In a wild second round of the PIAA 6A Tournament, Abington, CB West and Neshaminy were winners. Neshaminy/Lower Merion photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery.
The second round of the PIAA 6A Tournament was anything but dull for SOL squads. Neshaminy won a double overtime thriller. Central Bucks West staged an improbable comeback, rallying from nine down to extend defending state champion Reading to overtime and coming away with the win. Abington didn’t need any late heroics to send St. Joe’s Prep home for the season, but the Ghosts were winners while district runner-up Plymouth Whitemarsh saw its postseason of promise come to and end.
Both Abington and Neshaminy join their girls’ programs in the Elite 8 of the state.
#1-1 ABINGTON 66, #12-3 ST. JOSEPH’S PREP 61
Robbie Heath was on top of his game in Wednesday’s second round contest, torching the Hawks’ defense for 27 points in a dazzling performance. He buried a pair of threes and also had seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“Robbie had a good game,” coach Charles Grasty said. “And we were very composed the whole game. They made runs, made some tough shots. I thought we just kept our composure.
“We played within ourselves. We took a couple of bad shots, a couple of bad possessions. Besides that, I though we just played our game. Instead of getting caught up trying to run and speed them up and take quick shots, we just played our game and stayed composed.”
The Ghosts set the tone in the first quarter, outscoring the Hawks 21-14. The Hawks took three points off that lead by halftime, but the Ghosts got those points back with a 17-13 third quarter to take a 51-43 lead into the final frame. The Hawks never seriously threatened.
Eric Dixon – the focal point of the Hawks’ defense – added 16 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal. Benefitting from the attention Dixon received was Darius Brown, who connected on four three-pointers for 12 important points. Brown was almost perfect from the field, connecting on 4-of-5 shots while also pulling down five rebounds.
Making Brown’s performance even more significant was the fact he had only 11 made threes on the season prior to Wednesday’s contest and had connected on just 11-of-44 (25 percent).
“That was big,” Grasty said of Brown’s effort. “They played a two-three, packed it in on Eric (Dixon) and made us shoot from the outside a little bit. Darius knocked down those shots and made them have to respect him so we had more space inside.”
Brown wasn’t the only unsung hero in Wednesday’s win.
“Dante Knox came in and played some really important minutes for us,” Grasty said. “He doesn’t say anything in practice. He just comes in every day and plays as hard as he can.
“They had a guy that was pretty hot, and we asked Dante to guard him, and he did a really good job on him. He didn’t worry about taking any shots. He just came in and did what we asked – made him take tough shots.”
Lucas Monroe had sixes across the board with six points, six rebounds and six assists.
“We’re definitely pleased,” Grasty said. “Sometimes you spend a lot of energy focusing on a district championship. You give it your all and see where it goes. Now we’re looking at this as a whole new season.
“They’re not thinking about last year (and the team’s first round exit from states). People talk about it, they heard it, but it’s rarely brought up in practice. We talk about this team and how far we can go this year.”
Abington (24-5, 12-0 SOL) will face District 12 champion Hazleton in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.
EXTRA POINTS: Heath and Monroe have both surpassed the 120-assist mark for the season. Monroe has 128 and Heath, 123 assists. It is the first time in program history that two players on the same squad have had more than 120 assists…Dixon has 637 points on the season and is just the fifth player in Abington history to surpass the 600-point mark in a single season. He is just 35 points shy of the single-season record of 672 set by Junie Lewis in 1984…Heath has 546 points this season and 1,611 points and is exactly 70 points away from the all-time career scoring record set by Richard Wright…the Ghosts had just six turnovers in the game – only two in the second half.
St. Joe’s Prep 14-16-13-18 61
Abington 21-13-17-15 66
St. Joe’s Prep (61) – Kyle Thompson 2 0-0 4; Darius Kinnel 13 1-2 28; Gabe Arizin 2 0-0 4; Chris Arizin 2 0-0 5; Ed Croswell 4 1-2 9; Trevor Wall 3 4-4 11; Totals 26 6-8 61.
Abington (66) – Eric Dixon 5 6-8 16; Robbie Heath 12 1-4 27; Lucas Monroe 3 0-0 6; Darius Brown 4 0-0 12; Brandon Coffman 1 0-0 2; JP Nolan 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 26 7-12 66.
3-point goals: SJP – Darius Brown 3, Chris Arizin, Trevor Wall; Abington – Darius Brown 4, Robbie Heath 2, JP Nolan.
12-2 ROMAN CATHOLIC 75, #1-1 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 71
By Scott Huff
Bensalem – Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio has often shared his favorite mantra with his Colonials.
‘You don’t just wound a snake – you kill it!’
