City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
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PLYMOUTH MEETING — Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Michael Pereira heard his stat line for the game — 23 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks — and smiled.

“That’s what a big man should do,” said the muscular 6-foot-9, 210-pound center. “It was definitely one of my better nights. I think I showed my role tonight.”

Pereira and fellow junior Mani Sajid, who scored a game-high 36 points, led the way Tuesday night as 5th-seed PW earned a 78-39 win over 21st-seed Neshaminy in a second-round District 1 6A playoff game. 

With the victory, the Colonials improved to 18-7 on the season, clinched a state playoff berth and advanced to the District 1 6A quarterfinals where they will play at 4th-seed Garnet Valley on Friday night. Meanwhile, Neshaminy, which fell to 11-13, will play 13rd-seed Bensalem in a playback game with a trip to the state playoffs still possible if they beat the Owls and one more team in the playback rounds. Neshaminy and Bensalem met twice this season with Bensalem winning both matchups.

It is safe to say that whoever Neshaminy plays the rest of the way they will not see a team with PW’s inside-outside combination of Pereira dominating the paint and the 6-foot-5 Sajid scoring from the perimeter and off the dribble.

For Pereira, his dominant performance is the product of his hard work. As a 6-foot-4 ninth grader, he was playing on the freshman team — “I was sick for the JV tryouts,” he said — and now just two years later he is a key player on a team that is a top contender for the District 1 6A title.

“He’s just a terrific kid,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “He’s diligent and focused and has so many great character traits. … He is a force. It’s scary what he can be in a year from now.

The Colonials, who last played on February 8, started slowly. They didn’t score their first basket until sophomore Buddy Denard swished a three-pointer for a 3-2 lead with 5:19 left in the first quarter. But, once they started scoring, they didn’t stop. They took a 17-4 lead into the second quarter.

“It started on the defensive side of the floor,” Pereira said.

By halftime, Sajid had 22 points and PW a 38-18 lead.

“I love where we’re at right now,” said Donofrio, who is in his 27th season as PW’s head coach and led them to the 2010 state championship. “The kids are buying in.”

The Colonials extended their lead to 54-33 at the end of the third quarter and were well on their way to the District 1 6A quarterfinals. Many thought this game would be closer — the two teams met in January with PW defeating Bensalem, 69-63 — but this night was all PW.

Pereira showed his ability around the basket during a three-minute stretch spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter when he scored 10 consecutive points. He made a layup, two foul shots, a putback dunk, a follow-up layup and a nifty reverse layup as PW’s lead grew to 62-33. 

“That’s why you develop guys,” Donofrio said. “What Michael Pereira is going to be is like a crockpot. You need to let it cook, and it’s going to be really, really good when it’s done.”

Pereira went from the freshman team as a ninth grader to a bench player at the beginning of his sophomore year to a starter midway through his sophomore year, as both his game and his body continued to grow. 

“You don’t see a lot of size like that,” Sajid said. “Tonight was a big night for him. His development is huge.”

Pereira said that his father is 6-foot-6 and his mother is 5-foot-11, so his height is not a surprise.

“I had no choice,” he joked.

Pereira anchors PW’s defense, and his hustle running the floor gets him some easy buckets. He also doesn’t foul -- he was whistled for only one on Tuesday night — or come out of the game. He played all 29 minutes until he went to the bench with three minutes left to play.

“He ran the floor like a truck going downhill with no brakes,” Donofrio said.

For Pereira, the goal is to play Division I basketball. He said he has 4.62 GPA and plans to major in business in college. He said he has spoken to some Division I schools but has no offers as of yet.

But, for now, there are more immediate concerns. His brother Will is a 6-foot-3 senior forward who comes off the bench for the Colonials, and he is enjoying every minute of the time he and his brother are spending as teammates.

“Having my brother on the team is honestly the best experience in the world,” the younger Pereira said. “He’s the reason I’ve gotten to where I am now.”

“William is the ultimate definition of team,” Donofrio added. “He is definitely his brother’s keeper. I know they’re enjoying this experience.”

Pereira was in the starting lineup last season when PW lost to eventual state runner-up Parkland in the first round of the state playoffs. This year, the goal isn’t just to reach the state playoffs - which it has now done - but to advance once it’s there.

“I tell them that they’re creating memories now,” Donofrio said. “I ask them what kind of memories do you want to create?”

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By Quarter
Neshaminy (11-13): 4 | 14 | 15 | 6 || 39
Plymouth Whitemarsh (18-7): 17 | 21 | 16 | 24 || 78

Scoring
Neshaminy: Cadenn Amati 9, Jason Leiva 9, Max Currie 8, Logan Gale 6, Eric Gold 5, Saba Gugeshashvili 2

Plymouth Whitemarsh: Mani Sajid 36, Michael Pereira 23, Terron Davis 6, Buddy Denard 6, Jack Hayes 4, Caleb Bridgeman 2, Austin Edwards 1

~~~

Boys District 1 6A Second Round (Feb. 18)
1) Lower Merion def. 17) Pennsbury, 70-30
8) Central Bucks East def. 9) Phoenixville, 81-80
4) Garnet Valley def. 13) Bensalem, 72-54
5) Plymouth Whitemarsh def. 21) Neshaminy, 78-39
2) Coatesville def. 18) Downingtown West, 68-37
10) Spring-Ford def. 7) Souderton, 51-42
3) Conestoga def. 14) Methacton, 56-54
6) Central Bucks South vs. 11) Cheltenham (Feb. 19, 7:00 PM)

Boys District 1 6A Quarterfinals (Feb. 21)
1) Lower Merion vs. 8) Central Bucks East (7:00 PM)
4) Garnet Valley vs. 5) Plymouth Whitemarsh
2) Coatesville vs. 10) Spring-Ford (7:00 PM)
3) Conestoga vs. TBD

Boys’ District 1 6A Playbacks
9) Phoenixville vs. 17) Pennsbury
12) Neshaminy vs. 13) Bensalem
7) Souderton vs. 18) Downingtown West
TBD vs. 14) Methacton