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By Scott Huff
WEST NORRITON – Conestoga coach Mike Troy – dressed in a pristine white shirt and neatly knotted tie - sure didn’t look the part of a mechanic. But the Pioneer boss got his hands dirty and created a game plan that dismantled Plymouth Whitemarsh, 43-34, in a PIAA District One quarterfinal playoff game.
“Sometimes we look like a Ferrari running on all cylinders,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “Tonight we looked like a Ferrari running with a bad spark plug.
“Anytime that you play a team with five seniors, that all have been in a program for three years like those Conestoga kids, it is tough,” added Donofrio. “They play that great match up zone, and it was a nightmare for us. Our timing was off the entire game.”
“We knew that in order to beat Plymouth Whitemarsh we were going to have to stop their fast breaks, limit their runs, and play hard off the defensive glass,” said Troy. “And we were able to do just that.
“This coaching staff worked very hard getting ready for this game,” continued Troy. “We played a lot of match up, but we mixed in some other defenses as well.”
The game got off to a painful start as both the Pioneers and Colonials stalled offensively at the outset. The score at the end of the first period was 6-5 in favor of PW.
“That first period was frustrating for us to watch,” said Donofrio. “That matchup makes you blink your eyes and can put you to sleep.
“A team like Conestoga not a great match up for us,” added Donofrio. “If we play a Penn Wood, or a Chester, or a Norristown we are much more comfortable with that up tempo.”
Conestoga dictated the tempo – and at the half, the Pioneers held a pedestrian 19-13 lead.
“We played the game tonight with a great basketball IQ,” said Troy. “We limited the touches of their big scorers, and we always seemed to have a hand in their face defensively.”
The lone offensive weapon for the Colonials was sophomore Jaylen Bond. However, foul trouble limited his time on the floor and he finished with a team-high eight points.
“We were just out of sync all night,” said Bond. “We didn’t shoot very well (25 percent from the field), and we have to do better than if we want to beat good basketball teams.
“Jake (Cohen) is a good player, and he hurt us tonight,” added Bond who played AAU basketball last summer with Cohen. “He just outworked us.”
Cohen – who is signed and sealed to play at Davidson University – led the Pioneers with a game-high 21 points. The 6-foot, 10-inch center played well defensively and helped limit PW’s 6-foot, 9-inch junior C.J. Aiken to just six points.
In fact, it was just one of those horrific shooting nights for the Colonials. PW shot a ghastly 2-21 from beyond the three-point arc.
“The way that we were shooting the ball, it was a miracle that we were even in the game in the fourth quarter,” said Donofrio.
The score was just 35-29 in favor of Conestoga with only 1:35 left in the game.
“I don’t see the score and think we only scored 35 points that deep into the game,” said Troy. “I only look at the spread, and I saw that we were still up six points.”
The lead swelled to 40-29, and the Pioneers (24-2) will advance to meet Penn Wood in a semifinal round. Penn Wood defeated Lower Merion, 38-35, in its quarterfinal contest.
The season is far from over for the Colonials (21-4). PW will now face Lower Merion in a ‘seeding’ game, and the Red, White and Blue has already qualified for states.
“We have to focus on Tuesday and come back and play our style of basketball,” said Bond. “We have to work together and finish plays that way we know how.”
“We still have an opportunity to do some good things this year,” said Donofrio. “The best we can do is remember that we still have a learning mode to go through.”
Lower Merion is another of those patient offensive ball clubs. The Aces, in fact, have hung the only two losses of the season on Conestoga. Lower Merion beat the Pioneers twice in five days – 46-41 and 59-51.
“I have to remember that the district playoffs are a new experience for this team,” said Donofrio. “We can’t worry about style and cuteness any more. We have to play playoff basketball.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6 7 11 10 - 34
Conestoga 5 14 9 15 - 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh: C.J. Aiken 3 0-0 6; Jaylen Bond 3 2-4 8; Sam Pygatt 3 0-0 6; Joe Hughes 1 0-0 2; Brandon Dixon 1 0-0 2; Whis Grant 1 0-0 3; Will Mascio 2 0-0 5; Stephon Baker 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 2-4 34.
3-point field goals: Grant, Mascio
Conestoga: Jake Cohen 8 5-8 21; Doug Jakiela 0 0-2 0; Matt O’Hara 2 2-2 7; Paul Mita 0 2-2 2; Zack Shapiro 0 1-2 1; Mike D’Angelo 4 3-5 12. Totals 14 13-21 43.
3-point field goals: O’Hara, D’Angelo.
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