Plymouth Whitemarsh was unable to follow through on that refrain as the Colonials let an early 19-4 lead evaporate against Roman Catholic.
The Colonials glorious 28-2 season came to a crushing end in the second round of the PIAA 6A state playoffs losing to the Philadelphia Catholic League champions – 75-71.
“Everyone here was looking at what could have been a state semifinal game,” said Donofrio. “It’s odd the way the brackets worked out – that was what good high school basketball looks like.
“To have two (elite) programs like Roman Catholic and Plymouth Whitemarsh play in the second round is fascinating to me,” added Donofrio. “It’s not we don’t expect to see them in playoffs – but why are we seeing them now?”
Plymouth Whitemarsh also had to play Roman without the services of talented senior Alan Glover who was sidelined with a concussion.
“Alan plays 30 minutes a game for us and is the transmission that makes us go,” said Donofrio. “But we were able to play well at the beginning of the game – were able to lead by 11 at halftime – and were able to lead after three quarters.”
“When we took the court we had to forget about the fact that we were playing without Alan,” said senior Ahmad Williams who led PW with 20 points. “We went to war with the players we had – and we had to make it work.”
And things were working out quite well in the first period as the Colonials raced to a 19-6 lead. PW had six players score points in the period – and the swarming Colonial defense limited Roman Catholic to a dismal 3-16 from the field – and forced seven turnovers.
“We know that the players at Roman play with a lot of pride,” said Donofrio. “And we knew that at some point they were going to wake up.”
Roman slowly awoke, outscoring PW 18-15 in the second period to close the gap to 34-26 at the half.
“An 11-point lead in a state playoff game is never safe,” said Donofrio. “They came out and made some shots in the second half.”
The third quarter saw the game begin to swing toward Roman. PW clung to a 48-45 lead at the close of the quarter – but the momentum began to go Roman’s direction.
The PCL champion played like one in the fourth period outscoring the SOL champion 30-23 in the final frame to collect the victory and end the season for the frustrated Colonials.
Roman took its first lead of the game (65-63) with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the game when John Kelly scored his only two points of the game.
The Colonials would get as close as 70-68 (0:17) and 73-71 (0.3) – but would get no closer.
Senior Allen Betrand scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half to pace Roman Catholic. Junior Hakim Hart was strong off the boards and scored 18 points, while sophomore Lynn Greer III and junior Seth Lundy also scored in double digits with 13 points each.
In addition to the team-high 20 points by Ahmad Williams, PW had double-digit scorers from four other players. Senior Ish Horn and junior Naheem McLeod scored 13 points each, while twin brother Ahmin Williams added 11 points and Danny Cooper scored 10 points.
“It has been a privilege to coach this team,” said Donofrio. “This has been a group that plays year round – seven days a week.
“Work ethic and toughness is the mark of this team,” added Donofrio. “They come to workouts at 6 am, 3 pm, and again at 9 pm.
“I can’t fault the energy we played with tonight,” continued Donofrio. “We played with a ferociousness the entire game.
“This is a team that won 27 games in a row,” added Donofrio. “But we lost tonight – and that happens when you play good teams in the playoffs. That’s basketball.”
“Losing tonight was tough,” said Horn – one of five PW captains. “The players on this team were my brothers – white or black, rich or poor.
“I learned a lot during my time here at PW,” added Horn who transferred from Martin Luther King. “The coaching staff and the school supported me both on and off the court.”
“We had one goal (state championship) and we weren’t able to reach it,” said a dejected Williams. “Like coach says – we wounded the snake – but we didn’t kill it.”
The ‘snake’ will live on – Roman Catholic (21-6) will play Central Bucks West (22-6) on Saturday in the PIAA 6A state quarterfinals.
Roman Catholic 6-18-22-30 75
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-15-14-23 71
Roman Catholic (75) – Allen Betrand 26, Hakim Hart 18, Lynn Greer III 13, Seth Lundy 13, Nasir Lett 3, John Kelly 2.
PW(71) – Ahmad Williams 20, Ish Horn 13, Naheem McLeod 13, Ahim Williams 11, Danny Cooper 10, Jason Cherry 4.
#1-4 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 60, #3-1 READING 47 (OT)
Trailing 42-33 with just over two minutes remaining, the Bucks were staring at elimination from the state tournament. Their season was over. Or at least that’s what most undoubtedly thought, but the Bucks had other ideas.
“We just made plays at the right time,” coach Adam Sherman said.
Did they ever.
“It started with Shane (McCusker) hitting a huge three,” Sherman said of a shot that ignited the unlikely sequence.
