City of Basketball Love

By Sean McBryan (@SeanMcBryan)
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Devon Prep head coach Jason Fisher knows his Tide’s 14-13 record might not look good on paper.

The untrained eye will likely perceive a team with those kinds of results to be middling — not a team about to play for its second PIAA Class 3A boys basketball championship in three seasons Saturday at 2 p.m. against District 10 runner-up Franklin inside Hershey’s Giant Center.

Not all teams play in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which Devon Prep joined in 2018.

“I honestly don’t even know how many winning records we’ve had here,” Fisher said. “I don’t think we’ve had many since we joined the Catholic League. People outside of our area don’t really understand it. I’m sure there are people in the Erie area that are looking at our record and thinking there’s no way this team can be good.”

Devon Prep finished eighth in the PCL behind top programs Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood, St. Joseph’s Prep, Archbishop Ryan, Father Judge, and Archbishop Carroll.

Five of those teams made it to the state playoffs. Wood and Ryan made it to their respective state semifinals. Devon Prep and Archbishop Carroll made it to the championship. 

Ever since Devon lost to Cardinal O’Hara in the first round of the PCL playoffs, it has rattled off five straight wins over Math, Civics, & Sciences in the District 12 championship, Delone Catholic in the PIAA first round, Riverside in the second round, Executive Education in the quarterfinals, and MCS again in the state semis.

The Tide has been sharpened by their league gauntlet and it has taught them how to deal with adversity, something it has overcome in its quest for the second state title in program history.

Key players Lucas Orchard (Perkiomen School, Monmouth) and Jacen Holloway (Army) from the championship team in 2022 graduated last year and then senior guard Ty Mishock (Avon Old Farms) transferred out of the program.

Two starters in Mason Thear and Calvin Smith are ineligible to play in the postseason due to transfer rules, which some thought might mean Devon would have to wait until next year for another deep state run. But Fisher has been tinkering with different starting lineups throughout the postseason run, and the Tide keep churning out wins.

“It was like we were back in November in the preseason still,” Fisher said of the beginning of playoff season. “I had no idea who was going to play. We’re still not even 100 percent sure, going into the state championship game which guys are going to play.”

The reliable junior trio of 6-5 wing Zane Conlon (17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game), 6-7 wing Reece Craft (11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds), and 6-4 guard Shane Doyle (9.1 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds) has been the constant and elevated its play for the shorthanded Tide.

“All three of those guys have performed at a high level and continue to get better as the year goes,” Fisher said. “Shane has taken off with the way he’s running the team. Mason was our point guard. Not that Shane couldn’t do it, but he didn’t have to.”

Senior reserves Ben Costello and Zach Orchard, juniors Mike Pergolis and Ayinde McClendon, and freshman Cooper Fairlamb have made the most of their opportunities to get the Knights back to the state final. Pergolis had a career- and game-high 22 points in the semifinal win over MCS.

“It’s been remarkable to see these guys step up in different ways,” Fisher said. “They’ve all contributed to get us to where we are.”

Conlon, Costello and Doyle played sparingly as underclassmen on Devon Prep’s one and only championship team. Now they’ll be the leaders of the Knights when they go for No. 2. If they win Saturday against Franklin, their 15-13 record won’t be remembered. The state championship trophy will be.

“It should be a good game,” Fisher said. “We’ve watched a lot of film on [Franklin]. They’re well coached. They do a lot of good things. I’m looking forward to a great game.”

District 10 runner-up Franklin is led by 5-11 senior point guard Jalen Wood and 6-5 senior wing Damon Curry —  each averaging around 17 points — and looking for its third state championship after winning in 2001 and 2006. 

Curry has scored over 1,300 career points and has Division II interest.

“This season is eerily similar to the team that won in 2006,” Franklin head coach Jason Fulmer said. “That team also lost in the District 10 final and then beat that team in the state semifinals.”

After losing to Girard in the District 10 final, Franklin has defeated (7-4) Neshannock 69-55, (5-1) Chestnut Ridge 64-57,  (7-1) Deer Lakes 83-66, and (10-1) Girard 64-55 to get to the championship.

The experienced Knights (24-5) have eight seniors on the roster and start five with 6-3 wing Cole Buckley (11.0 points per game) — a PSAC football recruit —  and twin brothers in 5-10 Damarco Payne (10.0) and 6-0 Dreyden Payne (7.0) joining Curry and Wood in the starting five.

Junior 6-2 guard Will Findlan is the sixth man. Senior 5-10 shooter Gavin Eakin, and senior 5-9 wing Darrius Graham — a linebacker and lineman on the football team — are key bench pieces.

Franklin plays a positionless style of game and averages roughly 70 points per game while giving up around 50. Wood has hit over 70 3’s and Curry and Damarco Payne have each hit over 50.

“We’re probably 60/40 in two-point field goals to three-point field goals,” Fulmer said. “We have a good mix of slashers, too.”

Franklin defeated District 12 champion Communications Tech when it last went to the final in 2006 and will again have to beat the District 12 champ in Devon Prep to repeat history and move to 3-0 in PIAA championship games.

“Devon Prep is a very nice team,” Fulmer said. “I was impressed they’ve made the adjustment after losing those two kids due to the transfer rule. Them still making a state run speaks volumes. We know they’re a very good program, very well coached. We’re going to have to come out, recognize the opportunity, and hopefully it’s a great basketball game.”