Scamuffo leads C.B. South past Pennridge

Central Bucks South's Matt Scamuffo said he was "feeling jittery, a little nervous" at the beginning of Friday night's Suburban One League Continental Conference hoops showdown against Pennridge.

It showed, as the senior guard managed just six first-half points while shooting 2 for 7 from the field.

The second half was much different. Scamuffo went 8 for 9 from the field, totaling a career-high 34 points, as the host Titans stormed past the Rams, 67-61, in Warrington. After starting the third quarter with a layup, he buried four consecutive three-point tries.

"Seeing that first shot go down, that really gave me a boost of confidence," said the 6-foot-1, 165-pounder, whose previous high of 28 points came earlier this season against Pottstown.

Scamuffo, a second-year starter, posted 16 points (he was 6 for 6 from the floor) in the pivotal third quarter. Overall, he was 10 for 16 from the field (4 for 7 on treys) and 10 for 13 from the line.

"He can nail the outside shot, but it's his penetration skills and ability to get to the basket that make him the player he is," C.B. South coach Jason Campbell said. "When he's feeling it, he's hard to stop."

The Titans led, 26-22, at the break. Scamuffo, who added six rebounds, notched 11 points in the first 2 minutes, 13 seconds of the third quarter to make it 37-27.

Later in the frame, Scamuffo's right-baseline trey and reverse layup made it 42-33. C.B. South, on Sean Gallagher's put-back basket, was in front, 48-37, heading into the final quarter.

Scamuffo, of Chalfont, is a third-year varsity contributor. "He made a big jump, especially when it came to his strength, between his sophomore and junior years," Campbell said.

C.B. South, which reversed a 75-62 loss to Pennridge last month, improved to 9-5 overall and 6-2 in the Continental Conference. The Titans have a half-game lead on the Rams (10-4, 5-2).

Bryce Dobisch, another senior guard, contributed 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists to the victory; Gallagher, a 6-2 junior, produced nine points off the bench; and junior guard Josh Brodie dished out four assists.

Pennridge, which collected 15 offensive rebounds in a back-and-forth first half, was paced by sophomore guard Dan Long's 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. The visitors shot 3 for 15 from beyond the arc.

Scamuffo, who is averaging about 19 points per game, is considering several Division III schools for basketball, including DeSales, Gettysburg, and Susquehanna.

Pennridge 11 11 15 24 - 61

Central Bucks South 12 14 22 19 - 67

P: Dan Long 22, Zach Muredda 14, Joe Molettiere 17, Mike Tatarowicz 2, Joe Unangst 1, Stephen Lowry 5.

CBS: Matt Scamuffo 34, Chris Hones 4, Paul Weeks 4, Bryce Dobisch 10, Mason Kummer 4, Sean Gallagher 9, David Drea 2.

@ozoneinq