#2 Council Rock North 56, #7 Norristown 55 (2 OT)
By Nate OxmanIt didn’t matter what Norristown threw at Aaron Morgan, he had the answer.
When the Eagles stormed back into the ball game with a ridiculous 19-2 run in the third quarter to erase a 12-point halftime deficit and take a three-point lead, Morgan reeled off seven straight points to keep the Council Rock North within striking distance.
When Norristown’s Maleek Williams gave the Eagles a three-point advantage with 25.5 seconds to play, Morgan coolly canned a deep three from the wing to force overtime.
When the Eagles’ Aaron Webb converted a difficult drive down the lane to give his team a 49-47 edge with 43 seconds to play in overtime, Morgan responded with a pretty pull-jumper to force a second extra session.
And finally, with the second-seeded Indians trailing 55-54 and a spot in the District One Class AAA semifinals at Villanova Tuesday on the line, Morgan stepped to the foul line with 12.8 seconds left and buried two free throws to seal a 56-55 North win Friday at Council Rock South High School.
“I like the ball in my hands,” said Morgan. “I’m the point guard so I feel I should have the ball, and I think our team executed that play perfectly and we got a good shot off. And thankfully I made it to send it to overtime.”
“That’s what your point guard should be all about,” said Indians coach Derek Wright. “He wants the ball in his hands. He knows he is going to be the guy taking the shot. He has worked enough on his game to be confident that he’s going to make it and our players believe in him.”
The junior point guard finished with a game-high 27 points, battling incessant ball-hawking from Norristown’s talented group of guards.
The Indians, playing without injured starter Matt McCloskey, busted open a 14-14 game with 52 seconds to play in the opening period when Morgan stopped a two-on-one Eagles fast break by intercepting a pass. He then tossed the ball ahead to a wide-open John Raymon, who threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk to kick-start a 17-4 run that included eight points from Aaron Goodman, the final two sending the junior over the 1,000-point plateau in his stellar three-year career.
The run also gave the Indians what appeared to be a comfortable 14-point lead.
That margin remained after North senior forward Charlie Anastasi (11 points) opened the scoring in the second half to make it 33-19.
But that’s when Norristown cranked up the defensive pressure, forcing eight Indians’ turnovers en route to the aforementioned 19-2 run that enabled them to take a 38-36 lead into the final frame.
“We just had to tell the guys to keep playing,” said Norristown coach Mike Evans on the key to his team’s comeback. “We just had to keep playing. We’ve been down before. I always tell them basketball is a game of runs. We just have to keep playing and make a run. Our defense will make up for our offense.”
All five Norristown starters were involved as Rasheed Johnson started the spurt with a pair of free throws, Aaron Webb contributed four points, Williams added a bucket off a steal and layup, Tyreese White pitched in six points, including two steals that led to two layups, as well as an offensive rebound and put-back of a miss by Jahquan Hargove, who had five key points himself.
“I thought we did a great job in the first half [of slowing them down] because we didn’t turn it over as much and we were able to get our defense set,” said Wright. “But once they get going, they’re tough.”
A three by Richard Bouknight, the only points not scored by a Norristown starter all night, gave the Eagles their biggest lead of the game at 41-36 with 7:01 to play. But the Indians, who entered the bonus at the 5:56 mark, knocked down three-of-four at the foul line to pull within two.
The Eagles were given an enormous break when Morgan made another steal and push-ahead to Raymon, who missed a wide-open one-handed dunk that surely would have ignited an already-raucous North crowd.
White pulled down the rebound, was fouled, and converted the free throws to put the Eagles ahead 43-39.
The margin remained four at 45-41 before a steal by the Indians led to a Morgan layup. The Eagles then managed to make just two of four free throws and clung to a 47-44 lead before Morgan’s back-breaking three-point bomb.
After Morgan and Webb scored the only two buckets in the first overtime, Morgan opened the second OT with a deep three from the wing in front of his team’s bench.
White wasted no time launching a three at the other end that he buried to tie the game at 52-52. He did the same on the Eagles very next possession to put his team ahead 55-53.
Anastasi stood at the foul line at the 1:51 mark with a chance to tie the game, but converted just the front end of a one-and-one.
The Eagles then misfired on two crucial chances, throwing away an inbounds pass with 1:09 remaining and then failing to convert a layup with 28 seconds to go, leading them to foul Morgan, who sank both free throws to give the Indians the lead.
