CB West holds off CB East, advances to District 1-6A quarters

DOYLESTOWN >> In a District 1-6A second round game with a playoff atmosphere, the hometown Central Bucks West boys basketball team won a thriller against rival Central Bucks East 64-55.

No. 20 Central Bucks East Patriots upset no. 13 OJ Roberts High School in the first round last Friday 52-50 to face the Bucks in the next round.

The win for fourth-seeded Central Bucks West puts them in a quarterfinal game against No. 5 seed Coastesville. The Bucks will host the game on Friday.

Four different Bucks scored double-digit points, including Jack Mulhearn with 17 points.

Other Bucks that contributed in scoring include Jack Neri with 15 points, Shane McCusker and Jake Reichwein with 11 points each, Mika Munari with seven points, and Chase Heller with three points.

The Bucks started the game on fire, which helped them have a 24-8 lead after the first quarter.

The Patriots made the game closer heading into the final quarter, outscoring the Bucks in the second and third quarters 20-14 and 10-7, respectively.

Helping the Patriots make the score 38-28 at halftime was foul trouble for Central Bucks West.

Both teams were keeping it close in the fourth quarter, but a lot of turnovers and foul trouble ultimately gave the Patriots the playoff victory.

Central Bucks West head coach Adam Sherman was thrilled with Mulhearn’s performance in a playoff atmosphere.

“He has been a consistent scorer for us all year,” said Sherman. “We’re happy with all our guys and Mulhearn had some great games this year, so we’re looking forward to see what he does next.”

“It was a strange environment for us since we never played them in a playoff game before,” said Sherman. “This rivalry is one of the better rivalries in the state.”

Sherman was thrilled with how his team performed to qualify for the state tournament.

“We’re more of a counter punching team than a high scoring team,” said Sherman. “If we are playing a team that we think we can really slow down, then we slow down. But if we play a fast moving team, then we’re moving fast.”

CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 64, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 55
Central Bucks East  8  20  10  17  -55
Central Bucks West  24  14  7  19  -64
Central Bucks East: Rivara 16; Masterson 10; Markowitz 10; Rollio 10; Cassidy 5; Stein 4.
Central Bucks West: Mulhearn 17; Neri 15; McCusker 11; Reichwein 11; Munari 7; Heller 3.