Owen J. Roberts outlasts Boyertown despite Kapp reaching 1,000-point milestone

POTTSTOWN >> The season has been tough for both Boyertown and Owen J. Roberts, and Friday night they took out their frustrations on each other, going at it like it was the playoffs.

The host Wildcats prevailed, 61-57, holding off a late Boyertown surge led by terrific junior guard Jerry Kapp, who reached the coveted 1,000 career point mark and nearly Kapped the night perfectly. Kapp hit two three-pointers in the final minute to narrow the margins to three and two, but responsive free throws both times by OJR’s Bobby Walker, who hit 10-for-10 from the foul line, assured the Wildcats of a gratifying Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division victory.

OJR is now 2-6 in the Liberty Division (4-7 PAC) and 8-10 overall, while Boyertown fell to 1-7 (2-9 PAC) and 5-15 overall. It was a hard-earned triumph for the Wildcats, who did it with defense primarily, throwing a mix of half-court zone and man at the Bears in the first half while trying to limit the athletic and versatile Kapp. It worked for a while; he scored just three in the first half, all on free throws, and sat out the last four-plus minutes of the half with two fouls.

But he came back with a fury in the second half, getting going with several nice drives to the hoop. Kapp had 17 in the second half, and the Bears were supportive with junior Zach Benning hitting six 3-pointers, scoring 19, and junior forward Marcus Thomas adding 14 points.

It just wasn’t enough as OJR got a big inside game from 6-4 junior Dawson Stuart (18) and plenty of other contributions on both ends of the floor, starting defensively.

“Obviously Jerry’s a great player,” OJR coach Kevin Kirby said. “I can’t say enough of the job Jake Umstead did on him. He and Justin Cervi had him for the most part, and made him take some tough shots.

“We were talking about needing a better defensive effort tonight. They ended up with 57, which was a little misleading. We’ve given up more points than I like this season (54.2 average). I’m old school, but we played well defensively tonight.”

Kapp, averaging over 22 points for the season, got his first field goal with 5:29 left in the third quarter on a drive. He followed that with a fast-break bucket less than 20 seconds later. His 1,000th point came on a free throw with 3:04 left in the third. The game was stopped and he was presented the commemorative ball, getting a picture with his parents while the Boyertown student section flashed their “1,000” signs.

“I want to thank my family, coaches and teammates for giving me great support,” Kapp said. “All the things they’ve done helped me so much to get to this point.”

Benning made four 3s in the first half, scoring half the Bears’ first-half points as they trailed 29-24 at the break. OJR’s combination of three-quarter-court press and zone/man when in half-court sets stymied Boyertown in the first half. Kapp got only three shots from the field. The Wildcats turned the Bears over numerous times and controlled the pace of the game to that point. Kirby noted how OJR guard Sean Praweckyj excels as a passer in the transition game, and he did so the first half as the Wildcats cashed in some Bear miscues.

Dawson did plenty of damage in the third quarter, answering Kapp’s points with an interior barrage. Kapp’s conventional three-point play brought Boyertown within seven, 44-37, heading for the stretch.

“We figured we could use our size advantage and put some points up on them,” said Stuart, who got bang-up help on the boards from forward Justin Bailey. “The contribution overall was fantastic.”

Bailey got a free throw after securing an offensive rebound, then another bucket in the paint, giving OJR a six-point lead in the early fourth. Cervi’s three-point play kept some cushion, which was important when Kapp and Benning kept the Bears in it in the final minutes.

Walker’s free throws preserved a win the Wildcats dearly wanted.

“It feels good, and the way we did it, too,” Walker said. “With guys coming off the bench, too. They work hard in practice, and it’s good to see them succeed.”