BENSALEM >> Vaughan Martin and Tony Martin are two of the leaders for Dock Mennonite Academy. Vaughan is a senior and Tony is a junior, but head coach Mike Fergus looks at the three-year starter as a senior.
With the District 1-2A championship game on the line against Delco Christian, the two Martins took over.
The two combined for eight points during a 10-2 run in the middle of the fourth quarter that extended a two-point lead with 4:50 remaining to a 10-point lead with under three-and-a-half minutes to go.
That run proved pivotal as the Pioneers went 6-for-10 from the free-throw line and committed three turnovers in the final 2:57 while the Knights scored on 6-of-8 possessions to get an opportunity to win at the buzzer. Bicentennial Athletic League Player of the Year Khamai Orange got a look from three-point range as time expired, but it came up short and Dock Mennonite Academy celebrated its second straight district title with a 64-62 win at Bensalem High School.
“We talked, we executed well and coach came up with a lot of new plays on the spot,” Tony Martin said. “They were guarding our full-court well and we ran three different full-court plays, which is great. We executed well. We missed some free throws, but we made some, too. If we made zero we would have lost this game. Although we missed some, we made some to help us out. We stayed together, fought through adversity.”
“There were a couple missed (free throws),” Vaughan Martin said. “I missed one. I was getting a little nervous, but we pulled it out and we ended up making the ones that mattered.”
Tony Martin scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. He started the game-sealing run with a basket to give No. 1 Dock a 50-46 lead. After a Delco Christian missed shot went out of bounds, Tony Martin found Vaughn Martin for a long pass from his own baseline to the opposite side of halfcourt. Vaughn Martin made the layup and got fouled, converting the free throw for a 53-46 lead. No. 3 Delco Christian responded with a basket and Tony Martin answered back with a three-pointer. Ethan Parr completed the run with a putback layup to give the Pioneers a 58-48 lead.
“I think (Tony Martin) is the best player in the league,” Fergus said. “That’s my opinion. He guards, he rebounds, he handles the ball, he scores, he makes free throws, he hits threes, he never comes out. He is our steady guy. We can always count on him. AJ (Washington) had foul trouble today so he didn’t get quite as many minutes, but Vaughan really stepped up, Michael John played well and everyone that played did their thing. It’s hard to single out one guy in a game like this.”
Beaumont Lyren did a lot of the damage during Delco Christian’s comeback attempt, scoring 11 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth. He started the 16-5 run with a three-pointer and added two more baskets, including one in the final 10 seconds to make it a 63-62 game.
“It’s just the never quit (attitude),” Delco Christian coach Reggie Parks said. “It’s in the DNA of this team. They’ve been like that since we’ve had them when they were sophomores. I had no doubt that we were going to get one more shot. There’s a belief in each other, a belief that this thing isn’t over until there’s zeroes on the clock. I wish we got it done with that energy earlier in the game, but I’m very proud of these guys.”
Dock’s Vaughan Martin was fouled with 5.8 seconds left and he went 1-for-2 from the line, making the second to give his side a 64-62 lead. Delco Christian’s Orange, who hit a three-pointer during the comeback and finished with 10 points, received the inbound pass, crossed halfcourt and went to the top of the key. His off-balance three-point attempt was off the mark.
“(Orange is) our all-everything guy,” Parks said. “He does a little bit of everything for us. If we get that shot, 10 times out of 10, I want him taking it.”
The win gives Dock Mennonite its fourth district title in school history, third under Fergus and second in a row.
“I think it’s a turning point in our program,” Vaughan Martin, who finished with 19 points, said. “We’re a winning program. Other players that want to come here and want to play for our team know it’s a winning program and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
“We’ve got a culture where the kids believe they’re going to win,” Fergus said. “That just self-perpetuates. It’s rewarding when you get a program to that spot.”
The teams were tied at 15 at the end of the first quarter. Dock pulled in front for good when it went on a 9-0 run to break a 20-20 tie in the second. Delco Christian scored back-to-back baskets before the break to make it a 29-24 Dock lead at the half.
The Knights scored six straight to get within three, 33-30, but the Martins hit back-to-back threes to get Dock’s advantage back to eight, 39-31. The lead was trimmed to five, 42-37, at the end of the third.
Caleb Jameson hit a three early in the fourth to get Delco Christian within two, 46-44. Dock’s Washington and Delco Christian’s Lyren traded baskets to make it 48-46 before the Pioneers went on their 10-2 run.
Both teams will compete in the PIAA-2A state playoffs, which start Saturday March 9. Dock will open against the District 3 runner-up while Delco Christian faces the District 12 champion.
“We’ve got to mourn this one first,” Parks said. “Fortunately we get a couple of weeks to get ready, find out who our opponent is from District 12 and then get ready for that. Certainly winning a district title is what we really wanted, but we’re at states. We want to try to compete for a state title. At least we still have that opportunity.”
Dock Mennonite 64, Delco Christian 62
Delco Christian 15 9 13 25 – 62
Dock Mennonite 15 14 13 22 – 64
DC: Khamai Orange 3 1 1-2 10, Beaumont Lyren 6 2 0-2 18, Josiah Gaines 4 0 4-6 12, Caleb Jameson1 2 4-5 12, Bradford Berwick 0 1 0-0 3, Colston Pruessner 3 0 0-0 6, Luke Bushra 0 0 1-2 1, Aminadab Baker 0 0 0-0 0, Atler Abobi 0 0 0-0 0, Karter Shaheed-Freeman 0 0 0-0 0. Total 17 6 10-17 62.
DM: AJ Washington 3 0 2-2 8, Tony Martin 4 3 4-7 21, Vaughan Martin 3 3 4-5 19, Ethan Parr 5 0 0-0 10, Michael John 1 0 2-2 4, Marques Brown 0 0 0-0 0, Bryan Dorneman 0 0 0-0 0, Koby Rollerson 0 0 2-4 2. Total 16 6 14-20 64.
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