Holy Ghost Prep Defeats Penn Wood 57-48: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on January 27, 2024
Holy Ghost Prep Defeats Penn Wood 57-48: Kehler on Hoops
Article by David Kehler
The significance of pace as a determinate of the outcome of a high school basketball game was illustrated on Saturday afternoon, as Holy Ghost Prep defeated visiting Penn Wood 57 to 48. Leading by eight points at the half, and successfully pushing the pace of the game to a fast tempo, Penn Wood switched to a zone defense at the beginning of the third quarter and enabled Ghost’s offense to operate with much greater efficiency at a slower tempo.
At the outset of the game, both teams played at a helter-skelter pace, running up and down the court and quickly launching shots. This worked to Penn Wood’s advantage, as their very athletic squad crashed the offensive board, producing nine second chance opportunities. Ghost has a structured offense with very good player movement and skillful ball movement, but they were playing too fast to capitalize on the offensive opportunities afforded by their scheme. As an illustration, Ghost committed 11 turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game. Taking advantage of Ghost’s repeated turnovers and their own attack on the offensive board, Penn Wood forged ahead and led by eight points at halftime. In every single possession of the first half, the pace of the game favored Penn Wood, and Ghost did nothing of consequence to counter that.
To this observer’s surprise, Penn Wood switched from man-to-man defense to zone at the beginning of the third quarter. This had the effect of slowing the pace of the game, to the immense benefit of Holy Ghost. Now playing at a more appropriate pace for their offensive scheme, Ghost quickly hit four 3-pointers, two by 6’ junior Robbie Segarich, one by 6’ 2” junior Adrien Varella, and one by junior Zak Sharlin. Segarich’s second 3-pointer of the frame, with 3:29 left in the third period, gave Ghost a 32-29 lead, and they led for the rest of the contest. After Ghost’s fourth 3-pointer of the third quarter, Penn Wood switched back to their man-to-man defense, but the momentum had shifted.
It’s important for a basketball team to focus on an approach to pacing that maximizes the skills of the guys on the squad and that puts the opposition at a disadvantage. At various times in this game, both Ghost and Penn Wood played at paces that were not ideal for them. By switching to a zone defense at the outset of the second half, Penn Wood forced Ghost’s offense to slow down to a pace where the home side was much more effective.
For the game, Penn Wood out-rebounded Holy Ghost Prep 30 to 23. Ghost had 18 turnovers to Penn Wood’s 15 miscues. Poor free throw shooting also hurt Penn Wood’s cause: they were 10 of 21. Ghost was 17 of 18 from the stripe. Ghost made six 3-pointers, while Penn Wood scored four times from beyond the arc. There were three ties and four lead changes.
Holy Ghost Prep scoring: Robbie Segarich 25, Adrien Varella 18, Zak Sharlin 10, Tommy Nahill 2, and Adam McDonald 2.
Penn Wood scoring: Lamaj Mapp 12, Donald Hairston 11, Chris Taylor 10, Kival Clarke 9, Taj Cobbs 3, Amauro Womack 2, and Nafi Davis 1.
Penn Wood 13 13 8 14 -48
Holy Ghost Prep 10 8 27 12 -57
For those unfamiliar with these teams, in recent memory both have won PIAA state basketball championships. Ghost is located in Bensalem, and Penn Wood is in Lansdowne. Ghost is not a member of a league, and Penn Wood competes in the Del Val League.
On Twitter: @david_kehler
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