Seidman says states: career game leads Haverford past Abington in District 1-6A playbacks

ABINGTON >> Googie Seidman made at least one new believer Friday night.

An Abington fan seated behind one of the baskets did little to hide his disdain at the way the Haverford senior guard continually shredded the Ghosts’ defense in the first half and by the second half, at least begrudgingly, gave Seidman his props. It was hard not to, the 6-foot senior raining in deep threes, hitting pull-ups, going to the rim and hitting a lot of free throws on his way to a career-best 36.

Seidman’s big night, plus a lot of contributions from his teammates in and out of the scorebook, led the No. 21 Fords past No. 20 Abington 66-54 in a District 1-6A boys playback, securing a second straight PIAA tourament bid.

“We had a disappointing loss (to Downingtown East) Tuesday, so we were really hungry, me especially because I didn’t have the best game,” Seidman said. “My teammates were getting me open a lot, I was taking the shots when they were there and they were falling tonight. It was a really nice game.”

Not only did Seidman pour in a new career-best, he did so in an extremely efficient manner. The guard hit 8-of-11 field goals and knocked down 15-of-20 at the free throw line, the bulk of those attempts coming in the fourth quarter, and it’s not like he was taking an abundance of easy shots.

Seidman sank a long two on a pull-up for the Fords’ first score but the visitors trailed 7-2 with three minutes left in the opening quarter. Brian Wiener — who had a really strong game in support of Seidman — hit a three then Seidman turned a steal into a layup to get back into it and the Fords took their first lead when Kevin Gannon beat the quarter horn off a nice dish by William Cascarina.

“We were playing off each other, we always pick each other up,” Seidman said. “Once a couple started to go in, we kept being aggressive.”

Seidman opened the second quarter getting foul on a drive for two free throws, then he drained a long three for a 17-10 lead that elicited a half-angry, half-impressed retort from the fan seated a couple rows up behind the rim. The senior scored all 11 Fords points in the second quarter, including another three and a really well-executed play where the guard converted an over-the-top pass from Tommy Wright that created a 23-18 halftime lead.

Abington coach Charles Grasty was impressed with the way the Fords ran their offense, noting while Seidman did the most of the scoring, it was a collective effort to get him those looks.

“They’re a good team, they play well together, play hard and do the little things coaches love,” Grasty said. “They cut hard, box out, the little things. I’m sure their coaches love to coach a team like that.”

The Ghosts didn’t qualify for the state playoffs in the COVID-19 altered 2020-21 season, where they still made the district title game, but it had been quite some time since the last time since they missed out. Abington struggled to stop Seidman, somewhat slowing the senior to start the third quarter before some of the other Fords started to make a few, and had some troubles with turnovers on the offensive end.

After getting within 21-18 on a six-point burst by Khalid Jenkins off the bench in the second quarter, the Ghosts gave up the late lob to Seidman to close the half. Once the Fords took a nine-point lead early in the third, it became a game of catch-up that Abington couldn’t quite maintain.

“We couldn’t get the stop and score we needed that we had gotten throughout the year when we needed it,” Grasty said. “They do a good job, run a good offense and you have to be super-disciplined. One mistake and they’re going to score on you, that’s just a good team.”

Seidman’s best score of the night was the reverse lay-up he coerced in following a tough drive to the baseline in the final minute of the third quarter, capping a nine-point frame for him and putting the Fords up by 12. He’d finish the game out at the foul line, hitting 30 points with 2:54 to play as part of 12 attempts from the stripe in the fourth quarter.

Wiener finished with 15 points, 12 coming in the second half. Nobody else on the team had more than five, but points aren’t everything in basketball and the game’s high scorer was adamant that needed to be addressed.

“I don’t think I get any of those points without my teammates,” Seidman said of the numerous screens, cuts and passes his way. “They see me making shots, they want to get me the ball. Defensively, they just play so well and it leads to offense for me, I get open shots off of them.”

Abington graduates five seniors but will have the bulk of its rotation returning next year. Junior Jeremiah “JJ” Lee started to put things together this winter and tied for the Abington lead on Friday with 11 points, as did fellow junior Kellen Ingram. Josh Young, one of the seniors, had nine points to finish his career.

It’s an earlier-than-usual exit for Abington, but Grasty wasn’t disappointed in the season overall. There were times where the team struggled but it was a group that represented the program the way the staff expects each team to with every new seasons.

“Our young guys, now they know what it takes. It was a learning experience for them this year,” Grasty said. “We had our ups and downs but we thanked them for being part of the program. You have to be a special kid to have Abington across your chest and we’re going to live by that, if you come into the program, you should wear that Abington proud.”

Seidman’s efforts also brought him closer to passing his older brother John on the program’s all-time scoring list. The Fords will play No. 17 West Chester Henderson next, their state bid secured but actual seed still to be determined.

Any state qualifying bid is big for Haverford, so going back-to-back is even bigger even if nobody could really remember the last time it happened.

“It means a lot, just really good for our program,” Seidman said. “We worked really hard for that.”

Haverford 66, Abington 54
Haverford 12 11 21 22 — 66
Abington 10 8 14 12 — 54
H: Googie Seidman 8 15-20 36, Brian Wiener 3 7-8 15, Tommy Wright 1 0-1 2, Kevin Gannon 2 0-0 4, Keith Heinreichs 0 2-2 2, Gorman Bright 1 2-2 5, Andrew Steigleman 0 2-2 2. Totals: 17 28-35 66
A: Damon Rawls 4 0-0 9, Jeremiah Lee 4 2-5 11, Paul Glants 2 0-0 6, Kamari Brashar 0 2-2 2, Kellen Ingram 3 5-6 11, Josh Young 3 2-2 9, Khalid Jenkins 2 1-1 6.
3-pointers: H – Seidman 3, Wiener 2, Bright; A – Glants 2, Young, Rawls, Lee, Jenkins.