Plymouth Whitemarsh will take on defending state champion Roman Catholic in Tuesday’s PIAA Quad-A semifinal game at Council Rock South (7 p.m.).
By Scott Huff
This is truly the PIAA Quad-A Final Four, as the elite foursome of Pennsylvania scholastic teams – all district champions - will meet in the semifinals Tuesday (3/15/16). This is not the Suburban One League Final Four – or the District One Final Four – this is THE State Final Four.
District One champion Plymouth Whitemarsh (28-2) will meet District 12 – and defending state champion – Roman Catholic (25-4) at Council Rock South High School (7 pm). District Three champion Reading (27-3) will meet District Eight champion Taylor Allderdice (26-1) at Chambersburg High School (7 pm).
“Any one of the teams that are left are state championship worthy,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “There is such a high quality of teams left playing in the semifinals, and for us to gain that level of respect is a great compliment to us.
“Roman is the defending state champion last year and was considered a Top 20 team nationally this year with the three kids coming back,” added Donofrio in reference to Penn State University recruits Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, and Nazeer Bostick. “And for us to be in the same conversation with them at this time of year is great for this team and our program.”
And this Plymouth Whitemarsh team has continued to turn heads all season. Senior Xzavier Malone was a blue-chip known quantity - signed, sealed, and yet to be delivered to Rider – but there were huge question marks almost everywhere else.
Seniors Oakley Spencer, Michael Lotito and Kevin Ashenfelter have stepped up played with a tremendous confidence not seen in previous years – and the Colonials have gotten remarkably poised play from sophomore twin brothers – Ahmad and Ahim Williams.
“I am so fascinated by our team,” said Donofrio. “You always hope to get better as the season goes on, but we have really gotten a lot better. The Chester win (in the district championship game) was a huge win for this team – and now we play every game to win – not just to hang around and hope to win.
“Roman is going to present a huge challenge to our team, but Chester is a prototype of Roman,” added Donofrio. “Both teams have great size and athleticism, and we are going to have to play both physically and mentally tough to beat them.
“(Tony) Carr is a great player that is the motor of that team,” continued Donofrio. “And if we let (Lamar) Stevens get on the low block. we are in a lot of trouble.
“We have looked at a lot of film, and we have seen what other teams have done against them,” added Donofrio. “We have seen what works – and what doesn’t work. It is going to be a game of adjustments.”
The road to this Final Four has been a perilous one for PW. The Colonials became district champions with wins over really decent basketball teams in Academy Park, Central Bucks West, Lower Merion, and Chester.
“We spent so much energy winning the district against what proved to be four state qualifying teams,” said Donofrio. “To be able to play at that high level – and not lose – is extremely tough.
“But what a great experience this season has been,” continued Donofrio. “To play nine consecutive games in front of sold out crowds is exciting for everyone.
“I hope for the fans’ sake that the game with Roman is another great game,” added Donofrio. “It should be.”
Just Another Fan?
Upper Merion head coach Jason Quenzer will be in attendance at the Roman-PW game.
“I will be rooting for PW to win,” said Quenzer who coached the Vikings to a 57-43 SOL American Conference victory over the Colonials in January. “It would be really cool to be able to say that our team beat the state champion.
“(Jim) Donofrio is a great coach and they are going to battle Roman the entire game,” added Quenzer. “PW knows what it takes to win – and they do it with tremendous pressure defensively.
“The game we beat them was just one of those nights where we were able to handle their pressure,” continued Quenzer. “They beat us by like 30 points at their place, but we took care of the basketball and were able to make free throws the second time we played them.
“That win was a monster win for our program – and that game should carry over to next year,” added Quenzer as the Vikings will compete in the Pioneer Athletic Conference next year. “I have been following them in the playoffs – and I hope to see them win again against Roman.”
Just Another Fan? (Part 2)
Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens saw Roman Catholic defeat Parkland last week.
“The problem with beating Roan Catholic is that they have so many really good players,” said Behrens. “Parkland is a great team and they might have had the best player on the floor in Devante Cross, but Roman has so much talent with the Penn State recruits.
“We (Pennridge) went to Reading last year in the first round of states and were able to beat Reading,” added Behrens. “They had the best player on the floor in Lonnie Walker, but we proved that they were beatable.
“The key to winning games in the playoffs is convincing your team into believing they can win,” continued Behrens. “(PW head coach) Jim (Donofrio) does a great job with that – he can sell the kids on them winning against anyone.
“PW has a great scorer in (Xzavier) Malone, but the key to them winning games is how well they play defensively,” added Behrens. “I just don’t know that Roman – with all those Division One kids – is going to be bothered by that pressure. It could be a very close game.”
