Bonner-Prendie keeps cool while getting defensive, knocks out Valley View

BETHLEHEM — You can take your pick of which stat is more illustrative of what transpired between Valley View and Bonner-Prendergast in the PIAA Class 4A Round of 16 Tuesday night.

Option A: By the end of the third quarter, Valley View had two starters foul out. Zach Kovalchik got his marching orders to the bench with 3:57 left in the frame. TJ Noto followed three minutes later.

Option B: It took until a 3-pointer by LV Pegula in the final two minutes for Valley View to get on the right side of the ledger … in the battle for points as opposed to turnovers. It finished with 33 of the former against 31 turnovers.

Either way, in a game where more Valley View energy was spent fighting the refs than the opponent, Bonner-Prendergast used its defense to dispatch its opponent, 67-33, at Bethlehem Liberty High.

The ringleader was Tyreese Watson, who went off for a game-high 27 points. He was 10-for-14 from the field, including a pair of thunderous fast-break dunks in the third quarter, making his final six shot attempts and tallying 15 in the quarter before watching the game’s final eight minutes.

As the anger of the Cougars (18-9) ratcheted up, so did the defensive intensity of the Friars.

“To start the game, it was a little chippy, they were right with us,” Watson said. “The energy had to pick up from us, so we had to pick up the energy to get on top of them.”

The upshot is that Valley View, the District 2 runner-up, executed its game plan well in the first quarter. It trailed just 12-10 after one and forced the Friars into a favorable quantity of jump shots.

And through the first seven minutes of the second quarter, the Cougars were perfect from the field. Only problem was that it was 1-for-1, thanks to 12 turnovers on 13 trips up the court.

The momentum started to turn for Bonner-Prendie with Oscar Uduma, who hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter to give Bonner-Prendergast (20-5) a 12-10 lead after one, then another triple early in the second.

Uduma also drew a pair of clear charges, the All-Delco defensive end establishing position under the basket and waiting for out-of-control Cougars to barrel over him. The second of those sent Valley View’s Mike Kurpis into a technical foul-worthy tizzy, which sent Donovan Rodriguez to the line for two points.

In all, it was a 22-3 run that encompassed most of the second quarter. And it led to Bonner-Prendie outscoring Valley View, 42-13, over the middle two quarters.

Defense did the trick, with the Friars pocketing 20 steals. Watson led the way with five steals. James Welde added four, Connor Eagan had three to go with six assists and Rodriguez also had three steals. That led to Watson’s dunking exhibition.

“It was time for us to wake up,” Watson said. “Getting everyone in the game, that’s what we play for.”

“It’s fun,” Welde said. “Once you start speeding them up, pressuring them, you’re getting fast breaks. Everyone’s excited, everyone’s having fun, enjoying it.”

The Friars are chasing a third straight PIAA semifinal berth, needing to get through Bishop McDevitt to get there. The District 3 runner-up ousted Bonner-Prendie’s Catholic League rival, Archbishop Carroll, 58-49, Tuesday.

Along the way to all these states wins, the Friars have proven an ability to not beat themselves. Against teams they are, on paper, more talented than, the Friars have avoided letdowns. As cliché as it sounds, to say they’re not worried about their opponent has practical value in games like these.

“We come into every game, we try not to worry about the other team,” Welde said. “Coach preaches to do what we do, and that starts on the defensive end, and we just carry off of that.”

Watson was the only player in double-figures, with 10 of 12 Friars scoring. Rodriguez scored all nine of his points in the first half. Uduma added seven and Gestin Liberis had eight off the bench.

The only double-figures scorer for Valley View was freshman Adam Horowitz, who scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting, one of the few who didn’t shy away from contact in the lane. But the Cougars had far too few opportunities, attempting a mere 34 field goals to the Friars’ 57, even once the perceived foul imbalance was evened out to 17-16 in Valley View’s favor.

The reason was Bonner-Prendergast’s smothering defense, which sparked energy that Valley View couldn’t contain.

“It really helps us bring energy,” Welde said. “There’s no crowd so it really gets us into the game.”