City of Basketball Love

Josh Naso (@JoshNaso)
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How do you follow up by far the most successful season in program history? That was the question facing the Pennridge Rams the entire 2019-20 season.

Last year’s Rams won the the Suburban One League Continental Division title, then marched all the way to the PIAA Class 6A state title game, falling just short in a double overtime thriller to western Pennsylvania powerhouse Kennedy Catholic. Pennridge graduated the leader of that team and the school’s all-time leading scorer, Sean Yoder, as well as several other key seniors.

It was time for this group of Rams to write their own story.

The group penned the first chapter of that story Tuesday night, defeating C.B. East 65-50 to once again claim the Continental title with a 9-2 division record (16-5 overall). Pennridge accomplished the feat in front of a strong contingent of supporters who made the trip to Doylestown.

The C.B. East students worked hard to provide a home court advantage for the Patriots, with the dueling loyalties creating a championship-worthy atmosphere. Ultimately, it was the Pennridge faithful who got what they came to see, heading home with plenty to be proud of.

For Rams’ head coach Dean Behrens, this one was special.

“It means a lot because I feel like this group hung in there last year,” Behrens said. “A lot of the kids, except for Trent (Fisher) and Luke (Yoder), didn’t play. Once we got to the playoffs, it was just practice for them. It was like, ‘I’d love to win the division for these guys.”

Entering the season, it was unclear just how far this team could go. But after six straight wins to start the season, and another six straight to open league play, a division title became a real possibility.

“As the season went on, it was like ‘we can do this.’ I don’t know if I woulda said we’d be 16-5 to start the season after what we did last year, but man, give the kids a lot of credit for what they’ve done,” Behrens said.

To make that goal a reality, Pennridge had to get past a C.B. East (13-9, 7-5) team that had faint hopes of a shared title if it was able to knock off the Rams.

Pennridge simply wasn’t to be denied. The Rams controlled the game throughout, and took a stranglehold on the contest in the third quarter during which they turned a five-point halftime lead into a 12-point advantage before cruising to victory down the stretch.

For Yoder, it’s satisfying to accomplish a key goal: “It feels great,” the junior guard said. “This was our day one goal. It was our motto, we’re just gonna win the division first then we’ll go from there. So, the team’s thrilled, we’re all excited.”

The Rams used a balanced effort to get the job done, with four players reaching double figures. Senior Christian Guldin led the way with 15 points. Fellow senior Fisher filled the stat sheet to the tune of 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.

Senior Anthony Phillips and Yoder each chipped in 10 points.

That balance is part of what makes this team so dangerous.

“That’s my favorite part, that anyone on our team can score,” Yoder said. “No one knows who’s gonna score that night, if you’re feeling it you’re gonna get the ball, anybody’s who’s getting hot, we’re going to get you the ball.”

Just as impressive as the balance was the job Pennridge did defensively, particularly on two key Patriots: juniors Joe Jackman and Jack Hamilton. Jackman has been dominant at times this season, with multiple 30-point efforts to his name. Meanwhile, the 6-8 Hamilton has been a force at both ends of the court for East. The Rams were well aware of the duo’s prowess after getting by the Patriots 54-47 on January 10.

“They lit us up,” Behrens said.

On Tuesday, they were largely neutralized, with Hamilton scoring nine points and Jackman seven.

Rather than changing tactically, Behrens put the focus on execution. “I think we just talked a little bit more about what they were gonna do and what their tendencies were. I don’t think it was anything we did different. We actually matched up the same.”

With one goal in hand, what’s next for the Rams?

Well, there’s still work to be done. Pennridge wraps up the regular season on Thursday against North Penn (8-13, 4-7) with plenty still to play for. The Rams currently sit eighth in the unofficial District One power rankings, the cutoff line for a first-round bye in the 6A District One playoffs, and a win over the Knights would provide a boost to their hopes of that all-important pass to the second round.

“Let’s beat North Penn, we wanna be an eight seed,” Behrens said. “So that’s what our message is. Get better tomorrow, win on Thursday, let’s be an eight seed, then we’ll focus on Saturday.”

By Quarter
Pennridge:  19  |  11  |  17  |  18  |  65

CB East:     17  |   8   |  10  |  15  |  50

Scoring
Pennridge: Guldin 15, Fisher 14, Phillips 10, Yoder 10, Post 8 , Benscoter 5, Pleibel 3

CB East: Young 16, Markowitz 13, Hamilton 9, Jackman 7, Giordano 4, Rivera 1