Downingtown West rolls over rival Downingtown East

UWCHLAN >> The Downingtown West boys basketball team kept up its winning ways Thursday night at Bob Boyer Gymnasium, receiving balanced scoring and shooting a hot 28-for-54 from the field for a convincing 77-59 Ches-Mont National Division win against cross-town rival Downingtown East.

Dylan Blair led the Whippets (5-1 Ches-Mont, 11-2 overall) with 27 points while impressive sophomore Donovan Fromhartz added 20 and Joe Suarez chipped in with 12 points on four long three-balls. Kelly Bell had eight points to go along with six rebounds and some strong inside play.

“It is real nice to have a few guys who can hit a shot, come up with a steal and a rebound,” Fromhartz said. “It takes a little of the pressure off when you miss a shot or something, knowing your teammates are there to pick you up.

And tonight against East it was a great atmosphere with the big crowd and two loud student sections and the nerves were everywhere. It was a great atmosphere and it is nice to get a win over them.”

Downingtown West took control of the game midway through the second period as Blair and Fromhartz led the way for the Whippets. The only real offense the Cougars (1-5, 5-10) could muster was from senior Connor Shanahan, who led all scorers with a game-high 32 points, including three treys from deep.

With the Whippets holding a 38-29 lead at halftime, Shanahan closed the gap to 38-32 right at the start of the third period by drawing a three-ball.

But the game belonged to the Whippets. Downingtown West closed the third period out going on a frantic 12-0 run to take a commanding 59-42 lead after three quarters.

With the score 47-40 after Ishaan Jha drained a three-ball for the Cougars, the Whippets went to work. Blair came over half court and launched a long three-ball for a 50-40 Whippets lead. After a Cougar turnover, Suarez hit a three-ball for a 53-45 West lead.

The Cougars turned the ball over again, one of their 16 miscues on the night. Fromhartz then took a pretty feed from Blair to score inside to make it a 55-40 Whippets advantage.

After a Cougars miss, the Whippets got the ball inside to Bell, who scored in the lane. Then, sophomore Zeke Staz rammed one home and the Whippets had a commanding 59-40 lead.

Shanahan broke the 12-0 run by scoring at the end of the period but the Whippets were in charge at the end of three periods, 59-42. West shot 7-for-12 from the field in the decisive third period.

“It is real nice to have multiple guys in double figures and we got that tonight,” Downingtown West coach Stu Ross said. “We talk all the time about playing each possession and not worrying about who gets the credit and the kids are executing that.

“And tonight was an emotional game against our rival and we knew it would be a tough atmosphere to play in and the kids did a good job of fighting through things and getting the win. it was big for our seniors because this was their last game at Downingtown East.”

The Whippets outscored the Cougars 42-25, in the middle two periods and although Downingtown East won the fourth period 18-17, the outcome was pretty much decided after the Whippets went on their 12-0 run late in the third period.

“We are playing well right now,” Ross said. “We just hope to keep things going.”

Downingtown West 77, Downingtown East 59

DOWNINGTOWN WEST (77) Blair 9 7-8 27, Bell 4 0-1 8, Fromhartz 7 5-6 20, Suarez 4 0-0 12, Staz 2 0-0 5, Lasher 0 1-1 1, Barker 2 0-0 4, Landis 0 0-0 0, Heuhas 0 0-0 0, Coupe 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 12-16 77.
DOWNINGTOWN EAST (59) Shanahan 10 9-9 32, Jha 3 1-2 8, Segarra 2 0-0 6, Hill-Benitez 3 2-3 9, Henderson 1 0-0 2, Littlepage 0 0-0 0, Kelly 0 0-0 0, DiLullo 0 0-0 0, Tafo 0 2-2 2. Totals 19 14-16 59.
Downingtown West  16 22 21 18-77
Downingtown East   17 12 13 17-59
3-point goals: Blair 2, Suarez 4, Fromhartz, Staz, Shanahan 3, Segarra 2, Jha, Hill-Benitez.

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