Westtown tops Episcopal to win 2nd straight state championship
MALVERN >> After scoring 25 points in Westtown’s 64-49 victory against Episcopal Academy in the Pa. Independent Schools Athletic Association boys’ basketball championship game Saturday evening at Malvern Prep, senior Brandon Randolph reflected on his team’s second consecutive PAISAA title as well as the final game of his illustrious high school career.
“When the [final] buzzer sounded, it was crazy,” said Randolph. “I was thinking how we made history, we won it again, and it was great to see how much all of [our teammates] had grown during my time here.”
Senior teammate Anthony Ochefu added, “This championship meant so much, winning it back-to-back with this group of seniors, and seeing how far we have come [in the last few years].”
Episcopal Academy (18-11) proved a tough foe for Westtown 32-2) in the final, and the Churchmen took a 32-30 lead with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
“I wasn’t surprised [that EA was leading],” said Westtown head coach Seth Berger. “We couldn’t run [at that point] — EA’s transition game was awesome and they were very patient on offense. EA is a talented and well-coached team. But then our talent took over, and [our players] turned it on.”
The talented Westtown squad responded with a 23-4 run that gave the Moose a 53-36 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Westtown, with a roster stacked with talented Division I level players, has been drawing large crowds as of late, and Saturday evening at Malvern Prep was no exception. Once the gym was filled to capacity, would-be attendees had to be turned away.
Those lucky enough to get inside saw Westtown jump out to a 10-2 lead, punctuated by a Randolph steal and dunk. Westtown had a noticeable size advantage on EA, and in the first quarter, Randolph and teammate Mohamed Bamba kept working their way inside for scores, and the two of them combined for seven field goals in the first quarter.
But EA held its own in the opening stanza, getting a pair of treys from freshman Jack Fitzpatrick, one just before the buzzer, cutting Westtown’s lead to 18-10. In the second quarter, EA got two more 3-point field goals, this time from Nick Alikakos and Jack O’Connell, as Westtown held a small 28-22 advantage at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Fitzpatrick knocked down two more treys, and with 5:14 to go in the period, the score was tied at 30-30. Following an unsuccessful Westtown shot, EA senior Conner Delaney converted a layup in transition, and the Churchmen had their first (and only) lead of the night, 32-30.
“We were struggling when EA kept hitting those threes,” said Randolph. “But at halftime, Coach [Berger] said, ‘We expected this,’ and I thought we did [better] defensively in the second half.”
“I think our defense was the key [to the 23-4 run],” said Ochefu. “We started to [utilize] our length defensively.”
One of the keys to Westtown’s subsequent 23-4 run was junior Cam Reddish, who had been held scoreless to that point. His first score came with the Moose holding a slim 35-34 lead — he swept inside to grab an offensive rebound and dropped the ball in the basket while getting fouled — and made the free throw.
With Westtown leading 41-36 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Reddish worked his way inside, was fouled, and made both free throws; then a few seconds later nailed a trey from the left side to make it 46-36.
“We became more focused on our defense in the second half, kept our composure,” said Randolph. “There were a lot of people who wanted to see an upset [by EA].”
Following a missed EA free throw, Randolph drove in for a score, then Bamba scored on a tap-in, and Randolph got free a few seconds later for an open jumper which he converted and, suddenly, Westtown had a 53-36 lead.
Berger said, “Every year is its own adventure, and every team I’ve had here is unique [to me]. This morning, I was just as nervous before the game as I was last year [when we won the title].”
This was EA’s first time in the PAISAA finals, and after the game Episcopal head coach Craig Conlin said, “I’m really proud of all of our guys, top to bottom. They played as hard as they could tonight, and they played with grit as passion all season.
“[When EA led] we expected it. Our kids have put in the time and training this whole season.”
