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#22 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 59, #11 BOYERTOWN 53
The Colonials have apparently saved their best for last, winning their fourth in a row with an upset of the host Bears.
“Some teams have big names and accomplished big things, but for coaches, it’s whatever you start with – it’s no different than teaching a class,” Donofrio said. “How far can you take them in the time you have?
“All the other stuff is really good for discussion and creating competitiveness among teams and great for sports articles, but in all honesty, certainly we’ve had great runs of success, going to Temple and deep in the state tournament, but as a coach and as a player, whatever your challenge is – the great trick is to reach your potential one way or another.”
The Colonials – behind seven points from Luke DiCianno – led 9-7 after one quarter. David Harris had a hot hand in the second quarter, scoring eight points and stretching PW’s lead to 24-18 by halftime.
“David Harris continues to come in and be the most efficient 3-point and scoring guy,” Donofrio said. “We drive ourselves crazy with still making mistakes, but in the playoffs, talk about the details later. Just win and survive. It’s different.
“We had control of this game in so many ways. The defense was just clicking. We did not take advantage of all the defensive turnovers we created. You look up and you’re only up four or five at halftime, but that’s basketball.”
The Bears made a run in the third quarter, but the Colonials regrouped and led 36-29 heading into the final quarter.
“To the kids credit, they come out in the second half after a discussion – ‘Can we please stop with so many unforced turnovers?’ I think we held them scoreless for the first 5-6 minutes of the third quarter,” Donofrio said. “You take control of the game, you’re up 15 with the ball.
“It’s a playoff game, you’re on the road against a team that has a number of seniors who don’t want to go home, and that’s the beauty of basketball. Their number five (Aarick Salata) hits four threes late into the third and into the fourth with a hand in his face. That’s basketball. You can play great but have your heart broken.”
Caelin Peters sealed the Bears’ fate, connecting on a perfect 10-for-10 at the foul line in the final quarter.
“Led by Caelin Peters, we go 14-for-14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter,” Donofrio said. “The defense was just relentless. The kids are defending in our up-tempo schemes as good as any team I’ve had. That’s quite a comment. They just aren’t quite experienced in understanding how to be smart with the ball once they get it back. They just didn’t shoot well. If we decide to shoot well, in all honestly, you can win any game you play.”
Peters led the Colonials with 16 points and DiCianno added 15. Qudire Bennett had eight points – five in the fourth quarter.
“Luke Dicianno when the regular season ended got ill and was out of commission for five days, so he was a little bit winded, so Quidire Bennett, this freshman who’s going to be quite a player, came in tonight,” Donofrio said. “He’s going to be a scoring force. He had eight points in about seven minutes. He chased down a layup attempt by Boyertown and knocks it off the board and comes down to the other end and knocks down a three.”
With the win, the Colonials are over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
“It might be one of those things where we put it all together at the right time,” Donofrio said. “We certainly have had our share of heartache, our share of frustration and our share of being really critical of ourselves and have every reason to accept it’s not supposed to be. These are the fun scenarios in sports. We haven’t been in a lot of them with this scenario. It’s always been these stellar, blue chip guys.
“These kids are learning on the fly. They keep making multiple mistakes and it drives you crazy, but they’re different than they were even two weeks ago. That’s the fun of it. Hang in there, hang in there – as long as someone keeps telling you to come back. That’s what makes sports so good because this is more realistic to what life is about for most of us. You’ve been challenged – are you going to give up? You’ve been challenged – are you going to accept what people say about you? 27-0 is nice, but that’s the one percenters in life. Most of us aren’t living that.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-11, 9-5 SOL) will travel to #6 Coatesville for Tuesday’s second round contest.
“We’re finally over .500,” Donofrio said. “You’re playing with house money. You were 3-8. It’s a unique position for us considering the last 5-7 years, but it’s okay. The kids are having some fun. I just hope we stay alive enough to see if we can make a little more noise.”
Game Summary brought to you by
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-15-11-23 59
Boyertown 7-11-11-24 53
Plymouth Whitemarsh (59) – Caelin Peters 3 10-10 16; Luke DiCianno 6 2-4 15; Zende Hubbard 1 3-4 5; Jaden Pryce 0 2-2 2; Jayden Glover 0 1-3 1; Ray Tomassetti 1 0-0 2; David Harris 3 2-3 10; Qudire Bennett 3 1-1 8; Totals 17 21-28 59.
Boyertown (53) – Aarick Salata 6 1-4 17; Griffin Hummel 1 0-0 2; Mason Marinello 3 2-3 9; Tre Diguglielmo 3 1-2 9; Alex Obarrow 6 2-4 14; Chris Kiefer 0 1-2 1; 19 8-15 53.
3-point goals: PW – David Harris 2, Luke DiCianno, Qudire Bennett, Boyertown – Aarick Salata 4, Griffin Hummel, Mason Marinello, Tre Diguglielmo.