CLASS 6A Playback Game (Fifth place)
#22 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 55, #24 GARNET VALLEY 51 (OT)
The Colonials rallied from behind to take a late lead only to watch the Jaguars knot the score and send the game to overtime where the Colonials – behind five points from Qudire Bennett – outscored the Jaguars 7-3 to eke out the win.
“It was a win I hoped we would get, starting (the season) 4-5 and not having been in states in a long time and not going this long due to COVID last year and not making states the previous two years before that – it’s a whole new experience for these guys, and I can tell,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “We did everything we could tonight to lose the basketball game.
“We were passing the ball to the other team for no reason, we were shooting very poorly – couldn’t hit anything, and what’s usual with us – we start off really strong, making a lot of good movement and playing solid defense, and we find ourselves down 12-6.
“That’s just how it’s been, and it took the entire game until four minutes to go to take the lead, and once we have the lead and the ball, we decide to give it back with 30 seconds to go. They hit a three with seven seconds. I don’t know what to attribute to it – if this was a regular season game and we were trying to build, you’d say we took a huge step backwards. I don’t know how you approach these games psychologically. In the end, you take a breath, calm down and say ‘Okay, 19 wins for a team that started 4-5 and is in the state tournament’ – there’s a lot of positives.”
Bennett’s 28 points led the Colonials.
“He’s consistent, but he has a long way to go,” Donofrio said. “It wasn’t his best game tonight, and that’s what’s eerily impressive. He didn’t shoot all that well, but he works extremely hard, especially in the paint for his size.
“If he ever puts it all together at both ends – he’s capable of a 40-point night. There’s certainly talent there, but right now with Qudire, especially going into the state game, we can’t just hug him and say, ‘Yay, good for you.’ He knows he could have been better tonight in some areas. The kids were all excited they won a game tonight – I saw a whole lot of holes.”
Bennett had eight in a first quarter that saw PW take a 12-11 lead only to watch the Jaguars rally go on top 26-23 at halftime. Marshall Baker buried a pair of 3s in the second quarter and scored nine first-half points.
The Jaguars still led by one heading into the final quarter when the Colonials – behind six points from Bennett and five from Jaden Colzie – rallied to edge their visitors 13-12 and knot the score 48-48 after regulation.
In OT, Bennett was 3-for-4 at the foul line and also had a basket to lead the Colonials to the win.
“We’ll be a little more serious in practice the next couple of days,” Donofrio said. “We’re up by one with 20 seconds to go and we’re celebrating on the court. I’ve never seen anything like it. We’re up by one, and you’d think we just went up by 10. There’s 20 seconds left, and we haven’t made the foul shots yet. Even if we do, it’s still a game.
“That’s a different kind of mindset we’re trying to improve, but it’s the same mindset that gives them a shot of winning in the first place. I aged four years tonight.”
In addition to Bennett, Baker had 12 points, which included three 3s. Colzie finished with nine points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (19-8, 12-4 SOL) will travel to District 12’s third place team, Archbishop Wood, for Tuesday’s PIAA 6A opening round contest.
“We had them in our spring league – we played them, we scrimmaged them,” Donofrio said. “We know each other well. They’re just terrifically athletic and talented.
“This is why I’m frustrated tonight because our kids have to start growing up in terms of concentration. It’s one thing to shoot poorly for a night, it’s another to compound it with mental mistakes. You can’t be up and down like that. If you don’t take yourself seriously in the state tournament and you’re just happy to get there, that’s all you’ll get. I don’t know if our guys understand that mentality yet. We’re just really happy-go-lucky souls. Like I said before, it’s five wonderful puppies running around. Let’s see what happens. Wednesday is a great challenge. It would make it easier if we shot well.”
Garnet Valley 10-16-10-12-3 51
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-11-12-13-7 55
Garnet Valley (51) – Jake Sniras 5 0-0 13; Ryan Wooten 5 0-0 13; Logan McKee 2 0-0 4; Ryan Faccenda 4 3-5 11; Max Koehler 3 4-5 10. TOTALS 19 7-10 51.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (55) – Jaden Colzie 2 4-6 9; Marshall Baker 4 1-3 12; Trey Jones 1 0-0 2; Rob Vinson 0 2-4 2; Taji Hubbard 0 4-4 4; Qudire Bennett 9 5-6 24; Pat Flynn 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 17 16-23 55.
3-point goals: GV – Jake Sniras 3, Ryan Wooten 3; PW Marshall Baker 3, Jaden Colzie, Qudire Bennett.
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