skip navigation

District 1 5A: Nelson's block helps Rustin hold off Glen Mills

02/21/2017, 11:00pm EST
By Matt Chandik

Brandon Frazier (above) had 25 points as Rustin advanced to the District 1 5A second round. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Matt Chandik (@MChandik26)
--

WESTTOWN -- Jake Nelson kept getting the ball, and once he did, he kept getting good looks at the basket.

The only downside for the Bayard Rustin sophomore, though, is that he couldn’t buy a bucket. Jumpers fell by the wayside. Layups touched just about every part of the rim before rimming out. At one point, Nelson missed a shot and let out a scream of frustration, the culmination of an off offensive night for him.

Fortunately for him, there’s always another side of the floor where you can redeem yourself. The Golden Knights clung to a five-point lead with less than 40 seconds to go and Glen Mills decided to attack the paint. It seemed like a good idea, until Nelson swatted the way into the waiting hands of a teammate.

Thirty-seven seconds later, No. 5 Rustin was celebrating its 57-50 win over the No. 12 Battlin’ Bulls. The Golden Knights will take on the winner of No. 4 Bishop Shanahan vs. No. 13 Academy Park clash -- the rest of the District 1 5A tournament’s first round takes place Wednesday night --  on Saturday.

“I was just trying to do what I could for my team,” Nelson said. “The block was big. We needed a big stop on defense on that play and we got it. The ball ended up there and I just went up for the block. It was nice to redeem myself a bit.”

The win doesn't clinch a state berth for Rustin, which last made a PIAA appearance three years ago; seven of the eight first-round winners will make states, but it'll take one more win at some point in the next three games to ensure an extended season.

For a while, it didn’t look like Rustin would need late-game defensive stands to keep the Bulls at bay. Glen Mills shot a woeful 6-for-31 from the field in the first half, which, combined with 13 of Brandon Frazier’s game-high 25 points, helped send the Knights to a 24-13 lead at the break. Undaunted, though, the Bulls put on a third-quarter show, shooting 10-for-16 in the third stanza en route to a 23-point frame.

Kenyon Cooper led the charge with eight points and Myron Sanders added six to give Tony Bacon’s team new life.

“I think it was more that we got too comfortable with the lead and we’ve got to maintain our focus and stay sharp,” Nelson said. “We were getting a little lazy and we started executing more, fighting through screens on defense and getting the stops that we needed.”

Of course, it didn’t hurt to have Frazier running the show and never fully letting Glen Mills get back into it. A Wanya Smith 3-pointer brought the Bulls to within three points, but Frazier merely stampeded down the floor and laid the ball in for two on the ensuing possession. Later, he added a pair of freebies to ice the game and send Rustin to the quarterfinals.

There’s much made about Nelson and fellow sophomore Tajir Asparagus, who popped in 13 of his 16 points in the second half, but playoff basketball always seems to favor the teams who can rely on senior leadership to help them navigate the treacherous situations.

Frazier rarely looked rattled, even when the Bulls cranked up the defensive intensity and chipped away at the lead. The Knights tried to run their offense via Nelson in the post, and even though he couldn’t finish the way he normally does, he helped open things up for Frazier.

“In the second half, they were running their plays really well and it took us a minute to defend it, but once we started getting over to our guys, picking up our men and playing harder and we ended up eventually getting the lead,” Frazier said. “(Offensively), they were sagging off of me a little, so I had to let it go.”

The perfect plan to send Rustin to the next round.

~~~

In other District 1 5A action:

No. 1 Chester 75, No. 16 Upper Moreland 59

Jamar Sudan led the way for Chester as they downed Upper Moreland in the first round in 5A district play; the senior chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds for the host Clippers. Upper Moreland trailed by seven at the break, but the perennial district powerhouse was able to hold on for the win. Ahrod Carter and Brian Randolph contributed 10 and 12, respectively.

No. 2 Great Valley 54, No. 15 Upper Perkiomen 43

After leading 21-15 at half, the Patriots of Great Valley never looked back as they defeated Upper Perk 54-43. Alex Capitano led all scorers with 16, including going 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch. Great Valley as a team finished 18-20 from the stripe. For the visiting Indians, Ryan Kendra scored 16, while big man Nolan Graber added 10 points and 8 rebounds.

No. 3 Penncrest 51, No. 14 Harriton 44

Tyler Norwood scored 23 and Justin Ross added 14 as the Lions triumphed over the visiting Rams. That was revenge for Penncrest, which had lost to Harriton during the Central League season by six in late January. It was a 23-20 lead at the half for Penncrest, which widened that advantage to eight during the third quarter and then held on for the win.

No. 4 Bishop Shanahan 59, No. 13 Academy Park 39

The Eagles flew away from the Knights early, jumping out to an 33-14 halftime lead as Danny Browne scored all 11 of his points in the first half. Academy Park never threatened down the stretch as Shanahan moved on behind 19 points from senior forward John Kozinski and a 12-point, eight-rebound outing from junior forward Kevin Dodds. Senior guard Nick Simmons led AP with 17 points.

No. 8 Upper Merion 55, No. 9 Strath Haven 45
Click here for game coverage

No. 10 Springfield (Delco.), No. 7 Holy Ghost Prep
Click here for game coverage (coming soon)

No. 11 Wissahickon 67, No. 6 Phoenixville 48
Click here for game coverage

~~~

Quarterfinal Matchups (Sat., 2/25)
1) Chester vs. 8) Upper Merion
4) Bishop Shanahan vs. 5) West Chester Rustin
2) Great Valley vs. 10) Springfield (Delco.)
3) Penncrest vs. 11) Wissahickon


HS Coverage:

Recruiting News:

Tag(s): Home  Old HS  Boys HS  Ches-Mont American (B)  West Chester Rustin  Delaware Valley (B)  Glen Mills