Host Phoenixville takes care of business against Pope John Paul II, 61-51

PHOENIXVILLE >> Home-court advantage can be such a big factor in any basketball game.

The Phoenixville boys basketball team put it to good use Tuesday night against Pope John Paul II in a key Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division contest by getting contributions from players up and down the bench in a 61-51 victory over the Golden Panthers.

The victory evened the season series between the two schools as Pope John Paul II won on its home floor earlier in the season.

Colton Brown struck for 17 points to lead three Phoenixville players in double figures. Steven Hamilton had 11, and Brendan Jenkins finished with 10.

Pope John Paul II got 17 points from Aidan McCarthy, 12 from Dan Cirino and 10 from Julien Andrews.

Phoenixville, coming off a big victory over Frontier Division leader Upper Perkiomen, improved its record to 5-2 in the Frontier Division, 5-5 in the PAC and 8-10 overall. It now shares first place in the division after Upper Perk was defeated by Upper Merion Tuesday.

PJP is now 3-4 in the division, 3-7 in the PAC and 5-11 overall.

“You always want revenge,” said Brown. “You want to protect home court.”

“It was working pretty good,” Hamilton said of Phoenixville’s inside-outside game. “It’s all about staying humble and resilient.”

PJP took an early 13-8 lead after the first quarter, but Phoenixville rebounded to take a 32-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Phoenixville then carried a 49-33 advantage into the fourth period.

“Our ball movement is getting better every day,” said Brown. “We create shots for our teammates.”

Phoenixville coach Eric Burnett was glad to see his Phantoms play with a lot of energy and urgency for the second straight game.

“We have been preaching since day one about getting better every day,” said Burnett. “We are a young team, and we took some lumps and losses. But I am proud of the way the guys are resilient and focus on getting better every day.”

Matt Rafferty, the PJP coach, knew his Golden Panthers were in for a tough battle facing the hot Phantoms on their home floor.

“No game is going to be easy,” Rafferty said. “Every team is pretty well-coached. We knew coming in this was going to be a battle. They are on a hot streak and are playing their ‘A’ game. But I am proud of the way our guys battled. I thought the game was closer than the score indicates.”

Rafferty said PJP must regroup at practice and be prepared to face Upper Merion Friday night.

The game was tied at 5 and 8 in the early going. PJP finished with the final two baskets of the quarter on layup by Vincent Viney (eight points) and a 3-point field goal from the right corner by Andrews.

The Golden Panthers also got the first bucket of the second period on Ty Malachi’s shot in the lane before Phoenixville started its comeback.

Will Allain made a drive to the hoop, and Dylan Clark took the first of two huge charges in the quarter that helped spark the Phantoms. Clark also converted a feed from Allain to make it 15-12 with 6:30 left in the half.

Cirino worked inside for a basket, but then Zion Small (eight points) grabbed a rebound and converted it into a basket. Clark took his second charge, and then Hamilton buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 17 with 4:58 showing.

The Phantoms continued their momentum as Bryce Palcko hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key at 4:05, Brown made a steal and Jenkins converted an assist by Hamilton. Quinn Danna pulled down a couple of rebounds, Brown rebounded another shot, and then Danna drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Phantoms a 25-17 lead before PJP called a timeout with 2:58 remaining in the half.

McCarthy made two free throws and then a driving layup to cut the deficit with the help of some board work by Viney and Matt Cressmen.

Hamilton hit the front end of a one-and-one before Jenkins blocked a shot that Danna rebounded, Jenkins rebound and then Hamilton made a move inside to put the Phantoms ahead 30-21 with 45 seconds to go in the period. Jenkins hit a basket on a pass from Clark with two seconds lleft in the half to create the 32-23 margin at the break.

Phoenixville embarked on a 7-0 run to start the second half. Brown hit a shot with a pass from Danna, Jenkins had a steal, and Jenkins made a basket with a pass from Hamilton. Clark nailed a jump shot from the foul line with a pass from Danna to give the hosts a 39-23 cushion with 4:58 showing, one that largely remained down the stretch.