Whippets race past Pottsgrove for 2-0 start

Downingtown– On Saturday night, Downingtown West’s boys basketball team showcased their stout defense, and lethal transition offense, as they blew out Pottsgrove, 59-29.

The Whippets (2-0) pounced on the Falcons (1-1) from the very beginning. After winning the tip. Trevor Kleese connected with his streaking teammate Ryan Betley for an easy left-handed layup. It was their goal to get off to a strong start, and did they ever. Downingtown West open the game on an 18-3 run.

“It was really important to get off to a good start, Whippets’ center Josh Warren said. “Energy is a big thing for us. If we can get out strong, and can keep it going, that is huge.’

Warren led the team with 15 points. He along with Betley had a lot of success running the floor, and capitalized on the open looks they received.

“We shared the ball really well,’ Betley said. “We looked for each other, and got out on the fast break, and we were able to get easy shots.’

Warren did an excellent job taking high percentage shots. He finished the evening shooting 7-11 from the field.

“We all just played our roles tonight. The big guys rebounded the ball well, the guards did a great job passing, and it worked out for us,’ Warren said.

It was not just Downingtown West’s offense that played well, there defense was absolutely stellar. In the first half the visitors shot a meager 4-27 from the field, and kept the Falcons scoreless for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

“They (Pottsgrove) had a tough time making shots tonight. They are not a bad team,’ said West’s coach Jason Ritter said. “They are a good team, they showed that last night when they won. I have been on that side before.’

While the matchup was a blowout from the start, there are two things Ritter’s team can take from this game, their strong free throw shooting, and their depth.

Entering the fourth quarter the home team was perfect from the charity stripe. In all they shot 11-16 from the foul line.

With a smile on his face, Ritter explained the reason for the excellent free-throw shooting.

“Every practice we work on it. When they miss foul shots, we run. This kids really do not like to run, so they are getting better on the line,’ Ritter said.

The other impressive statistic was nine different players scored for the Whippets. They showed just how deep their bench is.

“We shared the ball well. We have a lot of guys who can score. We have a lot of guys who are in the rotation. It keeps them fresh all game, and they have their legs with them, and the shots fall when they have chances.

Downingtown West will face a much tougher task on Tuesday when they go on the road to play West Chester Rustin at 7:30 p.m.