Upper Dublin Defeats Holy Ghost Prep 41-37: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on January 14, 2023
Upper Dublin Defeats Holy Ghost Prep 41-37
Upper Dublin defeated host Holy Ghost Prep 41 to 37 in a choppy non-league contest on Saturday afternoon. Rugged Upper Dublin never trailed in the game. Holy Ghost Prep is not a member of a league, while Upper Dublin is in the Suburban One loop. Both schools are located in PIAA District 1.
Upper Dublin opened the scoring with a 3-pointer by junior Brady Fogle, and, except for a 5-5 tie, the visitors maintained a lead throughout the game. Upper Dublin’s strongest offensive production was in the first quarter, in which five of the visitors scored. Ghost’s offense never really got going in this game, and neither squad was able to maintain much offensive momentum. Both teams repeatedly took questionable shots. One Ghost played missed eight consecutive 3-point attempts, and the home side’s inaccuracy from outside was a major factor in the game’s outcome.
Upper Dublin really crashed the boards in the first half, out-rebounding Ghost 22 to 13 in the first 16 minutes of play. In the first half, Upper Dublin had nine offensive rebounds. Ghost’s defense stepped up in the second quarter, and they had several impressive blocked shots in the frame.
Upper Dublin switched to zone defenses in the second half, 1-3-1 and 2-3, giving the impression that the visitors wanted Ghost to shoot from outside. It proved to be an effective strategy, as Ghost made only one 3-pointer in the second half. However, Ghost had impeccable ball security against the Upper Dublin zones in the second half, committing just one turnover in the final 16 minutes of play. Nonetheless, for much of the final two quarters, the run of play was helter-skelter. Upper Dublin led 31 to 23 after three quarters.
There was no quit in Holy Ghost Prep, as their vigorous fourth quarter play, particularly by 6’ 2” sophomore Adrien Varella, cut the Upper Dublin lead to 37-35, following a drive by Varella in the late going. Upper Dublin immediately inbounded the ball and scored on a wide open layup by Fogle, who was game high scorer with 15 points. Then Upper Dublin added to their lead on a free throw apiece by senior Mason Pensabene and junior Chris Kohlbrenner, and Ghost didn’t have enough time left to catch up.
Upper Dublin had a decisive 36 to 28 rebounding advantage. Upper Dublin committed 12 turnovers, while Holy Ghost Prep had six miscues. Both teams were inaccurate from the free throw line, with Upper Dublin seven of 13 and Holy Ghost Prep five of 11. Upper Dublin made six 3-pointers, while Holy Ghost Prep scored just twice from beyond the arc. There was one tie and no lead changes.
Upper Dublin scoring: Brady Fogle 15, Seaton Kukla 10, Mason Pensabene 6, DJ Cerisier 6, Chris Kohlbrenner 2, and Idris Rines 2.
Holy Ghost Prep scoring: Adrien Varella 12, Mel Lindsey 10, Seamus McDermott 7, Dasani McNeely 4, Noah McDermott 2, and Colin Lucas 2
Upper Dublin 17 5 9 10-41
Holy Ghost Prep 9 4 10 14-37
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