The Eagles had one final inbounds attempt from under their own basket with one second remaining, but they couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.
“We just wanted to get back on defense every single possession because they always send one guy out and run,” said Morgan on the team’s efforts to counter the Eagles’ comeback. “That gave our bigs some trouble because basically they have five guards, but they stuck with it, kept them out of the paint, and pulled down big rebounds at the end.”
The loss dropped the seventh-seeded Eagles to 20-4 on the season and into a playback game to begin to determine the team’s seeding for the PIAA Class AAAA tournament.
Council Rock North (24-1) advances to Tuesday’s (6 p.m.) semifinal match-up with third-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh, a 63-47 winner over sixth-seeded West Chester Rustin Friday. Tuesday’s second semifinal will pit second-seeded Chester against fifth-seeded Neshaminy. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 56, NORRISTOWN 55 (2 OT)
Norristown (55)--Rasheed Johnson 4 3-4 11; Tyreese White 5 2-2 14; Aaron Webb 3 2-2 8; Maleek Williams 3 3-4 9; Jahquan Hargove 4 0-1 10; Marquis Bryant 0 0-0 0; Richard Bouknight 1 0-0 3; Tevin Bush 0 0-0 0. Totals
Council Rock North (56)--Aaron Morgan 7 11-12 27; Aaron Goodman 4 0-0 8; Charlie Anastasi 3 5-8 11; John Raymon 2 1-2 5; Jordan Chernin 0 0-0 0; Hunter Stevens 2 1-2 5. Totals 18 18-24 56.
Norristown 14 5 19 9 2 6--55
Council Rock North 16 15 5 11 2 7--56
Three-point goals: White 2, Hargrove 2, Bouknight; Morgan 2
#3 Plymouth Whitemarsh 63, #6 West Chester Rustin 47
Heading into Friday night’s district quarterfinal showdown, the Colonials were a perfect two-for two in games against Rustin with last year’s 79-47 thumping of the Golden Knights their most recent conquest. But if it seems as though coach Jim Donofrio would have been feeling comfortable facing the tournament’s sixth seed, guess again.
“I was uncomfortable all day because I didn’t have a great feel for this game,” Donofrio said. “They came in last season with a great record, and we played them at Villanova and just had a dominating performance.
“I looked at that game this afternoon on film, and all I saw was C.J. Aiken with a hundred blocks, and we don’t do that anymore, so here comes Rustin again this year with that same great season, and they’re coming off that Penn Wood win, and they’re really confident, but my guys just continued to surprise me with their toughness. Tonight they decided to become a great rebounding team.”
Although the Colonials were without St. Joe’s freshman C.J. Aiken, who posted a triple-double in last year’s Rustin game (12 points, 12 blocked shots and 11 rebounds), they still have plenty of weapons.
Jaylen Bond – despite foul trouble that sent him to the bench for a two-minute stretch in the first half and four more minutes in the second - led the Colonials under the boards with 12 rebounds to go along with 14 points.
Sam Pygatt led PW offensively with a monster 26-point effort that included three treys. He scored 11 of those points in the second quarter that saw PW outscore Rustin 20-10, turning a 12-11 lead after one quarter into a 32-21 halftime lead. Pygatt also had six rebounds.
Stephon Baker added eight points while Marcus Badger had seven.
Lost in the shuffle of PW’s strong offensive performance was yet another standout defensive effort by the Colonials.
“Our defense has been so high level lately,” Donofrio said. “It’s really been a mainstay.
“We had a great second and a great fourth (quarter). I just think we played with a nice relentlessness on defense. It’s a very experienced bunch. They do very well together. When you watch these teams that go out and get 50-60-70 points, and with a minute to go, they’re in the low 40’s - you know you’ve done a good job.”
The Colonials – who outscored Rustin 22-14 in the fourth quarter - played to another full house in Friday’s quarterfinal game.
“We were very fortunate it was a home game,” Donofrio said. “We’re tough in our building, and it was standing room only, so that gave us a lot of energy.
“We ended up going eight deep, and we had guys off the bench that contributed. You have to be impressed with the kids. To go in and win the whole thing last year – the standard is obviously the highest it could be. To get back to Villanova again, obviously, we consider it another special season.”
The third-seeded Colonials will faced second-seeded Council Rock North in a 6 p.m. semifinal game on Tuesday at Villanova.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 47
Rustin (47) – Ethan Ridgeway 3, Anthony Nash 12, Dan Myers, 2, Zach Butcher 17, Corey Blake 13.
