Emfinger rises to occasion as Cheltenham fends off Coatesville
CHESTER >> Sean Emfinger packed a game’s worth of material into the fourth quarter Monday night.
Cheltenham needed every bit of the senior forward’s activity, which included a thunderous dunk, a 3-pointer, three steals and a blocked 3-point shot, to hold its lead against Coatesville in front of an engaged crowd at Widener. Emfinger is just one member of a Panthers senior class looking to go out with a big run, so Saturday was a chance to pick up a marquee win.
Behind Emfinger’s breakout game, Cheltneham warded off Coatesville 63-56 as part of the Pete and Jameer Nelson Play By Play Classic.
“That’s probably the best game of my career so far,” Emfinger, who was named the Panthers’ game MVP, said. “I’ve come a long way developing my game, so this is a big moment.”
Emfinger scored a team-high 17 and got going early with six first quarter points but he was far from a one-man show. After falling a bucket short of Bishop McDevitt at Widener on Saturday night, the Panthers wanted to rise to the challenge Monday against a talented Red Raiders squad.
One of the biggest challenges in playing Coatesville is matching the Raiders’ energy for 32 minutes and from the opening tip, Chelteham was up for it. Panthers coach Patrick Fleury felt every player who got minutes contributed and for players like Emfinger and Saleem Payne who have gone under the radar this season, it was a time for them to shine.
“These guys have been together for so long, they throw up pictures from second or third grade, that I think they’re just excited to be together,” Fleury said. “That’s a big part of what our community is so that’s probably why you see that. When you have kids who care about each other, it’s easier to turn to each other and not on each other.”
Payne only had two points but he was instrumental for Cheltenham after Justin Moore picked up two early fouls. Brandon Scott and Mike McClain helped Emfinger on the boards and on defense while Jaelen McGlone shook off a slow first half offensively to play strong down the stretch.
Emfinger gave the credit to his teammates for getting him going early and he wanted to repay them with a big night.
Defensively, the Panthers knew they had a difficult task in front of them, starting with Coatesville senior Jhamir “Jig” Brickus, the superb point guard who recently surpassed 2,000 points. With plenty of other weapons on the floor as well for Coatesville, the Panthers had to defend as a group.
“Communicating on defense really helped us, Jhamir, we know he’s a great ball-handler and can make plays,” Emfinger said. “It was really hard though, he’s a really crafty guard so us being able to do what we did on defense is what got us that win.”
Led by nine points from Emfinger, Cheltenham took a 32-26 lead into the break. Coatesville rallied hard in the third quarter and only a few timely scores from Moore and McGlone were able to keep the Panthers up 41-39 heading into the final eight minutes.
That lead didn’t last long as Donovan Brickus hit a three from the left corner with 6:41 to go, putting the Red Raiders up for the first time in the second half.
Cheltenham needed a spark and got one from Emfinger. The senior stepped in front of a pass and went the other way, racing out then rising up for an emphatic dunk with 6:17 left.
“I realized this might be my last year playing basketball, I’m a senior, so I have to go take control of this,” Emfinger said. “That’s an energy booster that I think throughout the season, everybody is going to remember. It gave us the energy to keep pushing.”
Jig Brickus gave Coatesville the lead back on a pair of free throws and the Raiders almost had a turnover putting the press on right after. However, Moore was able to thread a pass through a double-team to McGlone, who found Scott in the lane for a layup.
Emfinger hit a three off an inbound pass from Moore with 5:31 left, then cleaned up a scramble under the net off a missed dunk before he assisted Moore to cap a 9-0 run for a 52-44 lead with 4:56 left.
Coatesville just kept coming, getting within 59-56. Brickus led the Raiders with 25 points while John Proctor added 15.
Moore went to the line with 42.3 left, missing the first shot of a one-and-one with the Red Raiders coming down with the board. Emfinger then came up with a huge defensive play, stealing the ball back in Coatesville’s backcourt. After Payne hit two free throws, Emfinger again played stopper, flying in to block Dapree Bryant’s jumper in the left corner with about 25 seconds to go.
“We really needed to play defense and we really needed to get stops,” Emfinger said. “I’m a senior, I have to take charge of the defense there.”
“Sean, I mean, come on, what a game,” Fleury said. “I’ve always though his talent’s gone unnoticed, he’s a kid whose upside is very high and for us to see him come out and finally have that breakout game, he’s been getting used to the moments but now he’s more comfortable.”
Cheltenham will get stronger when senior Zahree Harrison returns from injury and Emfinger said Monday’s win was a big one for the team’s morale heading into January. Fleury didn’t want to look too far ahead, but he saw a lot to like in the team’s two games at Widener the past few days.
“We have our sights on what everybody else has their sights on in 6A and we’re trying to make sure we stay locked in, engaged and committed,” Fleury said. “What we learned is, going down the stretch, we just have to be tougher and more solid in what we’re doing and what we’re looking for.”
CHELTENHAM 63, COATESVILLE 56
CHELTENHAM 15 17 9 22 – 63
COATESVILLE 12 14 13 17 – 56
Ch: Travis Coleman 1 1-2 3, Brandon Scott 3 0-3 6, Justin Moore 4 2-4 11,Jaelen McGlone 4 2-2 12, Sean Emfinger 8 0-0 17, Mike McClain 3 0-0 6, Saleem Payne 0 2-2 2. Totals: 23 7-13 63.
Co: Donovan Brickus 0-0 7, Dapree Bryant 4 1-2 9, Jhamir Brickus 11 3-5 25, John Proctor 6 2-4 15. Totals: 24 6-11 56.
3-pointers: Ch – McGlone 2, Emfinger, Moore; Co- D Brickus, Proctor.
