‘West way’ easily cruises past Upper Darby

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DOYLESTOWN — As the clock ticked under a minute Friday night, Central Bucks West’s reserves had no intention of shooting. But still, as the 14th-seeded Bucks passed around the perimeter, one player after another dove to the basket, cutting crisply as though the ball could be inbounded any second.

“That’s just the West way,” starting forward Jess Broskey, having long since retreated to the bench, said.

CB West had its way Friday, knocking off No. 19 Upper Darby with a clinical display, 75-38, in the first round of the District 1 Class 6A girls basketball tournament.

With a marked height advantage across the board, a one-to-eight rotation of players capable of hitting jumpers and putting the ball on the floor and a shooting stroke that totaled eight made 3-pointers, the Bucks made sure Upper Darby’s first districts berths since 2011 would be a short one. The Bucks led 19-5 after one quarter and never looked back, keeping the game at a pace that even an Upper Darby side that likes to play fast couldn’t keep up with.

“We finally pulled it together,” said Broskey, who scored 14 points to go with 10 rebounds. “Our season was full of ups and downs, but we knew going into the postseason, we wanted to pull together. That’s the West way. We don’t want to give up, we want to hustle, we push each other.”

To its credit, Upper Darby (13-10) tried to make adjustments. The Royals struggled through a rough first half trailing 32-14, with just two field goals in the opening 16 minutes. Both came from Jasmine Forrester, who had 11 first-half points.

But out of the break, the Royals surpassed their first-half field-goal tally within three minutes, running out to an 11-9 edge.

It’s a small victory, but for a young team blazing a new postseason path, it was something.

“In the first half when we were struggling, we were kind of getting on ourselves,” said Gabby Liberio, who scored seven points, including two baskets in the half-opening run. “At halftime, we were talking like, we need to stay positive, we need to keep our energy and increase it actually. And then also not to hang our heads because that’s just going to hurt us even more.”

“Obviously we weren’t playing really good defense, so we said to come out with energy and stay positive and don’t let them get in your head because they were playing dirty,” Forrester said. “All of us came together and as a team, you saw the energy after halftime.”

The momentum ground to a halt when forward Hannah Asaka crumpled to the ground grabbing her leg. With five first-half boards, she was one of the few defenses against a rebounding onslaught, and her departure accelerated it.

The Bucks (15-8) held a 33-11 edge on the boards in the first half and 58-27 for the game. They attempted 72 field goals, 30 more than the Royals.

Paige Gilbert led the way with 13 rebounds to go with six points. Izzy Treon had 15 points and six rebounds, and Maddie Burke added 11 points and six boards. The 75 points is season-high for the Bucks, who advance to take on No. 3 Abington next Tuesday.

One positive from the first half was the Royals’ limiting Burke, who had as many points as fouls (three). But West adapted.

“She’s probably one of the best players in the league, and when she gets in foul trouble, everyone knows we have to step up,” Broskey said of Burke. “We know it’s playoff season and we all have to step up. I just knew we were all feeling it today and we’re so happy.”

Upper Darby didn’t always help its case, like a foul on Olivia Irons as she heaved a 60-foot buzzer-beating attempt to end the first quarter, giving the guard three free points at the line.

Then there’s that CB West way, which involved 19 assists on 28 baskets. Treon led the way with five dimes, Emily Spratt added four to go with five points and five boards, and Gilbert chipped in three. Seven Bucks registered an assist in a stellar example of ball-sharing.

Forrester finished with a team-high 16 points, though she was 3-for-17 from the field. For the junior transfer from Lower Merion, Friday’s defeat is a step in the Royals’ progression. It’s also the place where preparation for next year begins.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I expected us to get here for a reason. I’m really not so surprised, but I wanted us to experience going to districts.”

“We’re used to play against the teams in the Central League and we knew where we could get this year in the Central League,” Liberio said. “But never being to districts before with this team, it was obviously different coming into a different league. So really saw the different type of talent, the different type of play, and I think we’ll be ready next year.”

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Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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