Plymouth Whitemarsh starts slow, falls to Chambersburg in PIAA-6A opener

WHITEMARSH >> It took only a few seconds for Chambersburg to jump out ahead of Plymouth Whitemarsh. The opening tip went straight under PW’s basket and Chambersburg sophomore JJ Kelly threw down a two-hand dunk.

The Colonials trailed the rest of the way. After surrendering the first 13 points of the game, they battled back to within two at the end of the first quarter, but that’s as close as they’d get. It was a seven-point game at halftime, 11-point game after the third and never a one-possession game in the fourth.

(1-1) Plymouth Whitemarsh’s season ended with a 68-56 loss Saturday afternoon against (3-6) Chambersburg in the first round of the PIAA-6A state playoffs at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s Gym West.

“It caught me by surprise when off the tip they got the dunk,” PW senior Qudire Bennett said. “That never usually happens. Then they got on a roll just making shots, making layups, getting out on fast breaks – we put ourselves in a hole where we have to fight to get back. We punched back but we just didn’t punch back enough in time for us to give us the lead or come back to cut it to one possession.”

The Colonials (27-3) were in it until the final minute of the game. Bennett sat for 5:53 across the third and fourth quarters with four fouls. When he returned with 5:10 left in the fourth facing a seven-point deficit, junior Jaden Colzie grabbed a steal and found Bennett, who knocked down a deep three-pointer. The four-point deficit, 50-46, was as close as PW got in the second half.

As they did every time PW tried to make a run, the Trojans answered. Carter Fogle answered Bennett’s three with a triple of his own to get the lead back to seven.

“We just couldn’t really hit any shots like we normally do on our homecourt,” Bennett said of the fourth. “It just stung. Every shot we took came out or just came up short.”

PW junior Chase Coleman scored nine of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to help the District 1 champs get within six multiple times – 53-47, 55-49 and 57-51 – before another Bennett three got them within five, 59-54, with 1:40 to go.

The teams traded two-point possessions before Chambersburg hit the clincher. Talon Brewer’s three-point play gave the Trojans (16-11) an eight-point lead, 64-56, with 57.5 seconds left in the game.

“In the fourth quarter for us to win that game,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said, “you have to sell out. Against Penn Wood (in districts) we sold out. We put up 25 points in the fourth. I was saying to the guys, ‘You can put up 25 points in a quarter and we did with Penn Wood… Tonight we used our hands instead of our feet and that’s a big problem. We had six team fouls going into the fourth, should’ve been three. Three of those were frustration fouls.”

Senior Lincoln Sharpe got Plymouth Whitemarsh started to dig out of the early 13-0 hole. His putback with 3:35 left got the Colonials on the board and he added another layup for the team’s first four points. Coleman had eight points in the first quarter and assisted on a Jahseir Sayles three-pointer at the buzzer to get PW within two, 20-18.

Chambersburg opened the second quarter with seven straight points and held a pair of nine-point leads, 27-18 and 29-20, before heading to the locker room ahead, 35-28.

The margin grew in the third with an 8-2 Chambersburg run, getting the difference back to 13, 43-30, with 4:50 left. Bennett picked up his fourth foul when it was an eight-point game, 43-35, with 3:13 remaining and the Trojans extended the lead to 11 of the end of the quarter, 48-37.

“If you get the brass ring,” Donofrio said, referring to the district title, “and that gets advertised all over the place, you show so much happiness – well guess who else wants that – everybody else who’s on the rungs below you. It’s human nature to just relax a little bit. We relied all year on (Bennett) was going to make three threes at some point in the third quarter and Chase (Coleman) would do some steal under the basket off their big guy and get an and-one and (Colzie is) going to hit a 29-foot shot and (Sayles) is going to hit a three and Lincoln (Sharpe) is going to get six boards and we’re going to be good. That’s what they’ve shown… but this was different, because you could see it. The first five (starters) were impatient with themselves. It’s late in the third quarter, but you’re playing like it’s 30 seconds to go in the game.

The loss snapped a 20-game win streak for Plymouth Whitemarsh, which had won Suburban One League Liberty Division, SOL Tournament and District 1-6A championships along the way.

“That is probably some level of satisfaction that you’re out of the grind mode and into the comfort mode of why do I have to work so hard at this point,” Donofrio said. “That’s hard stuff to overcome, it just is. I’ve seen Chester do it a few times, I’ve seen Abington, I’ve seen Harrisburg over the last 20 years win their district and lose the first round. To win District 1 is such a mountain to climb. And then you played at Temple and 700 students come out… They’re no longer hearing my edginess.

“I love these guys. These guys restored my faith in coaching after the last three or four years. I’m not trying to disrespect the kids I’ve coached the last four years – a lot of great kids – but through the COVID stuff and changing of mindset of some of the kids… To see this is back to normal, genuine tears of sadness.”

Chambersburg will face (12-3) Archbishop Wood, a winner over (1-5) Central Bucks East, in the second round Wednesday.

Chambersburg 68, Plymouth Whitemarsh 56

Chambersburg 20 15 13 20 – 68

Plymouth Whitemarsh 18 10 9 19 – 56

Chambersburg: Jacob Bassham 6 2-2 18, Carter Fogle 1 4-4 7, Stanley Lozius 1 0-1 2, JJ Kelly 9 5-5 24, Sedrick Vessah 6 0-0 12, Aden Swatsburg 0 0-0 0, Colton Cornwell 1 0-0 2, Jermere Jones 0 1-2 1, Ari Snyder 0 0-0 0, Talon Brewer 1 1-1 3, Treyton Sarvis 00-0 0. Total 25 13-15 68.

Plymouth Whitemarsh: Jaden Colzie 3 2-5 8, Chase Coleman 8 6-7 23, Qudire Bennett 4 2-2 12, Jahseir Sayles 1 2-2 5, Lincoln Sharpe 4 0-0 8, Jimmy Flowers 0 0-0 0, Mani Sajid 0 0-0 0, Ben Marsico 0 0-0 0. Total 20 12-16 56.

3-point goals: C: Jacob Bassham 4, Carter Fogle. PW: Chase Coleman, Jahseir Sayles, Qudire Bennett 2.