City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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WARRINGTON — Jeremy Rodriguez doesn’t think he could do what his teammate and classmate Tra Edwards did. Senior year, every high school varsity hooper wants to be in the starting lineup. But 10 seniors on Bensalem’s roster meant at least half of them wouldn’t get that opportunity, before some of the underclassmen even factored into the mix.

Edwards was one of those that head coach Ron Morris had to make the tough decision to bring off the bench, news Rodriguez avoided. 

“I feel like if that was me, it would have got to my head,” Rodriguez said, “but it didn’t get to Tra’s head at all.”

“It was difficult, but I just know that my guys trust me and they’re always going to be there for me,” Edwards said. “I know Coach Morris, he’s going to respect me and my game, and he’s always going to trust my ability to play as a senior off the bench.”

It’s that mentality — “roles change, goals don’t” — that’s been a major reason why Bensalem has been one of the hottest teams in the Suburban One League (and all of District 1) a month into the season. On a team without a star, any one of Morris’ top five and quite a few players beyond that can all be the difference-maker, making them tough to plan for and tougher to contain.

The Owls’ interchanging pieces put it all together on Thursday night for an impressive 67-53 win at Central Bucks South, improving them to 7-2 overall, 5-1 in conference play. Their fifth win in a row came on the heels of a 10-point win over Neshaminy.

“[It shows] that we can compete with anybody,” Rodriguez said. “No matter what.”

Bensalem and CB South both came into Wednesday night 4-1 in their respective divisions in the Suburban One League, but new SOL rules mean that these cross-division matchups — SOL Colonial and Patriot will all play all of each other, as will the Colonial and Liberty — also count towards conference standings. 

The Owls’ made quite a statement in the Titans’ gym, leading by as many as 27 early in the fourth quarter, a lead they built steadily over the course of the opening three. 

Bensalem’s advantage was 18-9 after one period and 38-21 at halftime, then 57-34 going into the extra frame. CB South (5-4, 4-2) had moments — a 7-5 lead early, six straight in the second quarter — but each of them was met with a disproportionate response; a timely 3-pointer (or two), a string of steals, a 10-0 run the other way.

“We think this is the best full game we’ve played in a few years,” said Morris, who guided Bensalem to a SOL National championship two years ago but returned only one starter from a 9-11 season last year. “We really came out tonight from the start, our focus was there, we’re starting to share the basketball really well, and we got after it on the defensive end.”

Bensalem guard Jeremy Rodriguez (1) attacks the CB South defense in the second half of Bensalem's win. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rodriguez was outstanding with 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting, as the 6-foot-1 guard made all three of his 3-pointers and all eight of his foul shots; he added four rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block. The 6-2 Edwards, playing just as many minutes as the starters, scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-4 from downtown, plus three rebounds, two assists and a block. They were joined in double figures by senior Aaron Sanders, that lone returning starter, who had 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting (2-7 3PT, 3-3 FT).

But it wasn’t just those three who played well: senior Jake DeLane hit three of his four shots for seven points, grabbing six rebounds, with two assists, a block and a steal. Sophomore Antonio Morris, the coach’s son, popped off the bench for five points. Senior forward Allen Myers, matched up against Ursinus commit Michael Farley (6 points), grabbed eight rebounds and contributed four points, all from the line. 

Throw in juniors Jack Wineburg and Eric Gonzalez, neither of whom need to score to have an impact, though both are plenty capable of hitting a couple shots, and Morris has at minimum a top eight that he can rely on, and more important who can rely on each other.

“We trust each other more, I think, we trust each other more than anybody,” Edwards said. “We trust anybody with the ball, we know that if they get deep in the lane, they’re going to kick it, and we have shooters surrounding this whole court.”

“We just know we can all play, we can all score,” Rodriguez added. “Roles change, our goals don’t. One night, I could score eight, one night I could score 18, it doesn’t matter. As long as we win, that’s what I’m happy with.”

Senior wing Joe Rooney paced CB South with 13 points and four rebounds; the rest of the Titan’s starting lineup combined for just 14 points. Their second-leading scorer, Brady Moore, was one of a number of reserves who played the fourth quarter, scoring nine points on three 3-pointers. 

The Owls forced 17 Titans turnovers.

“Today we played (with) great defensive intensity,” Rodriguez said. “We let go a little bit at the end, we got comfortable, but all-around I think we played really good defense.”

Bensalem continues its tour through the Central Bucks school district next week, getting CB East at home on Tuesday and then traveling to CB West on Friday. CB South is scheduled to play its next four games on the road, starting with trips to William Tennent (Jan. 8) and Council Rock North (Jan. 11).

By Quarter
Bensalem:  18  |  20  |  19  |  10  ||  67
CB South:    9   |  12  |  13  |  19  ||  53

Shooting
Bensalem: 20-48 FG (8-28 3PT), 19-24 FT
CB South: 19-43 FG (8-18 3PT), 7-16 FT

Scoring
Bensalem: Rodriguez 21, Sanders 15, Edwards 12, DeLange 7, A. Morris 5, Myers 4, Wineburg 2, Schafer 1

CB South: Rooney 13, Moore 9, Farley 6, Van Zanten 6, Rotunno 5, Meinel 5, Rieber 4, Delara 3, Carroll 2