Pinkney leads Faith Christian past Plumstead Christian for District 1-1A title
BENSALEM >> Gerald Pinkney had 19 points and almost as many sore spots, leading Faith Christian Academy to a 41-34 victory over Plumstead Christian in the District 1-1A Final Saturday afternoon at Bensalem High School.
Pinkney, a senior guard, used slippery moves around the basket, hit threes, dished to open shooters and even sacrificed his body when needed — diving for loose balls, driving hard through gridlock – to ensure the Lions held the trophy at game’s end.
“It was a good experience. We knew it was gonna be a dogfight,” Pinkney said. “We’re not done yet though. I have a lot of body aches right now, but this is the big stage.”
Both teams are headed to the PIAA-A Tournament.
“We’re going in with a humble mindset,” Pinkney said. “There are a lot of good teams out there. We just gotta get back to work.”
After the Panthers got a lift when Ryan Jacobs hit their only three of the contest to even things at 27 apiece in the fourth, Shane O’Conner immediately answered at the other end for Faith, his three pushing the Lions in front for good, 30-27.
A defensive stop led to a pair of free throws by Pinkney, providing some breathing room at 32-27.
A drive by Zachary Knudsen (9 points) tightened things to 32-29, but then Pinkney drove hard to the hoop and went glass to finish it off, extending the Faith lead to 34-29.
“He’s been a spark plug for us all year,” coach Seth Brunner said of the 5-foot-6 dynamo, who actually finished with 11 rebounds. “Every time in the big moments, it seems like that’s when he steps up the most.”
Twice from there, Plumstead got within two, but when Pinkney passed to O’Conner, his clutch three widened the gap to 39-34 with 40 seconds left.
Said Brunner of O’Conner: “The corner three has been his money shot all year.”
One more defensive stop locked it up for the Lions.
“(The district title) means everything. These guys have been counted out,” Brunner said. “We graduated five key seniors and starters from last year. Chris Evans was our only returner. For these guys to come here, it’s icing on the cake. I’m just so proud of these guys. They worked their butts off.”
District 1-1A Final
Faith Christian 41, Plumstead Christian 34
Faith Christian 9 5 13 14 – 41
Plumstead Christian 7 6 11 10 – 34
Faith Christian: Chris Evans 3 3-3 9, Gerald Pinkney 7 4-7 19, Shane O’Conner 2 1-2 7, Bryce Robison 2 0-1 4, Levi Nice 1 0-4 2. Totals 15 8-17 41.
Plumstead Christian: Nicholas Phillips 2 3-4 7, Ryan Jacobs 1 0-0 3, Zachary Knudsen 2 5-6 9, Roman Kulesa 2 3-3 7, Jackson Mott 3 2-3 8. Totals 10 13-16 34.
3-pointers: F-Pinkney, O’Conner 2; P-Jacobs.
