Kehler of Hoops: ARCHBISHOP RYAN DEFEATS DOWNINGTOWN WEST 69-42

Written by: Dell Jackson on December 11, 2021

ARCHBISHOP RYAN DEFEATS DOWNINGTOWN WEST 69-42

In the feature game of a triple header on Friday night sponsored by the website cityofbasketballlove.com, host Archbishop Ryan used a balanced attack to defeat Downingtown West 69-43. Archbishop Ryan advanced to the PIAA Class 5A state championship game last season. Although key members of that team graduated, this year’s squad appears to be primed for another run at the state title. Particularly impressive for Ryan in this game were a trio of sophomores: 6′ 9″ Thomas Sorber, a transfer from Trenton Catholic Academy (Trenton, NJ); 6′ 4″ Darren Williams, who played in some games last season; and 6′ 6″ Jaden Murray, who came off the bench last night. These three were Ryan’s top scorers vs. Downingtown West.

Ryan took control of the game early. Playing man-to-man defense, they quickly forced a number of early turnovers and launched a slew of slashing drives to the basket. Six Ryan players scored in the first quarter, and the team took nine free throws in the first frame, making seven of them. Ryan looked for a fast break at every opportunity, but they also excelled in half court sets. Sorber has wonderful low post moves, and, when he and Murray were in the game together, Ryan deployed a high post-low post attack. This was particularly difficult for Downingtown West to defense. As Ryan built a double digit lead, they began to spread the court and drive they seams. Ryan also occasionally played some zone defense. Turnovers continued to plague Downingtown West throughout the game, preventing them from developing much offensive flow or momentum. On the plus side, Downingtown West was effective on both boards, and they had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds.

Downingtown West had a 33-32 rebounding edge, but they committed 25 turnovers to 13 for Archbishop Ryan. Ryan was 14 for 20 from the free throw line, while the visitors were 7 for 14. Ryan made three 3 pointers, and Downingtown West made six from beyond the arc.

Both of these teams are playing challenging non-conference games this season: Downingtown West will face Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood, Chester, Conestoga, Wilson (West Lawn), and Engineering & Science in the weeks to come. Ryan will play Patrick (Hillside, NJ), Executive Education Academy Charter, Christ the King (Queens, NY), Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, NY), and Central Dauphin. Clearly, both teams are playing championship schedules.

Archbishop Ryan scoring: Darren Williams 16, Thomas Sorber 12, Jaden Murray 9, David Wise 7, Jalen Snead 7, Luke Boyd 6, Derrick Williams 6, Michael Paris 4, Matt Azzarano 2, and another player 2.

Downingtown West scoring: Dylan Blair 11, Aldan Primanti 8, Cooper Hardin 7, Dean Poluch 5, Joe Suarez 5, Jake Warren 3, Donovan Fromhartz 3, and Drew Shelton 1.

Downingtown West 8 13 6 16-43
Archbishop Ryan 20 13 18 18-69

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