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Wissahickon 60, Upper Dublin 37
Needing a win, Wissahickon started quickly with an 18-point first quarter and never looked back in taking out Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
“We told our guys, ‘Playoffs begin tonight, and that’s a reality for us,’” coach Kyle Wilson said. “Upper Moreland, I know they lost tonight, but they’re playing good basketball. You don’t want to have to go in Thursday night, have to beat them and then cross your fingers on Sunday hoping that things work out your way.
“We knew tonight and Thursday are really big games for us against two really good teams, so each night we’re trying to continue to advance and play tougher each night.”
The quick start was important, as Harrison Williams scored the first eight points in the first quarter and Matt Compas added six, and by the time the first eight minutes were up the Trojans held a 18-9 lead.
“We said we had to get out to a good start because Upper Dublin is a talented team, but we felt guard-wise we had better guards,” Wilson said.
“If we had a lead, we could force the floor to be spread a little more, force them to come out and open up lanes for us to drive and kick.
“(Drew) Stover is such a tough player. He puts up 20-something some nights, 30 other nights. We knew we couldn’t let him have a big night. We were fortunate tonight that all four of our forwards were healthy.
“Josh Twersky had just been cleared when we played them the first time, so we knew we couldn’t throw him out there first game. He literally got the OK from his parents and got the OK from his doctor the day we played Upper Dublin, so we knew we really couldn’t use him.
“We knew Stover could foul out three big guys, and we had to really watch how we were playing. I was really impressed with the job they did fronting and helping down on the post with him. To hold him to 10 points was an amazing job between Stef Lowry and Carmen Ostroski.
“Carmen is such a solid shot blocker, and he had four or five blocks tonight. It changes what guys do around the hoop because you always have to wonder, ‘Where is this guy and how far is going to smack my shot?’ He has that presence around the rim that makes it tough guys to come to the hoop at times.”
Compas led the Trojans with 22 points, including 14 in the second half, while Williams finished with 14 points and D’Shan Love added 10.
Wissahickon is in the No. 25 position in what will be a 24-team District One Class 6A playoff field by Sunday. It hosts Upper Moreland in another critical game on Thursday.
“You hate to look at that board, but you know how big that game is,” Wilson said. “If we win, we should, by the numbers, hopefully be in. It’s a playoff game for us again Thursday.”
Bazel Brady led Upper Dublin with 13 points, while Stover had 10. The Flying Cardinals (9-12, 3-10 SOL) close out their season Thursday at Springfield.
Game Summary brought to you by
Wissahickon 18 12 14 16-60
Upper Dublin 9 14 9 5-37
Wissahickon (60) – DShan Love 4 0-0 10; Harrison Williams 6 1-1 14; Stefan Lowry 3 0-1 6; Josh Twersky 2 0-0 4; Jackson Intrieri 1 0-0 2; Matt Compass 9 0-0 22; Carmen Ostrosky 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 1-2 60.
Upper Dublin (37) – Williamd 2 1-2 6; Brady 5 3-4 13; Stover 4 2-3 10; Pulian 0 0-2 0; A. Johnson 2 0-0 6; R.Johnson 1 0-2 2. Totals 13 6-11 37.
3-point goals: W-Love 2, Williams 1, Compass 1