To view action photos of both games, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott Huff
“Hi-yo Silver – away!”Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Jake Silvers may not have been the Lone Ranger’s horse, but the 6-foot, 6-inch youngster was the horse the Colonials rode in a 71-51 victory over District 12 champion Frankford in a second round PIAA Quad-A contest played at Wissahickon High School.
Plymouth Whitemarsh will enter the quarterfinal round against Red Land – a 40-38 winner over Lower Merion. The game will be played on Saturday – the site and time are to be determined.
Silvers came into the game in the third quarter with the Colonials leading 39-31, and along with seniors Sam Pygatt and Jaylen Bond fueled a furious 15-1 PW run that gave PW 54-32 lead after the third period. Silvers – who scored nine points in the game – scored six of those key points.
“Jake would be the first person to tell you that he hasn’t been happy with the way he has played this year,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “But when he plays the way he played tonight, he makes us a different team. He had that ‘give me the ball’ attitude, and he broke free to get the ball in good spots.”“The way he played tonight really isn’t any surprise to us,” said Pygatt – the flashy guard who sliced and diced his way to the rim for a game-high 23 points. “In practice, without a crowd, he is a very good player. We keep telling him to play with the confidence in the game. He played well tonight.”
“It is important that I continue to grow as a basketball player,” said Silvers. “My team mates did a good job of getting me good looks. I want to make the most of the opportunities that I get.”
Bond was once again quite the looker in the victory.
Bond – who scored 20 points that included four monster dunks – also collected 17 rebounds for the Colonials. The gifted 6-foot, 7-inch University of Pittsburgh-bound senior was his own highlight film during a one-minute stretch before the close of the first half.
In that 60 seconds of brilliance, Bond hammered home a dunk – drilled home a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc –snatched a rebound from above the rim – and fired a length of the court pass to a streaking Stephon Baker for an easy basket.Baker – who is without question one of the premier guards in the area – crashed to the floor on a drive to the basket at the outset of the third period. He was helped to the locker room and was later taken by wheelchair to the hospital for X-rays.
“Stephon banged his knee, and it swelled right away,” said Donofrio. “These are the type of injuries that we take very seriously. If he isn’t able to go for us in the next game, it is going to be a huge loss. But we have had players on the bench who have been dying to get some playing time, and maybe it will have to be their time.
“This team continues to surprise me,” added Donofrio. “At the beginning of the year, people were saying that PW has Jaylen Bond and who else?
“Sam Pygatt is not getting the respect that he has earned,” continued Donofrio. “He plays with confidence and has that invaluable experience in the playoffs. Marcus Badger and Stephon Baker also have that experience. Now we have to concentrate on the next game.”
“Hi-yo Silver – away”
Frankford 12 9 11 19 * 51
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10 24 20 17 * 71
Frankford: Keith Washington 21, Imire Taylor 13; Kevin Lawson 6; Taylor Bessick 4; Anthony Lockhart 4; Chris Lewis 3. Total – 51.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Sam Pygatt 23; Jaylen Bond 20; Jake Silvers 9; Marcus Badger 7; Stephon Baker 6; Brandon Johnson 4; Wayne Thompson 1; Morgan Jackson 1. Total – 71.
Neshaminy Loses Heartbreaker
Neshaminy head coach Jerry Devine knew that his Redskins could compete with powerful Penn Wood – even after Penn Wood took Neshaminy to the woodshed in an 85-49 non-league loss earlier this season.
And the coach was right – and even though the outcome was the same in the win-loss column – the Skins could more than compete with the Patriots. Neshaminy was jettisoned from the PIAA Quad-A playoffs with a heart pounding 54-50 loss to Penn Wood. The game was played at Norristown Area High School.
“We played great – not perfect – but great,” said Devine. “We played great defense, rebounded the ball well, and had every opportunity to win the basketball game. We showed that we were a real good basketball team tonight.”
Penn Wood held a 51-50 lead with 30 seconds left in the game. Neshaminy had the basketball with a shot at the lead, but a turnover gave the ball back to the Patriots. The Skins fouled – the Patriots made one of two – and Neshaminy had the ball with a chance to tie as Penn Wood led 52-50.
The Patriots took Redskin junior sharpshooter Ryan Arcidiacono out of the offense with a double team, and Neshaminy missed its shot at either tying the score of taking a lead with a 3-pointer. Another Skin foul – and two more Patriot free throws – sealed the win for Penn Wood.
Arcidiacono led all scorers with 22 points, while Tyler Katz added nine points and Michael McGarry scored eight points for the Skins.
“We really thought we had a good chance of winning the game in the 50’s,” said Devine. “We got the final score where we wanted it, and we had our chance to win the game. It was a great atmosphere, and it was a shame that we had to lose. But we finished the year by playing a great basketball game.”
Neshaminy 15 4 13 18 * 50
Penn Wood 9 12 13 20 * 54
Neshaminy: Ryan Arcidiacono 22; Tyler Katz 9; Michael McGarry 8; Dave Baron 6; Charlie Marterella 3; Dwight Williams 2. Total – 50.
Penn Wood: Malcom Richardson 12; Darian Barnes 12; Aaron Brown 12; Shawn Oakman 7; Will Morton 5; Akil Anderson 4; Jeff Kyem 2. Total – 54.
PIAA Quad-A Scoreboard
Chester Clippers (28-1) defeated West Chester Rustin Golden Knights (23-5) – 75-56.
La Salle Explorers (21-5) defeated Allentown Allen Canaries (23-5) – 49-47.
Chester will meet La Salle in PIAA Quad-A Quarterfinals on Saturday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (24-6) defeated Frankford Pioneers (24-6) – 71-51.
Red Land Patriots (22-6) defeated Lower Merion Aces (20-11) – 40-38.
Plymouth Whitemarsh will meet Red Land in PIAA Quad-A Quarterfinals on Saturday.
Penn Wood Patriots (22-8) defeated Neshaminy Redskins (22-7) – 54-50.
Council Rock Indians (28-2) defeated Bethlehem Liberty Hurricanes – 41-38.
Penn Wood Patriots will meet Council Rock North in PIAA Quad-A Quarterfinals on Saturday.
Butler Golden Tornado (17-10) defeated Taylor Allderdice Dragons (18-8) – 62-48.
Mount Lebanon Blue Devils (25-3) defeated Gateway Gators (23-5) – 59-33.
Butler will meet Mount Lebanon in the PIAA Quad-A Quarterfinals on Saturday.
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