Defense sparks Jenkintown past Calvary Baptist

JENKINTOWN >> The ball grazed the outstretched hand of Frank Sobolewski, redirecting it right to Andres Madden.

Madden took off down the open court and finished it off with a layup in the third quarter Monday afternoon. Madden and Sobolewski, the ball-hawking guards for Jenkintown’s boys’ basketball team, were rolling.

Thanks to their ability to generate steals and the consistency of Colin Mulvaney, the Drakes shook off a slow start and rolled over visiting Calvary Baptist 57-28 in the semifinals of the Robert Hopf Memorial Basketball Tournament.

“We got a lot of pressure on them,” Sobolewski said. “They had ball handlers we could press, so we got up in them and got some turnovers, some fast break points so it was good for us.”

Mulvaney scored 22 on an impressive 10-0f-12 shooting, using his mid-range prowess to keep Jenkintown afloat during its slow start and then later to put the hammer down on the game. Starting slow has been a recurring theme for the Drakes this year, one their coach would love for them to shake.

Some of it’s on the offense as outside of Mulvaney a few of the team’s usual knock-down shooters are slumping. But it’s also a lack of energy to start, at least the way coach Wes Emme sees it. Monday, the Warriors led 11-6 after a quarter with all six Jtown points coming from Mulvaney.
“I don’t what it is or why we do that,” Emme said. “I’ve been here seven years as an assistant and now a head coach and for seven years, we’ve gone through this feeling it out phase. We prepare for a team, show them a scouting report and watch film and it’s always like, ‘we’ll see.’ But testament to them, they played through it.”
Calvary started the game well, with five different players accounting for the first 16 points. With big man Donald Miller manning the middle, it was tough for Jenkintown’s interior players and guards to score inside. Hence, Mulvaney kept using his midrange shot and touch around the hoop to compile the first eight Drake points.

After the Warriors took a 16-12 lead and with Jenkintown’s other players coming to life, the defense turned the game around. Sobolewski found an area to exploit and took it as he generated three steals that kicked off a 10-0 Jenkintown run.

“When they hard dribbled, we could trap,” Sobolewski said. “It was good that we trapped them because we could get turnovers. I could feed (Madden) the ball off the turnovers, we play in tandem so it’s all good for us.”

The senior started it off with a 3-pointer on a Carl Robinson assist, then it was Madden dishing to Mike DiValentino for a layup. Madden got on the board when Sobolewski set him up then Sobolewski closed the spurt by feeding Ryan Kremp for a 3-pointer in the corner.

With 1:26 left in the half, Sobolewski slipped around Miller, who had just ripped down a rebound, plucked the ball free, laid it in through contact and hit the foul shot. Mulvaney picked up from there, scoring the last five points of the quarter as Jenkintown closed out on an 8-0 run.

In all, the Drakes had scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the second to take a 30-18 lead into the half.

“(Madden and Sobolewski) are two of our better defenders and Andres and Frank are two very good shooters who have struggled from the 3-point line,” Emme said. “Getting to the basket like that and creating offense from your defense like that is a great way to get yourself going. That’s a great job by them continuing to defend despite not making shots.”

Jenkintown didn’t slow down a tick to open up the third quarter, scoring the first nine points of the second half. Taking a cue from his backcourt partner, Madden was the energizer after the break, scoring seven of the nine and recording three of his five steals in the period.

The Warriors were done in by their turnover problems, committing 23 in the game, but a crippling 10 in the second quarter and five more in the third.

Miller stemmed the bleeding with a three-point play. The senior only had five points and didn’t shoot well at the foul line, but he did have 10 rebounds and deterred a couple of Drakes shots.

“Donald Miller is a good player, I like him a lot,” Emme said. “He takes up a lot of space so getting to the basket is difficult. When we got to the basket, they did a good job of protecting the painted area so we had to create drive-and-kick opportunities or play in the high post.”

Michale Vandame paced Calvary with seven points while Matt Fairchild tied Miller with five points.

Mulvaney again played the role of closer in the third, hitting all four of his shots and scoring nine points in the final 4:02 to help Jenkintown take a 50-24 lead into the last quarter. Sobolewski said when Mulvaney is able to hit shots early, it helps space the offense and gets the other players looks inside, which help them see the ball go in and shoot better.

“His midrange game is one of his best assets,” Emme said. “Wherever he goes and plays in college, they’re getting a tremendous in-between player which is something you develop over time. It’s a thing you work on and he’s a guy that spends a lot of time in the gym when no one is watching.”

Calvary Baptist faces Franklin Towne Charter in a consolation game tomorrow while the Drakes face Upper Moreland, a 63-33 winner over Charter, for the championship. The Golden Bears are off to a terrific 7-2 start and both Emme and Sobolewski said containing their shooters is the main priority.

“They shoot the ball extremely well and they have been all year,” Emme said. “The good thing is we are familiar with them personnel-wise and their system from playing them in the offseason. They have talented players and talented shooters so we’re going to have to really defend the 3-point line and rebound to be successful.”