To view action photos of the PW/Red Lion game, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott HuffScott Slayton was impressed – extremely impressed.
Who is Scott Slayton?
He is the head coach of the Red Land Patriots who made the trek from outside Harrisburg to the Dome at Wissahickon High School for a first round PIAA Quad-A tournament contest against Plymouth Whitemarsh.
His Patriots could have avoided the tedious bus ride through a driving rainstorm and gone to the backyard woodshed as PW (25-2) put a 74-31 spanking on Red Land (25-5).
The Colonials will meet Frankford (22-4) in a second round game. Frankford bested Whitehall – 57-52 – in its first round contest.“Plymouth Whitemarsh is a state and nationally ranked team for a reason,” said Slayton. “They played at a much different level than any other team that we have played against this year.
“They are extremely well coached, very disciplined, and have great quickness and strength,” added Slayton. “After their loss to Penn Wood (54-49 in the District One final), they played with a new and refreshed focus.
“It’s easy for me to draw up plays, watch film, and prepare for a game,” continued Slayton. “But when the game starts, I’m in the safety of the coaching box. The players have to play.”
The game – played before a packed house at the Dome – turned very early.
Red Land scored the first points of the game at the 7:02 mark of the initial period. The Patriots would not score again until the 4:54 mark of the second period.
In that devastating 10:06 stretch, the Colonials scored 22 straight points on the offensive end on an assortment of pin-point jumpers, nifty drives and ferocious dunks.
But it was the tenacious play of the PW defense that amazed the crowd in that run as the Colonials created 10 turnovers and blocked four shots.“We wanted to come into the game with high energy and create tempo,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “We came into the game with all the notoriety, and sometimes you have to guard against that.
“We knew how they like to play the game, from the inside-out,” added Donofrio. “And I thought we did a great job of taking it away early in the game.”
The pressure generated by the Colonial guards was relentless.
Senior Whis Grant and juniors Brandon Dixon and Sam Pygatt forced numerous turnovers that resulted in easy PW baskets. And when that trio was out of the game – Julien Bond, Marcus Badger, and Stephon Baker continued to turn up the defensive heat.
“After the way we lost to Penn Wood, we wanted to come into this game with much better energy,” said Grant who scored eight points, had eight rebounds, seven steals, and seven assists. “We have to put that loss to Penn Wood behind us and look ahead.”
C.J. Aiken – the other senior in the Plymouth Whitemarsh lineup – played a key role as an intimidator in the paint. Aiken – who had a ‘double-double’ with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds – blocked five Patriot shots.
“This is the first night’s sleep I will get since we lost to Penn Wood,” said Aiken – who ironically will lose an hour as we ‘spring forward’. “We had a chance to win something against them (a District One title), and we didn’t do it. We still want to be winners.”
The only thing left that PW can win is the PIAA Quad-A state title.
Scott Slayton – for one – knows they can do it.
Who is Scott Slayton?
Red Land 2 8 13 8 - 31
Plymouth Whitemarsh 18 12 19 25 - 74
Red Land: Steve Zack 8; Mike Zangani 9; Adam Keller 4; Max Flourway 8; Nick Diller 1; Rhett Baker 1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: C.J. Aiken 13; Sam Pygatt 11; Jaylen Bond 12; Marcus Badger 6; Stephon Baker 4; Julien Bond 7; Brandon Dixon 8; Whis Grant 8; T.J. Clancey 3; Jake Silvers 2.
Pennsbury 47 – Wilson West Lawn 33
Pennsbury (18-10) jumped out to a 16-2 first period lead and defeated Wilson West Lawn (24-5) by a 47-33 margin. The first round PIAA Quad-A state playoff game was played at the historic Hershey Park Arena.
The Falcons will advance to a second round game this Wednesday against Scranton (21-6).
“These players of mine just keep getting the job done,” said Pennsbury head coach Frank Sciolla. “We beat an excellent basketball team – 20-plus wins, big inside, and a team that has beaten nine state playoff qualifying teams.
“Our tough non-league schedule has really gotten us ready to play in these big games,” added Sciolla. “We may not have the number of wins some of the other playoff teams have, but we have played some great competition.”
Pennsbury sophomore Kieran Bolger has become a factor late in the season. Bolger drilled home eight first period points – including a pair of 3-pointers – to spark the Falcons quick start.
Bolger finished with a game-high 14 points.
“Kieran is shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now,” said Sciolla. “He helped get us off to the good start, but he got into foul trouble and we had to make some adjustments.”
Pennsbury senior Jesse Krasna was once again a factor in the win. Krasna. Krasna had a rare ‘double-double’ for the Falcons with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five assists.
“This win was the 98th win for Jesse during his career,” said Sciolla. “And he has played in more playoffs games – 31 – than anyone else in Pennsbury history.”
Zak Kumor played also played a strong game for the Falcons with 10 rebounds and seven points.
“We get Scranton, but who knows where we will play the game, maybe in Pittsburgh,” said Sciolla. “It seems like we travel more than anyone in District One.”
But at least the trip back from Hershey was a happy one.
Pennsbury 16 7 8 16 - 47
Wilson West Lawn 2 10 12 9 - 33
Pennsbury: Zack Sibel 2; Kieran Bolger 14; Zak Kumor 7; Jesse Krasna 14; Ryan Charity 4; Kris Hassell 2; Jay Jabat 4.
Wilson West Lawn: Tyler Beck 9; Jerome Good 13; Sam Marella 7; Kaiden Horoff 4.
Neshaminy 69 – Bartram 58
Neshaminy (20-8) reached the 20-win season milestone with a 69-58 victory over John Bartram (19-10) in a first round PIAA Quad-A playoff game. The game was played at South Philadelphia High School.
Neshaminy will advance to a second round playoff game against defending state champion Penn Wood. Penn Wood (24-3) defeated Penn Manor – 76-57 – in its first round game.
Sophomore guard Ryan Arcidiacono had a remarkable game as he led the Skins with a ‘triple-double’. Arcidiacono scored game-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Arcidiacono scored seven first period points to fuel a 22-point scoring effort that gave the Redskins a 22-10 advantage at the close of the quarter.
A trio of Neshaminy players also scored in twin digits.
Dwight Williams scored 17 points, while Tyler Katz scored 13 markers and Mike McGarry scored 11 points.
Senior point guard Steve Warhola ran the show for the Skins and chipped in with two points.
Neshaminy 22 10 16 21 - 69
Bartram 10 17 14 17 - 58
Neshaminy: Ryan Arcidiacono 26; Dwight Williams 17; Mike McGarry 11; Tyler Katz 13; Steve Warhola 2.
Bartram: Quasim Jones 21; Tyrone Garland 14; Devin Moore 8; Al Haij Shabazz 4; Darrell Lane 4; Darrell Robinson 4; Mike Burton-Young 3.
- Log in to post comments
0
