Downingtown East finally gets over hump vs. Downingtown West
LIONVILLE >> For the first time in the last six boys basketball games they have played against each other, Downingtown East got the best of crosstown rival Downingtown West, thanks to a suffocating zone trap defense that threw West off its game, as the host Cougars went on to a convincing 44-34 Ches-Mont National Division win Thursday night.
[PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE BOYS AND GIRLS GAMES BETWEEN DOWNINGTOWN EAST AND WEST]
Downingtown West (0-1 Ches-Mont, 1-2 overall) jumped out to a 9-1 lead, but then the Cougars (1-0, 4-0) switched from man-to-man to zone, and the Whippets struggled to find the gaps, allowing the Cougars to take control, outscoring the Whippets 14-5 in the second quarter and taking a 19-16 halftime edge.
“I mean our defense really came together for us tonight,” Downingtown East coach John Goodman said. “We have played well for one or two quarters so far this year but tonight, after getting behind 9-1 early, we really put things together, especially defensively. And give West credit. They played good defense too. We scored just enough points to win.”
The teams battled throughout the third period at a hectic pace as the Cougars’ superlative point guard Malik Slay, who led all scorers with 17 points, ran the show for East. Slay fed freshman Andrew King, who threw down a monster slam, sending the crowd into hysteria, and East had a 27-20 lead with 2:32 left in the third period. But West would not go away. Matt Carson drained a three-ball to make it a 29-25 game late in the third period. Carson led West with 11 points, including three treys.
However West struggled to handle Slay all night. The Cougar point guard slashed to the hole at the end of the quarter for a 31-27 East lead, and West never recovered. The point guard talked about what beating the Whippets meant to his team.
“We did this for our coaches because of all the time and work they put in,” Slay said. “It is a great feeling to beat these guys because it has been two and a half years since we did that. Our defense really picked things up tonight. Our zone got them out of what they wanted to do and sped them up a little. Our offense was okay but our defense won this game. We are motivated because we know no one thinks we can compete with the top teams in the league like Coatesville. That is what keeps us going and working hard.”
Downingtown West started to implode in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over five times. The Whippets also shot a frigid three for 14 in the fourth, as East outscored the Whippets, 13-7. Slay got things started right away for East as he buried a jumper to make it 33-27 right at the outset of the period.
A Whippet turnover led to a Jarred Desrocher run out and layup and a 36-27 Cougar lead. West brought the ball up the floor and turned it over again, leading to another Desrocher bucket. Carson scored in tight for the Whippets to cut the deficit to single digits, but West would not get any closer the rest of the game.
Desrocher and Slay scored back-to-back baskets to put the game out of reach. East scored six fourth period points off Whippets turnovers and West shot just 12 for 44 on the night. Also, the Cougar zone defense took away Whippet big man George Gordon, who scored 10 points, but only four in the second half. The win keeps the Cougars undefeated going into Saturday’s game with Motivation Academy.
“We have been working since September 15 to win this game against West,” said East center Ryan Cahill, who had seven rebounds and five points. “And we really did it with our defense. We did not allow George to score in the middle. We really picked up the intensity on the defensive end and to beat these guys finally is a big thrill.”
Downingtown East 44, Downingtown West 34
DOWNINGTOWN WEST: Gordon 5 0-0 10, Carson 4 0-1 11, Howard 1 5-6 7, Barton 1 0-0 2, Lattanzi 0 2-2 2, Lewis 0 0-0 0, White 0 0-0 0, Reardon 0 0-0 0, McAvoy 0 0-0 0, Kaiser 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 7-9 34.
DOWNINGTOWN EAST: Slay 7 3-5 17, Desrocher 4 0-1 9, King 3 2-2 8, Mujica 0 2-2 2, Cahill 2 -12 5, Montgomery 1 0-0 3, Hernandez 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-12 44.
Downingtown West 11 5 11 7-34
Downingtown East 5 14 12 13-44
3-point goals: Carson 3, Montgomery, Desrocher.
