Plymouth Whitemarsh ignites, downs Northeastern

Fort Washington — The Plymouth Whitemarsh boys basketball team got hot near the end of the first half and carried the momentum through the entire third and fourth quarters to knock off Northeastern in the first round of the PIAA Class-AAAA state playoffs at Upper Dublin High School Saturday afternoon, 71-46.

They didn’t need it often, but whenever the Colonials needed a spark, their two senior guards came through.

The teams were tied at 21 late in the second quarter. PW’s Jimmy Murray hit a three-pointer and Andre Mitchell hit another the next trip down the floor. Northeastern tallied a basket before the whistle to make it a 27-23 contest at the half.

“It was two quick big buckets — two threes at that — get you a quick six-point lead,’ Murray said.

The Colonials came out of the break with a 7-0 run, keyed by a no-look assist and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions by Xzavier Malone.

PW’s lead ballooned to 15 by the middle of the third, but the Bobcats still had some fight left.

Late in the quarter, Kobi Nwandu made a basket and Donovan Maxfield hit a shot from beyond the arc to cut the lead to 10.

Then PW’s senior guards showed up again.

Murray and Mitchell both made threes — Mitchell’s coming as time expired — to extend the lead to 16 and make a comeback look that much more difficult for the Bobcats.

“That will really help,’ Murray said. “It opened (the game) up.’