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Plymouth Whitemarsh Pulls Out Squeaker
Hold off Southern comeback efforts to advance in State Playoffs
by Marcus Wright
3/9/09
 Philadelphia, PA -
Fast Break: At St. Joe's Prep's Kelly Fieldhouse, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials advanced to the second round of the AAAA State Playoff tournament by defeating the Southern Rams 47-45. The Colonials were led in scoring by Jaylen Bond, who had 14, and CJ Aiken, who had 10. The Rams were led in scoring by Deshon Minnis and Lamar Speller, who both had 13. Bond made a free throw with 4.3 seconds left in the game that put PW up by 2. A last second shot attempt by Minnis after a timeout was off the mark, granting PW the victory.
Three Pointer:
1. PW opened the game up with a 9-0 lead and finished the first quarter leading 14-7. PW controlled the first quarter thoroughly, and seemed to be on their way to a comfortable win. But Southern changed the course of the game starting with the second quarter by being more aggressive on the ball on defense, and strongly taking the ball inside on offense. The strategy worked to get them back in the game and make this one a battle.
2. Both teams had problems keeping the other outside of the box. There was good pressure defense displayed by both teams between the keys, so we saw a lot of turnovers forced near halfcourt. Inside, both teams had shot opportunities, but I believe the frantic defense played by both teams played a part in a lot of shots not falling (due to the players feeling like they had to force some shots).
3. This game was not pretty, but sometimes those make for more entertaining games. Both teams left it all out on the court. There were a lot of whistles in this game, be it for fouls or for violations, so it was tough for either team to get a true rhythm going.
Free Throw: I noticed Jamir Hanner (10 points) really hustling out there for Southern throughout the game... kudos to Bond for making that free throw to put PW up by 2; big pressure shot there, especially since there were a few cameramen (and myself) right there taking his picture!
Beyond the Arc: There were not as many people there as I thought there would be, but everyone that was there was certainly loud and into the game... Plymouth Whitemarsh goes on to face a familiar foe, Norristown, on Wednesday at Spring-Ford high school.
Image - Mike Young
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