BENSALEM — A year ago, the Bensalem boys basketball team started out 6-0 and won its first four Suburban One League Patriot Division games.

But the Owls went 6-10 the rest of the way (3-9 in the SOL) and just missed out on the District One playoffs.

The Owls had qualified for the PIAA state tournament in 2021-22 after winning the SOL Patriot Division and also made states in 2019-20 after taking the SOL National Conference. They expected to at least qualify for districts last season.

Getting back to the 24-team district Class 6A tournament was an offseason point of emphasis for Owls head coach Ron Morris and company.

"We kept grinding to (try not to) allow us to fall short on the district playoffs," Morris said.

The Owls went 5-0 the first time through the SOL Patriot this year, highlighted by a 53-47 win over defending division champion Pennsbury and a 74-62 victory to give Council Rock South its only divisional defeat to date. They haven't done that since 2019-20.

Last season's downturn began with a 57-56 loss to Neshaminy in the fifth Patriot Division contest.

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"That game changed our season," Morris said.

This year, Bensalem downed visiting Neshaminy 46-44 in a taut contest Tuesday evening behind 14 points from senior Antonio Morris and 13 by junior sixth man Amir Drummond. A 58-53 home loss to Neshaminy in the Owls' 2022-23 regular-season finale cost them a playoff berth.

"I think we had a lot of energy going in because they ended our season," said junior Jaidyn Moffitt, whose two free throws put Bensalem ahead for good with 23 seconds left Tuesday. "We all were just fired up to play them."

One area in which Bensalem (6-1 overall) has improved in 2023-24 is its scoring balance. Four players — Antonio Morris (14 points), Drummond (12.5), Moffitt (12.4) and senior Noah Morris (11.1) — are averaging in double figures. Antonio and Noah Morris are Ron's sons.

A year ago, only Antonio Morris (14.3) and the graduated Eric Gonzalez (12.7) averaged more than eight points per game.

"The benefit of having so many guys is anyone can go off on any night," said Noah Morris. "We're not relying on one or two people to score. It opens it up for everyone."

Defense has also been a priority for the Owls, who limited Neshaminy to seven fourth-quarter points and just two made field goals.

"We play team defense," Noah Morris said. "We stress that we can't take any plays off at practice. I feel like we're valuing possessions more this year."

"Our brand of basketball is getting after it on the defensive end," said Ron Morris, who doesn't hesitate to use small lineups. "We are playing better defense so far this season (and) getting more deflections and tips. We are trying to use our athleticism to our advantage."

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The players also believe this year's team is more "together" than the 2022-23 squad.

"This year, we all pick each other up, no matter what," Moffitt said. "Last year, we only did it sometimes, depending on the game."

"We really have a great bond on the team (now)," Noah Morris said. "That really helps us when things get tough."

After going 5-0 in divisional games, Bensalem is in the midst of playing the six teams in the SOL Colonial Division before ending with another round vs. SOL Patriot foes. The players and Ron Morris are aware the Owls went 2-4 in the crossover portion of the schedule a year ago following the first Neshaminy loss and believe the upgraded defense and scoring depth puts them in position for a better showing this season. They edged Souderton 76-75 in overtime on Thursday evening.

"I think we've got to pay attention to every detail," Moffitt said. "Teams in our (division), we all know what they do, so we've got to stay focused on what the other teams do in the crossover games."

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Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Balanced scoring, defense put Bensalem atop SOL Patriot standings