PW earned a win in Tuesday’s playback game. PW/Bensalem photos provided by Larry Small. Check back for a gallery of photos:
District 1 6A playbacks (5th through 8th)
#6 METHACTON 80, #7 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 73
Four CB East players finished Tuesday’s playback game in double figures, led by Tyler Dandrea’s 23 points that included three 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the host Warriors in a high-scoring playback contest.
The Warriors opened up a 20-13 lead after one quarter, but the Patriots – thanks to Dandrea’s hot hand – battled back and took the lead. The Warriors came back to knot the score and broke a 37-37 tie with a 3-pointer to go into halftime with a 40-37 lead.
A 23-point third quarter sent the Warriors into the final frame with a 63-51 lead. The Patriots could not make up the ground they lost.
Included in Dandrea’s 23 points were three 3-pointers. Jacob Cummiskey and Dhruv Mukund (three 3-pointers) both added 14 points, and Miles Demby had 11.
The Warriors were led by the 25-point effort of Christian Matos.
Central Bucks East (19-8, 12-4 SOL) will host #24 Springfield-Delco in Friday’s seventh place game.
Central Bucks East 13-24-14-22 73
Methacton 20-20-23-17 80
Central Bucks East (73) – Jacob Cummiskey 14, Chruv Mukund 14, Bryce Lolas 7, Tyler Dandrea 23, Miles Demby 11, Caleb Lyzinski 4.
Methacton (80) – Christian Matos 25, Alex Hermann 11, Sal Iemmello 19, Anthony Daddazio 2, Emmanuel Rodriguez 11, Mason Conrad 3, Lucas Leckerman 5, Jordan Savage 2, Wes Robinson.
3-point goals: CBE – Tyler Dandrea 3, Dhruv Mukund 3, Bryce Lolas 2, Jacob Cummiskey 2, Miles Demby.
District 1 6A playbacks (9th through 12th)
#13 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, #8 BENSALEM 54
In an all-SOL playback, it was the Colonials earning the hard-fought win on the heels of an impressive victory over Cheltenham in Friday’s must-win playback.
“It’s an interesting game because you have to sell a certain motivation, and we really don’t know them at all, so that always makes you wonder,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “I’m wondering about the level of their speed, the level of certain things they do. Bensalem has had a really nice year.
“You could tell they’re tight-knit and enthusiastic. Jaidyn Moffitt is a unique cover, to say the least, and the brothers (Antonio and Noah Morris) love to fire 3s, so it was a very unique matchup challenge. Then also where’s our head going to be at after playing so well at Cheltenham? Was that the one good game of the year and we’re going to default backwards or is this a momentum thing?”
The final outcome suggests the Colonials are gaining some momentum, although – according to their coach – they didn’t get off to an especially inspired start.
The host Owls – sparked by eight points from Micah White – led 14-11 after one quarter, but the Colonials rallied to trim that lead to one by halftime (25-24). White’s 10 points led the Owls while Moffitt had nine. For the Colonials, Jaden Colzie had 10 points in the half, and Mani Sajid added seven.
The third quarter belonged to the Colonials, who erupted for 25 points. Ben Marsico was the catalyst, burying four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points.
“We started out a little bit showing the earlier part of the season and then moved the ball really well on offense in the second half,” Donofrio said. “Jaden did a great job getting Benny Marsico untracked. It took me a little too long this year- I should have been a little more forceful pushing that.
“I could tell by midway through the second quarter that our pace was a little different. I was concerned that they were going to knock down 20-foot 3s, and we’re not going to get there, but we were able to get there and close. If you can close, then you see where you line up compared to them. If you’re going to play Chester and hold them to 16 points through the first 13 minutes of the game, there’s something going on with us, and that had to show itself, and it did, and we maintained it.”
The Colonials took a 49-37 lead into the final quarter, and although the Owls outscored PW 17-14, it wasn’t enough.
