Academy Park edges Hatboro-Horsham in thriller for 9th in District 1-AAAA

SHARON HILL >> It took quite a sequence of events for Academy Park’s Nakim Stokes to hit the game-winning layup in Friday night’s District 1-AAAA ninth place game against Hatboro-Horsham.

With about 40 seconds left and leading by two points, all the Hatters had to do was hold the ball and take a trip to the free line to win the game. But Academy Park’s high-pressure defense forced a turnover, as it had all game, and that led to a run out lay to Stokes to tie the game.

“I think our last eight possessions, seven of them were turnovers,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Ed Enoch said. “When we had to make plays we didn’t. Give them credit, they made plays when they had to and we didn’t.”

The pressure of the Knights won again on the next possession as Stokes hit another layup very similar to the first that put Academy Park up 72-70 with seven seconds left.

“We were getting the pace going, we were getting turnovers, we were just (giving up) so many easy layups,” Academy Park coach Allen Brydges said. “I just said to my assistant coach I got to go home and watch the last 45 seconds because I don’t even know what happened.”

A final heave by Brian McEachran fell short and the 72-70 score held with the Knights emerging with the victory. The Hatters had the ball in the hands of the guy it wanted as McEachran finished with a team-high 20 points.

“He was OK, he made a lot of mistakes as did everyone,” said Enoch of McEachran. “We all made mistakes tonight, but he played hard.”

At the start of the game, the fast pace and pressure of Academy Park bothered Hatboro-Horsham as it turned the ball over and broke down defensively. The Hatters trialed by seven points after the first quarter.

“I’m not happy with how we showed up tonight,” Enoch said. “We came out a little lackadaisical and they took it to us early and we battled back and I was proud of our effort there but I’m not proud of how we played.”

Hatboro-Horsham settled down the second quarter, ending the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 38-34 lead. When the third quarter hit, Academy Park kept on the breakneck speed, which saw the teams trading baskets back and forth. The third quarter ended with a 51-51 tie.

In the end, it was Academy Park living and dying with its up tempo offense and pressure defense with a couple, or more than a couple, self-inflicted wounds by the Hatters that stood as the difference in the game.

“At halftime we talked early when we were playing a good pace we were making some shots and able to get into our press we liked it,” Brydges said. “In the second quarter we just gave up so many points we couldn’t get our pace so we decided at halftime we were going to pick up the tempo and just live with it and just go, go, go.”

Both the Hatters and Knights now shift their attention to the PIAA playoffs, which will get underway next week.