Hot-shooting Pennridge earns Senior Night win over rival Souderton

EAST ROCKHILL >> It was the beginning of a sweet goodbye for Pennridge’s seniors as well as a promising look into what could lie ahead for next year, as the Rams brought it all together for an 84-74 victory over rival Souderton Tuesday night.

Pennridge’s seniors played outstanding on Senior Night and junior Matt Campione led the way with a game-high 29 points, as the Rams made their second-to-last game this year one to remember.

“That’s a testament to the boys that we’re continuing to fight for every win we have,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said of the performance.

It will be a rare absence from the postseason for the Rams this year but they’re still hoping for a big finish: Pennridge (6-15, 4-11 in the Suburban One League Colonial Division) hosts Central Bucks South on Thursday night.

Souderton (13-8, 7-8 SOL Colonial), still in the hunt for a District 1-6A playoff spot, hosts Central Bucks West Thursday night.

“Souderton’s a good team. They have guys who can shoot the ball,” Behrens said. (Chris) Towsen was shooting bombs. (Shaun) Purvy was giving us problems in the fourth quarter, and (Aleks) Smith, their big kid, is having a heck of a year. So that was a monumental task I thought, and I feel good for the boys. It’s a great win for them and a great way to send the seniors off.”

The seniors made quite an impact: Justin McCormick hit four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points; Jude D’Agostino had 16 points, Tyler Johnson added six and Justin Nichols chipped in with five.

“They’ve been great seniors for us,” Behrens said. “They’ve made the younger guys on the team feel welcome. They set good examples, not only on the court but in the classroom. They’ve been real positive all the way around.”

Said Campione of the group: “They were feeling it, so it was just fun to get a win for them.”

McCormick provided the first points of the night with a three for the Rams, and then Towsen (17 points) answered at the other end with a three for Big Red.

It was the start of a back-and-forth first quarter.

Said Behrens: “It was kind of a slugfest. It was back and forth, back and forth, like watching a tennis match.”

McCormick and Campione each hit threes as Pennridge continued to connect from the outside. Smith battled inside for Big Red and Paul Vince hit from deep.

Pennridge had a 17-15 lead after one.

The second quarter is when the Rams made their move, with McCormick’s shots continuing to fall.

D’Agostino had a nice first half for Pennridge, adding eight points. McCormick led the way with 13 and Campione had 10.

“I thought we took a little bit of control in that second quarter,” Behrens said.

A three by McCormick produced a 36-23 Ram lead until Big Red crept closer before the half, slicing it to 36-27 at the break.

But the Rams came out firing in the third quarter, with Campione immediately hitting a three to send them on their way. Campione poured in 15 third-quarter points, burying a trio of threes. He hit five 3-pointers in all.

“I was feeling good and my teammates were finding me,” he said. “They kept feeding me the ball and I was getting hot.”

Added the junior: “We found a rhythm offensively and defensively.”

Pennridge built the lead up to 18 by the end of the third and stayed in control.

The Rams were able to substitute in the fourth quarter, taking each senior out separately, each receiving a rousing ovation. A celebratory cake awaited the team afterwards.

Campione said the team is focused on getting a win Thursday and “keeping it rolling into next year.”

Pennridge 84, Souderton 74
Souderton 15 12 17 30 – 74
Pennridge 17 19 26 22 – 84
Souderton: Chris Towsen 7 0-1 17, Carson Grant 2 2-2 7, Aleks Smith 5 2-9 12, Paul Vince 4 0-0 11, Jay Bonnet 3 2-2 9, Shaun Purvy 4 1-2 9, Nathan Hemsing 2 0-0 6, Jared Zimmerman 1 0-0 3. Totals 28 7-18 74.
Pennridge: Justin McCormick 7 2-2 20, Justin Nichols 0 5-6 5, Matt Campione 10 4-5 29, Xavier Peters 1 4-6 6, Tommy Cramer 0 0-2 0, Jude D’Agostino 7 2-2 16, Tyler Johnson 2 2-6 6, Gannon Perlini 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 19-29 84.
3-pointers: S-Towsen 3, Grant, Vince 3, Bonnet, Hemsing 2, Zimmerman; P-McCormick 4, Campione 5.