By Scott Huff
Load up the bus.For the very first time, Plymouth Whitemarsh will have to make a significant road trip as the Colonials will trek close to three hours to Chambersburg High School to play North Allegheny in the PIAA Quad-A state semifinal contest scheduled to tip off at 7 pm.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate considering that we are in the western bracket,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “We had two state playoff games at Wissahickon and one at Villanova.”
The Colonials (27-2) PIAA journey included a 74-31 destruction of Red Land at Wissahickon; a 66-43 win over Frankford at Wissahickon; and a 54-46 victory over Roman Catholic at Villanova.
North Allegheny (23-5) is the #4 seed from District 7 and has stunned a pair of District #1 seeds on its trek to the Quad-A Final Four. The Tigers clawed District 6 champion Strong Vincent – 74-59 – and defeated District 7 champion Mount Lebanon – 52-48. Last Saturday, North Allegheny handled the #2 team from District 7 – Gateway – 64-52.
“I have connections with Southwest Airlines,” joked Donofrio after PW bested Roman Catholic. “I am having game films flown in so we can get ready for North Allegheny.”
This is some of what Donofrio would have seen about the Tigers.
1. – North Allegheny does not have a single player that began the season with varsity experience. The entire starting lineup played junior varsity last season.
2. – The Tigers have a swarming defense that loves to pressure the basketball. In the win over Gateway, North Allegheny generated 21 turnovers.
3. – Not a big team, the Tigers fired up no less than 30 three-point attempts in the win over Gateway. Senior Ryan Besonson led North with 15 points.
“Every state basketball game has its own identity,” said Donofrio. “You have to be able to handle every type of situation.”
Plymouth Whitemash presents its own problems for opponents to deal with on the hardwood.
The Colonial ‘bigs’ of 6-foot, 10-inch senior C.J. Aiken and 6-7 junior Jaylen Bond are remarkable. And the electric PW guard unit of senior Whis Grant, junior Sam Pygatt, and junior Brandon Dixon can control tempo.
Last year the Colonials lost in the PIAA Quad-A state semifinal game when PW dropped a contest to York at Reading High School.
“We blinked, and the season was over,” said Donofrio.
Look for Plymouth Whitemarsh to have its eyes wide open for a trip to State College on Saturday to play in the PIAA Quad-A state championship game on the campus of Penn State University.
Load up the bus.
The name is Bond – Jaylen Bond
To watch Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Jaylen Bond from the stands, fans see a graceful, fluid player that has all the tools to be a superb Division One basketball player.And college scouts see the very same thing this season – whether Bond has played at Villanova University (four times), Widener University (twice), Gwynedd Mercy College, Baruch College (New York), or at Parkland High School against nationally ranked St. Benedict’s from Newark, New Jersey.
Bond has an agile 6-foot, 7-inch frame that has matched up well against some of the best talent in the area. But it isn’t until you look directly in his childlike face that you recognize how young the big man is chronologically.
“People forget that this is a 16-year old kid,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “He has 17 people talking to him every day – offering him scholarships from the Big East and the ACC.
“He puts too much pressure on himself,” Donofrio continued. “He is going to have to learn how to relax.”
Case in point – Saturday’s 54-46 PW win over Roman Catholic in the PIAA Quad-A state quarterfinal game at Villanova.
Bond entered the game with 999 points and was on the verge of that prestigious 1000-point club. A fact that was not lost on the youngster.
“There is no question that I was thinking too much about it,” said Bond – who missed his first eight shots from the field – and missed his first four free throw attempts - badly. “I needed to stay more focused, more relaxed.”
It took Jaylen 21 minutes and 31 seconds to score his first points – ironically on an offensive rebound and put back on his own miss.
“It is a great feeling to be part of the great tradition of playing basketball at a program like Plymouth Whitemarsh,” said Bond who joined teammate C.J. Aiken in the exclusive 1000-point club. “Now I hope we can go on and continue to win basketball games.”
Count on it.
Engard Graduates with Class
Souderton head coach Perry Engard graduated with his seniors as he turned in his resignation as the chief on the Indians. Engard coached the Big Red to three Suburban One Continental Conference titles (2006, 2007 & 2010) and finished with an eight-year career mark of 133-80.“I think that Coach Engard felt that this was the best Souderton team to ever play, and I agree with him,” said superlative Souderton senior guard A.J.Picard. “I think he saw something special in our senior class that began all the way back in eighth and ninth grade.”
Souderton achieved a school record of 23 victories this season.
“Engard never had a hard time expressing his emotions during the game,” said Picard. “He said it was ‘an honor’ if he was yelling at you.
“Players really matured under his coaching, I did,” added Picard. “He was a big influence in the way that I developed as a basketball player.
“He really began the off season lifting program, and we became a much stronger team because of it,” continued Picard. “And we played in a lot of leagues. We really played all season long.”
The final game under Engard came when the Indians lost a heart breaking last second contest to Roman Catholic in the PIAA Quad-A state quarterfinal game.
Engard, however, will always be remembered as a winner for Souderton Area High School.
Suburban One Sports.Com
Final Top Ten
1. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
2. Pennsbury Falcons
3. Neshaminy Redskins
4. Souderton Indians
5. Council Rock North Indians
6. Bensalem Owls
7. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals
8. Norristown Eagles
9. Wissahickon Trojans
10. Central Bucks South Titans
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