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By Scott Huff
PARKLAND – Plymouth Whitemarsh earned the spotlight on the national stage at Parkland High School in the showcase game of the Lehigh Valley Hoop Fest.“There is no question that PW should be in the top twenty nationally,” said St. Benedict head coach Dan Hurley after his Gray Bees edged the Colonials (17-1), 52-50. “That was an excellent team that we just played. St. Patrick’s and PW were the best two teams that we played this year.”
And that is a compliment of national proportion.
St. Benedict’s (Newark - New Jersey) is currently ranked the # 7 team in the country. And recently, the Gray Bees (17-1) knocked St. Patrick’s (Elizabeth – New Jersey) out of the # 1 spot in the nation with a 66-64 victory.
“We didn’t come here to play it close, we came here to win the game,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “I think that we came out of this game thinking ‘Damn we’re that good – good enough to play with anyone.’
“Plymouth Whitemarsh has a great tradition in our local region,” added Donofrio. “It was great to see us compete with teams on a national level.”
PW tri-captain C.J. Aiken earned his spotlight on the national stage at Parkland High School in the showcase game of the Lehigh Valley Hoop Fest.“Aiken has a real chance to be an NBA player,” said Hurley of the 6-foot, 10-inch senior who has committed to St. Joseph University next year. “He is one of the best big men at the high school level in the country.
“Phil Martelli (St. Joseph head coach) got a real steal with Aiken,” added Hurley. “He has to be one of the most under recruited players in the area.”
Aiken – who punctuated his terrific defensive effort with a dozen rebounds and seven nasty blocked shots – played well above the rim with five dunks and a game-high 16 points.
“We had some college recruiters tell us that he didn’t care enough – didn’t have enough heart,” said Donofrio. “C.J. is seriously talented and should not have been overlooked.
“When you have a 6-10 kid that can play both inside and on the perimeter, you would have to be on Mars not to notice him,” added Donofrio. “He has proven that he can play anywhere.”
Aiken was awarded an MVP trophy as the outstanding player from the Colonials.
“I guess I’m still trying to show people that I can be a good player,” said Aiken – clutching the trophy in his giant right hand. “But I feel badly that we didn’t win the game.“We came out really strong – played with a lot of energy,” added Aiken. “We can beat anyone if we play with that type of energy.”
Aiken scored six of the first eight Colonial points as PW raced to a 14-5 first period lead over the Gray Bees.
And that ain’t no small feat.
St. Benedict’s starting lineup features a collection of talent that has top-flight Division One recruiters take notice. The Gray Bees starting unit includes a quartet of D-1 college players such as 6-1 junior Myck Kabongo (Texas), 6-4 senior Aaron Brown (Temple), 6-8 senior Gilvydas Biruta (Rutgers), and 6-9 junior Sidiki Johnson (Arizona).
“I thought we were emotionally ready for the game,” said Hurley of his Gray Bees that were playing their third game in four days. “PW got off to that good start, but we were able to hang in there in the second and third periods."
St. Benedict’s outscored the Colonials 37-23 in the middle two quarters, but PW refused to go away. The game remained close in the fourth quarter, and PW actually had a shot at forcing overtime on its last possession.
“It was just fun to take part in a game like this – knowing that it was going down to the last possession,” said Donofrio. “We really didn’t get the shot we wanted on that last possession, but we still had our shot at winning the game.“The kids are annoyed with the loss,” added Donofrio. “I would say that we have a ‘good anger’ after this one.
“We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country,” continued Donofrio. “C.J. and Jaylen (Bond – who scored 15 points) can play anywhere, and our guards faced some intense heat and will only get better.
“Our goals still involve league, district, and state titles,” said Donofrio. “And we were one possession away from beating a nationally ranked team.”
And the national spotlight on the Colonials will not be extinguished any time soon.
St. Benedict’s 5 19 18 10 - 52
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14 12 11 13 - 50
St. Benedict’s: Aaron Brown 6 2-2 16; Myck Kabongo 2 3-4 10; Xavier Mumford 1 2-4 4; Gil Biruta 3 0-0 6; Sidiki Johnson 6 2-3 14; Mike Poole 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 9-13 52.
3-point field goals – Brown (2), Kabongo.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: C.J. Aiken 6 3-5 16; Brandon Dixon 1 0-0 2; Jaylen Bond 5 5-8 15; Sam Pygatt 4 0-0 8; Stephon Baker 2 0-0 4; Whis Grant 0 5-8 5. Totals 18 13-21 50.
3-point field goals – Aiken.
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