Springdale bounces Jefferson-Morgan from playoffs
JEFFERSON – Jefferson-Morgan hoped to end a playoff victory drought that spans a quarter century, but ran into a Springdale team that has been bucking the odds all season.
Scott Ruppert took over as the head coach three weeks before the season started, the Dynamos were given the 21st and final seed in an expanded WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball playoff field and had to travel 90 minutes to get to Jefferson-Morgan.
Nothing seemed to faze them.
The Dynamos led throughout and left with a 42-33 victory in a preliminary round game on Thursday, Feb. 13.
Ruppert said being the 21st and final seed was motivation.
“When the WPIAL gave us the 21st seed, we were shocked, because we knew we weren’t a 21 seed,” Ruppert said. “Jefferson-Morgan is a good team, too. They probably should’ve been a 10 or a 9 seed, but being the 21st seed put a chip on our shoulders. Our kids were in the gym 20 or 30 minutes before practice this week and shootaround was electric. You’d think a long drive like this would tire a team out, but our guys hopped off the bus ready to go.”
Springdale (14-8) led by 8 to 10 points for most of the game, but Jefferson-Morgan (15-8) made a run late. Jeremiah Robertson had a put back and Houston Guesman was fouled on three-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut the Dynamos’ lead to 37-33 with a minute, 35 seconds remaining.
But the Rockets didn’t score again and Springdale’s Patrick Wylly went 3 of 4 from the foul line and made a layup to put the game out of reach.
The Rockets put themselves in a double-digit hole by making only nine shots from the field through the first three quarters.
“We were cold all night shooting from layups to threes,” Jefferson-Morgan coach Brandon Lawless said. “With their defense they were 100 miles an hour the whole time. I thought we played within ourselves, but our shots weren’t falling. I couldn’t ask for a better night defensively out of our guys. Our goal was to hold them under 50 and we did that, but we just didn’t find the cup enough.”
Springdale used a pressing defense most of the game.
Ruppert said they saw on film that Jefferson-Morgan didn’t see many full-court presses this year and decided to implement it to counteract the Rockets’ size.
“They have all the size, talent, shooting and muscle and we’re a ragtag group of Springdale kids, who were just out there trying to outwork everyone,” Ruppert said. “We thought the press would speed them up and it showed early in the game. I told my guys at the start of the season that we wanted to thrive in chaos and that’s what we did tonight.”
The Dynamos led 10-5 after the first quarter and doubled their lead early in the second on a three-pointer by Liam Dexter and a shot inside by Wylly.
Jeremiah Robertson nailed a three-pointer and had a steal and score in the second and Houston Guseman followed his own missed three-point attempt for the Rockets’ three second quarter field goals.
Robertson’s steal and score cut Springdale’s lead to seven, but John Duku canned a three-pointer just before halftime, to make it 22-12 heading into the break.
Springdale led the entire first half.
Both teams seemed to be experiencing first-playoff game jitters early on as there were only three shots made in the first four minutes.
Wylly had back-to-back buckets, the second coming a steal, and Caleb Leahy scored a layup to give Springdale a 10-4 lead.
Wylly finished with a game-high 13 points.
Robertson led the Rockets with 11 points.
Guseman and Jase Bedilion graduate from the Rockets’ starting five having made the playoffs all four years.
They’ll return three starters: John Woodward, Jaymison Robinson and Dayten Marion and Robertson, the sixth man.
“I told the guys after the game that I couldn’t ask for a better group of young men,” Lawless said. “In my four years here this is the most wins I’ve had as a coach and it reflects on who they are as student athletes. The seniors set a good foundation and hopefully we can continue to grow moving forward.”