Williams, Arbogast get Penncrest back on track

MIDDLETOWN — Within four seconds Wednesday afternoon, Penncrest guard Marquis Tomlin took the tap from forward Malcolm Williams, charged the lane and earned a trip to the line. That’s four seconds for Penncrest, coming off three straight losses, to get two points and define one goal for the day: Bust a slump and nudge ahead of Garnet Valley, the team it entered one game behind in the Central League standings.

From that first sortie to the basket, the Lions did just that, and ruthlessly so. Near perfect days from Williams and Matt Arbogast helped Penncrest ends its slide with a 59-42 win over the Jags.

Though just one trip up the court, the Lions wasted no time in establishing what they wanted to do. They led 11-4 some 3½ minutes in, with all five starters scoring points. They were up 21-8 after a quarter, led by 11 at the break and never saw their lead trimmed to fewer than nine points the rest of the way.

“Coming off three losses, we knew we had to come out with that energy from the get-go,” guard Isaiah Rice said. “They like to score, they have a potent offense, they’re a high-scoring team, so we knew we had to come out and defend hard and get every loose ball, things like that.”

It didn’t hurt that Penncrest (12-5, 8-3) didn’t seem to miss. The Lions made 12 of their first 15 shots from the field. For Arbogast and Williams, that precision was more than perception.

Williams missed his final shot attempt, bricking a 3-pointer. Before that, he was 7-for-7 from the field for 17 points. Arbogast maintained a spotless record at 7-for-7 for 16 points. Williams added a team-best three steals, while Arbogast pocketed five boards.

“If Malcolm makes his first three shots, it’s going to be a rough game for the opponent,” Arbogast said. “And if he doesn’t make them, we’re there to crash the boards and get rebounds and put it right back up.”

With the big lead in hand, Penncrest worked the clock spectacularly. Long possessions burned time while still yielding points, Rice and Tomlin orchestrating an offense that didn’t rush but moved with urgency when it came time to shift from dribbling on the perimeter to attacking the rim.

Marquis Tomlin for 3. After 1, Penncrest leads GV 21-8. pic.twitter.com/xvAsiQcTNo

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2019

They did so with beautifully scripted offense. When Garnet Valley didn’t get a hand in Williams’ face, he calmly swished several mid-range jumpers. When Jags jumped to create gaps, Rice and Tomlin (with four assists each) rifled passes behind the defense to Arbogast stalking the low block.

“Just trying to control the tempo of the game,” Rice said. “When we’re hot, knowing who to get the ball to and when to run, and then sometimes it’s slowing the game down and run offense.”

Penncrest also disrupted everything that Garnet Valley (12-4, 8-3) tried to do. Williams blanked leading scorer Greg Vlassopoulos out of the game, the senior wing shut out on 0-for-5 shooting. Without his space-creating threat and ability to get to the rim, the Jags were desperately short on offensive solutions.

“When they’re not having a good day, I think you’ve got to try to get them the ball, try to get them going for the team, because Greg’s an important part of this team and we need him to score,” point guard Carl Schaller said. “When he’s not scoring, we need to get him the ball.”

Malcolm Williams the steal and deuce. He has Penncrests last 11 points. 42-27 Lions pic.twitter.com/LxaAJX2tH0

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2019

Schaller led a pedestrian Garnet Valley effort with 14 points. He scored six of the team’s nine points in the third quarter to keep the Jaguars briefly in touch, though Williams scored 11 straight points bridging the halftime interval to help Penncrest pull away. Neel Beniwal scored 10 points, but the Jags’ 6-for-18 shooting from 3-point land wasn’t potent enough to keep up, ending a four-game winning streak.

Rice finished with 10 points for Penncrest, and Tomlin added 11.

Penncrest’s desire to end its streak was more urgent and, as Tomlin and company showed, more immediate.

“It’s a big win,” Arbogast said. “The past three games have been rough, but moving forward, it shows that we can compete with everyone now. And I think we can do something special.”

Also in the Central League:

Ridley 67, Radnor 65 >> Enoch Clark scored 19 points in the second half, then added eight in overtime on the way to 34 points as Ridley prevailed in OT. Nasir Santiago added 11 points, and Jack Grace hit his third 3-pointer of the game in OT for nine points for Ridley (11-5, 6-5).

Jack D’Entremont led Radnor with 23 points, helping the Raiders recoup an 11-point deficit after three quarters. Sean Mullarkey tossed in 15 points, and Lewis Robinson added 14 for Radnor (8-8, 4-7).

Upper Darby 64, Springfield 40 >> Kymir Roper and Mamadou Toure scored 10 points each as Upper Darby posted a first-quarter shutout, 22-0, to take control of the game. Diby Keita added nine points and five steals for the Royals (7-7, 6-5).

Brian Ward scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Cougars (0-17, 0-11).

Haverford 44, Strath Haven 30 >> Danny Roe hit four 3-pointers to tally a team-high 14 points, John Seidman added 10 points and Kevin DePrince chipped in seven for the Fords (9-6, 6-5).

Brady Mutz led Strath Haven (2-15, 2-9) with 15 points.

Conestoga 44, Marple Newtown 41 >> Tommy Gardler led the Tigers with 15 points and eight rebounds, Joe Pettinelli added 11 points and Aziz Khammassi paired nine points with nine rebounds, but Shane Scott hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to spoil the upset bid for the Tigers (4-12, 2-9).

In the Catholic League:

Cardinal O’Hara 92, Conwell-Egan 53 >> Cardinal O’Hara spread the wealth, with 12 players scoring. Adrian Irving led the way with 14 points. Kevin Reeves added 12 points. Solo Bambara, Sean Hutchinson and Tre Dinkins tossed in 11 apiece. The Lions (7-10, 2-7) hit eight 3-pointers.

In nonleague action:

Delco Christian 64, Lincoln Leadership Academy 51 >> Obinna Nwobodo posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jackson Piotrowski scored 23 points to lead the Knights. Jacob Bronkema returned from two games out with 12 points and six boards for the Knights (8-7).