Hatboro-Horsham uses late 3rd quarter surge to beat North Penn
TOWAMENCIN >> The Hatboro-Horsham boys basketball team ended the third quarter with an 8-0 to lead North Penn by 10 and never let the Knights get closer than seven in the fourth to end a three-game skid with a 61-50 Suburban One League Continental Conference victory Tuesday night.
“Our size was a factor tonight,” Hatters coach Ed Enoch said. “We, I thought rebounded the ball very, very well at times. They didn’t shoot it great and when you’re giving them just one opportunity it’s a big factor.”
Jay Davis finished with a game-high 21 points — 11 in the second half — while Clifton Moore and Joe Russell each chipped in 12 points for Hatboro-Horsham, which never trailed after Moore made two free throws to break a 22-22 tie with 0.3 seconds left before halftime.
“I feel like Hatboro-Horsham has got something to prove this year,” Davis said. “I don’t want everybody to look at us like we’re the underdog every time. I wanted people to be scared of us. So, I think we came out with that time of mind set.”
Noah Kwortnik paced the Knights with 15 points. Matt Pickford added 14 points while Lance Lindsay-Ford finished with 12 points. Both Pickford and Lindsay-Ford hit three 3-pointers.
“I think they wore us down. They ended up with 21 offensive rebounds,” North Penn coach John Conrad said. “Just too many. They had a ton of second chances.”
North Penn (5-8, 2-5 conference) pulled even at 27-27 in the third on a Pickford three-pointer, but Davis answered for the Hatters (7-6, 5-2) with a breakaway dunk and a steal and layup to put the visitors up four. A Moore bucket inside had Hatboro-Horsham leading 35-30 before a Kwortnik basket and a Lindsey-Ford free throw cut the margin to two.
Russell began the Hatters’ 8-0 third-quarter finish with a putback. Moore was intentionally fouled and made both free throws with 1:21 left. Hatboro-Horsham turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, but quickly forced a NP giveaway that led to a Brian McEachern bucket. A Moore putback made it 43-33 entering the fourth.
A Pickford three in transition had North Penn within seven at 47-40, but the Hatters scored the next six points — four by Davis — to ballooned their advantage to 13.
Hatboro-Horsham scored 13 of the final 14 points in the first quarter to lead 13-5. Kwortnik scored nine of his 15 points in the second quarter as the Knights rallied to tie the contest at 22 on his putback before Moore’s last-second free throws put Hatboro-Horsham up two at the break.
