Abington advanced to the Final Four of the state, thanks to Saturday’s 56-52 win over Martin Luther King in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal game. To view photos of the game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Plymouth Meeting - Abington has played the game fast and furious all year, and the Ghosts were matched up with another fast and furious squad in Martin Luther King Saturday afternoon in the PIAA Quad-A state quarterfinal game played at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.
And Abington was able to capture a 56-52 victory over the Cougars in a game that was played at a frenetic pace. Both teams pushed the tempo offensively, which in turn created both fast break scoring opportunities – and a number of turnovers.
The win will thrust the Ghosts into the Final Four where they will meet New Castle in the Western Bracket final on Tuesday at a site to be determined. New Castle – the top seed from District 7 - advanced to the Final Four with a 57-55 win over (7-3) Hampton.
“I learned a long time ago as a player (at Abington) under Coach (Jim) Wilkinson that teams that press full court don’t like to be pressed,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “I thought we settled too much for jump shots in the first half, and I felt we needed to come out and turn up the pressure on them in the second half.
“Martin Luther King has a lot of good athletes that can go to the basket,” added Grasty. “But I felt we needed to attack them as well and just go out and give it our best effort.”
Abington gave superior effort in the first period and crafted a 20-13 lead. Senior Anthony Lee scored 10 consecutive Ghost points in a 1:47 time span in that first period to spark the Maroon and White offensive attack. Matt Penecale had seven points in the opening frame.
The second period, though, belonged to the talented Cougars. MLK went on a 10-0 scoring binge in the period to transform a 24-19 Abington lead into a 29-24 Cougar advantage. MLK led at the half 31-27.
“Basketball is a game of runs, and we were able to answer that run in the second period,” said Penecale who scored in twin digits with 13 points. “Our style of basketball all season is to play fast, and we knew that we didn’t have to change our style to get back into the game.
“When we got down, we didn’t panic,” added Penecale. “There have been quite a few people who thought we might not be too good this year, but we go out and play hard for each other.”
“We knew that if we played smart and not turn the ball over, we would be able to play with them,” said Lee. “People have doubted us all season, but we have never doubted ourselves.”
Abington scrapped back to knot the score at 40-40 at the close of the third period as Amir Hinton closed the period with a pair of baskets. Hinton would finish with 11 points.
Abington scored the first four points in the fourth period, thanks to baskets by Penecale and Lee, and never trailed. But Ghost fans at the packed house at the Colonial Elementary Gym were never comfortable with the lead until the final buzzer.
Abington scored its final five points from the free throw line in the final minute on 5-of-6 shooting to seal the win. Jordan Neely nailed 3 of 4 from the line, while Hinton was a perfect 2-of-2.
“We always preach to the players that we have to take care of the little things,” said Grasty. “Free throws might not be a little thing, but we work hard on them every day.
“We’re not done yet, we still have another game to play,” added Grasty. “We have worked hard to get to where we are right now, and I like where we are. Now it’s time for a long bus ride.”
And the wheels on the bus will take Abington to the western final against New Castle next Tuesday (3/18/14) – and another victory would send those Ghosts to Hershey next Saturday (3/22/14) to play the winner of the (1-1) Chester vs. (12-1) La Salle eastern final champion.
Martin Luther King Cougars 13 18 9 12 - 52
Abington Ghosts 20 7 13 16 - 56
MLK: Sam Foreman 16; Chase Rodgers 10; Greg Bennett 9; Jahmir Taylor 9; and Jabri McCall 8. – Total 52.
Abington: Anthony Lee 19; Matt Penecale 13; Amir Hinton 11; Laz Mackrides 6; Jordan Neely 5; and Mark Bond 2. – Total 56.
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