Jake Reichwein connected on a pair of foul shots, and when Collin McAdams misfired on a foul shot to complete a three-point play, Reichwein came up with the rebound and putback that knotted the score.
“When we tied it up 42 all, there was 1:09 left, and they held the ball for the last shot,” Sherman said. “That’s normally the way you go, but it kind of played into our hands.
“Mika Munari had a huge defensive stand on their best player, (Wesley) Butler, at the end of the game.”
The Bucks spent the overtime period on the foul line, outscoring Reading 18-5. Sixteen of those points came at the charity stripe where Reichwein, MacAdams and McCusker were all a perfect 4-for-4. MacAdams had the lone basket of the quarter.
“One of their big guys (Ricki Lopez) fouled out, and that really opened up the middle for us,” Sherman said. “It also allowed us to get plenty of rebounds too.”
Early on, the Bucks established the tempo and led by a 17-15 score at halftime.
“In the first quarter, it was that feeling out stage – we were feeling out how quick they are, and they were feeling us out,” Sherman said. “The second quarter we kind of found our pace and we went into halftime up 17-15.
“There was a turning point in the game. In the third quarter, we’re up four, and they decide to hold the ball with a minute fifty-something left, and it was perfect for us. It was almost like a free timeout. It gave us a rest. We were fine with it because it kind of committed to being a possession game, and that was exactly what we were hoping for.”
The Bucks trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter, 31-28.
“In the fourth quarter, they hit a couple of big threes around the four or five-minute mark, and we missed a couple of opportunities,” Sherman said. “We had three transition layups that we usually hit that we missed, and they came down and hit two or three threes back-to-back and it put them up nine with two minutes left.
“We called a timeout and we kind of regrouped. We didn’t panic. We were able to get them to shoot a quick shot, we were able to get the rebound. We had two empty possessions first, and then Shane (McCusker) came down and hit a huge three in the corner.”
It marked the beginning of an unlikely sequence that led to overtime and the remarkable win that gave the Bucks the program’s first ever spot in the Elite 8. Sherman acknowledged it was his team’s biggest win.
“I guess it has to be,” he said. “We’re in the Elite 8.
“They’re the defending state champs, they have an impressive record. We’re excited to get the win. I’m just real happy for this group to experience this. You keep pinching yourself. You dream about it, and it’s just great to be here. You’re just hoping you get one more.”
The Bucks’ improbable comeback, according to the Bucks’ coach, was an indication of the team’s growth.
“It was our Achilles heel in the beginning of the season – our kids carried plays,” Sherman said. “If something didn’t go right, they let it linger with them mentally, and they didn’t move on to the next play.
“Our guys really showed maturity and showed growth and showed grit, and they showed the ability to just move on and play the next play. They didn’t let the plays carry in their heads, and I think it really put them in a good place.”
MacAdams and Reichwein led the Bucks with 18 points each. Both were 8-for-9 at the foul line. McCusker had nine points, and Munari had seven.
Central Bucks West (23-7, 10-2 SOL) will face District 12 runner-up Roman Catholic in a quarterfinal game Saturday. Two years ago, Roman Catholic sent West home for the season with a second round 60-41 win.
“We’re excited about the challenge ahead of us,” Sherman said.
Central Bucks West 6-11-11-14-18 60
Reading 9-6-16-11-5 47
Central Bucks West (60) – Mika Munari 2 3-4 7; Shane McCusker 2 4-4 9; Jack Mulhearn 1 2-2 5; Collin MacAdams 5 8-9 18; Jake Reichwein 5 8-9 18; Jack Neri 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 16 26-30 60.
Reading (47) – RJ 4 5-6 18; Xavier Starks 4 0-1 12; Wesley Butler 5 3-5 13; Ricki Lopez 1 0-0 2; Larry Wingo 1 0-0 2; Juan Matos 1 0-0 2; Totals 16 8-12 47.
#1-9 NESHAMINY 88, #1-3 LOWER MERION 87 (2 OTs)
This one was an instant classic.
An underdog Redskin squad simply refusing to lose, its star player willing the team back in the game and a Division One golfer scoring his first basket of the night for the game winner in the second of two overtimes. Throw in the fact that it was a high stakes contest that sent the Redskins into the Elite 8 for the first time in program history, and it was a game for the ages.
“It was the best game I was ever a part of in my entire life – that’s how good I was,” coach Mark Tingle said. “It was an amazing game. It’s a shame someone had to lose.”
Pick an adjective – none would be an exaggeration to describe an unforgettable contest that saw senior Chris Arcidiacono – despite attracting a crowd of defenders all night – shatter a longstanding school record with a brilliant 51-point performance. It was an Arcidiacono three that knotted the score 66-66 and sent it into OT.
