Jordan Simmons scores 16 points to spark Abington's win

Surprisingly for a wing guard, Abington's Jordan Simmons enjoys a good putback basket as much as a long-range three-pointer or a transition layup.

"That's really my game, attacking and getting to the basket," he said. "If I miss a shot or one of my teammates misses, I want to get the rebound. I want to be there to follow it up."

In Tuesday night's Suburban One League National Conference matchup at William Tennent, the high-leaping Simmons, crashing the glass with his usual ferocity, netted 16 points as the Ghosts cruised, 74-39, in Warminster.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior collected four of the squad's 16 offensive boards. Nine came in the first quarter, as the visitors bolted to a 24-6 advantage.

"Myself, Anthony [Durham], and Jiere [Morrisey] can all get to the rim," Simmons said. "That gets us a lot of easy baskets. That's been a big part of our wins."

Simmons, a second-year starter, shot 6 for 13 from the field (0 for 2 from beyond the arc) and 4 for 4 from the line. He added two assists and a steal.

"We tell Jordan all the time that he can be our do-it-all player," Abington coach Charles Grasty said. "He's got good size, he can shoot it, and he can get to the basket."

The Ghosts, who lost to Chester and Atlantic City in the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener, improved to 9-2 overall and 5-0 in the National.

Last season, Abington went 20-8 and advanced to the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA semifinals. "We want to make it back to Temple, see if we can do some damage in states," Simmons said.

Against Tennent, Durham delivered 11 points, six assists, and five boards; Morrisey posted nine points, four boards, two assists, and two steals; and sophomore swingman Matt Penecale managed nine points and three assists.

"We feel like we're 10 deep," Grasty said. "Our bench is pretty good. Practices are a lot of fun. Our first-teamers and second group really go at it."

Subs Mike Griffin (10 points, two treys), Amir Hinton (six points), and Anthony Lee (seven boards, four points) helped out against the slower Panthers (3-7, 1-4).

In the second quarter, Penecale's back-to-back layups bumped the lead to 37-13. Simmons' pull-up jumper near the foul line made it 65-28 in the third.

Watched by St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli, Tennent's Horace Spencer, a 6-8 sophomore, recorded 12 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks, and 2 assists.

Simmons, of Willow Grove, is hearing mostly from Division II schools, including Holy Family, Bloomsburg, and West Chester.

Abington 24 21 22 7 – 74

William Tennent 6 15 9 9 – 39

A: Anthony Durham 11, Jiere Morrisey 9, Mark Bond 2, Matt Penecale 9, Jordan Simmons 16, Anthony Lee 4, Amir Hinton 6, Mike Griffin 10, Khalid Gibson 4, Jordan Neely 3.

WT: Colin Hatala 3, Horace Spencer 12, Corey Hamlett 2, Matt Alden 15, Connor Spornak 6, Joe Beck 1.