Upper Dublin advanced to Thursday’s District 1 5A title game with a win over Sun Valley. Photo courtesy of Larry Small: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f716903222
Class 5A semifinal
#2 UPPER DUBLIN 55, #6 SUN VALLEY 25
It was the story of two halves.
The Cardinals took a tenuous 22-18 lead into halftime and then buried the Vanguards with a 33-7 second half to win going away in Saturday’s District 1 5A semifinal. It was their 15th win in a row, and this one vaulted the Cards into Thursday’s district title game at West Chester University.
“It feels amazing,” UD senior Brady Fogle said. “We lost last year in the first round, and to get all the way to the championship – for all our hard work, we’re getting rewarded. It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”
The Cards will have a chance to win the program’s first district crown since 1985.
“Someone told me Upper Dublin made it to the district final in ’86 but didn’t win,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “I don’t know that for a fact, but it certainly hasn’t been since the mid 80s. To make it is unbelievable, it really is. It hasn’t sunk in yet.
“This is what you work for – to get these opportunities. We want to be a team that in 5A – maybe not in the district final every year, but we want to be in that final four as many years as we can. You put yourself there and you have a great chance. Just getting to the title game is great. Obviously, we want to win it though.
“There’s no guarantees that you’ll ever get back. Even though we have a lot of guys returning next year, you can’t ever take it for granted because it’s really special, and it just doesn’t happen a lot. Coach (Tony) Lowe is the only guy on our staff who was alive in 1985 when they won it. It’s a long time.”
In the first half, the Cardinals struggled to find their offensive rhythm against the Vanguards 1-3-1 zone but still took a four-point lead into halftime. Ryan Mulroy’s 11 points led UD in the half.
“We knew it was coming, and we practiced 20 minutes each of the last two days – 40 minutes total on it,” Brooks said of Sun Valley’s 1-3-1 defense. “So we prepared for it, but it gave us fits. You can practice, and sometimes in a game it can be challenging when you see it.
“We struggled – we had too many turnovers, and we were rushing some shots. We executed the game plan okay as far as plays go. Credit to Sun Valley – they were very active and they forced a lot of turnovers. Fortunately, we still had a lead in the first half because our defense was doing so well. Our press worked, and I thought our halfcourt defense was pretty good. We limited them to one shot most of the time.”
The Cards made an adjustment against the zone, and those adjustments worked.
“We also made shots,” said Brooks, whose team put the Vanguards away with a 26-2 third quarter to go on top 48-20 after three quarters. “We made six 3s in the third quarter, so obviously, when you’re making shots, no matter what you do, it works well, but we definitely got more clean looks than we did in the first half.
“We played so fast in the first half, and sometimes it’s hard to settle down and knock down shots in the first half. The second half, no matter what, is always a little slower, so I think it was part that and part the adjustments we made against their 1-3-1 zone. Credit to our guys for knocking down their shots when they got the opportunity.”
In the pivotal third quarter, Fogle and Idris Rines each had a pair of 3s while Mulroy and Kobe Bazemore both had five.
“We had our guards up top (in the first half), and they were kind of having trouble getting the ball over the length they have at the top, so we put our taller guys at the top of the zone, and it gave us a lot more open looks, and they kept falling for us,” Fogle said. “I think we might have had five 3s in a row. They just kept going down. Once I saw the first two or three, I knew that we would turn it around in the second half.”
Five players contributed between four and six points in the quarter.
“That’s how we like to play – we like to have balance,” Brooks said. “We’ve had multiple games this year where nothing else is working, but Ryan (Mulroy) is making a couple plays here and there to keep us afloat on offense. We moved him up to the top against the 1-3-1, and that’s where he really went to work. He had a couple plays out in transition too, but he played great at the top of that 1-3-1 zone.
“In the second half, we moved Idris (Rines) up to the top, and him and Ryan with their size are able to pass over the top. Each of them got looks there they were able to knock down, and then they were able to hit Brady and Kobe (Bazemore) in the corner to get some 3s. Once we put our size up top, we were able to move the ball a lot better.”
