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West Philadelphia shocks Constitution in Public League playoff opener

02/06/2020, 11:55pm EST
By Ari Glazier


Keyishon (L) and Deyishon Miller led West Philadelphia to a major upset of Constitution in the first round of the Pub playoffs. (Photo: Ari Glazier/CoBL)

Ari Glazier (@AriGlazier)
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After pulling off one of the areas biggest upsets this season over Constitution in the first round of the Public League playoffs, West Philadelphia coach Adrian Burke kept repeating that “West Philadelphia basketball is on the map.”

Burke, who is finishing up his debut season at the helm of the Speedboys, wasn’t underselling what a monumental moment Thursday night’s 80-75 win was for the historic program. Its last Public League Playoff win came in 2016 against Academy at Palumbo. 

Meanwhile, Constitution made it all the way to the Pub. championship last year before losing to Imhotep Charter, and the 2A State semifinals where they lost to Math Civics and Sciences. Over the last 10 years, the Generals had been a perennial contender not just for the Pub but for PIAA titles, making at least the semifinals in six straight seasons; now, they’re out in the first round of the Pub, though they still might qualify for states depending on other results.

The No. 7-seeded West Philadelphia had to beat Franklin Towne Charter in the preliminary round just to earn its spot against Constitution, after going 4-6 in the Public League ‘B’ Division.

“These (kids), they never quit on me,” Burke said. “These guys give me everything they got inside of them…this is what you get.”

Constitution led by a slim margin for most of the game, with West Philadelphia occasionally evening it up before the Patriots snatched it right back.

It looked like that was going to be the story of the game, as West Philadelphia started the fourth quarter with a two point lead, but a Constitution run put them down 67-62 with about three minutes left. 

West Philadelphia rallied back, with a big three point play by Keyishon Miller putting them within one. Constitution kept putting Speedboys on the line, allowing Burke’s team to recapture the lead. West Philadelphia stayed cool in the moment, hitting almost all of their late game free throws, and left with the win.

“We were up six points in the fourth quarter,” Burke said. “And then we went down, but we never stopped. Once I saw we took the lead again, I just knew we was going to take the air out of these guys.”

The players were well aware of the significance of the win. 

Junior forward Keyishon Miller, who led the Speedboys with 34 points, was on the verge of tears after the game.

“It means so much,” Miller said. “I’m really happy. I’m just really happy.”

Miller put in a physical performance, grabbing 10 rebounds in the second half alone, many of which he followed up with easy second chance baskets, and going to the line ten times and shooting 15-for-17 from the stripe. When he wasn’t drawing fouls, Miller was just as effective finishing through contact. 

The 6-foot-3 wing took on the role of a primary scorer this year. It took him some time to grow into, but he’s certainly comfortable now.  Deyishon Miller remarked that he had improved “everything” in his game since the start of the year. 

He continued to display raw emotion when discussing his younger brother, sophomore Deyishon Miller.

“He tells me I’m great, I tell him he’s tough all the time,” Keyishon Miller said. “You know, we fight, argue, but I still love him to death.”

Deyishon Miller didn’t convert a single field goal in the first half, with his only point coming from a free throw. After the break he went 5-5 from the field in an 11 point third quarter. He kept that momentum going through the rest of the contest, scoring an additional 11 points in the final quarter including a steal and subsequent free throws that helped ice the game in the final seconds.

Like Burke, who previously coached the Speedboys junior varsity program, this was Deyishon Miller’s first season of varsity basketball after transferring from the Vaux Big Picture High School in North Philadelphia.

“They mean just about everything to the program,” Burke said of Keyishon and Deyishon. “I mean, they give me everything they got every single day and I love these kids, man. I really do.”

While their 4-6 league record and seventh-place division finish may not reflect it, Burke had a feeling his team was special after seeing them hang tough against the top teams in the division. They pushed an Olney team that would go on to finish league play with a 10-0 record to the limit, coming two points shy of a road win. West Philadelphia was also competitive against its old rival, Overbrook, losing by six against the second place Panthers.

Because the Public League doesn’t reseed, the Speedboys have a very real path to advancing to the quarterfinals. On February 11 they play No. 3 seed Boys’ Latin, who squeaked by Northeast 64-63 in their playoff game on Thursday. A fellow League B team, the Warriors handled West Philadelphia 83-68 on the road in their prior meeting this season. 

While the postseason meeting will be hosted by the higher seeded Boys’ Latin, there’s no accounting for the confidence that comes with a historic upset. In fact, Burke was disappointed that the team had to go home rather than continue their postseason journey on the spot.

“We’re ready,” Burke said. “We’re ready. We can play right now, tonight.”


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