Plymouth Whitemarsh holds off Gratz in quarterfinal
A year ago, Oakley Spencer may have been knocked to the floor by a hard foul, retreated into a shell, and then been lost as a contributor to Plymouth Whitemarsh's playoff hopes.
A year ago, Oakley Spencer may have been knocked to the floor by a hard foul, retreated into a shell, and then been lost as a contributor to Plymouth Whitemarsh's playoff hopes.
Saturday afternoon, however, Spencer, a 6-foot-2 senior for the Colonials, took a hard, third-quarter tumble, but he responded with a tenacious effort that helped PW knock off Simon Gratz, 52-43, in a PIAA 4A quarterfinal at Archbishop Ryan.
"I was hard on him early [in the game] because how he played against Chester at Temple was so tough," said PW coach Jim Donofrio. "[Then] he reverted back a little bit to a suburban kid getting beat up by tough city guys who were taking the ball from him. And then, man, he reacted well."
Xzavier Malone led all scorers with 21 points, but Spencer - the only other player in double figures for PW - added 11 important points (nine in the second half) for the Colonials (28-2).
"I think I've grown," Spencer said. "Definitely did a lot of work in the offseason to become tougher. Last year as a junior, I was definitely weak and wouldn't have been as tough as I was."
And with Malone shooting just 4 of 16 overall and 3 of 10 from the three-point line, Spencer's second-half push was important.
In the semifinals Tuesday, PW will face Roman Catholic, which beat Parkland, 73-60.
The turning point Saturday occurred in the third quarter, with PW clinging to a 25-22 advantage with about two minutes left in the period.
Spencer was tracked down from behind by a Gratz defender, who challenged the layup with contact deemed excessive by officials.
After crashing to the floor, Spencer stayed down and appeared to writhe in pain, as a few angry PW fans shouted their displeasure at the Gratz player in question.
"I was just going for the layup and he came out of nowhere," said Spencer, who was clutching an ice bag. "I didn't think he was going to foul me that hard. Hurt my back a little bit, but I'll be all right."
The resulting intentional-foul freebies with 1 minute, 52 seconds remaining - and the ensuing PW possession - pushed the lead to 28-22.
Gratz (17-10), led by Tariq Meredith, committed four more turnovers after the intentional foul, which led to a 32-22 deficit.
Meredith, a senior guard, led the Bulldogs with 12 points, eight steals, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots.
Plym. Whitemarsh 17 5 10 20 - 52
Simon Gratz 8 7 10 18 - 43
PW: Xzavier Malone 21, Mike Lotito 6, Davon Burrell 4, Ahmad Williams 3, Kevin Ashenfelter 7, Oakley Spencer 11.
G: Jamal Goode 7, Tariq Meredith 12, Rashon Johnson 4, Kevin Tillgman 4, Khanif Brown 2, Johnny Eden 6, Nasir Campbell 2, Harvy Lath 6.
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