PW (63) – Jake Silvers 4, Sam Pygatt 26, Brandon Johnson 1, Marcus Glover 3, Jaylen Bond 14, Stephon Baker 8, Marcus Badger 7.
Rustin 11 10 12 14-47
PW 12 20 9 22-63
#5 Neshaminy 64, #13 Lower Merion 61
Ryan Arcidiacono was unstoppable.
The Redskins’ junior sharpshooter scored a game-high 33 points to lead the Redskins to a spot in Tuesday’s district semifinals at Villanova University against top-seeded Chester.
“Ryan Arch was phenomenal,” coach Jerry Devine said. “They box-and-oned him, they face guarded him, and earlier in the season when teams would do that, he would try and do too much himself.
“Recently, he has been doing a lot better, and tonight, he hit the spots. When it was time for him to take over, he did, but he also moved the ball and gave guys opportunities to score. He willed us to win. He showed today why he is who he is. Big players make big plays in big games, and he was phenomenal today.”
Lower Merion certainly hung tough. The Redskins led 13-11 at the end of one quarter and extended that lead to 30-25 by halftime only to watch the Aces rally to knot the score 42-42 at the end of three quarters.
“They went up by three, but it was one of those game where our kids never were out of it,” Devine said. “They stayed together, and they played. They defended when they had to defend.”
Included in Arcidiacono’s 33 points were four threes and a dazzling 17-for-20 effort from the foul line. Dwight Williams added 13 points for the ‘Skins while Michael McGarry added eight, but on a night when a trip to Villanova was at stake, the Redskins’ junior guard - who has committed to Villanova – made sure that would happen.
“Ryan made huge plays when he had to,” Devine said. “They started to pressure us fullcourt, and that’s when Ryan is great. He split the first trap, and he was just finding guys. Our guys played hard, and they played great, but Ryan was the story.
“He never got frustrated, and he never tried to force things. He picked moments – he made big buckets, and he hit his foul shots. He was not going to let us lose. We didn’t shoot particularly well, but he found guys and gave them the opportunity. That’s what was great, and that will help us out.”
The Redskins will face top-seeded Chester in the 7:30 p.m. game at Villanova on Tuesday night.
“This is a goal that we had,” Devine said of reaching the semifinals. “I think our program is at a point where we’ll be competitive in the league, we’ll make the tournament and be fighting for a state spot, but he (Arcidiacono) gives us something special that we won’t have all the time.
“This is great history for our program – it’s never been done before, and it’s great for our kids. Our kids work really hard. They play great together as a team. This is something special. I told them before the game – this is the reason why we played Trenton Catholic at Trenton Catholic. This is the reason we played PW at PW. This is why we played Carroll, this is why we played Penn Wood, this is why we played Baltimore City - for these moments. I think because they had that experience they were ready to play.”
Neshaminy’s win ensured that there will be three SOL teams in Tuesday’s district semifinals. Even more impressive is the fact that two of those teams came out of the National Conference.
“That says a lot about our league,” Devine said. “Derek (Wright) does a great job with his kids, and this is fun for our area.
“PW usually does this, and Chester usually does this, but Council Rock North and Neshaminy – this doesn’t usually happen, so it’s something special for our area. Pennsbury did it for a few years, but it was just Pennsbury. Now it’s great that it’s two teams. It’s special.”
#1 Chester 67, #9 Bensalem 39
The Owls had the unenviable task of facing the top-seeded Clippers on their home court. Chester seized early control of the game and never let the Owls get back into it. The Clippers led 15-6 at the end of one quarter and took a 31-18 lead into halftime. Any thoughts of a Bensalem comeback were put to rest when the Clippers outscored the Owls 19-7 in the third quarter on their way to the big win and a spot in the district semifinals at Villanova.
Leo Vincent led the Owls with 15 points while Julian Hyden added seven. Maurice Nelson led the Clippers with 23 points. The Owls, who have clinched a berth in the state tournament, will return to action on Tuesday when they will play in a consolation round game in a battle for seeding position.
DISTRICT ONE AAAA CONSOLATION ROUND
#8 North Penn 60, #17 Springfield-Delco 41
North Penn shut out the visiting Cougars in a first quarter that saw the Knights sprint to a 13-0 lead. They extended that lead to 23-2 and took a 30-11 lead into halftime in a contest that was over almost as soon as it began.
