BARRY SANKEY, POTTSTOWN MERCURY/PHOENIX REPORTER & ITEM
HOENIXVILLE >> Defense has been a trademark of the Phoenixville boys basketball team throughout this fine season, and it played a major role again during Friday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference victory over Pottstown.
The host Phantoms trailed the Trojans 12-8 after the first period, but Phoenixville turned up the energy in the second quarter. Phoenixville outscored Pottstown 18-6 during the second period en route to a 26-18 halftime lead and then expanded that in the second half, resulting in a 54-32 Phoenixville victory.
Phoenixville remained undefeated in the PAC-10 and atop the Frontier Division at 9-0 (14-2 overall). Pottstown slipped to 4-5 in the circuit and 5-9 overall.
Avery Close scored a game-high 18 points with one 3-pointer, and Matt McLaughlin finished with 10 for Phoenixville’s two players to reach double figures. Jeff Conboy finished with eight, and Marquise McDuffee had six. The Phantoms used 11 players in the contest with all of them contributing in some way and nine of them denting the scoring column.
Larry Wingo was the high scorer for Pottstown with 11 points while Malik Brown and Shamir Edwards each finished with six. Brandon Tinson and Anthony Brown also buried treys for the Trojans.
Phoenixville coach Eric Burnett was most pleased about the Phantoms’ energy and defense. He cited four offensive fouls (charges) that the Phantoms drew with Close drawing two of them. In the previous game against Boyertown, it was guard Phil Meszaros who drew three charges.
“We talk about playing with energy and we work really hard,” said Burnett. “We work hard on taking charges and tonight we had four in seven attempts. We had energy there and kept it in the rotation from there on for the rest of the game. Defense has been paying off. We went on a nice little run in the second quarter. Our defense generates our offense. Then we were able to use defensive pressure for the rest of the game. Our rotation in the second half was doing what we are trying to do defensively. We got a big effort on the charges.”
Shyheim Abernathy grabbed a rebound and canned two free throws with 6:03 left in the second period to tie the game and then give the Phantoms their first lead at 13-12. That continued what became a 13-2 run at the outset of the second quarter that gave Phoenixville a 21-14 lead before the Trojans called a timeout with 2:30 remaining in the first half.
Burnett liked the 10 big points he got inside from McLaughlin as well as a key 3-pointer in the third quarter by Hunter Herschell, as well as his all-around play, as well as the defensive pressure of Nasir Green, Meszaros, Abernathy and Close with his scoring, rebounding and defense.
Leading scorer Christian Kelly sat out most of the game while resting a hand injury. He finished with one field goal and two points.
“We can’t compete with their size and their depth,” said Pottstown coach Cal Benfield. “We are seven deep and they are 10 deep. We turned the ball over way too much. We always play with that fight, but after that third quarter, we lost that. We’re disappointed that we didn’t fight back like we usually do.”
Benfield said basketball is a game of runs, and Pottstown was not able to maintain much consistency.
“We stopped them a couple times, but it was a snowball,” said Benfield. “In the fourth quarter, it never ended. That (Phoenixville) is a nice team.”
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