Long scores 31, Pennridge topples North Penn
TOWAMENCIN >> Pennridge continues to be one collective force, with the victories beginning to pile up.
At the heart of the Rams’ success is senior Dan Long.
“Dan wants to win. You can see that in his eyes,” coach Dean Behrens said after Tuesday night’s clash with rival North Penn. “And Dan doesn’t really care how many point he has — he just wants us to have more points than the other team when the game’s over.
“That’s what our team’s about. It’s about what we do to make our other guys better.”
Long and the Rams went on the road and earned a 74-66 win over the Knights, improving their Suburban One League Continental Conference record to 4-1, with a 9-2 record overall.
A game that was tight into the second quarter was pried open by the tough inside play of Pennridge’s Max Wagner, and then Long scored 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter, enabling the Rams to pull away.
“I was just getting to the hole as much as I could,” Long said, who hit his last eight free throws down the stretch to put the game away. “My shot hasn’t been falling as well as it can — been working on it in practice, but this game was up-pace and we were able to get up and down the floor, so I thought getting to the basket was most affective.
“I thought we came back well in the second quarter and kind of took over from there. I know every guy in that locker room wants to win badly — whether it’s scoring 30 points or none. I thought we got up and down the floor really well and that got a couple easy layups for us.”
Long’s nine third-quarter points, including a three, helped Pennridge take a 13-point lead into the third. The guard sliced in between two defenders for another basket early in the fourth, again boosting the gap to 13.
Baskets by Kyle Yoder and Ryan Cuthbert iced the game for the Rams.
“We felt like this was a statement game for us,” Behrens said. “We wanted to come in here and turn the corner for 2016.”
The first quarter would have four lead changes, with both teams ultimately battling to a 14-14 deadlock.
Matt Pickford was getting into a shooting rhythm for the Knights while Long got going for the Rams, scoring six first-quarter points.
Back and forth the game would go, with a jumper by Lance Lindsay-Ford bringing the Knights even, 22-22, midway through the second quarter.
That is where Pennridge found its way.
A fast break spearheaded by Devon Balmer would be capped off with a basket by Wagner, whose range would allow him to later step outside for a three as well as battle underneath for a total of 10 first-half points.
A three-point play by Wagner pushed the Ram lead to double digits for the first time, 32-22, and back-to-back threes by Stephen Lowry kept the Rams in control when the Knights began to rally.
North Penn, led by Reece Udinski’s team-high 17 points in the contest, would close to within 39-33 at the break, but Pennridge would control things from there.
“Our chemistry is through the roof,” Long said. “We trust each other, even the guys that come off the bench — they do the job. They work hard in practice and it transfers over into the game.”
Pennridge hosts Neshaminy Wednesday while North Penn (4-7, 1-4 conference) heads to Souderton Friday.
