PW advanced to Saturday’s PIAA 6A State Tournament quarterfinal round. Souderton saw its memorable postseason run come to an end. PW/Liberty photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for a gallery of photos.
PIAA 6A State Tournament second round
#1-1 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 59, #11-2 LIBERTY 46
It took no time at all for the Colonials to establish that they meant business in Wednesday’s state second round game at Pottstown High School
Behind seven points from Mani Sajid, the Colonials led 17-5 after one quarter. The second quarter belonged to Terron Davis, who scored all 11 of his points in a frame that saw the Colonials outscore Liberty 20-12 to go into
halftime with a commanding 37-17 advantage on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“We’re trying to stay alive,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “I think the kids are kind of realizing how long this season can get. I try telling them – it’s the only high school sport that hits three seasons.”
It might be long, but the Colonials, who had four players in double figures, are making the most of their opportunities.
Key players: Mani Sajid led the Colonials with 16 points – 11 in the first half. Michael Pereira added 14 points, and Terron Davis had 11 points. Buddy Denard added 10 points on a pair of 3s and a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio:
–The game: “Liberty is a football-oriented team. Their best player is a Division 1 football player. They play well together. They have a 17-points per game kid, and then everybody else is in single digits, but, of course, that can lull you into a false sense of security. You had some kids who rarely hit 3s for them, hitting 3s all over the place to keep it
interesting in the second half.
“We came out, and I think the positive was – really good teams can have a loose demeanor about them before a game, and then when the lights go bright and the ball goes up, they turn it on. I haven’t seen that on one of our teams in quite a while, and I’ve seen this bunch kind of getting that way after winning the district. I was intrigued to see how we would look tonight.
“We came out and Mani (Sajid) hits his first deep 3, and Michael (Pereira) was just really establishing himself early. We were on all cylinders defensively, and it was a 20-point lead at halftime. But now it’s the state tournament play, and this is a team that’s going to be going home if they don’t change something around at halftime. I thought our guys did a decent job preparing for their energy increase. I think it would have stayed at a 20-point lead, but we just really shot poorly from the foul line, which is rare for us. It was an even second half. You are just trying not to shoot quick shots so they get any kind of opportunity with the basketball, so I liked how we controlled it.”
–Props: “I think the best part of tonight was when the foul shots and some other shots aren’t falling for a while – immature teams get nervous, and we just calmly stayed solid until Michael Pereira got a huge rebound off a free throw miss and put it in. Mani hits a monster shot, Buddy (Denard) hits a 3. So, it wasn’t great offense in the second half – I just think when you go up by 20 in the first half, the second half was like – ‘Let’s just ride this to steadiness,’ and that’s what we did.”
–Davis provides a spark: “(Terron Davis) has played his role beautifully, and the funny thing is – he’s under the weather, he’s not feeling well at all. His energy boost – he’s just a secret weapon. If you come out and
you’ve never seen us play, I don’t think you quite understand the size of Michael Pereira, I don’t think you quite understand the skill of Mani Sajid, I don’t think you quite understand the speed of Terron Davis.
“A college coach was there tonight, and he said, ‘You know, you guys got a lot of pieces this year,’ and there are a lot of pieces. Jack (Hayes) picked up a second foul early, which he rarely does, and Ron came in and replaced him. You put Mani and Buddy at the point, and now you’ve got to prepare for a different idea.
“Terron just has this ability to score 8-12 points in about three minutes. You try and hide him a little bit and bring him back the second half. I’m proud of him for hanging in there because he’s a talented kid, and he’s really played his role extremely well. He’s been a great team guy all season, and he’s getting some college looks now too, which is great.”
–Pereira elevates his game: “Michael has evolved so much. He’s gotten so poised in the last two weeks, and he just keeps getting better, and things he was doing bad habit-wise – he’s correcting those. So I’m just happy for him going into his college days. I think he’s now more ready than ever, but we have unfinished business to take care of.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will face District 12 runner-up and PCL champion Father Judge in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Judge defeated District 3 runner-up Central York 82-68 in double overtime.
Liberty 5-12-15-14 46
Plymouth Whitemarsh. 17-20-10-12 59
Liberty (46) – Luke Heffernan 1 0-0 3; Jake Pukszyn 3 0-0 7; Jarrell Teague 4 2-2 11; Dylan Bilger 4 0-0 10; Quin Lucas 1 0-0 2; Brayden Kashner 5 0-0 13; TOTALS 18 2-2 46.
