North Penn turns it on in 4th, battles past Strath Haven in District 1-6A 1st round
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Josh Jones’ long-reaching rebound and putback set North Penn on its fourth-quarter charge.
Moments later, Jones buried a three, and the Knights were digging in.
“That three at the beginning of the fourth quarter was pretty big,” Strath Haven coach Chris Conlan said. “That made it a two-possession game, which, to that point, made it feel like 10 or 12.”
In what was a back-and-forth battle for three quarters, North Penn gained firm control in the fourth and secured a 68-62 victory in the opening round of the District 1-6A Playoffs.
The win sends No. 18 North Penn to No. 2 Conestoga Tuesday night. No. 15 Strath Haven, led by Luke Edwards’ 32 points, finished its season at 8-5.
“We were playing free and like our normal selves,” Jones said of the Knights’ critical push.
Jones poured in 24 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Billy Coley added 16 points, including a pair of threes, and Ryan Zeltt had nine.
“For a while, it was a seesaw game, a game of runs,” Knights coach John Conrad said. “And then in the fourth with about four minutes to go, we got three consecutive stops, and that was the difference.”
In the midst of that defensive surge, Jones’ three made it 60-55 NP (11-6) with 4:20 left.
Will George would score on a Strath Haven fast break later on to cut the margin to 60-57.
But a three by Coley and one of two free throws by Jones padded the lead to 64-57 with 1:07 to go.
“Billy hit some big threes. I thought Joey (Larkins) and (Mario Sgro) did a good job of handling their pressure, and Ryan Zeltt hit a couple bit threes for us and rebounded really well,” Conrad said.
Said Conrad of Jones’ performance: “He’s been our guy all year long.”
Tight Struggle >> Perimeter shooting dominated the opening moments.
Edwards hit a pair of threes for the Panthers while Zeltt did the same for the Knights.
North Penn took a 15-14 lead into the second quarter.
The two teams continued to go back and forth, with Jones scoring on a reverse layin and a jumper for NP and then Strath Haven coming right back with a hard drive to the basket by Chris Golay.
The Knights got back-to-back baskets within seconds of each other when Coley scored and then Sgro cashed in a turnover for an easy two.
Edwards, who led all scorers with 15 in the first half, drove to the basket and scored in the final seconds to send Strath Haven into the break with a 30-28 edge.
“He’s a good athlete, good player,” Conrad said. “He’s got good quickness, good range.”
A short jumper by Jones gave North Penn a 49-45 lead at the end of the third.
Jones finished a fast break for the Knights and then scored on that putback to make it 53-50 early in the fourth.
North Penn was on its way.
“It was a lot of fun to watch (Edwards) and Jones go at it,” Conlan said. “Those are two really, really good players. They battled all day long. Luke had a game like that coming so I was real happy to see it. I wish we could have gotten the outcome for him as well.”
Building Something >> Strath Haven can look back on quite a season, and look ahead with confidence.
“These guys laid an unbelievable foundation for the younger guys,” Conlan said of his seniors. “I think we’re on the right track. The culture has turned around. The wins and losses have turned around. And making the playoffs the last two years has been huge.”
District 1-6A First Round
(18) NORTH PENN 68, (15) STRATH HAVEN 62
NORTH PEN 15 13 21 19 – 68
STRATH HAVEN 14 16 15 17 – 62
North Penn: Mario Sgro 3 0-0 7, Joe Larkins 1 3-5 5, Billy Coley 6 2-2 16, Milind Pulugura 2 0-0 5, Josh Jones 9 5-7 24, Ryan Zeltt 2 3-4 9, Tehran Wright 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 13-18 68.
Strath Haven: Will George 3 2-2 8, Matt Shuler 2 0-0 6, Carl Borgstrom 1 1-2 3, Robbie Guilday 2 0-1 4, Luke Edwards 11 4-5 32, Jaden Jaureugi 3 0-0 7, Chris Golay 1 0-1 2. Totals 23 7-11 62.
3-pointers: NP-Sgro, Coley 2, Pulugura, Jones, Zeltt 2; SH-Shuler 2, Edwards 6, Jaureugi.