“We still have no idea how to put a game away in this environment,” Donofrio said. “We did a lot of good things, and then we found a way try to make sure they could come back and win the game. At some point, hopefully, that clicks as well because we had the opportunity there. Great teams – once they figure that
they have a 10-12 point-lead, (the other team) must press, and you must punish that team for pressing you and get that lead to 20, and we have yet to do that except the other night at Cheltenham, so just win at this point.
“It’s an interesting work in progress. When J (Jaden Colzie) gets serious about being an all-around player while distributing the ball and knocking down shots and you can get these guys open in space, they’re growing before our eyes. I’m happy for the win because it could have gone either way.”
Sajid led the Colonials with 18 points while Marsico added 15 – all in the second half. Colzie finished with 12 points, and Michael Pereira added nine points – seven in the second half.
“Michael Pereira did some wonderful things and then they do some rookie things,” Donofrio said. “If we want to make a little more of a three-game run with this, we’re going to have to understand that this is the end of things for teams now, so, when you’re winning from the middle of the third quarter in, get ready for a bumpy ride. We’re still naively coming off the floor celebrating like a puppy that just found a bone in the yard. I hate to kill happiness, but all you’re doing is annoying the other team.
“They’re going to keep coming at you. You can’t steal the neighbor dog’s bone and not have him come attack you. That part is the stuff that’s going to shorten my life with a happy bunch of guys because they’re just happy guys, and I love them, but I can’t seem to get the killer in them to say – ‘Okay,
we’re up 10 with a minute to go in the third – let’s bear down.’ We look like we just won the lottery, but two in a row – there’s something different about us, there’s something solidifying about us.”
For the Owls, Moffitt led the way with 21 points, which included a 10-for-14 effort at the foul line. For the game, the Owls took 32 foul shots, connecting on 18.
“Jah (Sayles) got in big foul trouble tonight, and Jack Hayes came in and covered Moffitt because you’ve got to have three guys on that young man anyway, but Jack Hayes has a way of just being in the right spots when they’re trying to pass to him,” Donofrio said. “Some of the stuff we’re trying to do – the guys didn’t trust me. I think they were enamored by (Moffitt’s) size and afraid to go near him.”
Also for the Owls, White added 14 points, and Noah Morris had nine on three 3s.
“We knew it would a tough matchup with their size across the board,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “We did a decent job defensively except for the third quarter. We lost Marsico a few times and he buried some threes. I thought we made Colzie work for all his points. He made some tough contested shots in the first quarter. He only had two foul shots in second half.
“The kid Sajid is a tough matchup. He can handle the ball and score in many ways. Overall, their size gave us trouble offensively. The kid Periera affected the game on the glass defensively. We need to get better at making the correct basketball plays for four whole quarters. That ultimately falls on me. We will learn from this and be ready for Downingtown West.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-10, 12-4 SOL) will travel to #3 Spring-Ford in Friday’s ninth place game, and Bensalem (19-7, 14-2) will host #14 Downingtown West in the 11th place game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-13-25-14 63
Bensalem 14-11-12-17 54
Plymouth Whitemarsh (63) – Jaden Colzie 4 3-4 12, Ben Marsico 5 1-2 15; Terron Davis 1 1-2 4; Jack Hayes 1 1-2 4; Mani Sajid 7 3-4 18; Michael Pereira 3 3-5 9; Josh Harris 0 1-2 1; Jah Sayles-Pendergrass 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 22 12-19 63.
Methacton (54) – Antonio Morris 1 0-0 2; Noah Morris 3 0-0 9; Micah White 5 4-8 14; Amir Drummond 1 3-6 5; Nate Cooper 1 0-2 2; Jahmir Chatman 0 1-2 1; Jaidyn Moffitt 5 10-14 21; TOTALS 16 18-32 54.
3-point goals: PW – Ben Marsico 4, Jaden Colzie, Jack Hayes, Mani Sajid; Bensalem – Noah Morris 3, Jaidyn Moffitt.
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