PIAA STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Quarterfinals

Susquehanna Township advances to AAA state semifinal to meet Scranton Prep after eliminating Communications Tech; Allen girls knock off C.D. East and will face Central Dauphin in AAAA girls semifinal

By Gorden Blain
READING -- It wasn’t what Communications Tech coach Lou Biester wanted from his players.

But it was what Susquehanna Township coach Vince Rogers expected from the Phoenix in a showdown of two of the top teams, regardless of class, in Pennsylvania in a PIAA State AAA quarterfinal Friday night at Reading High School’s Geigle Complex.

Despite Biester repeatedly pleading with the Phoenix to drive to the basket and pass the ball inside to their talented 6-6 all-state forward and Temple recruit Andrew “Scootie” Randall, the Phoenix were content to hoist jump shot after jump shot.

Missing the mark far too many times, District 12 and Philadelphia Public League champion Communications Tech (28-4) lost to District 3 champion Susquehanna Township 57-44. The Indians (31-2) advanced to the state semifinals to meet District 2 champion Scranton Prep (24-7), which defeated Daniel Boone 49-42 Friday night in Pottsville. The game is Tuesday night at a site and time to be announced.

The winner of that game meets the winner of the Steel-High versus Blackhawk-General McLane winner. The Blackhawk-General McLane game was postponed until Sunday. Steel-High, who defeated Susquehanna Township in the Mid-Penn Conference championship game early last month and then lost to the Indians in the District 3 AAA championship game on February 21, routed Bradford 72-41 on Friday night.

Both Susquehanna Township and Steelton-Highspire are located in the Harrisburg area.

Susquehanna Township and Scranton Prep have crossed paths in the state tournament as recently as 2006 when the Cavaliers won the second round game 40-36. The last time Susquehanna played in the state semifinal was 2001 when, ironically, the Indians defeated Scranton Prep 60-53 in the first round.

Since the PIAA created four classes in 1984, this is the first time Prep has reached the state semifinals. This is Susquehanna’s sixth AAA semifinal since 1994.

“I expected that from (Communications Tech),“ said Rogers. “What I noticed on the tapes of their games is they’re quick to shoot the ball. That played into our hand. We did a lot of different things defensively. They’re not used to adjusting. Our defense, especially on Randall, he never got it going.”

The Indians (31-2) brought defensive pressure at every position and shifted defensive looks from man-to-man to zone and back. Their quick backcourt dynamos Taaj Turner and Ben Dupree kept the Phoenix from penetrating and the inside trio of Greg Edwards, Matt Jones and Akeem Wilson slowed Randall enough to hold him in check from dominating the game offensively.

And everybody’s assignment was to block out and rebound. The Indians outrebounded Tech 43-40.

“Randall likes to clean up on the glass and their guards are strong rebounders,” said Rogers. “That’s Philly basketball. We stressed to everybody, even Ben, box out.”

Randall scored 14 points, seven below is average, but grabbed 17 rebounds--seven offensive boards led to 11 points.

Communications Tech committed 11 turnovers and made just 16 of 58 shots (25.8 percent). They made six of 17 three-point shots and shot just 11 free throws and made eight.

“You live out there, you die out there,” said Biester. “We didn’t play. We didn’t react. We had too many turnovers and missed too many shots in the first half. We didn’t play very smart. I kept telling our guys to go to the basket but they’d go right back to shooting jump shots.”

In his matchup with Randall, Edwards, a 6-4 junior forward whose mother is Rogers’ first cousin and who moved to Harrisburg from Queens, New York this past summer, scored a team-high 12 points, had 11 rebounds and blocked two shots.

“He had a heck of a game,” said Rogers. “He’s capable of playing like that every game. Greg Edwards is a Division 1 ball player. He’s playing better and better as we go along.”

Edwards, explosive when he elevates, admitted that the challenge of going head-to-head with a Temple recruit got his attention but he was focused on what his job was on the team.

“Since coach was asking me to get back on defense every time,” said Edwards, “ I made up my mind that I was going to block a shot and get the rebound every time. My job on this team is to get rebounds and block shots. I knew my job was to guard (Randall) and lock him up.”

Wilson scored 11 points and Jones had 10. Turner and Dupree combined for 15 points. Sophomore guard Maury Young came off the bench to score six points. The Indians made 20 of 58 shots (34.5 percent).

Sophomore guard Shaquille Shannon came off the bench in the first quarter and scored 12 points, all on four three-point baskets, for the Phoenix.

Susquehanna led 7-4 after the first four minutes of the game but Shannon sank back-to-back three-point shots and the Phoenix had the lead at 10-9.

The lead changed hands five times before Wilson threw down a dunk to give the Indians the lead again at 20-19. They never left the lead get away again.

Leading 24-21 at halftime, the Indians delivered the decisive blow at the start of the third quarter. Edwards sank a three-point basket, Wilson hit a turn around and Edwards added two more at the free throw line to build the lead to 31-21 with 6:46 left in the third quarter.

A pair of three-pointers from Shannon trimmed the lead to 36-29 but Edwards’ big offensive rebound and put back and Turner’s jump shot just before the horn ending the third quarter gave the Indians a 42-33 lead.

Orlando Ensley started the fourth quarter for Communications Tech by sinking a three-point shot to cut the lead to 42-36 but the Phoenix missed their next 11 shots and went scoreless for the next 5:23. Turner’s free throw with 2:18 left put Township up 48-36 and the Indians finished the job on two Jones baskets and at the foul line.

In the first game of the doubleheader at Geigle that drew a total of 948 paid, District 11 champion Allen (26-5) defeated Central Dauphin East 45-40 to advance to the PIAA State AAAA girls semifinal against Central Dauphin on Tuesday at a time and site to be announced. CD eliminated Scranton 51-40 at Pottsville.

It was a cold start for Allen. East (23-8) led 16-5 with 3:39 left in the first half when the Lady Chicks turned to their full court press to create East turnovers and rally. Allen scored 10 unanswered points to end the first half. Shalice Jackson scored the first basket of the second half to give Allen a 17-16 lead.

East went scoreless for 5:55 over the second and third quarters.

A three-point play by Jackson followed by a Tanehjha Smith basket gave Allen a 28-17 lead halfway through the third quarter.

Allen still led 30-19 when suddenly East caught fire. The Panthers’ Danielle Everson had a layup. Freshman Catherine Webster came off the bench to score four points and McKenna Regets stole the ball and made a layup just ahead of the horn to end the third quarter and East was back in the game, trailing 30-27.

The Panthers even briefly regained the lead when Kathryn Lytle finished a three-point play to give East a 35-34 lead with 5:07 remaining.

But Allen took charge down the stretch and outscored East 11-5 to finish the game.

Smith led the Lady Chicks with 13 points and Jackson had 12. Lindsey Gosse, whose three-point play snapped a 37-37 tie with 2:03 left to play and gave Allen the lead for good, scored eight points.

“We started slow but these kids never give up,” said Allen coach Tom Gallagher. “I told them to just hang together, stay together and good things will happen.”

East’s entire varsity lineup and roster, except for seniors McKenna Regets, who scored seven points, and Shawna Everson, returns next season. Junior Danielle Everson led East with 11 points and Lytle had 10.

“I have a hard time swallowing this one,” said East coach Greg Potteiger. “The sense of urgency for 32 minutes just wasn’t there. I don’t think we left it out on the floor.

“It’s a great season. We’re not going to hand our heads. Except for our two super seniors, everybody else is back. We’re not going anywhere.”