PW defeated Chester 68-57 to capture the program’s first District One Quad-A title since 1998. Photos are courtesy of Larry Small. Check back to view a complete gallery.
By Scott Huff
Philadelphia – The unexpected bottom line was that the storied Chester Clippers simply couldn’t match the frenetic Plymouth Whitemarsh defensive pressure. The fiery Colonials captured their first district championship since 1998 in a 68-57 PIAA Quad-A District One victory over Chester before a vociferous crowd at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.
“We weren’t about to change who we are for any team,” smiled Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “Chester is a proud and talented team, and we respect them for that. But this team wasn’t about to blink.
“This team has shown that we can defend anyone,” added Donofrio in reference to the staggering 30 turnovers PW forced against the athletic Clippers. “It is fun to watch us play, and we have moved on from being a collection of individuals to one collective team. We now walk a little taller and play the game with confidence.”
In a contest that could not have been any more up-tempo – Plymouth Whitemarsh received superlative play from a pair of seniors. Both Xzavier Malone and Oakley Spencer played 90-feet of hardwood for the entire 32 minutes. Malone scored a game-high 29 points on a variety of slashing moves to rim, while Spencer came up with huge steals and clutch free throw shooting in the final period.
“I didn’t have a great start to the game, but my only thought was to continue to attack,” said Malone - the slender 6-foot, 4-inch tri-captain bound for Rider next year. “As the game went on, the ball began to roll in the basket.”
“It’s nice to have the best guard in the district,” said fellow tri-captain Spencer – who was also in twin digits with 11 points. “We tend to look for him to do big things at the end of games.”
“Xzavier struggled at the beginning of the game, but he is too good not to have his moments,” said Donofrio. “And Oakley has taken ownership of the team. He plays with that look in his eye – and he is the perfect compliment to Xzavier.
“We put forth some serious energy tonight in order to win this championship,” added Donofrio. “This tournament is very exhausting to win, Chester has owned this tournament – but we felt that this was our time.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh generated an astonishing 11 turnovers in the first period to take a 12-7 lead. However, Chester put its athleticism on display in the second period scoring 26 points and taking a 35-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The four-point Clipper lead became a six-point Chester lead going into the final period.
“We really are not scared of any team,” said Spencer. “Coach D got us all excited to play against them – and we knew that this team would not slow it down and both teams would get to run.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh was the team that raced to the victory with a 24-9 domination of the final period. The suffocating Colonial defense once again was the determining factor with nine Clipper turnovers in the final eight minutes.
Almost lost in the display of the marvelous PW defense was the balanced scoring Colonial offense. All ten players that got time on the floor for PW had points listed next to their name in the scorebook.
“I think we showed tonight that we have a lot of depth on this team,” said Malone. “We all know how good this team is by the way we practice. Our practices are very intense.
“The Williams twins (Ahmin and Amhad) bring a great deal energy when they are on the floor,” added Malone in reference to the sophomore guards. “And (6-foot, 9-inch freshman) Naheem (McLeod) is a young fella that is a little goofy, but is going to be a good player in a couple of years.”
And now it is on to the state tournament for the newly crowned district champions.
“We have to continue to play the game like we are a bunch of brothers,” said Donofrio. “After 50 years of excellence and 20-plus league titles – we have a pretty good mystique going here at PW. Now we have to wear it.”
And the 2016 PIAA Quad-A District One champion Colonials wore it well in defeating Chester.
Chester Clippers 7-26-15-9 * 57
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-19-13-24 * 68
C: Stanley Davis 18, Marquis Collins 12, Khaleeq Campbell 11, DeShawn Hinson 6, Maurice Henry 5, Jamar Sudan 2, Jordan Camper 2 and Jamal Jones 1.
PW: Xzavier Malone 29, Oakley Spencer 11, Davon Burrell 5, Mike Lotito 4, Grady Minick 4, Ahim Williams 4, Kevin Ashenfelter 3, Matt Walker 3, Ahmad Williams 3 and Naheem McLeod 2.
