City of Basketball Love

Sam Istvan (@sistvan_14)
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In what looked to be a runaway early-season statement victory against Suburban One Liberty favorite Plymouth-Whitemarsh, the Methacton boys team suddenly found themselves hanging on for dear life near the end of a 59-50 victory.

With Methacton up 20 early in the fourth quarter, a desperate Plymouth-Whitemarsh team turned up the intensity and the tide turned with it in a big way, rattling off a 14-0 run.

“We played more passive, I think, at the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter,” said second-year Methacton head coach Pat Lockard. “You could see some of the cracks were starting to break in that third quarter. Then the dam split open.”

Once the dam broke, Methacton could barely get the ball out of their own backcourt against a frenzied PW press. Two big threes by PW star sophomore guard Jaden Colzie, a pair of steals and lay-ins by sophomore forward Qudire Bennett, and an and-one by senior Marshall Baker sawed off a 20-point Methacton lead to just six and sent the PW gym into a frenzy with two minutes left.

On the next possession, Methacton senior guard Brett Byrne managed to break the PW press and found his teammate, junior Cam Chilson in the corner. Chilson set his eyes on the rim and rose up, sinking a big 3 that all but iced the game for his team as Methacton escaped victory on the road, keeping them undefeated through four games.

“That’s the kind of mentality we want to have,” Lockard said when asked about Chilson’s big shot. “When you have a wide open shot, two minutes to go, still shoot the basketball. Still take what the defense gives you.”

For much of the game, Methacton had no issues finding and then taking open shots, as well as denying PW their own open looks. Warriors’ senior leaders, Byrne (16 pts, 5 ast, 5 stl) and 6-foot-7 forward Cole Hargrove (14 pts, 13 reb, 8 blk) were dominant forces on both ends. Byrne pestered PW’s guards on the perimeter and, any time they found their way to the paint, Hargrove was there to swat and clean up shot attempts. On the other end, Byrne and Hargrove had no problem navigating the PW half-court defense.

“I think definitely we came out with the right intensity,” said Byrne. “If we play at our own pace, we're really hard to stop.” 

Byrne and Hargrove each played roles on the 28-2 Methacton team from two years ago that were 6A PIAA favorites before Covid-19 interrupted the playoffs a few rounds in. Lockard, who was an assistant coach on that team, hopes to rely on their experience and his from their postseason escapades in the 2019-20 season.

“When we had [Jeff] Woodward, [Eric] Timko, [Brett] Eberly, [Owen] Kropp [...] we had four guys we could rely on with experience and the know-how of what they needed to do,” said Lockard, referring to Methacton’s 2019-20 crop of seniors. “And now, with only Brett and Cole with that experience, I want to get them the basketball late. I trust them to make a strong decision. I trust them to be strong with the basketball.”

“We both have the experience,” said Byrne, asked about what he and Hargrove bring to the table this year.  “And I think we both know how to win at this point and what it takes to win from our sophomore years.”

Hargrove echoed Byrne’s sentiment about what the pair learned from playing in the charged-up playoff atmospheres that Methacton encountered two years ago.

“We learned that we have to play in the moment and not get too caught up in the environment,” Hargrove said.

Lockard hopes that the rest of his guys can learn from how Byrne and Hargrove handle pressure situations and frenzied environments like they ran into today.

“We rely on [Byrne and Hargrove] for a lot,” said Lockard. “Not just scoring the points and playing basketball but also the leadership they need to bring… but it takes five guys in a basketball game, not just two guys so we have to have other guys that are still just taking their time and being under control.”

Lockard is happy that his group has the opportunity to learn from a win, rather than loss, but knows that they have plenty of improvements to make before they’re ready for February and March. The second-year head coach is eager to help his team make the strides they need to.

“I always say complacency is the enemy of excellence,” said Lockard. “If you really want to be great, if you want to be excellent, you can't just be happy where you are. You gotta be hungry to get more.”

Lockard believes his team has as good a shot as any to make a run in the state playoffs this year. Byrne and Hargrove, placed in what rapidly developed into a playoff atmosphere on Saturday afternoon, showed that they have the ability, toughness and experience to right the ship and keep Methacton sailing, as they set their sights on a playoff run a few months from now.

By Quarter
Methacton:     19 | 15 |  11  | 14  || 59
Plymouth-Whitemarsh:   8  |  6  |  15  |  21 || 50

Shooting
Methacton: 21-42 FG (5-14 3PT), 12-22 FT
Plymouth-Whitemarsh: 17-57 FG (5-29 3PT), 11-12 FT

Scoring
Methacton: Byrne 16, Hargrove 14, Chilson 12, Meyer 6, Christian 4, Hull 3, Brandi 2, Daddazio 2
Plymouth-Whitemarsh: Bennett 19, Colzie 17, Baker 5, Z. Hubbard 4, T. Hubbard 2, Jones 2, Flynn 1