“Our matchup zone confuses a lot of team,” junior Wes Brooks said. “That was a huge part of it tonight. We just had our hands up and deflected all of their passes, and they couldn’t get open shots.
“We knew if we lost our season would be done. We have eight seniors, and if we lost, it would be their last game. We just wanted to keep the season going.”
Brooks paced a balanced Knight attack with 16 points, which included three three-pointers. The junior guard connected on all three treys in the first quarter, including back-to-back three-pointers on his team’s opening two possessions.
Mike Possanza added eight points while Dexter Shy added seven and Conner Silhanek and Janeus Somers both chipped in with seven for the Knights.
Friday’s win came on the heels of a heartbreaking loss that saw the Knights cough up a late lead in their second round game against Bensalem.
“We lost a tough game the other night, and we said to them, ‘There are eight teams in our bracket, and one is going to survive. The most important thing is going to be attitude,” coach Ron Hassler said. “Everybody lost tough games, but who is going to lick their wounds, who is going to say, ‘Let’s go out and do this, and let’s enjoy the competition.’
“I thought tonight we played with more enjoyment and played like it’s an honor to be here and took advantage of it.”
The Knights will travel to Upper Darby for Tuesday night’s playback game.
NORTH PENN 60, SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 41
Springfield-Delco (41) – Washington 1 0-0 2; Carpenter 1 2-5 5; Devito 5 5-8 15; Devinney 1 0-0 3; McKale 2 0-0 5; McMenamin 1 0-0 2; Baker 0 0-0 0; McNamee 0 0-0 0; Rutecki 0 0-0 0; Fox 0 0-0 0; O’Hara 0 0-0 0; Pollock 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 13 10-20 41.
North Penn (60) – W.Brooks 4 5-5 16; Koffke 2 0-0 4; Shy 3 1-1 7; Roane 1 0-0 2; S.Brooks 1 2-2 4; Possanza 3 2-2 8; Alvarino 2 0-0 5; Silhanek 3 0-0 6; Somers 3 0-0 6; Dawson 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 23 10-10 60.
Springfield-Delco 0 11 10 20-41
North Penn 13 17 18 12-60
3-point goals: Springfield-Devito 2, Carpenter, Devinney, McKale. NP-W.Brooks 3, Alvarino.
#15 Wissahickon 77, #10 Coatesville 61
Jordan Reed was on fire for the Trojans, exploding for 35 points to lead Wissahickon to the upset of the Red Raiders on their home court.
"Jordan has a very strong ability to get to the rim," coach Kyle Wilson said. "Coatesville didn't really do a good job of getting in front of him. A lot of times when they tried to reach in and slap the ball out - Jordan has such strong hands going to the basket, and it wasn't enough to stop him, and he was able to get to the rim.
"I give Jordan credit as well. He's consistent, and he stayed aggressive throughout the game, which gave him more and more opportunities. He kept finding ways to knock down shots. He started hitting perimeter shots as well, which opened up the floor."
The Trojans trailed 19-18 at the end of a high-scoring first quarter but outscored the Red Raiders 23-14 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 41-33 lead.
Coatesville edged Wissahickon 13-12 in the third quarter, but the Trojans blew the game wide open with a 24-15 fourth-quarter explosion.
"I thought our guys from beginning to end played one of their most complete games," Wilson said. "Tanoh (Kpassagnon) had a great game inside blocking shots. Kyle Garrett was huge on the glass.
"We forced them into a game where they had to beat us with three pointers or drive into the paint with our big guys contesting shots. Whatever game plan we put out there just seemed to work."
Reed also had a career-high 16 rebounds. Kpassagnon added 10 points and five blocked shots while Mike Sheier and Anthony McKie each scored eight points, and Jordan Freed and Garrett both had seven points on a night that saw everyone contribute.
#11 Penn Wood 56, #14 Pennridge 32
Coach Dean Behrens knew his team would have its hands full when it traveled to Lansdowne for a must-win consolation contest against a Penn Wood squad considered by some to be a district title contender before falling to Plymouth Whitemarsh in the second round.
The Patriots opened up an 11-4 lead at the end of one quarter and stretched that to 27-9 by halftime on their way to the big win.
Still, it was quite a season for the Rams, who clinched a share of the SOL Continental Conference title and advanced to the district’s Sweet 16.
Senior Mike Guldin was the lone Ram to finish the game in double figures with 14 points. No one else had more than four.
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