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 Class 2A championship game on the line against Delco Christian, the two Martins took over, on the way to a 64-62 win at Bensalem High School.
The two combined for eight points during a 10-2 run in the middle of the fourth quarter that helped build a 10-point lead with 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 six of eight 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, allowing Dock to win its second straight district title.
“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. 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.”
Beau Lyren scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth. He started the 16-5 run with a 3-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.”
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. Orange, who finished with 10 points, received the inbound pass, crossed halfcourt and went to the top of the key. His off-balance 3-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 the fourth district title in school history and the third under Fergus.
“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.”
Caleb Jameson hit a three early in the fourth to get Delco Christian within two, 46-44. Washington and Lyren traded baskets to make it 48-46 before the Pioneers went on their 10-2 run.
