Lineup change sparks Cheltenham past Upper Dublin

UPPER DUBLIN >> A good basketball coach knows when to listen to their assistants.

A former assistant coach himself, Cheltenham boys basketball coach Patrick Fleury got some insight from assistants Chris Pender and Tai Crutchfield at the end of the first quarter Tuesday night and went with it. With Pender and Crutchfield telling him the Panthers needed more pace on the floor, Fleury went with a five-guard lineup and it turned the game around.

Spurred by that group, the Panthers went on an 11-0 run to take the lead then never gave it back as they topped host Upper Dublin 57-42.

“They’re big on pace and when they make that suggestion, they’re both talented people who see the game from a different perspective, I’m going to take it,” Fleury said. “We needed a jumpstart and pace is what we were looking to create with that lineup.”

Cheltenham (11-5, 8-1 SOL American) found itself needing a jolt of pace because Upper Dublin (10-6, 4-5 SOL American) had started so well. The Cardinals, who lost for just the second time at home this season, looked a step faster as the more aggressive team over the first eight minutes.

Upper Dublin jumped out to a 7-4 lead and held a 16-10 advantage at the end of the frame after Mike Slivka was fouled on a three and hit two of his attempts at the line. Cheltenham shot 3-of-11 in the opening quarter but it was the team’s defense that left the coaches wanting more.

“We couldn’t let those guys continue to feel the energy they started off the game with,” Panthers point guard Zahree Harrison said. “We came out flat, and I feel like we do that too much and it can haunt us later in the season. We don’t need to be doing that.”

Cheltenham opened the second with Harrison leading the quartet of Jaelen McGlone, Mike McClain, Sean Emfinger and Brandon Scott.

“Coach Tai and Coach Chris, they have a lot of faith in the guys and we were somewhat dead, so we had to go with it,” Fleury said. “It’s tough with us, we’re so jam-packed with guards. That’s the tough part for me, figuring out which ones work best in each setting.”

Fleury pointed out Scott in particular. A starter earlier in the season, the junior picked up an injury that left him out for a few games and by the time he came back, those minutes had been filled by the logjam at his position.

Scott has continued to work hard and Fleury said he’s still trying to find ways to get the athletic 6-foot guard a bigger role. On Tuesday, Scott’s defense was a key part of the 11-0 run Cheltenham engineered even without him scoring a point.

“He’s a big part and he’s going to be a big part moving forward,” Fleury said. “He’s one of our unsung heroes. My challenge is to work him back in because he gives us a dynamic we need. It doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Harrison started the run with two drives to the rim finished with tough layups over UD defenders. He and McClain combined for all 11 points, but it was truly a group effort between all five Panthers to keep the spurt going.

Defensively, the group gave up some size but they were able to use their athleticism productively, didn’t gamble and applied double-teams at just the right time. A Cardinals turnover led to Harrison splashing a 3-pointer in transition, putting the Panthers up 19-16 and forcing UD into a timeout.

“Threes and dunks are momentum plays so that was just building off the layups and steals,” Harrison said. “That three, I think put us over the top.”

Harrison, who tied with Tim Myarick for a game-high 17 points, found McClain to cap the run with 4:09 left in the quarter to put Cheltenham up 21-16, giving the Panthers a lead they wouldn’t give up. While the 11 straight points were nice, the number Cheltenham was happier about was the zero.

“Coach is always stressing about defense, he wanted us to pick up the speed and get out in transition because that’s where we’re at our best,” Harrison said. “It showed in the second quarter.”

Harrison fed Kyin Healey for a dunk to end the first half with a 28-21 lead and cap an 18-5 second quarter for the Panthers. After taking Cheltenham’s big shot to start the second, Upper Dublin hung around the rest of the way but couldn’t cut the lead any closer than five points.

Drew Stover, who led UD with 12 points, scored six straight to open the fourth and got the hosts within 43-38 with 6:01 to go. Harrison came back with two free throws, then McGlone found Myarick in the corner for three to put the lead back to double digits.

“We see change in Upper Dublin, they’re a lot more aggressive than they have been in the past,” Fleury said. “For them, it’s only a matter of time before they start progressing within the league.”

Myarick scored 11 of his 17 after halftime and hit a second fourth quarter three following a Corby Watkins hoop to give Cheltenham a 51-40 lead. That shot kicked off a 7-0 spurt, with Harrison getting a putback and McGlone laying a basket off an backcourt steal, to all but ice the outcome.

“We needed to get our confidence back,” Harrison said. “We feel like we can compete with anybody, so that loss to Abington (last week), it hurt but we know we’re going to see them again. Even if we’re not scoring the ball, we can always play defense.”

Cheltenham travels to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday as the Panthers try to sweep the regular season series with the Colonials. PW would like a win to force a tie for second in the SOL American behind Abington with both teams yet to play the Galloping Ghosts a second time.

“It’s another challenge we have to try and conquer, this is the second quarter of our season so trying to finish out strong is the biggest thing for us,” Fleury said. “At 11-5, we’re not guaranteed anything. It’s a good feat right now but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not where we want to be.”

CHELTENHAM 10 18 15 14 – 57
UPPER DUBLIN 16 5 11 10 – 42
Cheltenham: Zahree Harrison 5 5-7 17, Tim Myarick 6 2-4 17, Jaelen McGlone 2 2-2 7, Kyin Healey 4 2-5 10, Mike McClain 2 0-0 4, Elijah Harvey 1 0-0 2. Nonscoring: Jalen Mickens, Sean Emfinger, Brandon Scott, Justin Moore, Travis Coleman. Totals: 20 11-17 57.
Upper Dublin: Drew Stover 4 4-6 12, Micah Bootman 2 1-2 5, Jason Williams 2 1-2 7, Bazel Brady 2 0-0 5, Brian Klammer 2 0-0 4, Mike Slivka 1 2-3 4, Corby Watkins 2 0-0 4, Liam Roberts 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 9-15 42.
3-pointers: C – Myarick 3, Harrison 2, McGlone; UD – Williams 2, Brady.