Balanced Pennridge holds off William Tennent, improves to 3-0
EAST ROCKHILL >> Pennridge’s Luke Yoder has embraced stepping into a leadership role. But it’s a job the junior is still getting accustomed to.
“It’s very different,” Yoder said. “From having your older brother (Sean) and Jon Post, two great players, three-year varsity players, that they just took over. And now you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s me now. I got to step up.’”
A new group is in charge of the Rams boys basketball team after the graduation of most of the key members of last year’s side that reached the PIAA Class 6A title game. And so far through three games this season, they have been up to the task.
“It’s their own team, they’re going to make their own mark,” Rams coach Dean Behrens said. “I told them that, you got to make your own mark, last year’s over. You’re not brining back last year and now the guys that are seniors, this is their team.”
Friday night after strong start from visiting William Tennent, Pennridge found its footing in the second quarter — finishing the first half with an 8-0 run then opening the third with 12 straight points. The Panthers never stopped trying to battle back, but the Rams did enough in the fourth to hold on and claim a 57-46 Suburban One League nonconference victory.
“(William Tennent) only scored 33 points the other night at Lower Moreland, right, and they couldn’t hit the backside of the barn yet today they came out on fire so I think that kind of hit us,” Behrens said. “But I thought the second quarter they didn’t shoot quite as well and I thought defensively we started to a better job of closing out on their shooters.”
Yoder scored 19 points — going 8-for-8 from the foul line — to pace Pennridge (3-0), which had four players finish in double figures. Christian Guldin and Ryan Benscoter both added 11 points while Paul Croyle hit three straight treys in the third as he posted 10 points.
“We were hitting shots, we were also playing good defense all around,” Yoder said. “The one thing we just struggled at was just grabbing the ball on the rebound. I think we got to work on that a little bit in practice but overall I think we played great defense and we play great offense as a team too.”
Derrik Cosenza had a game-high 20 points for Tennent (2-2), scoring all nine of the Panthers’ points in the third. Sean Haus hit four 3-pointers in the first half to finish with 12 points.
“I think they came out in that third quarter and hit those couple threes but I thought we had looks, ours just didn’t go in,” William Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “And I think we responded pretty well. I was happy with our effort, I was happy with the way we responded every time they tried to make a run because they’re a pretty good team.
“And playing on their home court I think they would have like to try and extend that lead and we didn’t let them extend it to the point where it was a seven-point game with a minute and a half left.”
Pennridge is back on the court Saturday visiting Lansdale Catholic at 1:30 p.m. with the Rams starting SOL Continental play at Quakertown 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tennent begins its SOL National schedule hosting Bensalem 7 p.m. Tuesday.
William Tennent rode Haus’ outside shooting to a fast start, the senior connecting on a trio of threes to give the Panthers a 13-8 lead after a quarter. Haus’ fourth and final three to open the second quarter scoring gave Tennent its largest lead at 16-8.
A basket by Cosenza had the Panthers up 20-15 but a Yoder tip-in and Benscoter putback had the Rams down just a point. Guldin got a transition lay-in to drop, giving Pennridge its first lead since 2-0. Benscoter’s floater in the lane made it 23-20 Rams at the break.
Croyle proceeded to keep Pennridge’s momentum going, starting the third by knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers to extend the lead to 32-20.
“Paul comes up clutch all the time,” Yoder said. “When we played Boyertown he had those foul shots to win us the game. He’s a great shooter, if he has the ball, I’m confident in him shooting the ball. When he shoots, I love it.”
A Yoder corner three made it 35-20 before the run of 20 straight Pennridge points was halted by Cosenza’s free throw at 3:40. A Cosenza basket made it 35-23 but Yoder drove for two while a pair of Anthony Phillips foul shots at 2:18 gave the Rams their biggest lead at 39-23.
“Third quarter offensively obviously we hit shots and we looked like world beaters,” Behrens said. “And that’s the difference. But they didn’t die. Good crowd in here, you could of probably said pack it in, they didn’t. They kept coming at us, they kept playing hard down the stretch. That’s a good team.”
Cosenza capped the third with back-to-back 3-pointers — the second trey in the final seconds to get Tennent within 39-29. Cosenza finished a 7-0 personal run with a free throw at 7:46 in the fourth to make it 39-30.
“He’s been consistent like that every game he’s been in 15, 16 points a game, this was high tonight of the season,” said Mulville of Cosenza. “I don’t think he came off the court tonight. And I think he expects that of himself and his teammates expect it of him too. Like that’s the effort he’s going to give every night.”
Benscoter helped the Rams keep Tennent at bay in the fourth, scoring seven points in the quarter, including a three-point play make it 49-37 with 5:03 remaining. The Panthers cut the margin to seven at 51-44 after a Daulton Zeaman three and a Cosenza basket but the Rams did enough at the foul line late — Yoder making both ends of a 1-and-1 at 1:29 while two Croyle free throws at 41.2 seconds put the Rams up 55-44.
Pennridge 57, William Tennent 46
William Tennent 13 7 9 17 — 46
Pennridge 8 15 16 18 — 57
William Tennent: Derrik Cosenza 8 2-6 20; Sean Haus 4 0-0 12; Daulton Zeaman 2 2-3 7; Michael Scheller 1 0-2 3; Bryce Lockett 1 0-0 2; Jay Stanfield 1 0-2 2; Totals 17 4-13 46.
Pennridge: Luke Yoder 5 8-8 19; Ryan Benscoter 5-13 11; Christian Guldin 4 2-3 11; Paul Croyle 3 1-3 10; Trent Fisher 1 0-0 2; Anthony Phillips 0 2-2 2; Colin Monahan 0 1-2 1; Colin Post 0 1-2 1; Totals 18 16-23 57.
3-pointers: WT-Haus 4, Cosenza 2, Scheller, Zeaman; P-Croyle 3, Guldin, Yoder.
