Mitchell leads way as North Penn edges Methacton

PERKIOMEN >> AJ Mitchell embraced the challenge twice in Thursday’s fourth quarter against Methacton.

First, he asked his coaches to guard Methacton sharpshooter David Duda on defense, knowing if he could keep Duda in check, his team would be in position to win. The second came in the game’s waning seconds, as the Knights senior patiently waited for the right chance to come.

Mitchell’s free throws with 2.3 seconds left gave the Knights all the margin they needed to edge the Warriors 57-55 in the first game of Perk Valley’s Holiday Shootout.

“I was waiting for the right time because if anything, I didn’t want them to get another shot,” Mitchell, who scored a game-high 22 points, said. “I got fouled with two seconds left, finished and they couldn’t get a shot off so that was a good job from all of us.

“I want that opportunity. When the light shines on you, you have to take advantage of it.”

Thursday’s game fittingly came down to the final few possessions after four quarters of neither team finding a way to put any space between the other. For every mini-run one team made, the other had a retort and Methacton even erased a late five-point deficit to force Mitchell’s decisive drive and trip to the foul line.

North Penn coach John Conrad noted that Methacton is a tough team to guard due to their wealth of shooters and the presence of 6-foot-9 center Jeff Woodward inside. The Knights (5-3, 1-1 SOL Continental) knew they couldn’t stop everything, focusing on the perimeter scorers and trying to limit the damage Woodward did inside.

Woodward scored 21, but he pretty much always had a body on him at all times.

“The kids executed our plan real well, we had to pick our poison with the 3-point shooters and Woodward,” Conrad said. “Woodward had 21, but were able to limit Duda and (Erik) Timko.”

The Warriors (5-3, 2-1 PAC Liberty) certainly had their chances, but shot just 6-of-25 from beyond the arc with both Timko and Duda missing some of the long range efforts they’d normally knock down. As Methacton coach Jeff Derstine explained, his team isn’t going to shoot the lights out every night and Thursday, they needed to make up for it on the other end.

“We had a hard time stopping them tonight,” Derstine said. “At times, our defense was pretty good and they made some tough shots. Mitchell, he finished with 22, give him credit because he made it tough for us, he finished in traffic, he hit a couple shots over Woodward. We were playing catchup, not by a ton because the game was close, but a lot of the way.”

Methacton opened up a 36-30 lead midway through the third quarter on Brett Eberly’s 3-pointer, but the Knights responded with a 9-0 run to erase that edge and go up 39-36 on Mitchell’s freebies with 1:55 left in the frame. Woodward scored two inside to put his team back up, but North Penn seized momentum going into the final frame.

Joe Larkins found Mike Chaffee in the left corner and the junior guard splashed home the trey with 38 ticks left to send NP into the final quarter up 42-40.

“We knew if they had the big guy in, he wouldn’t come out so we worked the ball around the outside for threes, we’re a good shooting team,” Chaffee, who had three steals and four rebounds, said. “I think that shot was big for us. Once we get our shooters going, everything falls in place for us.”

Chaffee, who helped apply a constant flow of ball pressure on the Methacton guards, said it was all about energy on the defensive end. The junior, who also plays soccer, noted that a basketball game is just 32 minutes long, so it’s not too hard to go out and give max effort.

Finishing things out meant everyone would have to do a little bit more. For Mitchell, that meant picking up the East Stroudsburg-bound Duda.

“To be honest, I thought it was because of height,” Mitchell said. “Some of our other guards on him are a little shorter, so I thought I could get over screens a little easier.”

North Penn went ahead 53-48 on Tali McIver’s traditional three-point play with 3:12 left, but the Warriors had one more run in them. Eberly converted a three-point play of his own and after Mitchell sank two at the line for a 55-51 lead, Woodward split a pair at the line and Marcus Girardo stole an inbounds for a layup to get within a point.

After a Knights miss, North Penn opted to foul Woodward instead of let the Knights get a shot off. The big man split his free throws, knotting the game 55-55 but giving the Knights the chance at a last shot with 36.5 seconds left.

Mitchell waited it out, drove and got the call. After weaving his way around Woodward all game, the senior knew what he had to do.

“Avoid him,” Mitchell said. “I just had to be strong and take it up strong. At some point, I have to avoid his hands and arms, but I was just going to take it up strong.”

While Woodward didn’t get pegged for the foul, Chaffee saw it as a winning proposition.

“Refs like the little man over the big man on those,” Chaffee said. “AJ went for it and it worked out.”

NORTH PENN 10 16 16 15 – 57
METHACTON 12 14 14 15 – 55
NP: AJ Mitchell 7 6-6 22, Tali McIver 3 1-1 8, Chris Caputo 2 0-0 5, Mike Chaffee 2 0-0 6, Solomon Robinson 4 1-2 9, Matt Swanson 1 0-0 2, Kolby Barrow 1 0-0 2, Joe Larkins 1 0-0 3. Totals: 21 8-9 57.
M: Brett Eberly 3 1-1 9, Marcus Girardo 3 0-0 7, David Duda 4 1-1 10, Erik Timko 3 0-0 8, Jeff Woodward 9 3-7 21. Totals: 22 4-9 55.
3-pointers: NP – Mitchell 2, Chaffee 2, McIver, Caputo, Larkins; M – Timko 2, Eberly 2, Girardo, Duda.