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#12 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 46, #13 HAVERFORD 32
The Patriots turned a 13-13 halftime tie into a decisive win, sending the Central League champion Fords home for the season. The Patriots outscored their visitors 33-19 after the intermission.
“The first half was played at such a slow pace, and they were so deliberate in what they were doing,” East coach Erik Henrysen said. “We were happy to – on the one hand – be tied at halftime because I don’t think we played very well. On the other hand, 13-13 at halftime – I think we set basketball back for a couple of years.
“They just do a great job playing defense and keeping everything tight and compact. On the offensive end, they’re just so patient. We also weren’t happy with some of the decisions we were making on the offensive end. We were taking difficult opportunities instead of just making the smart play, but coming out in the third quarter, we were able to pick up the tempo.”
The Patriots – behind seven points from Chris Charlton – outscored the Fords 18-8 in the third quarter to go on top 31-21.
“We got into transition better off rebounds,” Henrysen said. “Jack Hamilton just really gave us a spark starting some of those run-outs with either rebounds or blocks. He was aggressive and really ignited that third quarter along with Chris Charlton making some heady plays and knocking down some shots.”
In the case of Hamilton, stats don’t lie – he finished with eight blocks and 10 rebounds and was every bit as dominant in the paint as those numbers suggest.
“We felt real good about him staying in the lane,” Henrysen said. “It was just a good matchup to have him anchor our defense. He did a great job of not jumping, staying grounded until the ball went up in the air. Credit to him.
“He’s really learned to block the ball but also get us a possession out of it, so he’s not blocking the ball out of bounds. He’s actually intelligent with the way he’s going about it.”
Joe Jackman led a balanced Patriot attack with 11 points while Charlton added 10, which included a pair of 3s. Jason Markowitz also had two treys and finished with nine points. Anthony Giordano chipped in seven points.
The Patriots connected on 16-of-23 at the foul line while the Fords were 6-of-7.
“We got into the bonus in the second half in the third quarter – they started to try to trap and play a little more fullcourt, so we got to the line quite a bit,” Henrysen said.
Central Bucks East (11-11, 6-6 SOL) will host #24 North Penn in a playback game on Tuesday. A PIAA 6A state berth will be at stake.
“We played them twice this year – they’re a team that traditionally always seems to put it together toward the end of the year,” Henrysen said. “We’re happy to be in this place, but we know even though we beat them twice this year we’re going to go into a battle.”
Game Summary brought to you by
Haverford 6-7-8-11 32
Central Bucks East 7-6-18-15 46
Haverford (32) – Sean Reynolds 3, Hunter Krazia 5, Will Higson 6, John Schievert 6, Googie Seidman 6, Colucci 2, Dwight 4.
Central Bucks East (46) – Jack Hamilton 5, Joe Jackman 11, Jason Markowitz 9, Tyler Young 4, Chris Charlton 10, Anthony Giordano 7.
3-point goals: Haverford – Googie Seidman 2, Sean Reynolds, Hunter Krazia, CBE – Jason Markowitz 2, Chris Charlton 2, Joe Jackman.