Gabe Cerulli and Mike Burns opened the floodgates.
The Council Rock South duo hit two mid-fourth quarter threes in a 53-second span – treys that sandwiched a Burns steal – to break a 38-38 tie and start an 18-4 closing run against host Council Rock North. The visiting Golden Hawks flew away with a 56-42 win.
“Their kid was playing back on me the whole game,” said Cerulli, a forward. “I thought ‘If I can catch it and have a look at the rim, I might as well let it fly.’ I’ll get it back on defense worst case.
“I’m not the greatest shooter or the guy you’ll face guard,” Cerulli admitted, “but if I had that much space I had to be confident.”
“I was just waiting for my shot all night. I capitalized when I was open,” Burns added.
South led 13-12 after one quarter. Ryan Delp’s layup at the halftime buzzer gave the Golden Hawks a 24-20 lead at the break. The four-point margin was the biggest lead of the half.
Free throws were a major difference in the game. South hit nine before North even attempted its first. The Golden Hawks sank an impressive 20 of 22 from the charity stripe.
“The free throws were just the flow of the game,” Cerulli shared. “We had hard takes to the basket. They were really packed (on defense). I wasn’t getting my layups to go but they were fouling me. I was able to get to the line.”
Went North’s Oliver Schaefer opened the second half with a three and a layup, it was the first time all game the Indians strung together consecutive baskets. Schaefer’s three capped a six-point run and gave North a 33-31 lead with 2:14 left in the third. Ryan Wekluk’s nine third quarter points kept South in the quarter.
“As we opened the half, I knew we had to make something happen,” Wekluk said. “Thanks to my teammates for finding me open. I had to make some plays and I did.”
Cerulli’s 14 and Wekluk’s 12 paced South. Both are early season highs. Delp added eight, also a season high.
“Everyone who came in this game gave us a spark. George O’Brien was huge on defense even though he didn’t score. Ryan in particular had eight points in the quarter,” said CR South coach Andrew Rogers. “That was huge. Ryan is really doing good things. He shoots the ball well so I was really happy to see him get some open ones and see them fall. He’s been working hard.
“We’re in a situation where we have a lot of guys who can play so it could be a different guy every night,” Rogers added. “I really think that in terms of our depth this year. These guys know that. I want them to play confident. Their energy has been good.”
“Everyone on our team can shoot (threes),” Wekluk said. Both CRs drained six treys each.
Schaefer’s 18 led all scorers; he averages over 17 points per game. North big man Grady Burt added seven, ending three straight games of 16-plus points.
“Both of those guys are very good players,” Rogers said. South’s plan was “obviously knowing where they are and then loading up the help. When those two have it, you really need to sit down and guard. They play hard. (North) Coach (Derek) Wright does a really good job.”
The Council Rocks entered the match with very similar resumes. Both were 2-2. Both finished in third place in their tip off tournaments. Both split their first two SOL Patriot games. Both had a player go off for over 20 points in a win – Schaefer tallied 25 in a 60-57 “W” against Frankford. South’s Timmy Rahill scored 22 in a 63-32 drubbing of Sun Valley.
The Indians head to Neshaminy on Friday; South plays Pennsbury in the Golden Hawks’ nest on Thursday. The CRs have a rematch on Jan. 30 in Holland.
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