Westtown gets revenge on Hill School in PAISAA semifinals

BLUE BELL >> Westtown didn’t forget about last year’s PAISAA semifinal loss and the pain The Hill School left them with last season.

Westtown was looking to win its third straight Pa. Independent Schools Athletic Association title before the Hill School knocked the Moose off last year on the way to winning a championship of its own.

“That feeling we had after that game last year was the worst,” Westtown junior Noah Collier said. “We weren’t trying to repeat that this year, so we had to get them back.”

Jalen Gaffney scored 20 points to lead @WTbbasketball back to the PAISAA title game with a win over Hill. pic.twitter.com/oIjF0YfEuH

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) February 23, 2019

 

Led by 20 points from Jalen Gaffney and 15 from Collier, Westtown got its revenge on Hill with a 49-45 victory Friday to advance to Saturday’s championship game against the Haverford School at Jefferson University.

“It was definitely a revenge game for us,” Gaffney said. “The loss last year was brutal for us. We came in wanting to win, wanting to take the crown back for them. It played a huge factor in our game today.”

Hill struck first on a three by Gabe Dorsey, but Westtown responded with 11 unanswered points to end the first quarter up, 11-3.

Westtown’s defense frustrated the Blues in the first quarter. Hill School head coach Seth Eilberg said the length of Westtown paired with its zone defense makes it difficult to score against the Moose if you can’t get out in transition.

The Moose have two near seven-footers in Syracuse recruit John Bol Ajak and talented sophomore Frank Kepnang. Collier (6-8), Gaffney (6-3), TJ Berger (6-3) and Jalen Warley (6-4) also give Westtown some length out on the perimeter.

“They spread out, and they take space on you,” Eilberg said. “You really need to get the ball moving, push it down the court. I thought we did a poor job for a lot of the game of running our zone offense at the tempo we can and want to.”

Hill eventually got its offense going in the second quarter, but Gaffney helped Westtown keep its separation.

He scored 11 points in the second quarter, including two 3-point shots, to send the Moose into halftime with a 26-18 lead.

“He’s a great player, and he brings the energy for us too,” Collier said of Gaffney.

Led by senior Xavier Mayo, who finished with 18 points, and Ryan Moffatt, who scored eight points, the Blues started to cut into the deficit in the third quarter. A three by Syre Gruber late in the period sent Hill into the final period trailing 35-29.

Mayo continued to power Hill in the fourth quarter, where he scored eight of his points. He scored the first two baskets of the fourth with a layup and a dunk, and suddenly, Hill had Westtown’s lead down to 35-33 with seven minutes still left to play.

Hill got the lead all the way down to one, 51-50, when Caleb Dorsey drilled a three from the top of the key with 2:48 left to play.

“It was a pretty frustrating game, but our guys have heart,” Eilberg said. “They kept battling, and we made some plays, got a little help from them … That’s all you can ask for when you’re not playing your best game is to just have a chance at the end.”

Westtown had a response however. TJ Berger drove and found sophomore Jalen Warley in the corner for a three. Warley’s shot rattled around the rim before falling through the net to give Westtown a 44-40 lead with 1:50 to go.

A few decent looks down the stretch didn’t fall for Hill, and Westtown made enough plays to preserve the victory.

After a one-year absence from the title game, Westtown will have a chance to add to its trophy case with a win over the Haverford School on Saturday.

“We should have won it last year,” Gaffney said. “It’s a great feeling to be back in the state ‘chip, playing in front of all our fans.”