Game action photos will be posted Thursday nightt in the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott Huff
CONSHOHOCKEN - The final game of the 49th Donofrio Tournament may have been played Wednesday night between the I-3 All Stars and the Bucks County All Stars, but the outcome might have been decided the night before.
The I-3 Stars captured the title with a 106-90 victory over the team from Bucks County – a Bucks County team that earned its title date with a grueling 101-96 double overtime win over the Sonny Hill Juniors less than 24 hours before.“We were really trying not to think about that before the game,” said Central Bucks South senior Will Barrett. “But this game really seemed to catch up with us in the second half. We were a little sluggish.”
“It was tough playing back-to-back games,” said Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper who scored an incredible 45 points in the loss. “Especially against a team that was as talented as the one we played tonight.”
“We were a lot deeper than most of the teams in this tournament,” said Norristown senior Khalif Wyatt of his winning squad. “Our bench was better than their bench, and we seemed to have fresh legs in the second half because we played more players.”
“I thought we had an advantage with our depth,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh sophomore Jaylen Bond. “We could go hard every minute we were on the floor.”
The game appeared to be decided in the first half when the I-3 team cruised to a 52-40 lead with 2:30 left in the first half. But Pepper and Barrett led a late BC surge to close to within 56-53 at halftime.
Pepper led BC with a glittering 22-point effort in the first half, while I-3 featured a nine-player scoring log and was led by Friends Central junior Dominic Morris with 12 points.A Pepper field goal tied the game at 58 with 18:34 left in the game, but I-3 took the game over from there. Morris, along with Wyatt, fueled the run that saw the I-3 lead swell to 85-67 with 8:59 left.
“It took them a lot of energy to get back into the game,” said Wyatt. “We just kept bringing players off the bench, and we were able to continue to score points.”
It surely was a game that needed no shot clock. The teams jetted up and down the Fellowship House floor for the entire 40 minutes and showcased some of the finest scholastic talent in the area.
“I love playing in a game like this with a little less structure,” said Pepper who will play next season at West Virginia University. “It is a lot of fun, and you can really show what you can do.”
“It gives you a chance to measure yourself against the best players in the area,” said Wyatt who will play at Temple University next year. “There were a lot of great players who have played in this tournament.”
“Playing against talent like this gives you a good idea of what it is going to be like at the next level,” said Barrett who will play has basketball at Princeton next season. “It was an unbelievable experience.”
“When you play with better players, you get better,” said Bond who will play his junior year at Plymouth Whitemarsh next season. “It was a game where I really felt free to do what I can best.”
Both teams were called All-Stars – and both deserved that label. And despite the lack of a competitive game at the end, a good time was had by all.
FREE THROWS – Pepper was named the Art Andre Award MVP, while Wyatt was named the Tony Samartino MVP – both took home trophies…Barrett and Bond were each named to the All-Tournament team as was Pennsbury’s Eddie DiRugeris…DiRugeris was also given the Little Big Man Award, the same award his father won in 1975.
Bucks County All Stars 53 37 - 90
I-3 All Stars 56 50 - 106
Bucks County: Dalton Pepper 15 10-12 45; Eddie DiRugeris 2 6-8 11; Jeff Holton 5 0-0 10; Jesse Krasna 3 3-3 9; Will Barrett 4 0-2 8; Greg Johnston 1 0-1 2; Ryan Arcidiacono 2 0-0 5. Totals 32 19-26 90.
3-point field goals – Pepper (3), DiRugeris. Archdiacono.
I-3 All Stars: Dominic Morris 9 7-7 25; Khalif Wyatt 8 3-4 19; Rhakeem Brookins 3 2-2 8; Devin Coleman 4 0-0 10; Travis Robinson 4 5-5 13; Kasheef Festus 2 0-2 4; Sheldon Mayer 1 0-0 2; Jaylen Bond 6 2-2 14; Amile Jefferson 1 0-0 2; HJ Gaskins 2 0-0 5. Totals 40 19-22 106.
3-point field goals Coleman (2) Gaskins.
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