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HOLLAND – There’s a prevailing consensus that teams can beat Pennsbury if they contain sharpshooter Dalton Pepper.
That theory went up in smoke in the first quarter of Friday night’s District One AAAA quarterfinal against Central Bucks South.
Pepper - who was shadowed by Mike Doty in South’s box-and-one defense - took just two shots. He missed them both.
Not that it mattered.
Pepper’s teammates shot a combined seven-for-eight from the floor as the Falcons roared out of the gate to an 18-11 lead at the end of one quarter.
“We just play as a team, no matter what,” Pennsbury senior Tom Marcinkowski said. “We try to get him (Pepper) involved as best we can.
“He’s an outstanding player, but if he can’t score, he’s not going to force it. He’s going to get us into it, and we just play as a team.”
The Titans hung tough for the better part of two-and-a-half quarters, but the Falcons blew the game wide open down the stretch, earning a 56-37 win over the Titans in an all-SOL battle that played to a sellout crowd at Council Rock South.
“I think we feed off the crowd,” Marcinkowski said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
The win set up a date with archrival Norristown in a district semifinal game on Tuesday at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. The Eagles – led by the 31-point effort of Khalif Wyatt - upset top-seeded Chester 61-59 in a quarterfinal contest.
The defending state champion Clippers brought an end to Pennsbury’s season last year in the state semis and went on to defeat Norristown in the state title game. Norristown is an equally familiar foe – last year the two teams squared off in the district semifinals as well. The Eagles won the game 50-45.
“We wanted Chester for revenge, but last year it was the same situation – Norristown in the final four,” said senior Dalton Pepper. “Last year was an emotional game because we lost. It’s going to be even better playing them this year at Temple. It means a lot (to get back).”
Pepper may have been silent in the first quarter, but he scored 16 points in the final three frames to lead all scorers. Eddie DiRugeris added 13 for the Falcons.
Will Barrett led the Titans with 14 points. No other player had more than six for a South squad that managed just 12 second-half points.
“Toward the end of the first half, we were hitting our shots,” Barrett said. “We were moving real well without the ball.
“In the third quarter, our offense slowed down, and our shots weren’t falling. I think it put our team in a panic a little bit, and we couldn’t get ourselves out of it.”
If there was a key stretch in the game, it came in the third quarter. The Titans trailed by just one (32-31) after a Barrett bucket, but Marcinkowski turned a pass from DiRugeris into a three-point play. Moments later, the Titans had a chance to pull to within two but missed on an uncontested follow-up shot in close. Pennsbury’s Jesse Krasna somehow saved the rebound from crossing the end line and found teammate Dante Devine.
Devine spotted a streaking Pepper for a dunk at the other end, and just like that, the Falcons led 37-31.
“It was a big motivation change because it got everybody in the game,” Pepper said. “They were obviously down, and we fed off that.”
After a South miss, the Falcons spread the floor, and DiRugeris found a seam, driving to the basket for an easy deuce and an eight-point Falcon lead. Pepper turned a steal near midcourt into an easy bucket, and the Falcons led 41-31.
A three-point play by Greg Johnston at the end of a fast break pulled the Titans to within seven, but Marcus Healey – who had seven points off the bench as he eases his way back after his injury – scored at the other end, sending the Falcons into the final quarter with a 43-34 lead.
DiRugeris connected on a pair from the foul line after coming up with a steal, and after a South miss, the Falcons – armed with a double-digit lead – spread the floor. DiRugeris, who was fouled, sank both ends of a one-and-one, and the Titans were never heard from again.
“In the second half, they came out and scored a couple of points,” Pepper said. “We dropped back into a two-three zone, which made them shoot the ball from the outside. They weren’t hitting in the second half, so it helped us out.”
The Titans managed just three fouls shots in the final quarter.
“We had looks,” South coach Jason Campbell said. “We just didn’t knock them down tonight. We shot 27 percent according to our manager’s stats, and we usually shoot around 45 percent.
“You have to give credit to Pennsbury. We were able to cut it to one, and then we went into a little bit of a drought. They play good defense, and we didn’t get as many offensive boards as I would have liked to. On a night when you’re not shooting well, you have to get some of those putbacks. At times we didn’t even finish around the rim.
“I’m not disappointed with our effort. They made more baskets than us. They came out shooting the ball really well. Who would have thought they would have come out in the first quarter making some of those shots?”
The Falcons buried four three-pointers in the opening quarter. The first by Krasna gave Pennsbury a 3-1 lead. The next three came in succession to close out the frame. The first came when Healey buried a baseline trey with 1:13 remaining. After a South turnover, Marcinkowski hit from long range.
“If I’m open, I’ll take it,” the Falcons’ 6-3 center said. “It’s seemed to go down for me lately, so my confidence has been going up.”
Marcinkowski contributed eight points and aggressive play under the basket as he continues to carry the load in the paint while Goron Dulac, who made a cameo appearance, recuperates from an injury.
“We’re missing Goron a lot, and once he comes back he’ll help us out a ton,” Marcinkowski said. “I’ve just been filling the role the best I can. My teammates are helping me out, and we’re playing well as a team.
“I feel more comfortable out there – just looser I guess. This game was just a lot of fun.”
Pennsbury capped its flurry of three-pointers when – after another South turnover – Devine hit nothing but net on a trey at the buzzer, giving the Falcons an 18-11 lead. The Titans pulled to within two after a Ryan Clark bucket (24-22), but the Falcons took a 30-25 lead into halftime.
“The kids were really adapting tonight,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “They did a good job against our pressure.
“We made a decision to go to zone, which we don’t play a whole lot. We went for six straight possessions, and the kids played it great. They didn’t score. We came back and switched to a soft man, and it seemed like they were taking a long time to get into their offense. Once they did, we were limiting them to one shot. Defense is what we always hang our hat on.”
PENNSBURY 56, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 37
Central Bucks South (37) – Mike Pincus 1 0-0 2, Mike Doty 2 0-0 4, Will Barrett 3 7-10 14, Ryan Clark 1 0-0 3, Ian Gordon 3 0-0 6, Greg Johnston 1 3-3 5, Nick Joerger 0 0-0 0, Matt Kavalek 1 0-0 3. Totals 12 10-13 37.
Pennsbury (56) – Jesse Krasna 2 0-0 5, Dante Devine 1 2-4 5, Eddie DiRugeris 3 7-8 13, Dalton Pepper 7 2-2 16, Tom Marcinkowski 3 1-1 8, John Ryan Wolff 0 0-0 0, Zak Kumor 1 0-0 2, Marcus Healey 3 0-0 7; Goron Dulac 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 12-15 56
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