Penncrest makes sure Doyle’s 200th win is smooth and easy

MIDDLETOWN >> It takes about 30 seconds after the coy, “you shouldn’t have” smile and silver balloons spelling out “200” recede into the distance for Mike Doyle to turn the conversation away from himself.

As the Penncrest coach recounts all the figures that led to the 199 wins before Tuesday’s 56-26 pasting of Ridley, the discussion meanders away from the coach’s contributions. It veers toward players and assistant coaches he’s been fortunate to work with. It ambles toward what Doyle calls his “classical training” as a coach, a path studded by notable mentors — Buddy Gardler at Cardinal O’Hara, Herb Magee at Philadelphia University, Jim Boyle and Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s.

And finally, Doyle finds himself at the point he really wants to sink his teeth into: How good was his team’s defense today, especially Justin Heidig?

“He was gold,” Doyle said, squarely rooted in his post-game wheelhouse. “He was unbelievable. He has really stuck with it and we were just waiting. I believed in him and knew he was ready for a breakout game.”

Nice as the photo op was, Doyle is always more heartened by talk of his team, not his coaching. So it was Tuesday, with the way his team dominated Ridley, holding them to 10 second-half points in a display of execution that had blinked on and off in alternating wins and losses the last two weeks. But Tuesday, Penncrest (14-2, 9-2 Central) assembled all the elements it knows it’s capable of, the ones that powered 11 straight wins to start the season.

The defense, led by seven steals from Heidig, caused 19 turnovers and allowed just 10 Ridley field goals, none in the first 6:22 of the second half to set the stage for a decisive 13-2 run.

The offense ran smoothly, even with Tyler Norwood limited to a pedestrian 14 points. That was again thanks to Heidig, who dished six assists and keyed big days for Matt Arbogast (15 points) and Chris Mills (seven points). Heidig also scored five points and grabbed five rebounds in an all-around stellar outing.

“They find open space and they know when it’s coming,” Heidig said of the bigs. “They always are looking for the ball and they’re ready to score every time. It makes my job easier.”

“We just do our thing,” Arbogast said. “We get open space when they’re all on top of Ty, so we just move to open space and make our layups.”

Isaiah Rice from Matt Arbogast. Penncrest up 20-16. pic.twitter.com/sglwwzlFer

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2018

So clinical was the Penncrest offense that it shot 22-for-38 (57.9 percent) from the field and hit three of five looks from 3-point range. Norwood, who labored through a banged up shoulder, missed nine of 14 shots; the rest of the team combined to miss just seven as nine Lions scored.

No such continuity materialized for Ridley (6-11, 3-8), which has won just one of seven. The Green Raiders succeeded early with a full-court 1-2-2 press off of made baskets.

But after buckets on their first two trips, they waited until the final possession of the first quarter for their next points.

Jack Grace (nine points) kept Ridley afloat with two second-quarter 3-pointers, and Kyree Capers scored six first-half points. But with Malachi Williams unusually prone to turnovers and Enoch Clark muted to six points, coach Kevin Kelly turned to the deep reserves early in the fourth quarter looking for a spark.

That left little to spoil Doyle’s day. The reigning District 1 Class 5A champions have experienced some notable celebrating in the last year, and with lofty hopes for this postseason, it may not be the last time. Tuesday’s brief festivities were of a different ilk, though.

“He’s a great coach and a great guy,” Heidig said of Doyle. “He treats us like sons, like we’re one of his own. I wouldn’t want to be coached by anyone else. It means a lot to us as a team, and it shows how much we gel together as a team.”

“I appreciate everything that everyone did,” Doyle said. “I’m a little surprised, a little taken aback, but I think at the end of the season or when we’re a little bit older we’ll look back and say what a big moment it is.”

Perhaps the biggest through line in Doyle’s tenure is the family aspect — from cohorts of players spending years growing together to a special contingent several seasons ago that included Doyle’s son, Mike. He sets aside the bashfulness to declare with pride that over the Thanksgiving holiday, 42 of the 51 basketball players he’s graduated reunited for pickup games.

So when Doyle was beseeched by a group of fourth- and fifth-graders for autographs on commemorative “Doyle 200” signs, he was happy to oblige, with a string attached.

“I signed it, ‘Get me No. 300,’” he said. “And they were like, ‘We will; we’re going to get you 300.’ It wasn’t easy at first, but when you build a culture like we did here …,” he paused, before adding, “I feel really fortunate.”

Also in the Central League:

Garnet Valley 92, Radnor 62 >> The Jaguars’ high-powered offense churned out a third 90-point game of the season. They were led by 26 points from Austin Laughlin. Connor O’Brien added 20 points and seven assists, while Greg Vlassopoulos tossed in 20 for the Jaguars (12-4, 8-3).

Lewis Robinson led Radnor (2-12, 0-10) with 16 points.

Upper Darby 71, Harriton 64 >> It took 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Royals to pull away. Magd Abdelwahab led the way with 28 points. Mamadou Toure contributed 15 for the Royals (13-3, 8-3).

Marple Newtown 40, Haverford 34 >> Mike May scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth, and Tommy Gardler added 12 points. Matt Peel paired 12 four points with 12 rebounds for the Tigers (8-8, 5-6).

Matt Gillen led Haverford (6-9, 4-7) with 13 points, and JT Smyth chipped in 11.

Lower Merion 77, Springfield 69 >> Mike Webb scored a game-high 29 points, and Ja’den McKenzie (12 points, seven rebounds) and Keivn Deal (nine points, seven boards) flirted with double-doubles. But Springfield (6-9, 6-5) fell thanks to 27 points from Jack Forrest and 23 from Steve Payne.

Conestoga 60, Strath Haven 53 >> Cooper Driscoll scored 17 points and Ryan Morris added 16, but the Panthers (7-8, 4-7) dropped a third straight game.