High School Sports |

BOYS BASKETBALL: Plymouth Whitemarsh heads to state playoffs with underdog mentality

BENSALEM >> Plymouth Whitemarsh is going into the state playoffs in a much different place than it did a year ago.

In 2023, the Colonials entered states fresh off a District 1-6A championship and were expected to make a deep run. They lost to Chambersburg, the District 3 sixth-place finisher, at home in the first round.

This year’s team has felt overlooked since the summer. After losing three starters from last year’s championship team, they heard outside voices saying it would be a rebuilding year. They lost eight games in the regular season, one in the Suburban One League Tournament and another in the second round of districts, but road wins against Cheltenham and Bensalem have the perennial power heading into states as District 1’s ninth or 10th seed, depending on their result against Spring-Ford Friday.

“When you’re on the top you always feel good,” PW senior Jaden Colzie said after the 63-54 win against Bensalem Tuesday, “but this year we had an up-and-down season and we’re starting on the bottom this year. We’re all just hungry. We know how good we are. We know how we didn’t have the best year we could’ve had, but I feel like that’s a good thing. Being the underdogs we have nothing to lose, really. Being those underdogs, we still think we can win any game. We’ll carry that mentality.”

“We remember Chambersburg very vividly,” PW senior Ben Marsico said. “That was a really terrible feeling to have the gym almost sold out and go out like that. Everyone who’s returning remembers what that was like. We think we have the pieces to make a run and we’re definitely not overlooking anyone and we’re just going to come out here and play hard every game because we know we can compete with almost anyone.”

The Colonials are comfortable playing the role of an underdog. In last year’s district playoffs, they were the No. 3 seed when they won on the road against No. 2 Lower Merion in the semifinals and when they beat No. 1 Spring-Ford at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. In districts this year, PW – the 13th seed – gave No. 4 Chester all it could handle in a second round loss before clinching a state berth against No. 12 Cheltenham and improving their spot in the state bracket against No. 8 Bensalem.

In the first round of states next Friday, PW will face either District 2 or District 4’s champion (if they beat Spring-Ford Friday) or District 11’s champion (if they lose to Spring-Ford).

“Ironic that now we are in the same situation Chambersburg was in,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “A team that was getting better as it went along, but win some, lose some, have seven, eight, nine losses and then come in in a hungry, hungry mood and we’re celebrating the district title for 12 days too long and next thing you know you fall asleep. Now the shoe’s on the other foot. Not many times in life do you get a chance to get redemption a year later on things.”

Tuesday’s win over Bensalem means that the Colonials avoid being District 1’s 11th or 12th seed in the state playoffs. Those teams will have tough draws, matching up with the District 12 champion and the District 3 champion, respectively, in the state opener.

“We definitely looked at that ahead of time,” Marsico said, “but we don’t really care. We just come out here and we want to get a win. Either way we’re just coming out and playing hard. We don’t really care who we play. We think we can match up pretty well with against anybody in the state.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh took control of its game against Bensalem in the third quarter. After trailing, 25-24, at halftime, the Colonials exploded for 25 points in the third. Marsico scored 14 points in the quarter while Mani Sajid added seven and Michael Pereira had four. Marsico hit four threes in the third. The final one was from well beyond the arc.

“It was a little heat check,” Marsico said. “After I hit the first three, I knew there was no chance I wasn’t putting that last one up.

“We just knew after the first half that we had to move the ball a little bit more. We weren’t really getting good looks that we know we can get. That’s credit to (Colzie), who took on the point guard role. He was getting me good looks and I was feeling it. That really put us ahead and gave us a spark going into the fourth.”

The Colonials committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter, but the 49-37 lead at the end of the third was never trimmed below six points. They went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line to close out the victory.

“We’re developing into a good team,” Donofrio said. “We’re young and there’s still that youth and mellowness in personality at times. I’ve been there a lot and know what it takes and how to close out games. We had some trouble with it in the early parts of the year. When are you aggressive and when do you get to the rim and when do you not and when do you draw some contact. You’ve got to grow through it.”

Sajid led the Colonials with 18 points while Marsico added 15 and Colzie 12.

Jaidyn Moffitt led the Owls, who will face Downingtown West in the District 1 11th-place game Friday, with a game-high 21 points. Micah White added 14.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 63, Bensalem 54

Plymouth Whitemarsh 11 13 25 14 – 63

Bensalem 14 11 12 17 – 54

PW: Jaden Colzie 3 1 3-4 12, Ben Marsico 1 4 1-2 15, Mani Sajid 6 1 3-4 18, Michael Pereira 3 0 3-5 9, Jah Prendergrass-Sayles 2 0 0-0 4, Jack Hayes 0 1 1-2 4, Josh Harris 0 0 1-2 1, Caleb Bridgeman 0 0 0-0 0, Ehab Ahmed 0 0 0-0 0. Total 15 7 12-18 63.

B: Antonio Morris 1 0 0-0 2, Noah Morris 0 3 0-0 9, Micah White 5 0 4-8 14, Nate Cooper 1 0 0-2 2, Jaidyn Moffitt 4 1 10-14 21, Amir Drummond 1 0 3-4 5, Jahmir Chatman 0 0 1-2 1, Idris Savadago 0 0 0-0 0. Total 12 4 18-30 54.