Cheltenham rallied to defeated Methacton in Saturday’s District One 6A third place game. Photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of phtos. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
CLASS 6A Playback (Third place game)
#1-3 CHELTENHAM 72, #1-1 METHACTON 58
The Panthers found themselves staring at a 24-8 hole late in the first quarter. Not exactly the kind of start they were hoping for, but they recuperated quite nicely, outscoring the Warriors 64-34 the rest of way to earn the bounce-back win on the heels of Tuesday’s district semifinal loss to Lower Merion.
“In the second, third and fourth quarters, we were back to our normal selves,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “It’s a tough place to play. It’s a beautiful gym, the crowd is very good, so they came out firing on all cylinders.
“Cole Hargrove had 11 points in the first quarter, so he outscored us himself. We were in trouble, but we made some adjustments, and we were able to get the kids to do what makes them successful defensively and offensively, and we were able to turn the tide, for sure.”
The Warriors led 24-10 after one quarter but took just a 37-36 lead into halftime. The second half belonged to the Panthers, who outscored the Warriors 36-21 to all but put the game out of reach.
“It was just a good collective effort,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “They bounced back. Methacton was obviously ranked number one in our district prior to it, so they’re a quality state team, a top four team in our district.
“It was good to be able to go on the road, fall behind but find the cohesion amongst the group to push. Brandon Bush had an exciting dunk in the second half that lifted his teammates. Joey Weimer came in during the second quarter and hit a big 3-pointer in the midst of the run. There was a lot of energy.
“Elias Walker was flying around the court making a lot of plays. We were pleased with Josiah (Hutson’s) pace and Sheem Dearry’s ability to get to the basket and work inside.”
Rasheem Dearry’s 14 points led five Cheltenham players in double figures. He also had seven rebounds. Brandon Bush had 13 points, Elias Walker added 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and four assists, and Justin Savage contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. Nasir Edens added 10 points, three steals and four rebounds. Josiah Hutson had nine points and two assists.
Cheltenham (28-1, 16-0 SOL) will host District 3’s fourth place team, Cedar Cliff, in an opening round game of the PIAA 6A State Tournament on Wednesday.
“We need to try to get a good start to what’s hopefully a long postseason,” Fleury said. “We’re definitely looking forward to getting to Cedar Cliff, we’re definitely looking forward to starting this state run. Obviously, that’s the goal for us. We’re just getting ready for Wednesday and facing a good opponent.”
Cheltenham 10-26-17-20 72
Methacton 24-13-14-7 58
Cheltenham (72) – Rasheem Dearry 14, Josiah Hutson 9, Elias Walker 12, Nasir Edens 10, Brandon Bush 13, Joey Weimer 3, Justin Savage 11.
Methacton (58) – Anthony Daddazio 3, Jason Price 2, Jason Lagana 5, Colin Meyer 8, Cole Hargrove 21, Cam Chilson 11, Matt Christian 9.
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