City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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To extend their season, Harriton’s boys had one option: win.

The Rams came into their regular-season finale against Marple Newtown on Tuesday night tied with the Tigers, the winner nabbing the sixth and final spot in the Central League playoffs. But arguably even more important than that was the fact that Harriton was ranked No. 22 in the unofficial District 1 6A rankings, just barely inside the 24-team field. 

So Harriton’s 69-46 win over Marple did more than just qualify them for the league playoffs, which start Thursday, but also assured their season would continue at least into next week with their first district appearance in six years.

“It meant everything,” senior guard Collin Goerlich said. “The beginning of the year, no one really thought we would be here. We worked so hard in the offseason almost every single day, just working our butts off. This is what we wanted at the beginning of the year.”

Goerlich played a major role in Harriton’s victory, leading the Rams (13-9, 8-8 Central League) with a 20-point outing, the 5-foot-10 left-hander going 6-of-8 from 3-point range. He was also the primary defender on Marple’s standout sophomore, Matt Gardler, chasing him all over the court, while the rest of his squad played an effective 1-3 zone.

It’s not often that team’s top shooters also play their most active defending rose, and Goerlich was certainly feeling why afterwards.

“I’m not going to lie, I was really tired,” he admitted, “but I don’t know, I just pushed through it, I found a way to make the shots.”

“That’s what he does, that’s what he does,” Harriton coach Jesse Rappaport said. “No one’s a bigger gym rat, the basketball gods have a way of rewarding that stuff, you know, and that’s what he does. But he’s also worked really hard at it, and I was just happy he could have it.”

Goerlich stepped into a starting role for the Rams at the beginning of his senior year, as junior guard Jadyn Gaskins was recovering from a sprained ankle suffered in late November. Gaskins made his return last month but Goerlich — still a major part of the rotation — got the start anyways on Tuesday for senior night, then knocked down his first 3-pointer…and his second, and his third, helping Harriton out to a 19-13 lead after one quarter. 

Another Goerlich triple was part of a 16-5 second quarter which put the hosts up 35-18 at the break, and they didn’t look back. His final one came with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the game clearly in hand; after swishing it from in front of the Harriton students, he turned to them, briefly closed his eyes and laid his head on his hands, saying ‘night-night’ to the crowd.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to make that many [shots],” he said. “In warmups, I wasn’t making much. After the first shot, yeah, it really felt good, and I just kept it going, my teammates kept finding me and I knocked it down.”

Marquis Kubish (above) had 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in Harriton's win. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

The Rams were excellent from the floor, shooting 27-of-40 (67.5%) overall and 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the 3-point arc, scoring at least 16 points in each quarter. 

But it wasn’t just on that end that they played well. Goerlich, with help, held Gardler to just six points on seven shots, as Marple shot 17-of-45 (37.8%) overall. Only sophomore forward Ryan Keating (14 points) finished in double figures, easy looks difficult to come by for Marple after senior guard Corrado Fischetti knocked down three 3-pointers in the first four minutes.

“[Shooting’s] that’s the ultimate deodorant, you know what I mean?” Rappaport said. “But I didn’t think we just shot well, I thought we defended well, too. But shooting can cure a lot of woes.”

Along with Goerlich, Gaskins and fellow Harriton junior Marquis Kubish both excelled in the win. Kubish went for a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double, the 6-0 guard bullying his way into the lane and grabbing five offensive boards; Gaskins, a 5-9 guard, contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

“I just wanted to contribute to the team as much as I can, it’s just great being back out with these guys,” Gaskins said. “(It) feels great, man. My first two years, my sophomore and freshman year we didn’t make it to the playoffs and stuff like that. This is kind of new to me, but the feeling’s amazing.”

Though Marple ends its regular season on a loss, the Tigers (11-11, 7-9) are the No. 9 seed in the District 1 5A rankings, slated to play at No. 8 Sun Valley (14-7) if the rankings hold when they’re finalized Sunday. Behind a strong senior class, the Tigers made it to the state playoffs a year ago, giving Imhotep a major scare in the state quarterfinals.

The postseason is new for the entire Harriton squad, the program last making it to the Central League playoffs in 2014, when it was still a four-team affair. It hasn’t been in the district since 2017, Rappaport’s final season of his first stint at Harriton; he returned in 2020.

After Tuesday night’s results were entered into the District 1 site, Harriton was No. 22 in the district, set up to play at No. 11 Coatesville (14-8) if the rankings hold when they’re finalized on Sunday. That game would take place next Friday, giving them at least another 10 days together, at least a couple more games, several more practices, and quite a few more memories.

For Goerlich and the rest of the seniors, it means their time isn’t up, not just yet.

“It’s starting to kick in after the game,” he said of that realization. “The fans came out and stuff, the teammates were just really hype. That was a big game, and we’re excited for the playoffs.”

By Quarter
Harriton:  19  |  16  |  16  |  18  ||  69
Marple:   13  |   5   |  15  |  13  ||  46

Shooting
Harriton: 27-40 FG (8-12 3PT), 7-9 FT
Marple: 17-45 FG (6-20 3PT), 6-8 FT

Scoring
Harriton: Collin Goerlich 20, Marquis Kubish 17, Jadyn Gaskins 16, Calvin Smith 7, Jack Chodkowski 5, Jack Swalley 2, Cameron Sullivan 2

Marple: Ryan Keating 14, Corrado Fischetti 9, Matt Gardler 6, Steven Tansey 5, Devon Pfitzinger-Miller 4, Steve Hamson 2, Dave Bertoline 2, James Kirby 2, Nick Pugliese 2