District Seeding Games
SPRING FORD 58, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 56 (2 OT) (Fifth place game)
The Bucks – playing without senior Cal Reichwein – opened up a 14-6 lead after one quarter only to watch the Rams rally to go on top 23-20 at halftime. In a big third quarter, the Bucks went on a 16-9 tear to go on top 36-32, but again, the Rams battled back, knotting the score and setting the stage for overtime. Both team scored five points in the first overtime, but the Rams won it in the second with an 8-6 edge.
Erich Hohenleitner led the Bucks with 15 points while Luke Irons had 14 – which included four three-pointers. Bill Power and Jake Reichwein also finished the game in double figures with 10 points each. Power had a pair of three’s on a night that saw the Bucks bury seven from beyond the arc.
Matt Gnias led the Rams with 14 points, including three triples, and Nigel Cooke added 13. Cameron Reid scored 11 and Charles Drummond, 10 points.
Central Bucks West (23-6, 12-2 SOL) will take on District Three’s second place team in the opening round of states next Saturday. Central York will face Reading in Saturday’s district title game.
Spring-Ford 6-17-9-13-5-8 58
Central Bucks West 14-6-16-9-5-6 56
Spring-Ford: Nigel Cooke 13, Cameron Reid 11, Matt Gnias 14, Charles Drummond 10, Ryan Fitzpatrick 6, Nestor Diaz 4.
Central Bucks West: Luke Irons 14, Bill Power 10, Erich Hohlenleitner 15, Connor Lynch 3, Liam Cooney 2, Jake Reichwein 10, Collin MacAdams 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 44, CONESTOGA 40 (Seventh place game)
Justin O’Neil led a balanced East attack with 12 points while Blake Peterson and Matt Pattyson both added 11, propelling the Patriots – who were coming off back-to-back losses – to the hard fought win. Peterson also had seven blocks and seven rebounds in a standout all-around effort. Tommy Strasburger scored just two points but dished off five assists.
Conestoga led 10-8 after one quarter and took a 21-20 lead into halftime. Sparked by six points from O’Neil, East outscored Conestoga 14-10 in the third quarter to go on top 34-31. They held a 10-9 edge in the fourth quarter, going on to earn the district’s seventh seed.
Central Bucks East (16-11, 7-7 SOL) will face District 11’s second place team in next Friday’s opening round of states.
Central Bucks East 8-12-14-10 44
Conestoga 10-11-10-9 40
Central Bucks East: Tommy Strasburger 2, Justin O’Neil 12, Blake Peterson 11, Elijah Seger 4, Chris Reilly 2, Matt Pattyson 11, Tiemo Fenner 2.
Conestoga: Darryl Caldwell 11, Angus Maock 4, Charlie Martin 5, Andrew Larkin 7, Jack Baker 4, Scott Shapiro 2, Zack Lezanic 7.
ACADEMY PARK 72, HATBORO-HORSHAM 70 (Ninth place game)
Hatboro-Horsham was on the road Friday night to take on Academy Park in 9-10 playback match. Fantastic offensive ball movement and an equally impressive defensive display led to a 17-10 Academy Park lead after the first quarter.
The Hatters managed to reverse the deficit off the back of Brian McEachern’s superb second quarter performance of 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Hatboro-Horsham went into the locker room at halftime with a 38-34 lead. Academy Park’s defense limited the Hatters to just 13 points in the third quarter, and the two teams were deadlocked 51-51 heading into the fourth quarter. In a very back and fourth final quarter, Academy Park was able to come out on top 72-70 with two very important baskets in the last twenty seconds by Nakim Stokes.
Academy Park finished with 29 forced turnovers to help close out the game. Brian McEachern scored 20 points to lead the Hatters. Academy Park’s Juwan Collin’s finished with 21 points. Hatboro-Horsham (14-13) face the District 3 champion in their next game. Academy Park (20-7) Park face the District 12 champion in their next match.
- Log in to post comments
