By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
EAST MARLBOROUGH >> Against the zone defense, or the man-to-man; in the half court or on the break; in the paint or on the perimeter. It didn’t really matter. Not for the Unionville boys – not on Saturday evening.
In the semifinal round of the District 1 5A Tournament, the Longhorns put together perhaps their most complete performance of the season. Just about everything visiting Phoenixville tried defensively was unable to slow down Unionville, who rolled to a 69-44 victory and a berth in the district final.
“For sure it was some of the best basketball we’ve played,” said senior center Nick Diehl. “It didn’t feel like we had that big of a lead because we are all playing hard the whole time. We just kept doing our thing rather than looking up at the scoreboard.”
Now 21-3 overall, the top-seeded ’Horns will play second-seed Upper Dublin for the district crown on Thursday, 7 p.m., at West Chester’s Hollinger Field House. Ironically, it’s the same venue where Unionville blew a big lead in the semifinals of the Ches-Mont Tournament 10 days earlier against West Chester Henderson.
“We discussed this as a team,’” said Longhorns’ head coach Chris Cowles. “The painful losses that we’ve encountered, there is no game we are going to lose that is going to feel any worse than games we’ve already lost. This group has lost many championship games – semifinal games, playoff games – so there is really no fear.
“It’s just a matter of if we can stay in the moment, do our jobs and have a collective intention of maximizing our ability with effort and unselfishness — then there is nothing that can stop us.”
The outing put a sudden halt to a six-game winning streak that helped the Phantoms (17-7 overall) capture the program’s first Pioneer Athletic Conference title since 2007 and a trip to the PIAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. Phoenixville will host Sun Valley on Wednesday to determine third place in the district.
“For us, it was just a bad combination playing against a team that good and us not playing well,” said Phoenixville head coach Eric Burnett.
“Somebody was going to lose this game, whether by two of 30. But it’s about what happens next. We have an opportunity to host another game in playbacks, which will dictate where we go in the state tournament.”
It was actually Unionville’s first outing since the overtime loss to Henderson, which in retrospect seemed to galvanize the Longhorns.
“It refocused us. Our goal is to maximize our ability and we know the recipe to do that. But it’s not always easy,” Cowles said.
“I think it gave us some energy,” Diehl added. “We definitely have the potential to win the (district) title and go far in states, if not win it.”
Despite turning it over five times in the early going, Unionville apparently learned some things. And a 14-3 run soon followed to open a comfortable 25-11 second period lead. The Longhorns wound up outscoring Phoenixville 22-7 in the quarter to extend the lead to 40-18 at the half.
“We have a complete team,” Diehl said. “And with all of our parts together, and we’re playing hard, we think we can take on anybody.
“We can be dangerous when we are hitting shots and being physical in the paint. It’s tough to guard us when we are swinging the ball around. This is a super unselfish team and everyone gets their touches. Anyone can go off on a given day.”
The biggest surprise may have been just how dominant the ’Horns were on the inside against the long and physical Phantoms. Unionville’s two frontcourt players – Diehl and James Brenner — combined to score 19 points in the first half. And the perimeter players downed five from beyond the arc in the opening 16 minutes.
“It seemed like every ball bounced (Unionville’s) way,” Burnett said. “They worked a little harder down inside and (Nick) Diehl is obviously a handful. In a game like this you can’t give (opponents) extra possessions and it happened too many time. Points off offensive rebounds were a big factor.”
The second half lead topped out at 59-26, which necessitated a running clock. Unionville attempted just two free throws in the first half, but were 8-9 from the line in the third quarter.
“It was just another data point,” Cowles said. “(Our players) know what they need to do – it just needs to be done.
“This is what we can look like when we do our jobs with maximum effort and unselfishness.”
The 6-foot-6 Diehl led all scorers with 19 and hauled down 14 rebounds. A junior forward, Brenner added 16 points and senior guard James Anderson chipped in 12 points.
“(Phoenixville) does a good job of switching defenses so you have to rely on your foundational stuff (on offense),” Cowles pointed out. “Like when two guys are guarding you, you pass to the open guy. That’s how you can have individual success, because they are unselfish and making routine plays.”
The Phantoms got untracked at the offensive end in the second half, but it was far too late. Nobody on the roster managed more than three field goals, and the leading scorers were senior Max Lebisky and sophomore Dawson Brown with seven each.
“Our guys still have a lot to play for,” Burnett said. “So we will learn from this, look at ourselves and reflect to see if we can get better.
“There are a lot of teams and seniors where their seasons are over. This has been a great group for two years now and we are just embracing every single minute we have left together.”
The Longhorns are looking to capture the program’s third ever district crown. The first came against Ridley Park in 1955, and the last was in 1981 over Phoenixville.
“Upper Dublin is a great team and we will prepare for them the same way we do everybody else,” Cowles said.
“(A district title) would be an awesome memory to have, especially with this group,” Diehl added. “We have a good connection with each other, and we love playing for each other and our coaches.”
Unionville 69, Phoenixville 44
PHOENIXVILLE – Absher 1 2-2 5; Booth 2 0-0 5; O’Donnell 2 0-0 5; A. Cervino 1 0-0 2; Baratta 1 1-2 3; D. Brown 3 0-0 7; C. Cervino 2 1-2 6; Lebisky 2 3-5 7; McClintock 1 2-2 4. Totals 15-10-13 44.
UNIONVILLE – Anderson 5 2-2 12; R. Brown 2 2-2 8; Kammeier 2 0-0 5; Brenner 6 3-4 16; Robbins 2 0-0 6; Diehl 8 3-5 19; Dolce 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 10-13 69.
Phoenixville 11 7 16 10 — 44
Unionville 18 22 23 6 — 69
3-pointers: Absher, Booth, O’Donnell, D. Brown, C. Cervino, R. Brown 2, Kammeier, Brenner, Robbins 2.
