City of Basketball Love

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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WARMINSTER — Collin Gillespie figured it was time to make something happen.

His Archbishop Wood basketball team was playing its first game in its cozy Kelly Gymnasium playpen in front of a quality crowd, yet the Vikings had just let their latest opponent run off a string of points and grab an early lead.

Well, that had to change … and it did.

And it was Gillespie that lit a long-burning fuse on a splendid run that left a quality Scranton Prep squad searching for quick remedies as John Mosco’s Vikings promptly jumped back in front and didn’t stop rolling until the contest came to an end.

“Our goal was to jump out on them early and then stay on top,” Gillespie said.

“Once we get going and we find people shooting, a lot of guys can shoot and our bigs are developing and getting a lot better. … We played well overall tonight.”

Just ask the opposition.

While Gillespie finished with 27 points — the 6-2 senior lead guard also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists — Tyree Pickron pocketed a game-high 28 and Matt Cerruti chimed in with 16 as Wood sailed to a decisive 86-65 victory in the last of five outings at the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase Saturday at home.

Junior big man Seth Pinkney did not score a point for Mosco’s Vikings (3-2), but he utilized his 6-11 frame to turn away six shots and alter plenty more as Prep (2-1) tried valiantly to attack the rim as the opening half.

Wood, the top-ranked squad in City of Basketball Love’s preseason 5A rankings, also picked up seven boards off the bench from Karrington Wallace.

Determined senior Paddy Casey, who recently committed to Philly’s University of the Sciences, topped the Cavaliers with 20 points. Casey is the grandson of late Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey and the nephew of U.S. Senator Bob Casey.

Andrew Kettel’s feisty club also picked up 16 points from Logan Bailey and 10 from Brett Para, but it wouldn’t be enough against a Wood group that shot 50 percent (33-for-66) from the floor and canned 10 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

A 32-6 barrage, ignited by Gillespie’s conventional three-point play with 4:35 remaining in the opening quarter, really turned the game Wood’s way.

“Collin has really matured,” Mosco said. “He knows what to do on the court. He just lets the game come to him and gets guys involved. … He just knows where guys like the ball and he was a calming influence when they were all pressing us and trapping us.

“He just knew where to be and where to get the ball,” Mosco continued. “And it starts with him making the extra pass for the team.”

Especially since Mosco’s combustible Vikings trailed 7-3 when Gillespie was able to get to the rack off the bounce for the and-one and were leading 35-13 with 4:30 to go in the second on Wallace’s finish at the hole off a Gillespie dish.

Ball movement and outstanding marksmanship were the keys for the Vikings, who absorbed a late Prep surge yet still led 43-26 at the break.

“They really play well off each other and share the ball,” Mosco said. “I don’t think we took too many unforced shots — maybe in the second quarter when they were trapping us and they thought they had us and we made an extra pass. That’s when it opened up.”

“We mesh well together, so once we’re hitting shots and we get going we’re not going to miss a lot,” Gillespie added. “I find people and they can knock it down.”

Gillespie pocketed 18 of his 27 before halftime, connecting on seven of his eight field-goal tries. He also was a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line.

So, he can facilitate and fill it up.

Whatever’s called for at any particular moment.

Any Cavaliers hopes for a remarkable second-half comeback were dashed quickly since the Vikings opened the third quarter by burying four straight deep rips — Gillespie and Cerruti each canned one, while Pickron knocked down a pair.

Wood, in fact, led by as many as 26 points (69-43 and 71-45) over the second-ranked 4A squad in City of Basketball Love’s preseason rankings before the third quarter ended.

“[Mosco] preached at halftime, ‘Stay on top of them because they’re a good team,’” Gillespie recalled. “He wanted us to stay on top of them and keep shooting and keep playing. Don’t pull back and put them away in the third quarter.”

Pickron really picked it up after the break, collecting 20 of his 28.

“They really shot the ball well, especially in the second half,” Mosco said. “They caught fire with the 3-ball. We’re getting trapped and you’re open, shoot the ball.”

And Mosco’s Vikings did just that … quite effectively, too.

“This was our first home game,” Gillespie said.

“So it was important for us to defend our home court.”