Closing in on title, Unionville takes care of business at Kennett
KENNETT SQUARE >> Except for some early game jitters – which can be expected in a rivalry game — the Unionville boys’ basketball squad took care of business on Thursday.
Just one win away from securing the outright Ches-Mont American regular season crown, the visiting Longhorns blasted a game but overmatched Kennett squad, 54-31, on Senior Night at Reynolds Gymnasium.
“We just didn’t execute in the beginning, and I think some of the turnovers were a little weird,” said Unionville head coach Chris Cowles. “Maybe it was jitters, but whatever it was, it is an annoying thing to deal with.”
The ’Horns entered the clash third in the District 1 5A Power Rankings and improve to 18-2 overall. And at 8-1 in the division, Unionville will play an important tune-up game at Coatesville on Saturday before wrapping up the regular season at Sun Valley.
The squad has already secured at least a share of the Ches-Mont American title, as well as a spot in the four-team Ches-Mont Tournament.
“Honestly, we haven’t even talked about that – we really haven’t,” Cowles said. “We want (our players) to stay in the moment and do their jobs.
“We did talk after this game about really locking in, prioritizing our principles and playing with maximum effort.”
For the first time in weeks, the Blue Demons (2-8, 2-18) had leading scorer, Reagan Pelletier, in the lineup, who had been out with a right ankle injury. He was, however, still a bit hobbled and nowhere near 100 percent.
“He missed the last four or five games,” said Kennett head coach Ryan Dunbar. “He just got back to practicing two days ago, so he is rusty and a little fatigued.”
The longtime rivals combined for more turnovers than points at the midway point of the second quarter. But the ’Horns eventually settled down and reeled off a dozen straight points to open a 22-9 lead. The Demons put on a 7-3 mini-run to end the half, however, to make it 25-16.
“We did a good job of executing defensively, and that kind of sustained us in the first half,” Cowles said.
In the first half alone, Unionville forced 14 turnovers, and 20 for the contest.
“Unionville is a well-coached, skilled, long and athletic team,” Dunbar added. “There is a reason they have their record. They are going to beat a lot of teams.”
The Longhorns then scored nine of the first 10 points in the second half to make it 34-17, and coasted from there.
“When we hit shots it cranks up the energy and it turns into defense,” said junior guard Charlie Kammeier.
Unionville’s balanced scoring was on clear display as junior guard J.T. Anderson led the way with 13. Kammeier added 12 and so did freshman James Brenner.
“Our guys have bought-in, they are good players and they are unselfish,” Cowles said.
“It’s great,” Kammeier added. “We have so many different guys that can do different things on any given night. If one guy is not playing great, we have four other guys who can step up.”
For the game, the Longhorns also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
“In the second half especially, we dominated the boards the way we want to,” Cowles said.
“(Unionville’s) length did a number on us tonight. We looked young,” Dunbar said.
“We’ve struggled with rebounding all season. We are severely undersized at most positions. We battled and fought, but sometimes, even if you’re in the right position, they are just bigger and get it.”
The only senior on the team, Pelletier paced the Demons with 12 points, but nobody else on the roster had more than five.
“(Cowles) guys were more ready than my guys, and that’s on me,” Dunbar said.
Unionville 54, Kennett 31
Unionville 10 15 19 10 — 54
Kennett 6 10 6 9 — 31
UNIONVILLE – Logan 3 2-2 9; Napolitano 1 0-0 2; Anderson 3 5-7 13; Brown 1 0-0 2; Kammeier 3 3-4 12; Diehl 2 0-1 4; Brenner 4 2-4 12. Totals 17 11-18 54.
KENNETT – Talbert 1 0-0 2; Halakos 1 0-0 2; Pelletier 5 0-2 12; Smith 2 0-0 5; Meehan 1 0-2 3; Carozza 1 0-0 3; Guzzio 1 0-0 3; Schumacher 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 1-6 31.
Three-pointers: Logan, Kammeier 3, Brenner 2, Pelletier 2, Smith, Meehan, Carozza, Guzzio.
