Coatesville grabs nine seed after downing WC Henderson

CALN>> The Coatesville boys basketball team tuned up for next weekend’s PIAA 6A tournament in style Friday night at Ross Kershey Gymnasium as the host Red Raiders dominated West Chester Henderson, 60-41.

The win gives Coatesville the ninth seed in District 1 and the Red Raiders will open the PIAA playoffs next Saturday against the winner of the Williamsport vs Scranton game that will be played tonight.

The losing Warriors are now the 10 seed in District 1 and will play the winner of the Parkland vs. Liberty game that also will also be played tonight.

Both Coatesville and West Chester Henderson will travel to play their opponents in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

Coatesville (17-9) took control of the game in the second period, outscoring the Warriors (15-11) 22-10 in the second period and opening up a 28-21 halftime advantage.

Red Raiders senior Jeremiah Marshall led the way for the Red Raiders with a game high 20 points. Zuri Harris added 12 and Marquis Peoples also had 12 points for the winners.

“I like to give the team an offensive spark but to be truthful we have a lot of guys that can do that on this team,” Marshall said. “We are a guard heavy team and we have multiple people that can score the basketball and handle the ball.

“This is a young team but I feel we have really grown since the beginning of the season. We hope to make a nice deep run in the state playoffs and tonight was a good place to start things off.”

Coatesville’s trapping defense bothered the Warriors, who turned the balloter 13 times on the night. And in the second period, two of those turnovers led directly to Red Raiders baskets.

Amon Fowlkes scored in tight after a Warriors turnover to give Coatesville a 25-20 lead and on the next possession the Warriors turned the ball over again and Peoples scored on a run out and suddenly it was a 27-20 Coatesville edge.

“We struggled in the first period but we really started to play good defense in the second period,” Coatesville coach John Allen said. “That is how we have to win, playing good defense.”

The third period saw Henderson get outscored 13-4, as the Red Raiders blew the game open. Harris scored the first two baskets of the third period to give the Red Raiders a 33-21 lead.

The Warriors, who shot just 15 for 45 from the field for the game. shot a horrid two for 10 in the third period and when Marshall drained a jumper it was a 39-23 Red Raiders lead and the Warriors were effectively out of the game.

Coatesville took a 16 point lead into the fourth period and kept up the pressure on the Warriors. Marshall iced the game by scoring two inside baskets for a 45-25 lead and the nine seed was sewn up for the Red Raiders while the Warriors will try to regroup as they begin the PIAA playoffs next Saturday.

“I hope we are playing our best basketball right now,” Allen said. “This is a great group of kids that are easy to coach and eager to learn. Half of the team is on the honor roll and they work very hard on the floor and in the classroom.”

Coatesville 60, WC Henderson 41

WC HENDERSON (41) Bell 1 2-2 5, Ralph-Beyer 6 1-2 15, K.Smith 2 0-0 4, Fleet 2 4-5 9, O’Loughlin 0 0-0 0, J.Smith 0 0-0 0, Surowiec 1 0-0 2, DElucia 1 0-0 2, Nelson 0 0-0 0, McFadden 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 7-9 41.

COATESVILLE (60) A.Fowlkes 3 0-2 7, Harris 4 2-2 12, Kennedy 1 2-4 4, Peoples 4 3-5 12, Brown 0 0-0 0, Hall 1 0-0 2, Giunta 0 0-0 0, Marshall 9 1-2 0, W.Fowlkes 0 0-0 0, Lynch 1 0-0 2, Chester 1 0-0 2, Van Orden 0 0-0 0, Proctor 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 8-11 60.

West Chester Henderson 11 10 4 16-41
Coatesville                        6 22 13 19-60
3-point goals: Bell, Ralph-Bayer 2, A.Fowlkes, Harris 2, Peoples, Marshall.