Cheltenham holds off North Penn, climbs to 10-0
TOWAMENCIN >> Cheltenham sees its 10-0 start as exactly that: a start.
In their latest victory, the Panthers played a tremendous fourth quarter, their guards were the consummate “table setters,” and the team handled its Saturday afternoon contest on the road with conviction, staying the course for a 61-51 win over North Penn.
“We’re not done yet,” said senior Rasheem Dearry, who scored a game-high 20 points. “We just gotta get satisfied with the feeling of winning. We’re not where we should be yet. We have a lot of work to do, a long way to go.”
Cheltenham is perfect after 10 games and remains 6-0 in the Suburban One League Freedom Division. North Penn is now 6-7 overall, 4-4 in the SOL Colonial.
The Panthers took a three-point lead into the fourth and built on it, controlling the final eight minutes and playing its best ball in the final moments.
“We weren’t playing as a team,” Dearry said of the early stages. “But at halftime, we had a little talk. In the third quarter, we played alright. We played better in the fourth.”
Said coach Patrick Fleury: “We started to get into more of a rhythm with who we are and what we want to do.”
A three by senior Justin Savage (13 points) immediately provided the Panthers more breathing room at 47-41. Senior Brandon Bush (11 points) scored in transition and the lead was at eight.
Dearry’s tough basket inside and ensuing free throw spiked the margin to 52-44 with four minutes left.
By the time Bush passed to Savage for another basket in transition, the Cheltenham advantage was at 10 and the Panthers were on their way.
“They’re a good team. They’re 6-7 and most of their losses are not large losses,” Fleury said of the Knights. “They’re definitely playing good basketball. They’ll make a push and I envision them being a playoff team.”
Savage typified the guard play for the Panthers.
“Savage is the ultimate guy for us. He sacrifices – sometimes he starts, sometimes he doesn’t,” Fleury said. “These guys have been amazing. It’s a testament to the guys and how hard they work.”
Cheltenham’s seniors have now won 67 games, a school record. And this group did it in just 82 games played.
Cheltenham dashed to a 5-0 lead in the opening moments, thanks to a basket by Bush as well as his three-point play.
North Penn found some footing behind the three-point shooting of Ryan Deininger (11 points) and Milind Pulugura.
But the Panthers maintained their lead throughout the first quarter, the inside-outside play of Dearry contributing mightily to a 17-12 advantage.
The Knights made their move in the second quarter.
Mario Sgro got hot from the outside, hitting back-to-back threes to give NP its first lead, 23-22.
The Panthers battled right back, a pair of threes by Dearry putting them back in front.
Norman Gee layed it up and in to beat the buzzer for North Penn, tightening things to a 32-29 lead for the Panthers at the break.
The Panthers clung to their three-point lead through the third and broke it open in the fourth. Joe Larkins led the Knights with 15 points.
“The 10-0 record is definitely a great feat,” Fleury said. “But March is the time you wanna be ending on a win streak. That’s the goal for our team, our school, our community. We want championships, and we wanna build a program that is respected community-wide, state-wide, nation-wide. People wanna be there.”
Cheltenham 61, North Penn 51
Cheltenham 17 15 12 17 – 61
North Penn 12 17 12 10 – 51
Cheltenham: Josiah Hutson 1 1-2 4, Elias Walker 2 1-2 5, Brandon Bush 5 1-3 11, Nasir Edens 2 2-4 6, Rasheem Dearry 7 3-3 20, Justin Savage 4 4-5 13, Kevin Addison 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 12-19 61.
North Penn: Ryan Deininger 4 1-1 11, Mario Sgro 2 0-0 6, Ryan Zeltt 2 1-2 5, Milind Pulugura 1 0-0 3, Joe Larkins 5 3-6 15, Terhan Wright 3 0-0 6, Norman Gee 2 0-0 5. Totals 19 5-9 51.
3-pointers: C-Hutson, Dearry 3, Savage; NP-Deininger 2, Sgro 2, Pulugura, Larkins 2, Gee.
