bus ride home [from P-W] was quiet,” senior James Leible said, “but we came back and got in the gym,”

Three days later, Bensalem beat Downingtown West at home, setting up a matchup at Downingtown East; win and advance to the state tournament, or lose and go home.

With the confidence the Owls had piled up after coming back from the loss at P-W, and some timely defense and free throw shooting down the stretch, Bensalem pulled out a victory over the Cougars 55-47, advancing to the state tournament for the first time since 2011.

As the year progressed now into the postseason, head coach Mike McCabe has gained more and more confidence in his team. The Owls have won 10 of their last 12 games, and their record of 17-9 is good for the no. 16 seed in 6A. There have been flashes of everyone in the rotation stepping up at different times this year. 17-9

Shields had the game-winner over Pennsbury. Point guard Taco Douglas has shown flashes of taking over the game this year, as well as senior guard Ward Roberts, who scored nine of his game-high 22 points in overtime to seal the victory over Downingtown East.

“We have some guys who can play down the stretch,” McCabe said. “We proved that in the last few games. Last few games we’ve had different guys step up at different times. These kids are resilient. They gutted out every game.”

But on Tuesday for Bensalem, it was Leible who made the difference and stepped up for the Owls when it was needed most.

The 6-foot-7 forward netted 15 points in the victory, but his biggest contributions were on the defensive end. Leible had four blocks on the night, one which got the crowd on its feet after Leible sent the shot back to the three point line. He also shut down East’s forward Andrew King, holding the 6-6 sophomore to seven points on the night.

Leible went to middle school in the Bensalem district, but opted for St. Joe’s Prep to start his high school career. After a year there, he transferred to Conwell-Egan in nearby Fairless Hills for his sophomore and junior years. After averaging 10 points a game at Egan last year, he decided to come back to the district he called home as a youth.

“James has been great for the program,” McCabe said. “He’s brought a lot of work ethic to the program. I never have to motivate him. He’s always ready to go. He’s in the best shape of anyone on the team.”

Not only is Leible the tallest member of the Bensalem rotation, but he’s also got the strongest frame. With a set of shoulders fit for a linebacker, Leible was using his strength on Tuesday -- and this whole season -- to fend off defenders and finish strong at the rim. He also caught two alley-oops in the first quarter.

“I know these guys from growing up, LA Fitness, that sort of thing,” Leible said. “The coaches implemented me in the offense. It’s been fun playing with these guys.”

In his two years at Conwell-Egan, Leible went to the state tournament twice. His sophomore year, the Eagles made the quarterfinals, and last year the second round. So when he came to Bensalem this year, he saw a team that looked qualified to play after districts.

“[States] should always be the goal. You don’t play just to play,” Leible said. “I saw Egan go to states the last few years, so I knew this team could do it. We started out rough but have been getting better the last few games.”

After Roberts made two field goals and knocked down five free-throws in overtime, Leible altered a few shots and pulled down some key rebounds, eliminating East’s chances of getting anything going in the fifth period.

D-East led by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter, thanks to the hot shooting hand on senior Nate Robertson. But East turned the ball over a few times down the stretch and in overtime, leading to steals and free-throws for Bensalem.

“We are a senior heavy team,” Leible said. “We’ve been hitting free throws. Playing with that confidence from past years.

“We never feel like we’re out of it. We play every possession really hard.”

This is the first time the Owls are in the state tournament since 2011, when they lost to Frankford in the first round. It’s the third all-time appearance for Bensalem, which also made the tournament in 1981 and 1991.

“These kids are resilient,” McCabe said. “They gutted out every game. They wanted to make states, and who knows, we can be dangerous.”

On Friday, the Owls will host Neshaminy for seeding purposes; the winner will get the nine seed, the loser enters states as number 10 from District One. The two teams split the season series this year in the SOL National.

The clinching victory also came a day before McCabe’s birthday; a fact the team was well aware of coming into this game.

“The kids said, ‘coach, we’re getting you an early birthday present,’” McCabe explained. “This is great.”