By Peter DiGiovanni
pdgiovanni07@gmail.com
@PeteDLNontwitter
Saturday the Devon Prep basketball team will attempt to defeat Franklin Area High School and capture the PIAA 3A title. It would be the second PIAA crown for the Tide in the last three years.
Devon Prep (15-13 overall) has rolled through the 3A tournament with just one tough game in the quarterfinal round against Executive Education, which the Tide won in double overtime. The other three playoff wins have been by double digits.
The Tide are led by 6-foot-4, junior, Zane Conlon, who is averaging 17.5 points per game. Reece Craft, a 6-7, junior forward averages close to 12 points per game. Craft and Conlon are both tough inside and will attempt to control the glass against Franklin Area.
The Tide has also been getting great production from bench players, Mike Pergolis and Ayinde McClendon. Pergolis poured in 22 points in the semifinal win over Math, Civics and Sciences Tuesday night.
Franklin Area is the second seed out of District 10. The Panthers avenged a district title game loss to Girard in the semifinal round with a 60-50 victory.
Cole Buckley, a 6-3, senior guard averages 12 points per game and is a very good 3-point shooter. The biggest threat to the Tide may be 6-5, wing, Damon Curry, who has scored over 1,300 points in his career.
The Knights (24-5) have eight seniors on the roster and the entire starting five are upperclassmen. Buckley is a PSAC football recruit and may be the Panthers’ best athlete.
Devon has the advantage of playing a much tougher schedule than the Panthers because of being in the Philadelphia Catholic League and facing the likes of Neumman Goretti, Roman Catholic and Archbishop Wood, who have some of the best athletes in the state.
Pick: Devon Prep is expertly coached by Jason Fisher and the Tide are battle tested by the grueling PCL schedule and should prevail here. Devon Prep 68, Franklin Area 54.
