Balanced Pope John Paul II blows by Pottstown in PAC Frontier clash
UPPER PROVIDENCE >> When Pope John Paul II and Pottstown met up early last January for a Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division game, the Trojans handled PJP in what ended up being a 12-point defeat.
It was part of a midseason skid for the Golden Panthers before they reeled off five straight Frontier victories to win the 2018-19 division title and lock down a league playoff spot.
Nearly one year to the date the two teams met again Thursday night, and the Golden Panthers showed how far they’ve come in the past 12 months. PJP stormed Pottstown out of the gate, leading by more than 20 points in the first half on the way to a 78-66 win.
The Golden Panthers (4-0 Frontier, 4-2 PAC, 8-3) have won nine consecutive division games dating back to last season.
“This year we have a lot more experience, and we know what we have to do,” PJP senior Drew McKeon said of the difference from a year ago. “Last year for everyone it was all our first time, and this year coming through, we know what to expect and what we have to do to get it done.”
Jaden Workman led PJP with 18 points followed by McKeon with 17, Luke McCarthy with 15 and Justin Green with 12. Pottstown’s Tre’ Bass had 17 points, Robert Burress added 16 and Donovan Towson chipped in 12.
McCarthy scored seven in the first quarter to help PJP storm out to a 21-11 lead. Workman scored 12 in the second quarter as PJP extended its advantage as large as 42-21 when McKeon slammed home a fastbreak dunk.
The Golden Panthers led 42-26 at halftime and 63-44 at the end of the third, holding at least a 12-point lead throughout the rest of the contest.
“We came in with a focus on trying to take McKeon and (Justin) Green away from them, and I thought we did a pretty good job of limiting those two guys in the first half,” Pottstown coach Scott Palladino said. “The other three guys hurt us. The other guys coming off the bench. The guy that came off the bench for them (Workman) gave them a shot in the arm.”
Workman three then this tough bucket in transition makes it 36-16 PJP with 3:30 left in first half. pic.twitter.com/rqLqUHsauJ
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) January 3, 2020
The offensive balance has been consistent for the Golden Panthers this season. Workman became the fifth PJP player to the lead team in scoring as McKeon, McCarthy, Justin Green and Kevin Green have already accomplished the feat.
While McKeon and Justin Green are holdovers from last year’s team, McCarthy, Kevin Green and fellow starter David Smrek were swing players between the JV and varsity squad a year ago.
McCarthy said they gelled quickly through summer camps and extra workouts at the YMCA before the season, which resulted in an immediate comfort level on the floor to start the 2019-20 campaign.
“Every single night, anyone can step up and make the big plays,” McCarthy said. “You saw against Phoenixville, Jaden came up big and Justin in the fourth quarter. Other games it can be me and Kevin. It can be Drew some games. Everyone can score on our team, and we trust them.”
“It really keeps teams on edge when they’re guarding us,” McKeon added. “And it’s great because when one guy gets going it opens up the floor for the next and it’s just a domino effect from there.”
Corey Cottman and Darius Smallwood both added eight points for the Trojans.
Pottstown (2-2 Frontier, 3-3 PAC, 4-6) hasn’t been able to get things rolling, currently sitting in the middle of the division pecking order. Palladino’s team has dropped games against PJP and Phoenixville, currently ahead of them in the standings, and picked up wins over Pottsgrove and Upper Merion.
The Trojans have a non-league contest against a struggling Interboro squad Saturday before finishing the first half of their Frontier slate against Upper Perkiomen next week.
Pottstown entered the season with eyes on its first Frontier crown and a PAC playoff appearance for the first time since 2012. A win against PJP would have sent the Trojans into the second half of their season with momentum, but as the Golden Panthers showed a year ago there is plenty of time to gain ground in the division and league standings.
“Our goals have not changed,” Palladino said. “We talked about that in there. We still believe that we can be one of those six teams at the end fighting for a chance to be a champion this year. Do we have things to clean up? Absolutely we have things to clean up, and we’ll be hard at work tomorrow doing it.”
McCarthy to McKeon as PJP D leads to another easy bucket. 53-31 PJP less than halfway through Q3. pic.twitter.com/UVOUbus97T
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) January 3, 2020
Pope John Paul has gotten things clicking as of late, winning five of its last six games. The lone loss was against reigning league champ Methacton (8-1) in a game that was tight until the third quarter.
PJP finishes off the first half of its Frontier schedule Tuesday against Upper Merion. With wins over the other division contenders Phoenixville and Pottstown already, the Golden Panthers have established themselves as the favorites in the division much earlier this season.
They hope while their path might be different, the result will be the same: a Frontier championship and a chance to compete for a PAC title and other postseason contests down the line.
“You just know every single night you’re going to get every single team’s best shot,” McCarthy said. “That’s what you want. We want to be playing late February and early March. If we want to be doing that, we want everyone’s best shot. We’ve been handling it so far, and hopefully we keep it up.”
