Strath Haven coach Tom Dougherty didn't take too kindly to a reported assertion that his team's exit from a local holiday tournament caused it to fold up shop for the year.

In an article that appeared in Tuesday's editions of the Bucks County Courier Times, Strath Haven is implicated as a reason for Bensalem backing out of hosting its annual holiday tournament. According to Dougherty, he told Bensalem coach John Mullin during the summer basketball season that the Panthers would not be participating.

"I told him a couple times during the summer season," Dougherty said Tuesday at Ridley, where Strath Haven dropped a Central League game. "I made it very clear that we weren't going to be a part of it this year. (Mullin) wasn't even sure the place would be ready by then."

Bensalem, which had played its games at Neil Armstrong Middle School, built a $15 million facility on its campus. Because of woes with the clocks and lighting, it was unknown whether the facility would be good-to-go for its season opener or the Dick Dougherty Tournament in the days following Christmas. So Strath Haven and Nazareth Area bowed out.

In no way did Mullin take a jab at either Strath Haven or Nazareth Area, but he did list both schools as primary reasons for the Owls throwing in the towel on their yearly tournament.

"We're going to be in the Downingtown West tournament this year," Dougherty said. "We won the (Bensalem) tournament two years ago by beating them, and we beat them last year. So we're just trying to spread it out."

You can read more about the Bensalem gym and its abandoned holiday tournament here.

Ask any other coach in Delaware County, and each one probably would tell you that Tom Dougherty's fear at Strath Haven would be considered their gain elsewhere.

Dougherty, the Panthers' head coach, worried in the preseason about his basketball players getting "their basketball legs under them." What did Dougherty mean? Well, a good majority of his team is comprised of multi-sport athletes.

Friday, all of them had it going on for Strath Haven in the Panthers' 57-43 win over Ridley.

Omar Randall, a three-sport athlete, tossed in 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists. Christian Martin, an All-Delco boys soccer player, tallied 14 points. Chazz Fisher, an honorable mention All-Delco football player, also scored 14 points. Joe Raymond, an All-Delco soccer player, knocked down a critical 3-pointer in the second half ... as did three-sport athlete Jake Enterlin, a recent baseball commit to Johns Hopkins.

"I think it's going to work out for us," said Randall, who has gotten recruiting interest from college soccer, basketball and track coaches. "I think we have some great athletes on this team and we're going to match up well with a lot of teams."

The Panthers certainly did Friday, leading nearly wire-to-wire. Their only deficit against Ridley was following Shawn Church's first-quarter free throw, which gave the Green Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game.

"Coach Doc talks about basketball legs," Randall said, "but we're all in great shape. We're going to be OK, I think."

To put it modestly.