Mulroy’s 16 points – which included two 3s – led the Cardinals attack. Fogle added 12 points on four 3s. Rines had three 3s for nine points, and Bazemore added seven.
“We’re all so selfless,” Fogle said. “We don’t care who gets all the points or media coverage. We just want to win. That’s all we care about.”
“This is honestly like a lot of our games – it’s a team win,” Brooks said. “A lot of our scores have been like this. That’s what I love so much about this group. It’s a team. They share the ball. Everyone plays together, everyone contributes. Ryan is the lead dog most of the time, but we’ve had plenty of games where other guys have big games, and I think that’s what has made us so dangerous. We’re 24-3. I think the all-time school wins is 26 so we’re right there.”
Upper Dublin (24-3, 15-1 SOL) will face top-seeded Unionville in Thursday’s District 1 5A title game at West Chester University at 7 p.m. Unionville defeated #6 Phoenixville 69-44 in the other semifinal.
“We’re going to do everything we can to win this one,” Brooks said. “We appreciate all the support the community had had for us. The gym was packed today. I hope we can make the trip to West Chester from Upper Dublin. I’m sure we’ll travel decently well, but it’s going to be a fun game. We’re going to have to be prepared, but we’re excited for the opportunity, no doubt.”
Sun Valley 10-8-2-5 25
Upper Dublin 10-12-26-7 55
Sun Valley (25) – Aaron Freeman 0 2-2 2; Kaiden Robinson 4 1-4 10; Noah Griffin 2 2-2 7; Blaise Eldridge 2 0-0 4; Justin Hickman 1 0-0 2; Dino Dimideo 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 9 5-10 25.
Upper Dublin (55) – Kobe Bazemore 2 2-2 7; Brady Fogle 4 0-0 12; Ryan Mulroy 7 0-0 16; Idris Rines 3 0-0 9; Noah Cohen 2 0-0 4; Brandon Altman 2 0-0 4; James Castronuovo 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 21 2-2 55.
3-point goals: SV – Kaiden Robinson, Noah Griffin; UD – Brady Fogle 4 ,Idris Rines 3, Ryan Mulroy 2, Kobe Bazemore, James Castronuovo.
District 1 5A playback
#5 POTTSTOWN 70, #8 UPPER MORELAND 68
The ending came quickly and without warning.
With overtime appearing imminent, Pottstown’s Abdul Jackson drove and scored at the buzzer, propelling the Trojans to the dramatic win and leaving the Golden Bears to deal with the heartbreaking defeat.
Making the loss even more difficult to swallow was the fact that Pottstown did not take its first lead until 73 seconds remained in regulation. Nate Best tied the game at 68 apiece with 5.6 seconds to play, and that’s all the time the Trojans needed to get the game-winner.
The Golden Bears – behind six points from Colson Campbell and five from Alex Best – led 18-11 after one quarter, and they took a 36-26 lead into halftime. Alex Best’s nine points led a balanced UM attack in the half.
The Bears were a near-perfect 17-for-18 at the foul line.
Campbell’s 18 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line, led the Bears. Sean Murphy added 12 points, and Anthony Carson was the third UM player in double figures with 10. Alex Best had nine points – all in the first half, and Jimmy Perce had eight. Nate Best finished with seven points.
Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 14-11 record overall.
Upper Moreland 18-18-10-22 68
Pottstown 11-15-20-24 70
Upper Moreland (68) – Javier Velez 1 3-6 7; Nate Best 4 0-0 9; Alex Best 6 4-4 18; Anthony Carson 4 1-1 10; Jimmy Perce 2 3-3 8; Sean Murphy 5 2-2 12; Brayden Martin 0 2-2 2; Larry Hughes 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 17-18 68.
Pottstown (70) – Syncere Wakehurst 1 0-2 2; Abdul Jackson 6 8-12 20; Sadeeq Jackson 6 6-9 21; Jurrell Young 5 8-9 18; Yashir Wood 1 0-0 2; Nahzier Booker 3 1-5 7; TOTALS 22 23-37 70.
3-point goals: UM – Colson Campbell 2, Alex Best, Anthony Carson, Jimmy Perce; Pottstown – Sadeeq Jackson 3.
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