Jeremiah Lee leads Abington past Upper Dublin
UPPER DUBLIN >> Jeremiah Lee caught fire in the second quarter.
Abington’s junior guard scored 17 of his game-high 25 points during the eight-minute stretch to lead the Ghosts to a 16-point halftime lead and 59-49 Suburban One League Liberty Division win over Upper Dublin Friday night at Upper Dublin High School.
“Jeremiah is a heck of a scorer,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “He’s crafty, he can shoot it, he gets to the basket. He’s one of our varsity guys that’s back from last year and he had a couple big games last year in our playoff run. Our guys know to get Jeremiah involved. He’s not a selfish kid, so he’ll try to make the right play, but if he gets going like that first half, he can fill it up.”
After scoring five points in the first quarter, Lee dominated the second to help extend an 11-9 lead to 36-20 at halftime. He hit three three-pointers, two layups and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in his 17-point second quarter.
“They just were leaving me open and I can make threes so I just shot it,” Lee said.
Lee scored 22 of his 25 points in the first half. Overall, he shot 4-for-4 from three-point range and 8-for-12 from the field. He had a double-double with 12 rebounds – six offensive – and added two steals, one assist and one block.
“When I see the ball in the air I just want to go after it,” Lee said, “so we can get another possession and keep (scoring).”
Kellen Ingram added five points and Paul Glants three in a 25-point second quarter that saw Abington (2-3, 2-1 SOL Liberty) take control of the game.
“(Lee) hit some big shots for them,” Upper Dublin coach Derek Brooks said. “We knew we had to take him away. I give that kid a lot of credit. He knocked down some big threes. I thought our energy level wasn’t where it needed to be and I give Abington a ton of credit. They showed up ready to play and were the tougher, more physical team. They wanted it. We didn’t get back in transition. (Lee) got some in transition. He knocked them down, tough shots.”
Both teams came out slow in the second half and the difference remained 16, 45-29, after three quarters. The final score of 59-49 was as close as the game got in the second half.
Upper Dublin (3-3, 2-1 SOL Liberty) had some stretches in the second half where it could have gotten the game tighter. The Cardinals forced 12 turnovers after halftime, with guards senior DJ Cerisier and freshman Kobe Bazemore causing mayhem in a full-court press.
“We would get a turnover, maybe a layup,” Brooks said, “but then we’d get a turnover and throw it away or rush a shot. We could make one play, we couldn’t make two or three plays in a row to build any momentum. It was just one of those nights.
“Frustrating night but it was a learning experience for us. We’re a new staff with these guys. These guys are a veteran group, had a lot of success last year. We weren’t as ready as we needed to be. It’s hopefully a learning experience.”
Ingram joined Lee in double figures for Abington with 11 points and Glants added nine. Damon Rawls added five assists and a steal.
Ryan Mulroy led Upper Dublin with 14 points and Cerisier added 12.
Abington 59, Upper Dublin 49
Abington 11 25 9 14 – 59
Upper Dublin 9 11 9 20 – 49
Abington: Paul Glants 4 0-0 9, Jeremiah Lee 8 5-9 25, Liam Rardin 3 1-2 7, Damon Rawls 0 0-0 0, Josh Young 2 1-2 5, Kamari Brasher 0 0-0 0, Dalton Cornell 0 2-2 2, Jaden Flournoy 0 0-0 0, Kellen Ingram 4 3-4 11, Aaron Jones 0 0-0 0, Lathan Miller 0 0-0 0, John Roberts 0 0-0 0. Total 21 12-19 59.
Upper Dublin: DJ Cerisier 3 4-4 12, Seaton Kukla 2 0-0 5, Ryan Mulroy 5 2-2 14, Mason Pensabene 2 1-5 6, Brady Fogle 2 2-2 6, Chris Kohlbrenner 0 0-0 0, Griffin Pensabene 1 0-0 2, Kobe Bazemore 2 0-0 4, Idris Rines 0 0-0 0, Nyles Bunn-McNeill 0 0-0 0. Total 17 9-13 49.
3-point goals: AB: Jeremiah Lee 4, Paul Glants. UD: DJ Cerisier 2, Seaton Kukla, Ryan Mulroy 2, Mason Pensabene.
