Moore to come for Cheltenham after guard’s score helps edge Easton in PIAA-6A 1st round
NORTHAMPTON >> There was no doubt which play Cheltenahm was going to run.
A year ago, the same play yielded the right look but not the right result, rimming out in a one-point loss that kept the Panthers out of the state boys basketball tournament. Saturday afternoon, with their season on the line in the first round of states, they went back to the same play.
This time, Justin Moore made sure it went off perfectly.
Moore’s running shot with 3.1 left provided the winning margin and the final cap on a superb finish by the sophomore as Cheltenham rallied past Easton 57-56 in the PIAA 6A tournament at Council Rock South.
“I was definitely telling myself to stay calm and stay poised,” Moore said. “I had to make sure I was keeping everybody together. In a game like that, we don’t want to lose. We’re trying to go all the way after losing to Methacton in the district championship so we’re going to keep fighting and never give up.”
Cheltenham needed every single play Moore made in the final 1:20 of regulation to beat a game Red Rovers squad that didn’t let a subpar first half sink them. Moore, who had 13 points in the game, scored the team’s final three markers but also added two assists and a steal in the final minute-and-a-half of play.
The District 1 runner-up Panthers had a strong first half, using a series of runs predicated by defense to build a lead that got as large as nine before carrying a 27-20 advantage into halftime. Easton, the fourth-place finisher in District 11, brought a similar up-tempo style as Cheltenham and the entire game was played at a good pace.
“We were able to get this one but we have to play better,” Panthers coach Patrick Fleury said. “I’m challenging my guys, we started in August so August to now is a long season but now we’re using everything in the tank. Right now, we have to buckle down.”
Cheltenham took care of the ball in the first half, turning it over just five times while getting eight turnovers off Easton and turning a bulk of them into scores. That changed in the second half, with the Panthers being the sloppier team on the ball and the Rovers using it to fuel a comeback.
An electric third quarter from Aaron Clark led to Easton tying the score 31-31 midway through and pulling the Rovers within 42-40 at the end of the frame. Clark, who had 10 in the quarter, led all scorers with 17 points.
A saving grace for the Panthers in the frame was their outside shooting, keyed by a pair of threes from senior David Pope.
“David Pope, let’s make this clear, is a college basketball player,” Fleury said. “They don’t have redshirts in high school, but if he had one here, it would be obvious. He comes in and that, for me, is expected.”
Easton’s third-quarter ending 5-0 run doubled into a 10-0 run as the Rovers scored the first five of the fourth, going up 45-40 on Chris Hewey’s corner trey with 5:34 left. They led again, 50-45 on Ryan Boylan’s three with 3:33 to play and at one point had a 6-0 advantage in team fouls well into the quarter.
When Brandon Scott, who led the Panthers with eight rebounds, split a pair at the line with 1:52 left, the Panthers trailed 54-50 but were on the fringe of putting Easton into the bonus. Two rather-quickly called fouls did just that, but the Rovers missed the front end of both one-and-one spots, setting the stage for Moore to take over.
“We came together on defense, they got to the foul line a couple times and luckily they missed but when they had the ball we wanted to put full-court pressure on them and caused a couple turnovers,” Moore said. “That got us back in the game.”
Moore, who had eight assists, found Jaelen McGlone off an inbound pass with 1:20 remaining to halve the lead, then the Panthers’ fullcourt defense forced a turnover on a travel call and again, Moore found McGlone for another tough finish right at the rim to tie the score with 51.6 left.
On the ensuing possession, Moore came up with the play on defense after McGlone deflected a pass right to him. The sophomore sped down the court, drawing a foul and sinking the second of two free throws for a one-point edge with 25 seconds on the clock.
“They did a good job of getting the ball to the middle and every time they did, they tried to drop it off backdoor,” Moore said. “I was just trying to make sure I was seeing everything going on. Jaelen actually got it and as soon as I grabbed it, I knew I had to go.”
This is where things got really crazy.
Nashawn Johnson, who had an excellent game off the bench for Easton, drew a foul with 13.4 seconds on the clock but missed his first foul shot. However, Cheltenham’s mascot had wandered onto the baseline to try and distract Johnson, drawing a free throw violation and forcing a re-shot.
“I didn’t even see it, I was so locked in on the shot but I guess he just walked across and they gave him the shot again,” Fleury said. “That’s the rule and I’m not going to dispute that. Our guys, we have to do a better job getting to the basket more often so we have to take ownership of that and play a more aggressive style.”
Johnson made the most of it, canning both at the line to put the Rovers back in front. In between foul shots, Cheltenham called timeout and Fleury drew up the familiar play.
The shot, taken by Zahree Harrison last year, went in and out leaving Cheltenham on the short end of a 62-61 loss to Spring-Ford. It’s a result that Fleury said burned in his guys through the offseason and Moore said he couldn’t help but think of it as same play came up in the timeout huddle.
“That’s another fuel to our fire that’s driving us to win a state championship,” Moore said. “We worked on it at practice over and over so it’s become second nature. In my head, I was a little nervous.”
Moore pushed the ball down the floor, gave it up to McGlone then got it right back on the right win. He deftly split two defenders with a ball-fake then stopped on a dime and lofted a floater over the fully-extended and leaping Johnson to drop in the shot with 3.1 on the clock.
“That burn was there and you saw his passion at the end,” Fleury said.
Cheltenham found its defense one final time, strapping down Easton in the backcourt and not even allowing the Rovers a desperation heave at the buzzer to pick up their first state win since 2005. The Panthers will face Mt. Lebanon, District 7’s runner-up, in Wednesday’s second round.
“That’s my focus now, but I’m very proud of these guys,” Fleury said. “Our goal is the road to Hershey like everybody else.”
CHELTENHAM 57, EASTON 56
CHELTENHAM 12 15 15 15 — 57
EASTON 12 8 20 16 — 56
Cheltenham: Brandon Scott 2 3-4 7, Justin Moore 5 3-4 13, Jaelen McGlone 5 3-4 16, Sean Emfinger 3 0-1 6, David Pope 2 0-0 6, Saleem Payne 1 0-0 2, Mike McClain 2 2-2 7. Totals: 20 11-15 57.
Easton: Ryan Boylan 5 2-3 13, Asad Brown 0 1-3 1, Chris Hewey 3 0-0 8, Aaron Clark 5 4-4 17, Avery Hutchinson 1 1-2 4, Nashawn Johnson 5 3-3 13. Totals: 19 11-15 56.
3-pointers: C – McGlone 3, Pope 2, McClain; E – Clark 3, Hewey 2, Boylan, Hutchinson.
