Baynes’ big day keeps Penn Wood dancing into states

BENSALEM — Penn Wood’s Jerry Flynn pulled down a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the court, smiling widely as he dribbled out the game’s final seconds. Moments later, that same smile swept across his face while he danced in the hallway outside the Patriots’ locker room, joined by teammates Shamir Baynes and Saalih Moore.

Indeed, the dance continues for Penn Wood.

The seventh-seeded Patriots took down No. 2 Holy Ghost Prep, 69-59, toppling one of the favorites to win the District 1 Class 5A tournament and earning the right to face Penncrest in Wednesday’s semifinal round (Norristown H.S., 6 p.m.). The win also clinched for Penn Wood (15-8) one of the district’s six berths in the upcoming PIAA tournament.

“It feels good. So good,” Baynes said. “I’m excited for this group.”

Baynes had a team-high 21 points, including 14 in the second quarter, and Flynn paired 15 points with 16 rebounds. Latrell Goring and Moore rounded out Penn Wood’s double-digit scorers, with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Penn Wood never trailed, building a lead that maxed out at 13. Baynes drilled a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter, giving Penn Wood a 43-30 lead and prompting a timeout from Holy Ghost Prep (24-4). Over the next eight minutes, the Firebirds outscored the Patriots, 21-9, to close to within one point of the lead, 52-51.

Patriots coach Matt Lindeman called a timeout and, from there on, Penn Wood poured on the offense. The visitors scored 17 of the game’s final 25 points. All the while, sophomore guard Abdullah Dublin stifled Holy Ghost Prep senior Tyler Mish. The all-league guard had a game-high 24 points without scoring more than eight points in a single quarter.

“He’s a good player,” Dublin said. “The coaches told me to keep him in front of me because he can get hot fast.”

Dublin’s job containing Mish surprised Lindeman.

“Two months ago, (Dublin) wouldn’t have been able to do that,” the coach said. “It’s just having your ears open and figuring stuff out for yourself. That’s a credit to him because, at times this year, he’s gotten lost trying to figure out how to play at this level. That was great to see.”

Also surprising? Penn Wood’s ability to knock down free throws in crunch time. The Patriots made nine of 10 attempts from the foul line inside the final 47 seconds to ice the win.

“Yeah,” said Baynes, “that’s pretty surprising.”

“Our kids can practice free throws for an hour or five minutes, and it will be the same result,” Lindeman said. “It’s not like we were practicing any more than normal. Just happy with the outcome.”

Contributions from several of Lindeman’s players kept Holy Ghost from jumping in front, despite several threats. But Baynes single-handedly kept Penn Wood in front. He shot 6-for-8 from the field in the second quarter, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, for 14 of his 21 points. He also assisted on Moore’s 3 in the frame.

The guy Lindeman called “this team’s engine all year” had it going. Baynes’ driving layup through traffic splashed through as time expired, giving Penn Wood a 36-28 edge at halftime.

“When my teammates see me score, they just keep getting me the ball and I keep it rolling,” Baynes said. “They keep giving it to me.”

The Patriots may need to, especially in Wednesday’s semifinal against No. 3 Penncrest.

“We’re the underdogs,” Dublin said. “Again.”