Hill’s double-OT bucket sends Delco Christian to states
WHITEMARSH — The leads flipped as easily as the chants from both teams in the District One Class A semifinal Wednesday night.
It took two overtimes to decide whom would come back Saturday afternoon to play for a district title and extend its season into the state tournament. With one second remaining, an inbounds pass under the basket to Delco Christian’s Devin Hill halted Christopher Dock’s season with a 52-50 loss.
“It’s easy to come up with a play when you have great players,’ Knights coach Don Davis said. “When you have a player like Devin, you just give him space. It’s the players, not the coaches, that make that play.’
“There is a laundry list of things, and the game had so many swing points,’ Pioneers coach Mike Fergus said. “You can come up with 30 different moments that could have helped the game go the other way.’
The win pushed the Knights record to an even 12-12 after starting 2-10. The group kept their heads up through tough times and it has propelled them to a state berth and one win away from a district championship. When the Pioneers (9-15) pulled out to a six-point lead at halftime, the Knights kept their heads up.
“We started 2-10 and these guys kept fighting and fighting,’ Davis said. “The stuck together and a double overtime game, compared to what they have gone through, was nothing.’
The Knights were nervous when the Pioneers’ Tarrell Willis floated a potential game winner at the end of the first overtime. When the Pioneers needed points, it was their senior to score them. The team’s leading scorer stopped a 9-0 run by the Knights to start the fourth quarter. His six fourth quarter points and two crucial rebounds kept the game alive.
In overtime, senior Brennan Addley added six of his 15 points and his presence was a big reason they were able to knock off second-seeded Plumstead Christian and play much better than their record suggests. Addley missed a large portion of the season with a concussion.
In the end, overtime did not scare the Knights and the Pioneers committed one too many turnovers at the worst of times. The Knights’ Wyatt Harkins led the way with 16 points and Hill overcame early foul trouble to score all but two of his 14 points in the final quarter and overtime.
“Going into the night we were 3-0 in overtime, so we felt pretty confident,’ Davis said. “We have guys that have not played in this environment and they are learning as they go. They have done a pretty good job in the second half of the season.’
