Souderton survives North Penn’s late surge

FRANCONIA >> Jason Price’s trip to the foul line with five seconds left summed up Souderton’s final quarter Thursday night.

Price, who began the season as the Indians’ sixth man but now their go-to option on offense, went to the line with a chance to put his team up three against North Penn. Then, he missed the first free throw and the Knights had a little more life.

He recovered to make the second and after North Penn’s last-gasp layup fell off the mark, the Indians could exhale after surviving the Knights’ charge for a 45-43 victory.

“I know I have to hit them, I’m mad for missing the first one and my team let me know it after the game,” Price said. “We have confidence in all our guys, without (the team’s injured starters), it’s a big loss but we’re still going to come and bring Souderton basketball, which means we’re confident in how we play.”

Souderton (10-6, 4-3 SOL Continental) has been without injured seniors Dom Natale and Andrew Vince, its top two scorers, for a couple weeks and the Indians have been challenged in that stretch. While they’ve morphed from a senior-laden and veteran team into a now inexperienced and younger squad, the Indians aren’t trying to get away from their identity.

So, with their main options on offense sitting and not able to help, Price led a pretty smooth effort for Souderton through three quarters. The ball moved, players moved, Souderton screened very well and found the open space.

The junior led the Indians with 15 points and played off his teammates to score at all three levels.

“It was really good space and pace,” Souderton coach Tim Brown said. “We were sharing the basketball, not trying to do too much. We were hitting singles and keeping it single and weren’t diving at the rack trying to get a foul or make a tough finish, we were pulling up and hitting easy jumpers and they excel at that, so we just need to keep getting to our strengths.”

Price had seven on the team’s nine first quarter points, including a hoop with 0.4 left on the clock, then scored an early second quarter basket to kick off an 11-0 run. The run turned an 11-9 deficit into a 21-11 lead and the host Indians took a 25-15 edge into the break.

Souderton only extended its lead in the third quarter. Big man Ben Murawski, who set some terrific screens, also stepped out past the line to bank in a three and pull some of the Knights size out of the lane, while Price and Jack Towsen also buried longballs.

“Everybody believed in one another,” Price said. “We never have to settle for one person to score. If one person isn’t making their shots, the next person will step up. You have your brothers’ backs.

“I’ve just been playing basically, my team’s made it easier because they have confidence in me and it brings up my level of play.”

North Penn’s defense just never seemed able to catch up to the Indians’ offense.

“We waited until we were too far down to play with any energy,” North Penn coach John Conrad said. “I was disappointed with our effort in the first half, we dug ourselves a near-20 point hole and tried to come back.”

A drive by Towsen put the hosts up 38-21 going into the final quarter and a layup by Evan Kutzler gave Souderton its biggest lead at 40-21 with 6:10 to play.

North Penn (4-10, 2-5 SOL Continental) had to get desperate, going to a full-court pressure defense and finally, the Knights found a path back into the game. Josh Jones and Rob Carangi, along with guards Joey Larkins, Colby Barrow and Mike Chaffee, hounded the ball up the floor and started to cause turnovers at a high clip.

Jones and Carangi were relentless on the other end, as the junior duo combined for all 22 North Penn points in the final frame.

“It’s an energy level for us, we had no energy in the first half and were really flat,” Conrad said. “We got a lot of stops and turnovers and were able to run out. We knew we were going to press and needed to be more athletic so we went with Rob and Josh and I thought they did a nice job at the top and back of the press.”

Carangi, once he started to look for his shot more, was nearly unstoppable on the night with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and his three with 1:42 left got the Knights within 44-39 and a putback made it a one-point game with 44.2 left.

 Jones finished with 14 points, taking 12 free throws and poking away four steals in the game as he manned the head of the Knights’ press.

It might be hard to say about a team that had three straight turnovers in the last 1:45 of the game, but the Indians managed to keep some composure during North Penn’s run. Price said he and his teammates were constantly telling each other to keep calm even as they missed six free throws in the quarter.

“This is why I have gray hair at 28 years old, man,” Brown said. “It’s not pretty but wins are wins.”

After Carangi’s putback, the Indians turned the ball over only for Brian Reiner to steal it back on North Penn’s first attempt at a go-ahead possession. Reiner was fouled right away but missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Knights another chance.

Larkins got into the lane and as he dished off to Jones, collided with Sami Chouriaf, getting called for an offensive foul. Price would be fouled off the ensuing inbound, hitting the second of two before North Penn’s last look.

“You have to talk about Sami Chouriaf with that huge charge there at the end,” Brown said. “He saved the game at the end there for us.”

“I thought Joey had come to a jump stop,” Conrad said. “It’s a bang-bang play there.”

It wasn’t the finish anyone on the Indians side envisioned or particularly enjoyed enduring, but as Price noted, they came out of it with a win that was much-needed.

 “We’re a young group now,” Brown said. “They’re growing up and maturing one quarter at a time and one play at a time and it’s been fun to watch.”

SOUDERTON 45, NORTH PENN 43
SOUDERTON 9 14 15 7 – 45
NORTH PENN 11 4 6 22 – 43
Souderton: Jason Price 5 3-4 15, Evan Kutzler 3 0-2 6, Brian Reiner 3 0-2 7, Ben Murwaski 4 1-1 10, Sami Chouriaf 1 0-2 2, Jack Towsen 2 0-0 5. Totals: 18 4-11 45.
North Penn: Josh Jones 3 8-12 14, Joey Larkins 2 3-3 7, Matt Swanson 1 0-0 2, Rob Carangi 8 2-2 20. Totals: 14 13-17 43.
3-pointers: S – Price 2, Reiner, Murwaski, Towsen; NP – Carangi 2.