City of Basketball Love

Konner Metz (@konner_metz)
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By the eye test, it seemed like a lot of quality looks were passed up Saturday afternoon in Hollinger Arena. But before anyone could digest any open look that was bypassed, another shot was taken, and the ball was through the net.

A Unionville offense predicated on ball movement and unselfishness showed exactly how dangerous it can be when the Longhorns went on a first-half tear against West Chester East in a Ches-Mont semifinal matchup, passing the ball around like a hot potato and drilling their first seven 3-point attempts.

“Making the extra pass is an always; it’s a must,” junior guard James Anderson says of the offense. “Today, we did our job, everyone got the ball, everyone shot. And everyone made it.”

Everyone certainly did make it Saturday, as five different Unionville players hit a three and everyone of the team’s eight-man rotation made at least one field goal in a 60-32 blowout win over East at West Chester University.

It was a surprising one-sided game, as the Longhorns (20-3) jumped out to a 30-point lead during the third quarter over the three-time defending Ches-Mont champion Vikings (16-7), effectuating a running clock for the rest of the contest. 

All of Unionville’s pieces got involved from the start, with seven players scoring the rock in the first half alone. Their first miss from beyond the arc didn’t come until the late second quarter, a testament to how well everyone was shooting – including Anderson, who had 13 points and three triples on the day.

“It’s a domino effect,” Anderson said. “When everyone starts playing well, everyone is sharing the ball, and everyone is ready to shoot. We all play with love [and] shots fall in.”

Senior Robbie Logan and junior Ryan Brown had similar statlines: 12 points and two 3-pointers each. 6-5 junior Nick Diehl was a force to be reckoned with off the bench, clogging up the paint for the Vikings offense, scoring a mean block, and scoring 11 points himself.

Along with Diehl, Logan did his damage as a non-starter. Following an early 6-6 tie, Logan capped off a 19-4 stretch with a three-pointer that might as well have been worth four points, from way beyond the arc at the top of the key.

“I was just ready to shoot, I was just confident,” Logan said of his make that put Unionville up 25-10 in the second quarter. “Let it fly.”

“I’m telling him to shoot it from deeper,” Anderson said of his teammate. “He’s our best shooter, and when he’s out there and he’s eyes to the rim, just shoot. One dribble past half court, I’m telling him to shoot it.”

After four points from East to claw back within 11, Anderson and guard George Napolitano each hit threes to keep the perfect streak intact and get Unionville back up 31-14. The Longhorns went into halftime with a 36-15 edge, and continued to shut down everyone on East aside from senior forward Jack Kushner (18 pts), throwing the final daggers when they found easy buckets inside to push the lead to mercy rule territory.

Head coach Chris Cowles certainly had his guys playing high-level defense (no more than 10 points let up in any single quarter on Saturday) and a selfless brand of offense as the Ches-Mont championship game awaits on Tuesday.

It extends past just the starting five. Logan, Diehl, and senior Kevin Carson combined for 27 points, meaning nearly half of Unionville’s points came off of the bench. Logan and Diehl, in particular, are key players that help keep the offense rolling at any point of the game, and Cowles sees them playing by Unionville’s mantra.

“They exemplify maximum unselfishness,” Cowles said. “You can argue at any point who the best player is on the team, and you can make an argument for both of those guys. And not once have I had either one of them come to me and ask me anything about playing time or starting. So it’s nice to have unselfish people that are also talented.”
Saturday’s scorching hot start from deep range may be one-of-a-kind, but both Cowles and Anderson said as long as ball movement and belief in other teammates take precedence, this squad can continue momentum to Tuesday’s big game and beyond.

“Maybe not 7-for-7, but I’m sure if we do our job, are prepared to shoot, and everyone shares the ball, I wouldn’t be surprised if we go 7-for-7 again,” Anderson said. “Anything’s on the table.”

By Quarter
Unionville:  17 | 19 | 16 |  8  ||  60
WC East:     8 |  7  |  7  | 10 ||  32

Scoring
Unionville: James Anderson 13, Robbie Logan 12, Ryan Brown 12, Nick Diehl 11, Kevin Carson 4, James Brenner 3, George Napolitano 3, Charlie Kammeier 2

WC East: Jack Kushner 18, Jack Gallagher 6, KJ Cochran 4, Josh Sherlock 2, Justin Spencer 2

~~~

West outlasts Rustin in a defensive battle

Back in January, coach Stuart Ross said his guys excelled in defense and rebounding to triumph over West Chester Rustin by double digits. On Saturday, Downingtown West needed that defense much more than it did in the regular-season matchup.

A low-scoring, back-and-forth affair ended with a handful of critical made free throws and defensive stops for the Whippets, who took down the Golden Knights 51-46 in the first Ches-Mont semifinal of the day.

Senior guard and Army commit Dylan Blair forged the way, thanks to 16 of his 18 total points coming in the second half. Sophomore Donovan Fromhartz (13 pts) and senior Kelly Bell (12 pts) played large roles, as well, against a Rustin team that kept it close throughout.

“It’s playoff basketball, so all teams are good,” Blair said. “We kind of expected that. We were expecting their best punch and we got it. But as a team, we rallied.”

Rustin (11-12) took the lead into the final frame, 37-34, but Blair served a couple dimes inside to Bell, grabbed some key offensive boards, and played part in a defense that held the Golden Knights to just nine points in the fourth quarter.
Now, the Whippets (18-5) head into Tuesday’s final, hoping to avenge their championship game loss last season that came to West Chester East. Ross knows it’ll take a better output than what came in their win Saturday – a victory despite seven missed FTs and 11 turnovers.

“We’re probably a little disappointed in ourselves because of how we played [today],” Ross said. “But we’ve been working, [and the Ches-Mont championship has] been our fire, our fuel all offseason, all preseason, all season. We left meat on the bone last season.”

By Quarter
West:   16 |  8  | 10 | 17 ||  52
Rustin: 13 | 10 | 14 |  9  ||  46

Scoring
West: Dylan Blair 18, Donovan Fromhartz 13, Kelly Bell 12, Joey Suarez 6, Ryan Barker 2

Rustin: Ian Schlesinger 15, Tyler Giunta 14, Chase Hatton 9, Samuel Sproull 4, Matthew Nochmusson 3