Carr uses height to East’s advantage on both ends of court

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WEST GOSHEN — Having a 6-foot-9 center on your roster is a luxury at a public high school, the product of geographic fortune. Getting the most out of such length on the court is earned, through game-planning and practice.

West Chester East center Andrew Carr showed both sides of that Saturday night. He did the tall guy stuff that added up to 18 points and 11 rebounds. But Carr’s place as the keystone in the Vikings’ zone defense spelled the difference, getting the top-seeded Vikings into the state tournament via a 57-46 win over No. 8 Penn Wood in the District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals Saturday.

East (20-5) advances to next Wednesday’s semis at Norristown High to face two-time reigning champion Penncrest, which took down No. 5 Rustin in overtime, 58-49. The Vikings also clinched their first states berth since 2002.

Penn Wood (15-9) travels to Rustin for a shot at one of the two playbacks berths.

East won Saturday on the defensive end. It limited Penn Wood to 16 first-half points and 37.5 percent shooting (18-for-48) on the day. The zone defense, oscillating between a 1-3-1 and a 2-3, forced Penn Wood into long-range shots. The Patriots complied by missing their first nine attempts from beyond the arc and going 3-for-18 on the day.

“We know that they want to drive,” Carr said. “We’re going to try and close out, maybe not as hard but try to break down and make sure you stay in front of them as best as possible. And when they come to the lane, you know they’re going to be jumping with you, especially that kind of athletic team. I just try to do my best to stay straight up and absorb the contact the best I can without fouling.”

“It’s real hard,” Penn Wood guard Antonio Campbell said. “If you’ve got a 6-9 player, it’s hard to get into those spaces. They outworked us.”

Add a 31-22 edge on the boards and the Vikings forced a bevy of one-and-done possessions. They led by 15 midway through the third quarter, but Penn Wood had a run in them.

Keyed by Campbell, who scored all 22 of his points in the second half, the Patriots cut it to eight after three quarters when Shad Kyem hit a corner 3-pointer to beat the buzzer.

“My coaches told me to keep shooting,” Campbell said. “That really got into my head, and attacking the gaps is what they told me to do.”

Penn Wood missed opportunities to show the attacking mentality that powered its romp past Academy Park in the first round. It didn’t attack point guard Gibby Trowery despite his three first-half fouls. It gave Carr a reprieve to start the second half despite the big man carrying two personals. And while it caused 19 turnovers, most of the pressure was only a token full-court look that never put the Vikings into discomfort for a sustained stretched.

The deficit was too large for Penn Wood to do anything but tread water. Carr jacked the lead back to 13, but six points from Campbell brought it back to seven early in the fourth. Technical fouls on Penn Wood’s Kennedy Poles and East’s Ben Delaney on consecutive trips brought an already sedate game to an even more deliberate pace, and trading free throws still left East up 10.

Carr added three blocks. Tym Richardson scored 19 points, 10 in the first half, and Brendan Merten added seven points. The Vikings made 31 trips to the line and shot 56.7 percent (17-for-30) from the field.

Getting to states is a monumental achievement for this group. Carr’s stature didn’t guarantee that berth, but their collective work is what did the trick.

“It means everything,” Carr said. “West Chester East has not done that in a really, really long time. It’s a tribute to our guys, a hard-working team. We worked all summer for this, and it’s where we want to be.”

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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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