Del-Val boys advance to PIAA quarterfinals
For the first 16 minutes of the Class 3A second-round PIAA matchup, Lampeter-Strasburg junior Ben Sandberg was the best forward on the court.
For the first 16 minutes of the Class 3A second-round PIAA matchup, Lampeter-Strasburg junior Ben Sandberg was the best forward on the court.
In fact, Sandberg's rebounding helped whittle what was once a 14-5 first-quarter advantage for Del-Val down to just four points by halftime at Coatesville High.
In the third quarter, however, Del-Val senior Dwayne Coleman gave the Warriors a needed boost, which resulted in a 59-45 victory Tuesday, the team's 19th in a row.
The win also sets up a quarterfinal matchup Friday with Imhotep, which destroyed District 4's Lewisburg, 72-47.
"That kid was killing us on the boards," Coleman said. "Coach [Jason Harrigan] just wanted us to go out and get rebounds, and I figured I'd get my energy up and come out explosive."
Sandberg finished the first half with nine points and eight rebounds. He ended the third frame with the same amount of each.
In contrast, Coleman blocked three shots, grabbed four rebounds, and added two points and a steal in the third.
"Dwayne is our captain," Harrigan said. "We only have one captain and that's him. He's the only kid who started every game this season. He is the most overlooked player in the league, I think. He does so much for us."
Coleman finished with four points, 10 rebounds, five steals, and four blocked shots. Mahki Morris led all scorers with 21 points. Semaj Motley added 14.
Sandberg finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the losers (24-5). His 10th board came off a spectacular tip-dunk attempt, which missed with 3 minutes, 55 seconds remaining while Coleman was on the bench.
Ten seconds later, Harrigan put Coleman back in the game.
"I wanted to get him a quick break, but he slipped my mind a little because we extended the lead, but that tip-dunk was a reminder," Harrigan said.
"Yeah, I anticipated that," Coleman said, smiling. "When I'm out, teams tend to get more rebounds, so I think I make a difference in that area. Defense wins championships. If you get defensive and offensive rebounds, that contributes to wins."
On Friday, Del-Val (26-4), which beat Imhotep en route to the Public League title, must beat the Panthers again if it wants a championship trifecta. The Warriors haven't lost since a Jan. 7 blowout against Imhotep.
"We just want all three," Coleman said. "We won the Pub and the [District 12] city title, so why not win all three and get a state championship? We worked hard all year, so we want to end it right."
Del-Val 17 9 13 20 - 59
Lampeter-Strasburg 8 14 11 12 - 45
DV: Semaj Motley 14, Antwuan Butler 10, Mahki Morris 21, Wade Lowman 5, Dwayne Coleman 4, Rashae Nixon 2, Waheem Lowman 3.
LS: Isaac Beers 8, Connor Brown 6, Luke Beers 11, Matt Achille 4, Ben Sandberg 16.
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