IV Petit leads Rustin’s romp over Owen J. Roberts

WESTTOWN >> You really cannot play any better in all facets of a basketball game than the host Golden Knights did Friday night in the West Chester Rustin Winter Classic, forcing 18 Owen J. Roberts turnovers and rolling to an impressive 74-39 boys’ basketball win.
West Chester Rustin will now play Souderton Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. for the tournament championship. Souderton defeated Neshaminy 64-59 in the opening game Friday.
Super sophomore IV Petit had a sensational game. scoring a game-high 31 points that included six treys, three steals, six assists and three rebounds. Petit is clearly establishing himself as one of the best players in District 1 and it was his early two steals and layups that helped the Golden Knights (5-2) gain an early 9-2 lead. Bryce Pew also stripped a Wildcat guard and went in for a layup. Owen J. Roberts (4-5) had seven turnovers in the game’s first five minutes.
“We played very tough defense tonight and it was easy from the start,” Petit said. “I really did not look to score. On this team the plays dictate who scores, our defense dictates the scoring, and tonight was my night. Defense is very important here.”
The Golden Knights scored 16 points off Wildcats miscues and led from start to finish in the lopsided affair. West Chester Rustin bolted out to a 43-21 lead at halftime and were in firm control from the outset.The Golden Knights shot a torrid 31-for-47 from the field for the game, 18-for-28 in the first half.
Any thought the Wildcats had of cutting into the Golden Knights’ lead in the third period were dashed by a 10-0 Rustin run midway through the third period. Bryce Pew, who tallied 10 points on the night, slashed to the hole for a 49-23 lead. After a Wildcat miss, Petit took the ball down the floor and drove hard to the basket for a 56-23 Golden Knights’ lead.
West Chester Rustin put four players in double figures – Petit had 31 points, and the trio of Pew, Jacob Barksdale and Kolbe Freney each tallied 10 points.
Owen J. Roberts shot just 11-for-46 from the field for the game and the Wildcats could not get anything going in the second half, much like the first half. James Chobany scored on a follow and then Petit took a nice feed from Pew for a bucket. Owen J. Roberts then turned the ball over again and Petit drove the floor and passed to Barksdale, who scored in tight. It was a 10-0 Rustin run and the Golden Knights had a hammer lock on the game at 69-25 after three periods.
“We used one of our zone press defenses tonight early in the game,” Pew said. “And our offense comes from our defense. Defense is a very big part of our game. We did not let up tonight. We play hard and with passion and we did not let them up tonight. We were not going to let them back in the game tonight.”
Owen J. Roberts was outscored 23-8 in the third period and fell behind by 40 points, putting them into the mercy rule for the entire fourth period. West Chester Rustin coach Keith Cochran mercifully pulled his starters for the fourth period and the Wildcat outscored the Golden Knights 10-7 for the final score of 74-39.
“IV was great tonight for us,” Cochran said. “He is a scorer and a shooter and he shot the ball well tonight. By the time he leaves here he will be a well-oiled machine. But, the game came down to us defending and getting them to turn the ball over. We got out to that early lead because of our defense. It is all about defense here at Rustin and we did a good job of that tonight.”
West Chester Rustin 74, Owen J. Roberts 39
OJ ROBERTS (39): Lucas 4 2-2 10, Hurlock 0 1-2 1, Fanucci 2 0-0 6, Gephart 0 2-4 2, Bolyn 1 0-0 2, Fryer 2 1-2 7, Grossi 1 2-4 4, Johnson 0 2-2 2, Jenkins 1 3-4 5. Totals 11 12-20 39.
WC RUSTIN (74): Petit 12 1-2 31, Pew 5 0-0 10, Freney 4 0-0 10, Reinheimer 1 0-0 3, Chobany 1 0-0 2, Schroup 0 2-2 2,Barksdale 5 0-0 10, Wethey 3 0-0 6. Totals 31 3-3 74.
Owen J. Roberts 5 16 8 10 – 39
West Chester Rustin 23 20 23 7 – 74
3-point goals: WC Rustin – Petit 6, Freney 2, Reinheimer. OJ Roberts – Fanucci 2, Fryer 2.