To view game action photos, visit the photo gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
PLYMOUTH MEETING – C.J. Aiken had a decidedly somber look on his face as he emerged from the locker room after Tuesday night’s District One AAAA second round game against Neshaminy.It would have been impossible to guess that Plymouth Whitemarsh’s 6-9 center had just turned in a monster performance in the Colonials’ impressive 63-47 win over the Redskins.
Perhaps that’s because he wasn't satisfied.
“I think I could have done better on rebounds and blocked more shots,” Aiken said.
Don’t try telling that to Neshaminy.
PW’s junior star seemed to get a hand on every shot the Redskins put up in the paint. All told, Aiken had 10 blocks to go along with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a brilliant performance, and he made it look easy.
“He had one (rebound) he caught on one side, and he didn’t even move and kind of stretched his arms and laid it up (on the other side),” Neshaminy coach Jerry Devine said. “There’s really not much you can do about that.”
According to his coach, Aiken has gotten better and better as the season progressed.
“His ability to alter shots, his ability to stay disciplined was a huge part of the win,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio, whose team earned a berth in the state tournament. “I thought Jalen (Bond) really followed suit with that as well.”
The Redskins’ came into the game intent on containing Bond, who torched Neshaminy for 25 points in a 74-54 PW win in the season opener for both teams. Aiken had 12 points in that contest.
“I thought we did a good job with Bond,” Devine said. “He killed us the last time. C.J. got us this time.
“But I was really happy with the effort. I was happy with the way the kids kept going to the basket. They played mentally tough. It’s easy in a situation like this for kids to get down. They fought the whole time.”
Bond, PW’s gifted 6-6 sophomore, added 13 points in a solid supporting role while Sam Pygatt had 10 for a PW squad that appears to be peaking at just the right time.
“The team as a whole has gotten better,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “We started out the year probably playing 11-12 deep trying to figure out this whole thing. I give the kids a lot of credit for winning games early.
“You have to shorten the lineup. We’re down to nine.”
Eiight players saw significant minutes for the Colonials, and all eight made contributions.
The Redskins, meanwhile, were led by the 15-point effort of freshman Ryan Arcidiacano while senior Justin Deeter added 12.
“It’s hard to game plan for a team like this,” Deeter said. “This is the fifth time I played them in my career. My freshman year they had (6-4) Anthony Minor. This year they have two Division One athletes. You just have to take what they give. “
The Colonials didn’t give a whole lot on Tuesday night, and Aiken served early notice that he would be heard from when he turned a Bond pass into an easy bucket 30 seconds into the game. Deeter scored over Bond on an impossible shot in close on his team’s first possession, but after that, the paint was pretty much off limits for the Redskins.
“We prepared for that this whole week because last time they did some damage on us,” Aiken said. “We worked on our post moves to get better on them, and we did that tonight.”Back-to-back baskets by Bond gave PW an 8-4 lead, and a dunk by Aiken on an airball from the opposite baseline made it a 10-4 game. Another Aiken jam (Bond assist) sent the Colonials into the second quarter with a 12-6 lead.
Aiken opened the second quarter with a steal at midcourt and, displaying the ball handling skills of a guard, took it coast-to-coast for a layup.
PW extended its lead to 18-9 after an Aiken putback, but Arcidiacano buried a trey off the dribble to make it an 18-12 game.
Will Mascio answered with a trey for the Colonials, and after a Redskin miss, Whis Grant converted a three-point play at the end of a fastbreak, putting the Colonials on top 24-12. They took a 27-17 lead into halftime.
In 16 minutes, Aiken already had accumulated a game’s worth of stats with 14 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals.
“Having him on the team allows us to take risks that normally if we didn’t have him we wouldn’t take,” said PW senior Joe Hughes, who added seven points. “We can get up on our man on defense. We don’t have to worry about them driving to the basket because we know we have a 6-9 (guy) waiting for them.”
The Redskins made it a 29-21 game after back-to-back baskets by Arcidiacano, but Hughes buried a trey at the other end. An Arcidiacano trey pulled the Redskins within 10 (34-24), but Bond scored on a cut to the hole to up the lead to 12.
Steve Warhola tracked down a long rebound and hit paydirt on a three-pointer to cut PW’s lead to 36-27, but again, Bond answered with a bucket.
Freshman Tyler Katz, who scored seven second-half points off the bench for the Redskins, buried a trey to make it an eight-point game, but Pygatt reeled off four straight points for PW – sinking a pair of foul shots and then turning a Brandon Dixon steal into an easy bucket that sent the Colonials into the final quarter with a 42-30 lead.
The Redskins would get no closer the rest of the way.
“It’s definitely starting to click,” Hughes said. “That win at Norristown definitely just settled it, and from there on, we’re starting to play together. That just proved that we finally hit our stride at a good time.”
Aiken – who swatted away shots at will all night long – had four blocks in the fourth quarter, putting an exclamation point on a stellar outing.
“They’re long and athletic,” Arcidiacano said. “You try taking to the hoop, and you know they have a big 6-9 kid looking to block your shots. It’s tough. Their length is unbelievable.
“They have 6-6, 6-5 and 6-9. There’s nothing you can do about that. You have to take quick shots, take one-pass shots, but we couldn’t hit any shots.”
The Redskins join seven teams in vying for one state playoff berth.
“I have to explain to some of these young guys – they have their heads down,” Deeter said. “This could be one of the last games of my (high school) career, but we’re confident going into the next game. We’re just going to take it one game at a time.”
The Colonials, meanwhile, have earned a date with Conestoga in Friday night’s quarterfinal round.
“We’re just staying focused, trying to win districts,” Aiken said. “We’re not happy until we win everything.”
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, NESHAMINY 47
Neshaminy (47) – Paul Carrezola 2 0-0 4, Steve Warhola 2 0-0 5, Ryan Arcidiacano 5 3-4 15, Justin Deeter 2 7-8 12, Tristan Emig 0 0-0 0, Keelan Adams 1 0-0 2, Dwight Williams 0 0-0 0, Tyler Katz 2 2-2 7, Mendola 0 0-0 0, Mike Deangellis 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 0-0 0, Barron 0 0-0 0, Schaffer 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 12-14 47.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (63) – C.J. Aiken 10 0-0 20, Joe Hughes 1 4-4 7, Whis Grant 1 1-1 3, Jaylen Bond 6 1-2 13, Brandon Dixon 2 0-0 4, Sam Pygatt 4 3-4 11, Will Mascio 1 0-0 3, Mike Barbee 0 2-2 2, Marc Berman 0 0-0 0, Stephon Baker 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 11-13 63.
Neshaminy 6 11 13 17-47
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12 15 15 21-63
Three-point goals: Neshaminy – Ryan Arcidiacano 2, Justin Deeter, Tyler Katz, Steve Warhola. PW-Joe Hughes, Will Mascio.
- Log in to post comments
0
