Archbishop Wood Defeats Devon Prep 57-50: Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on January 13, 2023

Archbishop Wood Defeats Devon Prep 57-50

In an amazing rally, Archbishop Wood outscored visiting Devon Prep 20 to 0 in the fourth quarter of a Philadelphia Catholic League game on Thursday night to capture a 57 to 50 win over the defending PIAA Class 3A state champions. Leading 50 to 37 after three quarters, Devon Prep seemed to have the game well in hand, but they faltered down the stretch against Wood’s defensive pressure. Both teams played the game missing one regular starting player.

Wood, who advanced to the PIAA Class 6A state championship game last March, got off to a quick start against Devon Prep, and led 9 to 4 in the early going. The visitors responded with two consecutive 3-pointers: one by 5’ 10” junior Ty Mishock and one by 6’ 4” sophomore Shane Conlon. These two hoops ignited Devon Prep’s offense, and the game was played evenly into the middle of the second quarter. In the early going, Wood defensive pressure clearly bothered Devon Prep, but the visitors were able to control the pace of the action with their deliberate offense from the middle of the second quarter through the end of the third stanza.

With the game tied at 17 in the second quarter, Devon Prep launched a 9-0 run on another 3-pointer by Mishock, two free throws by Mishock, a 3-pointer by 6’ 4” senior Lucas Orchard, another free throw by Mishock, That made the score 26 to 17, Devon Prep. Devon Prep led 30 to 22 at halftime. Eighteen of Devon Prep’s first half points came on 3-pointers.

Wood’s minimal defensive pressure continued into the third quarter, and the tempo of the game still favored Devon Prep’s deliberate offense. Devon Prep made five more 3-pointers in the third frame, and they extended their lead to 50 to 37 after three quarters of play.

Then everything changed. Wood began to apply a lot more defensive pressure from the beginning of the fourth quarter, and they got two quick scores on a 3-pointer from 6’ 2” sophomore Deuce Maxey and a drive by 6’ 4” junior Jalil Bethea. Devon Prep began to turn the ball over, dribble into corners, and miss shots. Meanwhile, Wood surged, and their run continued with a fast break layup by Maxey, a putback by 6’ 8” senior Carson Howard, and two free throws by Maxey. Devon Prep’s bench called a couple of time outs while this was occurring, but the team could not stop the momentum swing. With Devon Prep leading 50 to 48, Ihsan Beyah, a 5’ 10” Archbishop Wood junior, stole the ball and scored on a breakaway layup with 1:56 left in the game. That tied the score at 50. After a Howard rebound, Wood took the lead on a 3-pointer by Bethea. Wood then stole Devon Prep’s inbounds pass, dashing the visitors’ hopes. Devon Prep committed six turnovers in the fourth quarter, and they were held scoreless in the final frame.

For the game, Wood had a 26 to 25 edge on the boards. Wood committed eight turnovers, while Devon Prep had 14 miscues. Wood was 11 of 15 from the free throw line, and Devon Prep was eight of 12 from the stripe. Wood made six 3-pointers, while Devon Prep scored 10 times from beyond the arc. There were four ties and six lead changes.

Archbishop Wood scoring: Jalil Bethea 19, Deuce Maxey 14, Carson Howard 8, Gus Salem 8, Josh Reed 6, and Ihsan Beyah 2.

Devon Prep scoring: Ty Mishock 17, Lucas Orchard 10, Ben Costello 8, Zane Conlon 8, Shane Doyle 5, and Tyler Scarpulla 2.

Devon Prep 12 18 20 0-50
Archbishop Wood 12 10 15 20-57

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