PIAA Quad-A State Semifinal Game
[1-1] Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (28-2) vs. [12-1] Roman Catholic Cahillites (25-4)
Tuesday – March 15, 2016
@ Council Rock South High School – 7 pm
PIAA Quad-A State Playoff Resume:
Plymouth Whitemarshadvanced to the PIAA Quad-A semifinals with a hard fought 52-44 victory over [12-3] Simon Gratz. The Colonials opened up a 17-8 first period lead but led by only four points (43-39) late in the game. Xzavier Malone scored a game-high 21 points for PW despite shooting just 4-16 from the floor. Malone, however, was 10-12 from the free throw line. Oakley Spencer also scored in double digits for the winners with 11 points. PW had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 58-44 second round victory over [11-2] Bangor. The Colonials trailed 26-22 at the halftime but rallied to an easy win. Malone led PW with 20 points while Michael Lotito also scored in twin digits with 16 points. Plymouth Whitemarsh opened the state playoffs with an 81-41 rout of [3-8] Lebanon. It was the Xzavier Malone Show for the Colonials as the Rider-bound senior torched the Cedars for 30 points. Sophomore Ahim Williams also scored in double digits for the winners with 12 points. In all, 12 different players were able to score points in the lopsided victory.
Roman Catholic advanced to the PIAA Quad-A semifinals with a 73-60 victory over [11-1] Parkland. The Cahillites trailed the D-11 champion Trojans 50-48 after three quarters. RC outscored Parkland 25-10 in the fourth period to secure the win. Penn State recruit Tony Carr led the Cahillites with 26 points, while Penn State recruit Lamar Stevens added 24 points, and Penn State recruit Nazeer Bostick scored in twin digits with 12 points. Roman Catholic had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 60-41 second round victory over Central Bucks West. Stevens was a beast inside and scored a game-high 21 points, while Carr (13) and Bostick (12) also scored in double figures. Roman Catholic opened the state playoffs with a 73-58 victory over [1-9] Academy Park. The Penn State trio of recruits did the scoring damage as Carr (33 points), Stevens (13 points), and Bostick (10 points) all scored in twin digits for the winners
PIAA Quad-A District Playoff Resume:
Plymouth Whitemarsh captured the PIAA Quad-A District One title with a 68-57 victory over # 9 Chester. Xzavier Malone was terrific with a 29-point scoring performance, while Oakley Spencer came up with key steals and clutch free throw shooting and added 10 points. The Colonials punched its ticket to the PIAA Quad-A District One Finals with a 53-42 victory over # 11 Lower Merion. The Colonials were led in scoring by Malone who scored a game-high 19 points. Spencer (14) and Mike Lotito (12) also scored in twin digits in the win over the Aces. PW advanced to the semifinals with a thrilling 43-41 victory over SOL Continental Conference opponent Central Bucks West. Spencer scored the game winner with 0.7 seconds left in the game. Malone led the Colonials with 16 points, while Lotito scored in twin digits with12 points. PW advanced to the district quarterfinals with a 60-56 victory over # 18 Academy Park. Malone led the Colonials with a 26-point outburst, while Ahmin Williams came off the bench and scored eight points. PW opened the district playoffs with a 49-36 victory over # 31 Radnor. Malone led PW in scoring with 14 points. Lotito and Kevin Ashenfelter each scored in double digits for the Colonials with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Roman Catholic captured the District 12 championship with a 65-53 victory over Public League champion Martin Luther King. The Cahillites advanced to the title game with a 72-65 victory over Neumann-Goretti in the PCL finals. Stevens led RC in scoring with 22 points, while Carr also had a nice game with 21 points. The Cahillites advanced to the PCL finals with a 64-63 victory over Archbishop Carroll. Carr scored 24 points in the win over AC, while Bostick added 14 points and Stevens tallied 13 points. RC won its PCL quarterfinal game over St. Joe Prep 56-39. Stevens (15), Carr (14) and Bostick (10) all scored in double digits for the winners.
Season Resume:
Plymouth Whitemarsh: The Colonials finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL American Conference with a record of 13-1.
Roman Catholic: The Cahillites finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Players To Watch:
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Xzavier Malone, Mike Lotito, Oakley Spencer, Ahmad Williams, Ahim Williams & Kevin Ashenfelter.
Roman Catholic: Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, Nazeer Bostick, D’Andre Vilmar & Paul Newman.
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between [3-1] Reading (27-3) vs. [8-1] Taylor Allderdice (26-1) for the PIAA Quad-A championship game. The game will be played on Saturday (3/19/16) @ the Giant Center in Hershey with an 8:00 pm start.
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