Pennsbury defeated District 11 champion Parkland to advance to Saturday’s PIAA Quad-A quarterfinal round.
FRANCONIA TWP – Cameron Jones – sporting a pair of headphones – looked very much at home in Souderton’s rapidly emptying gym after Wednesday night’s PIAA Quad-A second round game pitting Pennsbury against Parkland.
“We’ve played here three times,” the Pennsbury senior said. “I like this court.”
No trip was more enjoyable than the Falcons’ third that resulted in an impressive no-doubt-about-it 57-41 win over District 11 champion Parkland in front of a full house.
“This is a great feeling,” Jones said. “Last year losing in the second round to MLK (Martin Luther King) was devastating, and this year in the second round, we knew we had to come out with a lot of energy and play great defense if we wanted to move on to the next round.”
“This means a lot,” senior Derrick Woods added. “We’re trying to go further than this, but this is just the beginning. We’re trying to leave a legacy.
“This is our third time playing here, so it was like a home game for me. I was enjoying it. I love playing in a packed gym. I always play better.”
The Falcons certainly rose to the occasion, establishing early that they were not intimidated by Parkland’s impressive resume.
“We came in with a chip on our shoulders,” Jones said. “We knew they had a 20-game winning streak, and we just wanted to play defense throughout the game.”
And no one defended better than Jones, who silenced the Trojans’ top scorer, Sam Iorio. The sophomore standout – who averaged 15 points a game – did not have a field goal, and his only two points came on foul shots in the fourth quarter when the outcome had long since been decided.
“It’s all defense,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. “We were able to make some shots, but (we won it) on the defensive side of the court.”
The high-scoring Trojans struggled offensively from the outset. At the end of one quarter, Pennsbury led 11-7 with both Mekhi Bryant (11 points) and Rob Daly connecting on three-pointers. For Daly, it was his first of three three-pointers on the night.
By halftime, the Falcons had stretched their lead to 26-15. Woods, who scored nine of his 13 points in the opening half, was a defensive force in the middle.
“We planned to come out and play hard defensively,” the St. Bonaventure-bound senior said. “We knew their guys, and we knew who would be handling the ball.
“My man couldn’t do too much shooting, so I was staying down, and as soon as their man drove, I was there to block shots and get rebounds.”
Jones, who led all scorers with 17, scored six points in a third quarter that saw the Falcons edge the Trojans 15-12 to go into the final frame with a 41-27 lead. The Falcons spent the fourth quarter taking trips to the foul line, scoring 13 of their 16 points in the frame from the charity stripe. Jones led the way with a near perfect 7-of-8. He finished the game 11-of-12 from the foul line on a night that saw the Falcons connect on 20-of-25.
But it was the Falcons’ defense that was the difference.
“It was a team effort,” Coleman said. “We have to have five strong on the floor at all times, and that’s what it really comes down to.
“Actually, this week at practice it was 14 strong, so it was a team effort.
The Falcons have won three straight since falling to Abington in the District One Quad-A semifinals
“(Coach) told us to keep our heads up, keep playing hard because it’s not over,” Woods said. “We knew we had states, and we looked back at other teams that lost in districts and then came back and won states. We’re trying to be the team that does that.”
While Parkland – ranked fourth in the state – closed out the year with a program best 28-2 record, the Falcons punched their ticket to Saturday’s Elite Eight where they will face District 12 champion Roman Catholic, but for one night, they were celebrating the big win.
“This is huge,” Coleman said. “These are my guys. They’ve worked hard. They’ve put in all the effort for this, and I truly believe they are destined for something as long as we do the one thing, and that’s defend.”
For Jones and his senior teammates, there’s a sense or urgency as the season comes down the home stretch.
“I just try to go out there saying – this could be my last high school game, you never know,” he said. “I just go out there and play hard, leave everything on the court.”
Pennsbury 11-15-15-16 57
Parkland 7-8-12-14 41
Pennsbury (57) – Mekhi Bryant 11, Juan Perez Jones 2, Nick Cereby 5, Cameron Jones 17, Rob Daly 9, Derrick Woods 13.
Parkland (41) – Kenny Yeboah 2, Devante Cross 11, Sam Iorio 2, Justin Jones 3, Kyle Stout 13, Jack Dreisbach 9.
3-point goals: Pennsbury –Rob Daly 3, Nick Cereby, Mekhi Bryant; Parkland – Jack Dreisbach 2, Justin Jones, Devante Cross.
About the Author
