Patient Great Valley downs Collegium Charter in opener for both teams

Any team playing the Great Valley boys basketball squad better come prepared to play long stretches of defense as the patient Patriots move the ball around the floor and look for a easy look at the basket.

 

Friday night at Winters Gymnasium, Great Valley ran a patient, spread offense and hit nine of 10 free throws to down host Collegium Charter, 45-32, in the season opener for both teams.

Great Valley (1-0) took a four point lead at halftime but the Patriots turned the ball over nine times in the first half. In the second half, the Patriots turned the ball over just once as guards Pranav Hegde and Will Otterbien ran the Patriots patient offense perfectly and they ran away with the win, out scoring the Cougars (0-1) 25-16 in the second half.

“Our guards did great job in the second half,” Great Valley coach CJ Savage said. “They both learned from Connor Gal, Max DiMedio and Cam Wallace from last year and they did a great job against a defending district champ. We wanted to be patient on offense and we were. They looked like they were getting tired playing defense that long on some possessions. I was getting tired watching it.”

With a 20-16 edge at halftime, Jaxon Ray came right out and buried a jumper in the third period for a 22-16 Patriots lead. Great Valley shot six for 10 in the third period and took a 34-27 advantage over the cold shooting Cougars after three periods.

Collegium Charter shot just 13 for 327 from the field for the game and the only real offensive threat was senior Duce Jackson, who poured in a team high 13 points to go along with seven rebounds.

 

Jackson fouled out with three minutes to go in the fourth period for the Cougars and that pretty much stymied any hopes of a late comeback for the Cougars.

With a seven point lead after three periods, the Patriots took a lot of time off the clock with each of their possessions. The Patriots attempted just four shots from the field in the fourth period. The Cougars did not have the ball much and they put up only four shots in the fourth period.

Jack Woodard, who poured din 12 points for the Patriots hit on an open jumper and it was a 37-29 Great Valley lead with 3:45 left in the fourth period. Woodard hit two three-ball and had a good overall game for the Patriots.

 

Hegde led all scorers with 14 points and Otterbien poured in nine points for the winners. Great Valley shot 16 for 29 from the field for the game.

 

“When I hit a couple of shots my confidence goes way up,’ Woodard said. “I felt very good tonight and i thought our guards played fantastic in the second half. they handled all of the pressure and then hit our foul shots.”

 

“That was the game plan,” Savage said. “Make them play defense a long time on each possessions and then hit our foul shots and take care of the basketball and we did that tonight against a real good team.

 

The Cougars won the District 1 4A title last season and Collegium Charter coach Markel Jones said better days are ahead.

“We did not turn them over when it mattered,” Jones said. “I jus think our energy was not very high tonight. But we definitely have the pieces to be a very good team nd i think we will be one.”

Great Valley 45, Collegium Charter 32.

GREAT VALLEY (45) T.Markowski 2 0-0 4, McDanile 0 0-0 0, Otterbien 3 1-1 9, Alexander 0 0-0 0, Woodard 4 2-2 12, Ray 3 0-0 6, Metrick 0 0-0 0, Short 0 0-0 0, G.Maslowski 0 0-0 0, hegde 4 6-7 14. Totals 16 9-10 45.

COLLEGIUM CHARTER (32) Schintzus 0 0-0 0, Woolfolk 1 0-0 3, Jackson 5 3-4 13, Warren 2 0-0 5, Pitt 3 0-0 7, Mack 2 0-0 4, Kiley 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 34-32.

Great Valley              6 14 14 11-45
Collegium Charter    9 7 11 5-32
3-point goals: Woodard 2, Otterbien 2, Woolfolk, Warren, Pitt.