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By Scott Huff
READING - Defending state champion Plymouth Whitemarsh will make its third straight trip to the PIAA Quad-A Final Four as the battered and bruised Colonials fought off Red Land 56-45 in a quarterfinal contest at the Geigle Complex Center.Battered?
Silky smooth senior Stephon Baker – who hobbled to the PW sideline before the game with the help of crutches - watched the game from the bench after he sprained an ankle in the Colonial win over Frankford in their second round game.
Bruised?
Everyone in the Geigle Complex held its collective breath when Plymouth Whitemarsh’s 6-foot, 7-inch superstar Jaylen Bond crashed to the floor after a dunk attempt was interrupted by 7-foot Red Land center Steve Zack. The first thing to strike the floor was his tailbone – followed by his elbow – and followed by the back of his head.The Bond injury came with just one minute and 29 seconds left in the game and the Colonials holding a 46-35 lead.
“Late in the game, I’m looking over my shoulder wondering where Jaylen and Stephon are,” smiled Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “But I knew that the other kids would step up and finish the game for us, and that is what happened.”
Baker was replaced in the starting lineup by little used senior Wayne Thompson. Thompson was tenacious on defense – and although he did not score a single point – played a critical role in the swarming fullcourt PW defensive set.
“Wayne is a terrific on-the-ball defender,” said Donofrio. “He is a product of playing four years in this program, and he really cranked it up on the defensive end. He knows how to play great defense with discipline, and with the way that Red Land plays the game, that was exactly what we needed.”
“I can’t really say that I was nervous,” said Thompson of his rare start on the huge stage of a PIAA Quad-A quarterfinal game. “Playing defense is my thing. I get to do it a lot against some great players in practice every day.“I’m just a guy who doesn’t get jealous of the playing time my teammates get,” added Thompson. “I just go out and support them the best I can whether I’m in the game or not.”
Thompson may have replaced Baker on the defensive end of the court, but senior point guard Marcus Badger had to adjust his game to support the PW offense. Badger – a wonderful distributor of the basketball – looked more for his shot and scored 14 key points for the winners.
“I took it upon myself to be more aggressive on offense,” said Badger. “We all knew that we were going to have to make some adjustments to the way we play the game.”
Badger – the magnificent point guard – made two marvelous assists to Bond who threw down a pair of thunderous dunks to break the game open in the third period. The back-to-back slams gave PW a 40-34 lead that was never seriously threatened.
“One of them was on a set play,” said Badger who dished off seven assists for the Colonials. “T
he other one we just made eye contact on. We have been playing together since we were like seven or eight years old, and we know what each other likes to do.”
he other one we just made eye contact on. We have been playing together since we were like seven or eight years old, and we know what each other likes to do.”“Badger was absolutely terrific,” said Donofrio. “He is a true point guard in every sense of the word, and today he was able to pick up his scoring without Stephon being on the court.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh staggered to a 12-6 lead in the first period as the Colonials turned over the Patriots six times with their pressure defense. The lead stretched to 21-14 at halftime as both teams struggled to create any offensive flow.
“We wanted to play 32 minutes of dangerous 90-foot pressure,” said Donofrio. “We never wanted them to be comfortable running their offense.”
The score remained competitive until the Bond-Badger fireworks at the close of the third period. Bond scored a game-high 22 points – before the heart stopping crash landing.
The win sets up a semifinal showdown against Chester in Wednesday’s state semifinal.
“Right now, it is out of my hands whether or not Jaylen (or Stephon) are going to be able to play in our next game,” said Donofrio. “It is up to the medical community.
“I just might have to suit up,” added Donofrio. “But if I do, we’re holding for one shot.”
Free Throws – Plymouth Whitemarsh [1-3] will move on the PIAA Quad-A Semifinal round against the Chester Clippers [1-1]. Chester handled La Salle [12-2] 68-50 to advance. The proposed sites swirling around the Geigle Complex after the game was that the PW-Chester game would either be played at (1) Villanova (2) Norristown or (3) Reading. The time of the game – and the venue – is still to be announced. The only thing certain is that the game will be played on Wednesday. In the western bracket, Mount Lebanon [7-4] will face Penn Wood [1-9] on Wednesday– site and time to be determined. Mount Lebanon bested Butler [7-3] 51-42 in its quarterfinal game while Penn Wood defeated Council Rock North [1-2] by that same 51-42 margin in its quarterfinal contest.
Red Land 6 8 16 15 - 45
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12 9 13 22 - 56
Red Land: Duke Antonelli 5; Mike Zangari 19; Nick Diller 3; Steve Zack 15; and Dominick Antonelli 3. Total – 45.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Marcus Badger 14; Jaylen Bond 22; Marcus Glover 9; Sam Pygatt 9; and Jake Silvers 2. Total – 56.
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