Peters takes leading role as Plymouth Whitemarsh tops Upper Moreland
WHITEMARSH >> Caelin Peters emerged from the Plymouth Whitemarsh locker room wearing a simple red Nike hoodie with the words “Just Do It” across the front.
A simple mantra but one Peters is trying to fully embrace over the second half of the season as the senior tries to turn the Colonials’ season around and make a push for the postseason. Injuries and the mental challenge of taking over as the guy at PW held Peters back earlier, but he feels like that corner has been turned.
Peters just did it Friday night, hitting the floor looking for a big night and finishing with 33 points as PW defeated visiting Upper Moreland 76-33.
“I felt like I had a really good couple of practices the last few days, worked out with one of our assistants yesterday to get shots up and help me get that rhythm back,” Peters said. “I came in with the mindset I was going to drop 30 today.”
Upper Moreland (8-3, 3-3 SOL American) came in to Friday’s game with the better record and playing strong team basketball, so to Peters, it was a chance to start the second half on the right note. The senior guard opened the scoring by sizing up a defender and splashing a corner 3-pointer and had all his team’s first quarter points as PW (4-8, 3-2 SOL American) took a 10-6 lead.
While the Colonials’ offense would explode in the second quarter, the team’s defense was a difference maker in the first half. Upper Moreland shot just 3-of-14 from the floor in the first quarter and PW was particularly solid around the rim.
“They’re having a nice year and the point guard (Beau Woollens), any time you have someone so low to the ground and so quick, they cause incredible havoc,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “I really love how David Harris was able to be elastic on him. The trick to the game, and I wasn’t sure if our guys would pick up on it or not, our pace has to be different than them.”
Peters also knows a one-man army approach isn’t going to win the Colonials the games they’ll need to earn a district playoff spot so he spent the early part of the second quarter as a distributor. He dished four assists in the frame, the first three of them going for 3-pointers before scoring eight points in the final 1:16 of the half.
The Bears’ struggles also didn’t get any better. Upper Moreland’s only 3-point make came in the second half while PW hit seven of its 10 long balls before halftime and anything UM got in the second quarter was hard-earned, mostly at the foul line or on putbacks.
In total, between the scoring and passing, Peters had a hand in 19 of PW’s 30 points in the quarter as the Colonials’ lead ballooned to 40-17 at the break.
“It’s been a key part of the whole season, he struggled early, he had a badly jammed thumb which I think weighed on him and sent him off-kilter,” Donofrio said. “It’s the kind of season while all the other young guys figure things out, he has to be steady. If he’s not steady, the result is what it is. He knows it, so the bottom line is he’s got to do that kind of performance every night no matter who the opponent is.”
Upper Moreland also absorbed a serious loss in the third quarter. Woollens, who stayed relentless in attacking the rim despite the deficit, was fouled on a drive with 1:24 left in the frame and went down with an apparent knee injury. The senior, who’s been having a terrific season, was helped off the floor and left for the hospital to have tests and imaging done.
Peters put together an extremely efficient game by shooting 13-of-19 from the floor and 7-of-11 from behind the 3-point line. The guard shoots left-handed and while his thumb injury was on the opposite hand, it still affected his game early and Peters continues to play with it wrapped.
Add in a tweaked ankle and the senior didn’t have the easiest first month of the season. Still, he knew the only person really holding him back was himself and worked to overcome those mental blocks.
“At the beginning, I was putting too much pressure on myself to be up there and be the guy,” Peters said. “When I take the pressure off, relax and keep a smile on my face throughout the game, I play way better.
“This last half of the season, I have to change the mindset. I want to lead the team to victory but be one of the guys everyone follows and gives them that example to follow.”
Donofrio saw the change this week in practice while Peters credited talks with his coach and his dad for helping him fight through anything the injuries or team’s record was doing to keep him from excelling.
Peters opened the second half with a rare miss from the 3-point, but an offensive rebound and kick-out by Zuri Jerman led to a make from the same spot as order was restored. The senior scored nine points in the third and added a pair of treys in the fourth to conclude his night.
“You have to create a persona as an athlete, some guys do it and they become Superman on the court,” Donofrio said. “Caelin is a heck of a human being, great student, laid-back, great teammate and all you want but developing that killer in him to let it go out there, it took a while.”
Luke DiCianno added 12 points for PW while Harris chipped in 10 as did Jaden Pryce off the bench. Woollens led UM with seven points.
Peters has been talking to a couple of area Division II and III schools and said he recently applied to Jefferson, but his focus isn’t on finding a future home right now. Instead, he’s trying to let this newfound mentality drive his team to extend its season.
“We love it,” Peters said. “People have doubted us, but we stick together as a team and we believe we’re going to do it.”
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 76, UPPER MORELAND 33
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 10 20 20 16 – 76
UPPER MORELAND 6 11 12 9 – 33
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Caelin Peters 13 0-0 33, David Harris 3 2-2 10, Luke DiCianno 2 8-9 12, Zuri Jerman 1 0-0 2, Trey Jones 1 0-0 3, Jaden Pryce 5 0-0 10, Ray Tomasetti 0 2-2 2, Teddy Rinck 1 2-4 4. Totals: 26 13-17 76.
Upper Moreland: Byron Hopkins 2 0-2 5, Beau Woollens 0 7-8 7, Jahaire Johnson 3 0-0 6, Matt Tiernan 2 0-2 4, Tyler Ibbotson 1 0-0 2, Jourdan Gregg 2 1-2 5, Chance Byrd 0 2-6 2, Jake Tiernan 0 0-1 0, Jeremy Harmer 0 2-2 2. Totals: 10 12-23 33.
3-pointers: PW – Peters 7, Harris 2, Jones; UM – Hopkins.
