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#8 PENNRIDGE 55, #24 NORTH PENN 41
The defending state runner-up Rams– despite losing the nucleus of last year’s squad to graduation – are returning to the state tournament. They earned a state berth with Tuesday night’s win over the Knights.
“Our goal was to try to get to states tonight with the opportunity to get to Temple,” Behrens said. “The kids really came through.
“I’m so pleased, I’m happy for them. They’ve really left a mark on Pennridge basketball.”
The Rams set the tone early, opening up a 17-10 lead after one quarter. They took a 29-16 advantage into halftime.
“Defensively, we really grind and we really buy in,” Behrens said. “I could never question how hard they play.
“Tonight, my thing was – ‘Go out, play as hard as you can, and I’m not going to be upset with the outcome. You guys go out and give the effort you’ve given every game and every practice, and I’m going to be happy with whatever the outcome is. I can’t be upset.’ I wanted them to feel at ease. For most of these guys, it was their first major playoff game action.”
Coming up huge for the Rams was Christian Guldin, whose 22 points led all scorers. The senior point guard had a pair of 3s and was 6-for-9 at the foul line.
“He controlled the whole game – he was the engine tonight,” Behrens said of Guldin. “He was under a lot of duress in the fourth quarter, and I thought he handled it exceptionally well.
“I’m sure he’s a little upset – he missed a couple of foul shots, but he always was able to hit one out of two or he hit the first one, and we never went away empty. I thought that was very beneficial, and just how he handled their pressure and duress and took time off the clock – we put a lot on him, and he handles it well. He does a great job.”
Coming up big in supporting roles were Paul Croyle – recently cleared to return to action after suffering a broken foot in December – and Connor Pleibel. Both players contributed eight points.
“Paul Croyle comes off the bench after really struggling with that foot, not feeling part of the team, and he gives us eight points,” Behrens said. “Connor (Pleibel) hits the first bucket on a post-up and hits two 3s. What great offense he gave us. I think his confidence is really starting to come around, and that’s important for us.”
Trent Fisher added seven points.
“Trent did a great job defensively on (Matt) Swanson – I thought that was huge,” Behrens said. “On the defensive end, Trent was a monster. He did have a great dunk that got the crowd going.
“Obviously, they keyed on him a lot, and what that does – it opens up the outside for everybody else, and I don’t think Trent cares how many points he gets. We got a win. Other guys were able to pick up the slack offensively, and we’re all happy.
“I’m trying to get the guys to enjoy. It was a great atmosphere in the gym today.”
With the win, Pennridge (19-6, 9-3 SOL) earned a date with top-seeded Methacton in Friday’s quarterfinal round with a trip to the district semifinals at Temple at stake.
“They’re awesome, they’re really good, but you know what – I would have signed up for this,” Behrens said. “We’re going to states with a chance to go to Temple. Sign me up, I’m there, I’ll drive the bus.”
Josh Jones led the Knights with 16 points. Mike Chaffee added eight while Rob Carangi and Swanson each added six.
North Penn (10-14, 5-7) will travel to #16 Council Rock South for a playback game Friday.
Game Summary brought to you by
North Penn 10-6-12-13 41
Pennridge 17-12-14-12 55
North Penn (41) – Josh Jones 6 4-5 16; Joe Larkins 2 0-0 5; Mike Chaffee 2 2-2 8; Rob Carangi 3 0-0 6; Matt Swanson 2 2-2 6; Totals 15 8-9 41.
Pennridge (55) – Connor Pleibel 3 0-0 8; Luke Yoder 2 0-1 4; Paul Croyle 3 1-2 8; Christian Guldin 7 6-9 22; Colin Post 3 0-0 6; Trent Fisher 3 1-1 7; Totals 20 8-13 55.