“He was unstoppable, but the nice thing was everybody else around him also stepped up and hit big shots and free throws,” Tingle said. “Chris Dominick had 11 points – he hit a big three in double overtime.
“Greg Deluca – his only points of the game was a putback with 10 seconds left in double overtime, and that was the game winner. Pat Campbell is the guy who never shoots, and he had three threes early on. Antony Papeo and Danny Bodine had two huge free throws in overtime. It was one of those games – we hit shots, they hit shots. It was whoever was going to miss the one at the end. It was unbelievable. I’m still trying to process it.”
Arcidiacono – who shattered the program’s single game record of 45 points a game – delivered another clutch three in the second OT to knot the score 74-74.
“Chris hit a 30-35 footer to tie the game,” Tingle said.
The two teams met on Jan. 21, and although the Aces won 73-64, Tingle liked his chances in the rematch.
“We are literally a mirror image of each other from the standpoint – they have one big and we have one big, so we’re not overwhelmed there,” Tingle said. “Both teams have really good guards, and that’s really what it came down to.
“When you have teams that are very comparable to you and you match up, anything can happen. We played them earlier, so we knew what we were in for. We kind of knew what they were going to do with Chris and the rest of the team.”
The Aces never could do anything with Arcidiacono, who scored all of his points in the final three quarters and two overtimes. Campbell connected on a pair of threes and Dominick had one in a first quarter that saw the Aces open up an 18-11 lead.
Arcidiacono went to work in the second quarter, erupting for 21 points to propel the Redskins to a 36-34 halftime lead. The Aces regained the lead with a 17-11 third quarter, but Arcidiacono scored 16 in the fourth quarter and Papeo added a three as the Redskins rallied to knot the score.
The Redskins found themselves trailing late in the second overtime but rallied to knot the score. With time winding down, Deluca scored on a putback for the game winner.
“I really have to give credit to Greg Deluca,” Tingle said. “He’s a kid who’s the number one golfer on the school golf team. He’s going to Villanova to golf.
“Last year he decided not to come out. He’s really good friends with our seniors, and he decided – you know what, I’m going to give it a go. He had five offensive rebounds tonight. His only points were the tipback at the very end. He got an offensive rebound, went up, missed the shot, got his own offensive rebound and tipped it right back in. He deserves a ton of credit.”
In a contest that saw the two teams combine for 24 three-pointers, Arcidiacono had six. He also converted 19-of-22 from the foul line.
“Both teams were in the double bonus, Chris is our best free throw shooter, but as a team, we’re like 75 percent,” Tingle said. “We know that anytime we get fouled we have a chance of making both.
“Chris was being double teamed every single play. He made the open pass when he could. He may have forced (some shots), but he did it because he felt it tonight. He’s done it all year. He’s a special player who’s going to go on to even bigger things in college.”
In addition to scoring 51 points, Arcidiacono had nine rebounds and three assists. Dominick had 11 points and added five assists. Papeo had nine points and five assists. Deluca and Danny Bodine both had six rebounds. Bodine also had four blocks. Campbell had nine points on three threes.
Add a whole lot of heart and guts to the mix, and you have a recipe for a comeback they’ll be talking about for a long time.
“This is what we expect of them, this is what we’ve preached ever since I took the job that no matter what – you keep going,” Tingle said. “We have seven seniors, and we keep saying – we don’t want to stop this, we want to practice the next day. The nice thing is we get to practice tomorrow.
“It’s really special too that the girls are also in the Elite 8 – the buzz around the school is nuts.”
Neshaminy (19-10, 7-5 SOL) will face District 12 champion Lincoln in Saturday’s state quarterfinal.
Neshaminy 11-25-11-19-8-14 88
Lower Merion18-16-17-15-8-13 87
Neshaminy (88) – Pat Campbell 3 0-0 9; Chris Arcidiacono 13 19-22 51; Anthony Papeo 2 3-4 9; Danny Bodine 2 2-2 6; Greg DeLuca 1 0-0 2; Charles Dominick 4 0-0 11; TOTALS 25 24-28 88.
Lower Merion (87) – Steve Payne 9 2-2 21; Jack Forrest 14 2-2 35; Julian Hairston 3 0-0 9; Darryl Taylor 2 3-4 7; Jared Robinson 1 0-0 2; Klevan Harrison 1 0-0 3; Matt O’Connor 0 1-2 1; Josh Martin 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 34 9-12 87.
3-point field goals: Neshaminy – Chris Arcidiacono 6, Charles Dominick 3, Pat Campbell 3, Anthony Papeo 2; Lower Merion – Jack Forrest 5, Julian Hairston 3, Steve Payne, Harrison Klevan.
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