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By Scott Huff
POTTSVILLE – The players and coaches from Plymouth Whitemarsh may have never seen or heard of Martz Hall in Pottsville before - but the Colonials will never forget the place after a stunning 65-64 overtime thriller over Williamsport in a PIAA Quad-A quarterfinal contest.
The game may have been won in Pottsville, but both PW coach Jim Donofrio and Williamsport coach Allen Taylor thought the final outcome just may have been decided by another location.
“We live with Chester, we live with Norristown, we live with Penn Wood – this is the world that this team lives in,” said Donofrio. “We love to create the up tempo, and honestly we have nine guards that can run the floor and make things happen.”
“You have to consider where they play their basketball,” said Taylor. “They play in an area where you see good basketball teams every game, and that comes into play when the games are on the line.”
And this game was on the line – a lot – for both teams. And in the end it was the superlative play of the young PW guards that proved to be the difference between victory and defeat.
“Their guards did a tremendous job with dribble penetration,” said Taylor. “They attacked the rim on offense and created some turnovers on defense.”
The young guards who did such an outstanding job for the Colonials included junior Whis Grant, sophomores Sam Pygatt and Brandon Dixon, and in a cameo role sophomore Marcus Badger.
Grant – who scored a game-high 14 points – wore his ‘hero’ hat on the final possession of regulation. With PW down 57-54 to the Millionaires, Donofrio called a timeout inside 30 seconds.
“Coach called a set play called the ‘3’ play where I fade off a screen by C.J. (Aiken) and flash to the corner,” said Grant. “We ran the play, I got an open look, and the ball felt good leaving my hand.”Grant’s trey caught nothing but net and the score was tied at 57-57 with 26.4 seconds left in the game.
The Colonials forced a turnover with nine seconds left, but failed to get off a shot and the game sent into overtime.
PW fell behind quickly in the overtime by a 60-57 count, but the young guns reloaded to capture the win.
Dixon – who finished the game with eight points and directed the Colonial offense – made a goregeous move to the basket to shave the lead to 60-59.
“We practice very hard in going to the basket, and that carries over into the games,” said Dixon. “Some teams think we might be a little soft, but I think we showed teams that we aren’t soft.”
Grant gave the Colonials a 61-60 lead with 1:32 left in the overtime on a twisting move to the basket, and after a missed Williamsport shot, Sam Pygatt was fouled with 1:08 left.
Pygatt – who finished with 13 points and played terrific defense – nailed both free throws to boost the lead to 63-60.
“We just had to keep our heads in the game,” said Pygatt. “And try to do what the coaches tell us to do.”Williamsport closed to within 63-61 when they fouled Badger with 25 seconds left. Badger, who had played all of two minutes but was in the game when Grant fouled out, made a key free throw to boost the lead to 64-61.
Another Millionaire miss – another Millionaire foul – and this time Dixon added a free throw to close out the Colonial scoring.
“A lot of teams underestimate our guards,” said Dixon. “C.J. and Jaylen (Bond) are great players, and teams look to stop them. But our guards played great tonight.”
Aiken – the 6-foot, 9-inch junior center – saw limited time due to foul trouble and scored just five points. Bond – the 6-foot, 6-inch sophomore forward – scored a quiet 10 points.
Another guard that played a terrific game was senior Joe Hughes. Hughes scored 11 points including two clutch field goals in the fourth quarter that was PW rally from a 50-43 deficit.
“We knew that if we would stay confident, we could come back,” said Hughes. “We might have some young players, but they have grown up some much that I don’t consider them young anymore.
“This was a tough place to play – most of the fans were for Williamsport,” added Hughes. “But it’s no tougher than playing at a Chester or at a Norristown.”
The win will thrust the Colonials into a meeting with York Catholic – a winner over Parkland – in the PIAA Quad-A state semifinals at a site to be determined.
“This is something that I have always dreamed about,” said Hughes. “Playing in the final four in my senior year is great.”
“When we began practice on November 17th I really didn’t think it would take us to here,” said Pygatt. “But each game we play we get a little more experience, and I really feel that we belong.”“This is a talented basketball team, a team doesn’t get to the final four without being talented,” said Donofrio. “I don’t want to hear how young we are anymore.
“To be a champion, you have to play and believe you are a champion,” added Donofrio. “We’ve come this far – we might as well be the last team to leave the show.”
And that show is at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University on March 21.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 15 18 4 20 8 - 65
Williamsport 15 16 8 16 7 - 64
Plymouth Whitmemarsh: Brandon Dixon 3 2-4 8; Joe Hughes 4 2-2 11; Sam Pygatt 5 3-3 13; Whis Grant 6 0-1 14; Jaylen Bond 5 0-1 10; Will Mascio 1 1-2 3; C.J. Aiken 1 3-5 5; Marcus Badger 0 1-2 1. Totals 25 12-19 65.
3-point field goals – Grant (2), Hughes
Williamsport: Sean Ruane 5 1-3 13; Jadiah Lynch 3 5-6 13; Dontahe Jordan 4 3-4 12; Shariff Monroe 5 4-7 14; Isaiah Twine 3 4-6 10; Codie Engel 0 2-2 2. Totals 20 19-28 64.
3-point field goals – Lynch (2), Ruane (2), Jordan.
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