City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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COATESVILLE — Though Devon Prep had won its first two state playoff games as a member of the 4A classification by 14 and 20 points, Jason Fisher hadn’t been thrilled with his team’s effort on the defensive end. 

“The past few games weren’t good, we didn’t play together — we didn’t play poorly, but something was off,” he said. 

Whether it was a hangover from the program’s first-ever Palestra appearance ending with a loss in the Catholic League semifinals, or the end of his all-senior lineup’s high school careers quickly approaching, it needed to be fixed. 

Consider it done. 

Devon Prep opened up a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal against Bishop Shanahan on Friday night with a strong punch, scoring the first 10 points at Coatesville Area High School. Not long later, the Tide hit with full force.

A lockdown defensive effort from the Catholic League program led to a monster second-quarter run, Devon Prep opening up an 18-point halftime lead and cruising to a 64-40 win over Shanahan.

“I thought that was the best defense we’ve played in a long time,” Fisher said. “They were focused, they were determined. We had some great talks the past couple of days about our focus and our attention to detail on the defensive end and they just went out there today and did it.”

The win advances the Tide (20-5) to the state semifinals for the second consecutive year, after capturing the 3A title a year ago. They’ll play District 2 champ Valley View (23-5) next Friday at a venue and time to be announced. Should they win, either Berks Catholic or North Catholic would await on Thursday, March 27 at Hershey’s GIANT Center.

Senior forward Reece Craft, 6-foot-7 Swarthmore commit, led the way Friday with a 21-point, 14-rebound outing as all five of the Tide’s senior starters had their hands in the victory. Calvin Smith added 14 points for Devon, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Zane Conlon scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Shane Doyle (9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Mason Thear (5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) both stuffed the stat sheet. 

They were all important to holding Shanahan to 12-of-46 (26%) from the floor, including 4-of-19 in the first half. That included a shutdown second quarter, which Devon Prep won 16-1 to go up 31-13 at half. That was after they opened the game with a 10-0 run, getting a couple steals and run-out layups as they forced 11 first-half turnovers. 

Shanahan was never able to make a run in the second half, Shanahan matching every shot with one of its own as the margin slowly expanded from 18 to its final 24. 

The Eagles were constantly flummoxed in the half-court against a Tide squad with length at all five positions playing like a well-oiled machine with its shifts and rotations.

“(We were) taking away driving lanes and forcing them to take their time and get out of their sets,” Craft said. “When they can’t run sets in the half court, they look over and don’t know what to do, and when you get that confusion, players get less confident. That’s when we up the pressure, get a couple turnovers early and set the tone defensively, that’s when we’re playing our best.”

“We stopped playing as a unified team, we went more like 1-on-1 as opposed to 5-on-5,” Shanahan coach John Dougherty said. “Which, that’s not our style, that’s not our game, that’s not how we’re successful. And Devon’s great. They’re well-coached, they’re talented, and they are who they are for a reason. 

“We know it’s an uphill battle. We came in, and I thought we had a chance, I knew we had a chance. Maybe another time, we do win, we play much better. I wish them luck and I hope they win it all.”

Craft’s been playing at a high level in the postseason, scoring 19 points with 10 rebounds in Devon’s second-round win over Eastern York after scoring 22 in the opening-round win over Bishop McDevitt. He’s led the Tide in scoring in each of the three, the left-hander playing assertively in the post, and his teammates are noticing. 

While he was certainly a key part to Devon’s state championship run a year ago, there’s no doubt this year’s version of the senior forward is running at a higher RPM. He’s more aggressive attacking the glass and more decisive with the ball in his hands, his teammates looking for him on drives more often than a year ago, when a greater percentage of his buckets came on second-chance points or in transition. 

“His focus and his drive this year, he definitely has taken steps in it,” Fisher said. “He just has the capability to dominate when he’s focused like that all the time. Definitely, they were the biggest strides he’s made. It was fun to watch him tonight.”

“I’m just trying to come out and attack, be aggressive,” Craft said. “I know being aggressive can get me some open points as well as my teammates. [...] My teammates and my coaches trust in me, but it’s also, I just have more confidence in myself and I’m trusting myself more on the court to just go out and do things and play freely.”

Bishop Shanahan, which advanced to the state quarterfinals for the second time in three years, got an on-court ovation after the game from a large fan and student section, the Eagles staying out to soak it in. Four Shanahan seniors will graduate, led by forward Sean Griffin, who had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in his final game. Point guard David Maddrey-Ryland and wing Ryan Ambrose both graduate as well from the starting lineup.

Dougherty was appreciative this year of his team, which won 20 games, made it to the Ches-Mont championship and beat Archbishop Carroll in the opening round of the state tournament, all coming after an injury-riddled 1-6 start to the year. Starting guards Danny Keenan and Andrew Corcoran both return next year, along with sixth man Anthony Aquila; those three juniors will lead the way.

“One game does not define this group and especially these four seniors,” he said. “This group has helped us develop, the second time in the last three years that we’ve been in the quarterfinals, just have to get over the hump. But it would not have happened without this group of guys, especially the four seniors for their leadership.”

By Quarter
BS: 12  |   1   |  13  |  14  ||  40
DP: 15  |  16  |  16  |  17  ||  64

Shooting
BS: 12-46 FG (4-13 3PT), 12-17 FT
DP: 26-47 FG (5-10 3PT), 7-10 FT

Scoring
BS: Sean Griffin 15, Andrew Corcoran 9, Danny Keenan 5, Anthony Aquila 4, Ryan Ambrose 3, David Maddrey-Rylander 2, Luis Encarnacion 2

DP: Reece Craft 21, Calvin Smith 14, Zane Conlon 13, Shane Doyle 9, Mason Thear 5, Mike Pergolis 2