Guldin plays leading role as Pennridge tops Cheltenham in SOL tournament final

NORTHAMPTON >> Growing up as the smallest guy on the court, Christian Guldin needed something to even the odds.

Now a senior point guard at Pennridge, Guldin used his secret weapon to its fullest during an offensive outburst in the fourth quarter of Monday’s SOL tournament title game against Cheltenham. Guldin spent a lot of time working on his runner as a way to finish over bigger players, so he used it to finish off the Panthers.

Guldin scored all 10 of the Rams’ fourth quarter points as Pennridge fended off the Panthers 52-50 at Council Rock South to capture its first SOL title.

“It was just me being aggressive,” Guldin said. “There were openings and I took advantage of the openings. If it wasn’t there, I passed it back out and we just played together.”

Guldin dropped in one of his patented runners for the go-ahead score with 4:16 left that put the Rams up 46-45. Pennridge didn’t give the lead back and Guldin hit another runner in the lane with 2:18 to go, staking his guys to a three-point lead.

It’s been a breakout season for the senior, who spent all of last season on the JV roster and got spot minutes at the varsity level.  He and his teammates on JV had a front-row view as Sean Yoder and Jon Post led the Rams all the way to the state final, planting a seed that’s bloomed this winter.

“Coach (Dean) Behrens, he believed in us, we believed in ourselves and we went out and got this,” Guldin said. “Last year playing behind Sean, I learned so much from him. When our JV season was done, I pushed him, he pushed me and that made me better.”

As kids, Christian and older brother Michael needed something so they could finish over taller defenders. They started working on the runner, a shot that’s among the harder to master but one that gives a smaller player a way to counter size, or in Cheltenham’s case, high-flying athleticism.

Cheltenham doesn’t have a big man, but they jump well enough they get plenty of blocks so it wasn’t anything Guldin wasn’t ready for. He also did well handling Cheltenham’s aggressive pressing defense by drawing back on previous experience.

“We played Liberty midway through the year, we lost to them by five but that team was exactly like this team,” the guard said. “They’re quick, athletic, able to knock down shots. Losing by five, we knew we were right there with these good teams and kept working.”

Michael Guldin went on to play at DeSales, graduating in 2015 and late last week, Christian followed his older brother’s path. After scoring a team-best 15 against Central Bucks East with DeSales coaches in the gym, Guldin committed and found a home for the next four years.

Even limited as a JV player last year, Guldin didn’t lose faith that he would play at the next level and has been a steady leader for the Rams this season. The senior grabbed a teammate after an errant second half pass led to a turnover, motioning to slow down and stay calm then they went right back to playing defense.

The game on Monday didn’t impact either team’s path in the District 1 tournament but it meant something to Pennridge to win it and the Rams were calling it the kickoff to their playoff run. Five times, the Rams had made the SOL tournament and failed to win it, including in last year’s title game, so getting to take the trophy home was an accomplishment for Guldin and his teammates.

“We want to put our mark on the program,” Guldin said. “Last year’s guys, we were happy for them but we wanted to have our name on something. We want to make a deep run in districts, we have a tough road but tonight proved we can compete with anyone.”