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By Scott Huff
WISSAHICKON – Plymouth Whitemarsh had a flashback to the glory days of last year when the gifted Colonials were razor sharp on their journey to the PIAA Quad-A semifinals. And the result was a 73-53 Suburban One American Conference victory over a talented Wissahickon squad in SOL action on Tuesday night.
“It was as though a light bulb went on, and we took advantage of the experience that we had within us,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “So far this season we haven’t needed it, but it kicked in tonight and we played some good basketball.”
And the Colonials needed it.
PW (5-0, 2-0) led the Trojans (4-1, 1-1) by a 47-43 score with just 44 seconds left in the third period.
The Colonials went on to score 15 of the next 20 points to take a 62-48 lead, and PW slowly extended the lead throughout the remainder of the final period.“We were looking forward to a challenge,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Jaylen Bond who was a monster on the offensive boards and scored 18 points. “And we knew that Wissahickon would give us one.”
“This was a good game for us because it gave us a chance to find out what we need to do in a closer
game,” said PW senior C.J. Aiken who dominated inside the paint and scored a game-high 29 points. “We were hoping that it would be a good game, and it was.”
Wissahickon played its part under the Wissahickon Dome to give the large crowd its money’s worth.
“I’m very proud of the effort our kids gave,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “You find out how good you are when you play great high school teams, and I thought we had a shot.
“To beat a team as talented as Plymouth Whitemarsh, you have to play great defense,” added Wilson. “I thought we played good defense, but it wasn’t good enough.”Two players who stole the spotlight for the Trojans offensively were senior Jack O’Neill and sophomore Jordan Reed. O’Neill bombed four 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 22 points, while Reed floated to the basket and added 16 points.
“I thought that we did a good job of attacking the basket,” said Wilson. “They have a lot of size inside, but I don’t think that we showed any fear.”
Aiken astounded the fans in the stands and the coaches on the bench with a variety of shots around the rim - only one of which was a dunk.
“When I saw Aiken making those crazy shots, I knew we were in trouble,” smiled Wilson. “We saw a lot of film on them, and I thought we did a decent job of making him take tough shots. But he made them.”
“Actually, I take a lot of those kinds of shots in practice,” insisted Aiken. “Anything I can do to help my team out.”“Let’s just say that C.J. made some creative shots,” said Donofrio. “He was hot – it was almost like some guy at a pool hall that can’t miss a shot.
“I thought the key to the game, though, was when Jaylen became active in the second half,” added Donofrio. “He was like a man-child out there. It seemed like he grabbed almost every possible offensive rebound.”
Bond may have carried the Colonials in the second half, but Whis Grant supplied the offensive firepower in the first half. Grant finished with a trio of 3-pointers – all in the first half – and scored 13 points.
“It was great to see Whis step up and hit the outside shot at the beginning of the game,” said Donofrio. “It opened up the middle for C.J.”
Aiken – the 6-foot, 10-inch center – also drained a pair of 3-pointers in a stretch that saw him score 11 consecutive PW points.“Sometimes it is hard for me to just let them go,” said Donofrio. “They have played together for so long, and I have to be able to step back at times and let it up to the players.
“This is a talented high school basketball team that knows how to take control of a game,” added Donofrio. “We have to keep on attacking, and things should go our way.”
“Coach knows that if he let’s us go, we know how to play together,” said Bond. “We know that we have to play good defense to pick up momentum on offense – we know that – and so does he.”
“This is a game that is really going to help us,” said Donofrio. “Wissahickon is a good basketball team – a great rivalry – and both teams played with a lot of emotion.”
In a game that brought back good memories for the Colonials.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17 14 18 24 - 73
Wissahickon 14 11 18 10 - 53
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Whis Grant 4 2-2 13; Jaylen Bond 8 2-3 18; Sam Pygatt 3 0-0 7; C.J. Aiken 11 5-7 29; Stephon Baker 1 0-0 2; Brandon Dixon 0 2-2 2; Marcus Badger 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 11-14 73.
3-point field goals: Grant (3), Aiken (2), Pygatt.
Wissahickon: Tom Sweeney 1 0-0 2; Jordan Reed 5 6-6 16; Jack O’Neill 9 0-3 22; Gio Atkins 3 0-0 6; Kevin Hammond 2 1-2 5; Michael Bundy 1 0-1 2. Totals 21 7-12 53.
3-point field goals: O’Neill (4).
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