Pennsbury rallies past Abington

Kieran Bolger is a long-range sniper for Pennsbury, but his right elbow wasn't a swollen mess from launching NBA-range bombs.

"I took a spill and fell on it in the second quarter," the senior said after wrapping a bandage around his elbow. "It's a big sac of fluid right now. It looks real bad, but it doesn't hurt at all."

With Bolger draining four three-pointers en route to 16 points, Pennsbury overcame major foul trouble and fought past visiting Abington, 68-61, Tuesday night in a Suburban One League National Conference contest in Fairless Hills.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Bolger shot 5 for 14 from the field (4 for 9 from beyond the arc) and 2 for 4 from the free-throw line. Despite the injury, he played all 32 minutes.

Midway through the second quarter, Bolger drained back-to-back treys to put the Falcons in front, 30-21. The second was from way downtown.

"If they don't play me, I'm going to shoot it," the third-year starter said. "Coach [Bill] Coleman tells me to take those shots. He gives me the green light."

Does Coleman wince when he sees Bolger preparing to fire from well beyond the arc?

"I'm used to it," Coleman said. "That's his range. And it's something we do in practice. It comes in the flow of our offense."

The Falcons improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the National Conference. They were whistled for 23 personal fouls, including eight in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

"We play an aggressive style of defense, so it does happen," Coleman said. "Of course, it's something we'd like to avoid."

Senior point guard Jerrel Burke chipped in 15 points and six assists. Junior Shawn Pepper (11 points, four rebounds), and seniors Ryan Charity (eight points, nine rebounds), and Dan Ransom (four points, nine rebounds) also made key contributions.

"We've been working hard in practice," said Charity, who hit a pair of threes. "That transfers over to the game."

Trailing most of the way, Abington (7-2, 2-1) went ahead in the middle of the fourth quarter. Anthony Durham's two free throws then made it 56-52 with 4 minutes, 54 seconds to play.

Ignited by Burke's trey, Pennsbury responded with a 10-0 run. Burke's breakaway layup, off a long feed from Charity, gave the hosts a 62-56 advantage with 48 seconds remaining.

Durham, a junior guard, paced the Ghosts with 22 points and five assists. Jiere Morrisey (13 points, seven boards) and Chris Ruhl (10 points, five rebounds) were next in line.

Abington   17 8 17 19 – 61

Pennsbury   18 14 12 24 – 68

A: Anthony Durham 22, Anthony Lee 2, Chris Ruhl 10, Jiere Morrisey 13, Matt Penecale 6, Mike Griffin 6, Tom Kennedy 2.

P: Kieran Bolger 16, Shawn Pepper 11, Jerrel Burke 15, Dan Ransom 4, Ryan Charity 8, Jamar Brown 6, Mekhi Bryant 6, Davon Hopkins 2.