PW – Jack Hayes 1 1-4 3; Terron Davis 5 1-2 11; Mani Sajid 7 1-2 16; Michael Pereira 6 2-6 14; Buddy Denard 2 4-4 10; Micah Thompson 2 1-4 5; TOTALS 23 10-22 59
3-point goals: L – Brayden Kashner 3, Dylan Bilger 2, Jarrell Teague, Jake Pukszyn, Luke Heffernan; PW – Buddy Denard 2, Mani Sajid.
#3-1 CENTRAL DAUPHIN 68, #1-4 SOUDERTON 55
It had been quite a journey.
A Souderton team without one of its starters (Koby Rollerson – transfer ineligible) advanced to the final four of the District 1 6A Tournament and then sent Archbishop Wood home with an electrifying win in Saturday’s state opener. It was the program’s first win in states in close to two decades.
In Wednesday’s second round game at Hamburg High School, the Indians had District 3 champion Central Dauphin on the ropes before falling in a game that was a whole lot closer than the final score suggests. Souderton – after a 24-point second quarter – led 38-27 at halftime. Central Dauphin broke a 51-51 tie with just under four minutes remaining in regulation and never looked back, bringing to an end an unforgettable postseason run for the Indians.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group or have asked for a better set of kids to coach,” said Souderton coach Brendan Stanton, whose first year at the helm has been a memorable one. “They believed in me, and more importantly, they believed in each other. Even when things were tough or we looked outmatched, they never stopped trusting, competing, or believing.
“Even though we came up short tonight, I think our guys showed everyone who they were and what Souderton basketball can be. We proved we can play with anyone, no matter how big the other team was, what league they played in, or how many offers their kids had. They were fearless and never backed down. They always believed our best was good enough to get it done.”
The Indians trailed the Rams 18-14 after one quarter and then came the 24-point second quarter that included five 3s – two each from Will Lockwood and Dylan Quinn – as well as seven points from Nate Rusike. The quarter was highlighted by a 16-0 Souderton run, and the Indians went into halftime with an 11-point lead.
The Indians led by one (49-48) heading into a final quarter that belonged to Central Dauphin.
“Losing is tough,” Stanton said. “But what hurts the most is knowing my time with this specific group is almost over. Being around them every day has been the time of my life. They are everything high school basketball is supposed to be – kids who love each other, push each other, drive each other crazy, and leave it all out there for one another. I couldn’t be prouder of them or the season they had.”
Nate Rusike led the Indians with 18 points, nine in each half. Chanse Salone added 11 and Marques Brown – who battled foul woes – added 10 points.
Souderton coach Brendan Stanton:
–Reflections on the season: “This group will go down as one of the most decorated teams in school history, but what I’ll remember most are the things people didn’t see, like the way they practiced, the hours of 2v2 or 3v3 after practice, the meals, the hangouts, the constant togetherness. Their connection is so genuine.
“They embraced each other as people and players. We were undersized in just about every game, but we played to our strengths, made the pieces fit, and ended up playing some truly beautiful, inspired team basketball.
“Throughout this playoff run I’ve been asked how did we beat Wood or hang with PW, etc. Sure, there is the basketball answer to that, but the real answer probably is all the other stuff. When you have kids you can’t kick them out of the gym, kids who are always together and always competing, that’s when you know it’s bigger than basketball.
“I don’t think many teams maximized their high school basketball experience the way this group did. I’d love to find a team that played harder for one another or had more fun doing it. Our gym was a great place to be every day. That’s why tonight hurts. This is a team that genuinely wanted to keep being together as long as possible.”
Souderton closed out its historic season with a 20-8 record overall. The Indians were 8-2 and SOL Colonial Division champions.
Souderton 14-24-11-6 55
Central Dauphin 18-9-21-20 68
Souderton (55) – Will Lockwood 2 0-0 6; Chanse Salone 4 2-2 11; Marques Brown 4 0-0 10; Levi Epps 1 0-0 3; Dylan Quinn 2 1-2 7; Nate Rusike 7 4-7 18; TOTALS 20 7-11 55.
Central Dauphin (68) – Jelani Easter 2 6-8 10; Jared Dolimpio 6 2-2 19; Jaxson Davenport 1 0-0 2; Khalil Roberts 4 7-7 15; Shakur Starling 3 6-7 13; Shyheim Starling 2 2-2 6; Kameron Devan 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 19 23-26 68
3-point goals: S – Will Lockwood 2, Marques Brown 2, Dylan Quinn 2, Chanse Salone, Levi Epps. CD – Jared Dolimpio 5, Shakur Starling, Kameron Devan.
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