Archbishop Ryan Defeats Radnor 66 to 46 in a PIAA Class 5A Playoff 2nd Round Game: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 12, 2024
Archbishop Ryan Defeats Radnor 66 to 46 in a PIAA Class 5A Playoff 2nd Round Game: Kehler on Hoops
Article by David Kehler
Archbishop Ryan broke open a close game with a 22 to 0 run to end the third quarter in a PIAA Class 5A state championship tournament second round contest on Tuesday night at Bensalem. With this win, Ryan advances to the quarterfinals of the tournament and will play Unionville on Friday at a time and a place to be determined.
Radnor was at a height disadvantage vs. Ryan. Radnor’s tallest starter was 6’ 3” senior Elijah Sellers. Ryan’s starters included 6’ 10” senior Thomas Sorber, 6’ 6” senior Jaden Murray, 6’ 3” senior Rocco Marabito, and 6’ 3” senior Darren Williams. Both Sorber and Williams were 1st team Class 5A All-State selections last season, and both also were on All-State teams in the 2021-22 campaign. Understandably, Radnor had difficulty scoring inside against the taller Ryan.
However, the game started auspiciously for Radnor. Although Ryan drew first blood with a 3-pointer by Williams, Radnor took the lead on a jumper by Sellers followed by a fast break layup by 6’ 2” junior Sawyer Smith and another jumper by Sellers. A three point play by Sorber tied the game at 6, and there would be two more ties in the first quarter. Another 3-pointer by Ryan’s Williams with 59 seconds left in the first frame gave his side a 15 to 13 lead, and Archbishop Ryan would lead for the rest of the contest. Radnor, though, appeared to have a balanced attack, and all five Radnor starters scored in the first quarter. Key to that was that Radnor committed just one turnover in the first period.
Ryan’s defense became more aggressive in the second quarter, and they forced five turnovers in the frame. Radnor began to rely more on Sellers’ offense in the second quarter, and he scored half off his team’s 14 points in the second period. Throughout the first half, Ryan frequently got the ball down low to Sorber, and he either scored from inside or from the free throw line, as he drew some fouls. However, Radnor battled Ryan on even terms in the second quarter, and they trailed by just four points, at 31 to 27, at halftime.
Radnor opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by 6’ 1” senior Henry Pierce to cut Ryan’s lead to 31 to 30. Ryan responded with a fast break layup by 5’ 11” sophomore Matt Johnson, then Radnor’s Sellers scored inside, and Ryan led 33 to 32.
At that point, the roof fell in on Radnor, as Ryan launched a 22 to 0 run to the end of the third quarter. That decisive run consisted of a free throw by Marabito, two free throws by Sorber, a pull up jumper by Williams, a pivot play by Sorber, a 3-pointer by Sorber, a jumper by Williams, two free throws by Williams, a 3-pointer by Williams, a fast break layup by 6’ 6” junior Brandon Russell, and a 3-pointer by 6’ 1” senior Ryan Everett. High school basketball games are often decided when one team has a scoring run. When a team is on a run, the opposition needs to take measures to blunt it, particularly by calling timeouts. Another alternative is to run a couple of plays to slow the opponent’s momentum. Radnor was at a loss at what to do to check Ryan’s run.
Radnor finally scored at the outset of the fourth quarter on two free throws by Sellers, but the game had gotten out of reach, and Ryan cruised to victory.
Archbishop Ryan has an excellent team, and their two leading players, Sorber and Williams, were superb in this contest. Sorber is a Georgetown recruit, and Williams will play at Florida Gulf Coast next season. Florida Gulf Coast head coach Pat Chambers was at the game, and he saw Williams hit five 3-pointers in the contest. Radnor’s Sellers played really well, particularly on offense.
For the game, Ryan out-rebounded Radnor 31 to 25. Ryan committed eight turnovers, while Radnor had a dozen miscues. Ryan was 15 of 22 from the free throw line, and Radnor was 12 of 20 from the stripe. Ryan scored seven times from beyond the arc, while Radnor made two 3-pointers. There were three ties and two lead changes.
Archbishop Ryan scoring: Thomas Sorber 24, Darren Williams 21, Brandon Russell 6, Ryan Everett 4, Matt Johnson 2, Rocco Marabito 2, Jaden Murray 2, Christian Durham 2, Frank Monaco 2, and Semaj Stone 1.
Radnor scoring: Elijah Sellers 19, Henry Pierce 10, Kessy Cox 5, Michael Savadove 4, Sawyer Smith 3, Owen Smith 3, and Roman Rivera 2.
Radnor 13 14 5 14 – 46
Archbishop Ryan 15 16 24 11 – 66
Radnor’s fine season concludes with a 21-5 record.
On Twitter: @david_kehler
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