Kehler on Hoops: Devon Prep 60 West Catholic 53
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 17, 2022
DEVON PREP DEFEATS WEST CATHOLIC 60-53
Devon Prep led the entire game and defeated fellow Philadelphia Catholic League squad West Catholic, 60-53, in a PIAA Class 3A state championship tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday night at Cardinal O’Hara. The game, played before a full house, was the opening contest of a doubleheader and preceded Roman Catholic’s defeat of Cheltenham.
The general contour of this game was evident in the opening minutes of the first quarter. Devon Prep moved the ball around in half court for over a minute before taking a shot. It was clear that they were familiar with West Catholic’s defensive approach and wanted to exploit hedges and overplays. Devon Prep scored first on a drive by 6′ 4″ junior Lucas Orchard followed by a three point play by 6′ 2″ senior IV Pettit. Devon Prep dominated the time of possession in the early going, and West Catholic didn’t score until 2:44 was left in the first quarter, when 5′ 9″ junior Adam Clark made a three point play. Devon Prep played a 3-2 zone, and, in the first half, West Catholic was primarily focused on shooting over the zone from the outside. Only Clark, West Catholic’s shortest starter, made much of an effort to penetrate Devon Prep’s zone. West Catholic had a height advantage at four of the five positions, but they were out rebounded by Devon Prep, 16 to 13, in the first half. Devon Prep’s ball movement and concentration on getting open shots propelled them to a 28-15 halftime lead.
West Catholic played much better in the third quarter. They were able to force a faster tempo, which was very much to their advantage, and they hit the offensive board hard in the third frame. West Catholic out rebounded Devon Prep seven to one in the third quarter. Also, their outside shooting became more accurate. Late in the third frame, following a couple of free throws by 6′ 6″ senior Kaseem Watson and his fast break dunk, West Catholic cut Devon Prep’s lead to 37-36. Devon Prep responded with an 8-0 run that spanned the end of the third stanza and the beginning of the final quarter on a drive by Pettit, a banked three pointer by Pettit, and a three pointer by 6′ 1″ senior Allen Cieslak. That made it 45-36, Devon Prep. The teams then exchanged some three pointers and a couple of turnovers. When the dust had cleared, there was 1:18 left in the game and Devon Prep was up 53 to 48. Pettit then made a couple of free throws, followed by a very clutch three pointer by 6′ 5″ West Catholic junior Zion Stanford, who was superb in the fourth quarter. There were 36 seconds left, and Devon Prep led 55-51. Jacen Holloway, a 6′ 3″ Devon Prep junior, then made a couple of free throws to put the game out of reach.
West Catholic out rebounded Devon Prep 26 to 23. Devon Prep had 12 turnovers, and West Catholic had 10. Devon Prep was 11 of 13 from the free throw line, and West Catholic was six of seven. Devon Prep made nine three pointers, four by Holloway, two by Pettit, two by Cieslak, and one by 5′ 8″ sophomore Ty Mishock. West Catholic made seven shots from behind the arc, two by Stanford; two by 6′ 6″ senior Kareem Watson; and one each by Kaseem Watson, Clark, and 6′ 4″ junior Marcus Branker. There were no ties and no lead changes.
Devon Prep scoring: Jacen Holloway 22, IV Pettit 20, Allen Cieslak 10, Ty Mishock 4, and Lucas Orchard 4.
West Catholic scoring: Zion Stanford 14, Adam Clark 12, Kaseem Watson 12, Kareem Watson 8, and Marcus Branker 7.
Devon Prep 10 18 14 18-60
West Catholic 7 8 21 17-53
Devon Prep, now 17-7, advances to the PIAA Class 3A final four and will play Holy Redeemer on Saturday at a place and time to be determined. West Catholic’s season concludes with a 21-6 record.
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