Westtown preps for playoffs by dominating Peddie
WESTTOWN – Some may think that the parade of previous high school All-Americans has finally caught up to the Westtown boys’ basketball program, but the architect – head coach Seth Berger – begs to differ.
“I think our team is underestimated,” Berger said. “I think we have some stars, but no guaranteed lottery picks, which makes it a little different. This team is sharing the ball, they are diving for loose balls and they care about the score at the end of the game.”
To view a photo gallery of the Westtown-Peddie game click here
The Moose did all of it on Tuesday en route to a 70-56 regular season ending victory over visiting Peddie School (N.J.) on Senior Night. And even though superstars like Mo Bamba, Cam Reddish and Brandon Randolph have moved on to big-time college ball – and in Bamba’s case a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft – Westtown is still a threat to win another Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) state crown.
“Everything we do is preparing us to play for the main goal: to win the state title,” said 6-foot-10 center John Bol Ajak. “I feel like we are battle tested.”
The Moose will head in to the upcoming Friends League Tournament with a 24-6 overall record, and are the team to beat. After that, Westtown is looking to get to the PAISAA state final for the fourth straight year, and bring home championship number three.
“We are very talented and well balanced,” Berger said.
“Five or six games into this season this team began to play together. They figured it out. Jalen (Gaffney) has been a great leader in addition to a great player, and the rest of the kids have kind of followed his example.
“We start two seniors (Gaffney and Bol Ajak) who are going to UConn and Syracuse,” he added. “Noah Collier is a high-major junior, T.J. Berger has 15 offers, Jalen Warley is going to be a division I kid and Franck Kepnang is ranked in the top-20 in his class in the country.”
Needless to say, the pipeline from Westtown to elite college programs is still alive and well. In the non-league clash against Peddie (9-9 overall), the UConn-bound Gaffney was ultra-aggressive on his way to a game-high 29 points that included 11 makes out of 12 from the free throw line.
“Getting the basket makes it easier for the rest of my team,” Gaffney explained. “If the defense collapses, I kick it out to shooters.
“We always say ‘We-Town’ instead of Westtown. We play for each other, we share the ball. And guys like Jalen Warley barely played last year, but as a sophomore he’s stepped up a lot.”
The Moose broke it open in the second quarter with a 12-0 run that included two dunks by the 6-7 Collier and another by Bol Ajak. But it was Westtown’s perimeter defense that limited the Falcons to just five points in the quarter, and helped build a 32-19 halftime lead.
“(Peddie) shot 40 3-pointers against Blair (N.J.), so we knew they were going to shoot,” Gaffney said. “We had to chase them to the line. Overall, we did our job even though they hit some late.
“Jon Bol (Ajak), Franck (Kepnang), Noah (Collier), and even our guards are pretty long, so it definitely helps defend shooters.”
Peddie got untracked in the third quarter and knocked down six 3-pointers, but never got closer than 10. And down the stretch Gaffney closed it out with 10 points in the final period.
“We had a great regular season and this was a good way to end it,” Berger said.
“We wanted to set the tone going into the postseason,” said Bol Ajak, who chopped in six points. “(Peddie) was a good example of the types of teams we are going to see in the playoffs. It was good to get that test.”
Collier finished with 14 points, and the 6-10 Kepnang hauled down 13 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. In addition, Berger – a junior point guard from Malvern – scored 10 points.
“This is going to be the toughest Friends League Tournament and the toughest PAISSA in years,” Berger warned. “There are at least three teams that can win the league title and there are upwards of six teams that can win the state title.”
Westtown 70, Peddie (N.J.) 56
PEDDIE – Millstein 6 0-0 18; Reid 5 3-3 13; Spinazzi 3 0-0 7; Blunt 2 0-0 6; Pina 5 0-0 12. Totals 21 3-3 56
WESTTOWN – T. Berger 2 4-5 10; Bol Ajak 3 0-0 6; Gaffney 9 11-12 29; Warley 3 1-2 7; N. Collier 7 0-2 14. Totals 24 16-21 70.
Peddie 14 5 23 16 — 56
Westtown 16 16 20 18 — 70
Three-pointers: Millstein 6, Spinazzi, Blunt 2, Pina 2.
