Plymouth-Whitemarsh Defeats Spring-Ford 59 to 54 in PIAA District 1 Class 6A Championship Game: Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 5, 2023

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Defeats Spring-Ford 59 to 54 in PIAA District 1 Class 6A Championship Game

Jaden Colzie, a 6’ junior, exploded for 13 points in the fourth quarter to pace Plymouth-Whitemarsh to a 59 to 54 win over Spring-Ford in the PIAA District 1 Class 6A championship game on Saturday evening at Temple U. It was a close, absorbing, well-played game with six ties and 12 lead changes.

The teams repeatedly exchanged leads for the first dozen minutes of the game. In the latter part of the second quarter, trailing 22 to 21, Plymouth-Whitemarsh ended the first half with an 11 to 2 run on a fast break layup by 6’ 1” junior Chase Coleman, two free throws by 6’ 4” senior Qudire Bennett, a jumper by Bennett, a 3-pointer by 6’ 6” junior Jah Pendergrass-Sayles, and two free throws by Coleman. That gave Plymouth-Whitemarsh a 32 to 24 lead at the half.

Spring-Ford bounced back at the beginning of the second half with an 8 to 0 run on a free throw by 6’ 2” Alex Lewis, a hoop inside by 6’ 4” sophomore Tommy Kelly, a 3-pointer by 6’ 4” sophomore Jacob Nguyen, and a basket inside by 6’ 2” senior Zach Zollers. That tied the game at 32 with 3:42 left in the third quarter. Spring-Ford’s run had been aided by some questionable Plymouth-Whitemarsh shot selection. However, Plymouth-Whitemarsh responded with a hoop inside by 6’ 6” senior Lincoln Sharpe and, after a Spring-Ford turnover, a 3-pointer by Bennett. That put P-W up 37 to 32, and they led the rest of the way.

However, Spring-Ford kept it close, and 5’ 10” senior Caleb Little was a major factor in that, scoring on a drive, then tallying a three point play on another drive, then nailing a 3-pointer. However, Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s Colzie took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring two 2-point field goals and sinking three shots from beyond the arc. With two minutes left in the game, Spring-Ford’s Nguyen made two free throws to cut Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s lead to 52 to 50. Colzie immediately responded with his third 3-pointer of the quarter, then a free throw by Coleman extended the P-W lead to 56 to 50. Spring-Ford didn’t have enough time left in the game to recover.

Both teams had 15 rebounds. Plymouth-Whitemarsh had five turnovers, and Spring-Ford had 12 miscues. Spring-Ford was particularly hurt by committing five turnovers in the second quarter, fueling P-W’s surge at the end of the first half. Plymouth-Whitemarsh was 15 of 21 from the free throw line, while Spring-Ford was 11 of 15 from the stripe. P-W made six 3-pointers, and S-F scored five times from beyond the arc. Spring-Ford’s Nguyen made four of his team’s 3-pointers.

Both teams have promising chances in the PIAA Class 6A state championship tournament. P-W is tough and battle-tested. While not deep, the squad is seasoned, and veteran coach Jim Donofrio is a terrific leader. Spring-Ford, coached by Joe Dempsey, who was formerly at LaSalle College and took one of his teams there to a PIAA state championship game, runs a structured and imaginative offense. S-F has a sharpshooter in Nguyen, and Little was really effective in driving to the hoop. To make a deep run in the state championship tournament, Spring-Ford will need steady ball handling.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh scoring: Chase Coleman 18, Jaden Colzie 16, Qudire Bennett 16, Lincoln Sharpe 6, and Jah Pendergrass-Sayles 3.

Spring-Ford scoring: Jacob Nguyen 20, Zach Zollers 10, Caleb Little 10, E. J. Campbell 5, Alex Lewis 5, and Tommy Kelly 4.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh 14 18 6 21-59
Spring-Ford 14 10 10 20-54

On Twitter: @david_kehler

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