Central Bucks East Defeats Upper Dublin 60-56 in OT in League Playoff Semifinal: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on February 11, 2023
Central Bucks East Defeats Upper Dublin 60-56 in OT in League Playoff Semifinal
Central Bucks East overcame an 11 point second quarter deficit to defeat visiting Upper Dublin 60 to 56 in overtime in a Suburban One League playoff semifinal on Saturday afternoon. CB East will play Plymouth-Whitemarsh next week for the league championship at a place and time to be determined. CB East is in Doylestown, while Upper Dublin is in Fort Washington. CB East is in the PIAA 6A classification, and Upper Dublin is 5A. Both squads have excellent chances of advancing to the PIAA state championship tournament.
This had to be a disappointing loss for Upper Dublin. They had a balanced first half attack, with five players scoring in each of the first two quarters. They out-rebounded CB East 17 to nine in the first half. They had substantial leads at various points throughout the game. But, every time it looked like Upper Dublin would put the game away, CB East came back.
Late in the second quarter, Upper Dublin junior Brady Fogle snagged an offensive rebound in the left baseline corner and quickly canned a 3-pointer. On Upper Dublin’s next possession, Fogle hit another 3-pointer to give his team a 29 to 18 lead. CB East made four free throws at the end of the first half, cutting their deficit to 29 to 22, but they certainly had been outplayed in the first half.
CB East’s offense emphasizes outside shooting, and they began to find the range in the third quarter. They also did a better job on both boards in the third frame. However, Upper Dublin did not surrender the lead. A couple of free throws by Upper Dublin senior Seaton Kukla gave his team a 42 to 33 lead late in the third quarter. But, CB East finished the third quarter strong, with a 3-pointer by 6’ 5” senior Kyle Berndt and a follow by 6’ 3” junior Jacob Cummiskey. (In an oddity in this game, CB East surged at the end of every quarter and also at the end of the overtime period.)
Upper Dublin started the fourth quarter up 42 to 38, but outstanding play by 6’ 2” CB East junior Tyler Dandrea gave his team the lead. With Upper Dublin leading 46 to 38, CB East went on a 9 to 0 run on a 3-pointer by Dandrea, two free throws by Berndt, a floater by Dandrea, and two free throws by Dandrea. That made it 47 to 46, CB East with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter. Upper Dublin immediately recaptured the lead on a three point play by senior Griffin Pensabene. CB East then tied the game at 49 on a jumper by Cummiskey. With over 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, Upper Dublin played for the last shot, taking two time outs during that span to set it up. However, Upper Dublin did not get a good look for that last shot, putting up an off balance jumper that missed.
So, the game went to overtime. The teams exchanged 3-pointers, then CB East took the lead on a drive by Cummiskey, but Upper Dublin quickly responded with a hoop by Kukla and a jump shot by senior D.J. Cerisier. That made it 56 to 54, Upper Dublin. CB East’s Dandrea recaptured the lead with another 3-pointer, and Upper Dublin sputtered, turning the ball over in their final possessions.
Upper Dublin lost in spite of having a substantial 33 to 22 advantage on the boards. Central Bucks East committed nine turnovers. Upper Dublin had 14 miscues, three of them in overtime. CB East shot well at the free throw line, making 13 of 16. Upper Dublin was 11 of 17 from the stripe. CB East made nine 3-pointers, and Upper Dublin hit five from beyond the arc. There were five ties and six lead changes.
Central Bucks East scoring: Kyle Berndt 21, Jacob Cummiskey 16, Tyler Dandrea 13, Nolan Jacob 4, Miles Demby 3, and Dhruv Mukund 3.
Upper Dublin scoring: Brady Fogle 13, Seaton Kukla 9, D.J. Cerisier 9, Griffin Pensabene 8, Colin O’Sullivan 7, Ryan Mulroy 5, Terrell Turner 4, and Chris Kohlbrenner 1.
Upper Dublin 14 15 13 7 7-56
Central Bucks East 14 8 16 11 11-60
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