Colonials ride defense to historic season
WHITEMARSH >> It was Jan. 12 and the Plymouth Whitemarsh boys basketball team was undefeated. They were 13-0 and just demolished Suburban One League American Conference rival Norristown — in the Eagles own gym — by 20 points.
Senior guard Xzavier Malone was asked about if his team has any deficiencies and what it could do to play even better.
“I think our defensive intensity and precision on defense could improve,” the tri-captain said. “Especially me individually. Defense wins games. There is always room to improve in every aspect of the game, but I feel like defense is the most important part.”
The defense certainly has stepped up since that cold snowy night, allowing 45.9 points-per-game (compared to 50.5 before) while going 12-2.
Even better than that was the defense in the District One Class AAAA playoffs.
The Colonials went 5-0 en route to their sixth district championship and first since 1998. They surrendered 46.4 points-per-game, which is especially impressive considering they were facing the best teams in the district, including pedal-to-the-metal squads like Academy Park and Chester.
“From (the Norristown game) I think we actually got tougher mentally and physically,” Malone said last week. “Some games we’ve actually let the other teams think they got the best of us, but since then I think we’ve have gotten tougher and have been holding our ground.”
They kicked off the postseason by holding Radnor to just 36 points. That was followed by a 60-56 win over Academy Park.
In the quarterfinals, PW avenged one of its two losses against Central Bucks West, 43-41. When the game was in doubt, it was the defense that came through. The Colonials surrendered just 15 second-half points to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a two-point victory.
PW went on to win its semifinal game, 53-42, over Lower Merion. They forced 18 turnovers against the Aces and allowed just two points over the final five minutes of the game.
“I think what makes us good is we have some serious on-ball defenders,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said after that win. “When you hold C.B. West to 15 points in a half, that’s serious business. I’ve done this long enough to watch the great Chester teams over the years win the district, and when they’ve done it, it literally is a lockdown mentality.”
The Colonials saved their best defensive performance for when it mattered the most — the district championship game. They forced 30 turnovers in a 68-57 win over Chester. In the final quarter, they held the perennial district powerhouse to just nine points.
It has been a total team effort for PW on defense. Malone and classmate guards Oakley Spencer and Kevin Ashenfelter play the halfcourt trap almost perfectly with fellow seniors Mike Lotito and Davon Burrell providing support from the second level.
Sophomore twin brothers Ahmin and Ahmad Williams come off the bench and bring all-out effort every possession with their on-ball defense.
Even freshman Naheem McLeod — a 6-foot-9 center who did not play many meaningful minutes this season — made an impact in the championship game. He came in when Lotito got in foul trouble and kept Chester’s three players over 6-foot-7 in check and even drew an offensive foul while jockeying for position under his own basket.
“Defensively,” Donofrio said, “what I saw from late in the regular season until now, it’s going to give us a chance in every game — I don’t care what you say. C.B. West is a heck of a team — 15 points in a half. when you start doing stuff like that — you got teams in the 30s and 40s and these are the top teams in the district.”
The Colonials rode their defense to a district title and will try to keep the momentum going when states start Saturday.
