Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Shanahan advances to District 1 title game
Shanahan regroups in huddle, then overwhelms Chester to reach title game
PHILADELPHIA »
It took two and a half quarters for things to get really tough for Bishop Shanahan Wednesday night.
The Eagles were staring at the scoreboard while perennial powerhouse Chester put together a 9-0 run and opened up a seven-point lead in the District 1 Class 5A semifinal at the Liacouras Center at Temple University.
So Bishop Shanahan head coach Ken Doyle called for a timeout. After that, it was the Eagles who made things tough. Shanahan came out of that timeout and outscored the Clippers 29-8 over the last 12 minutes to come away with a thrilling 61-47 triumph that sends the Eagles into Saturday’s district final against Penncrest, which defeated Wissahickon. That game is slate for the Liacouras Center at 2 p.m.
“We just found our heart during that timeout,” said Bishop Shanahan forward Thomas Ford. “We just decided that we wanted to win this really badly and we went out and played hard and inspired after that. We got great fan support tonight and we hope to get more out here Saturday. Shanahan has won two district titles and to get a third back for our team and our school would be a great thrill.”
“We just found our heart during that timeout. We just decided that we wanted to win this really badly and we went out and played hard and inspired after that. We got great fan support tonight and we hope to get more out here Saturday. — Bishop Shanahan forward Thomas Ford
The two teams battled throughout the game with no team being able to take advantage and pull away until the fourth period, when the Eagles’ (224) Kevin Dodds, who had a superlative game with 23 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, took over and willed his team to a win. It was a Dodds follow of a missed shot that he threw backwards over his head to give Bishop Shanahan a 52-45 lead with 2:17 to play in the fourth period that was the back breaker for Chester (19-7).
“I mean playing Coatesville during the regular season prepares you for teams like Chester,” Dodds said. “They come at you 100 percent, fast, fast, and faster the whole game and you have to match that if you want to stay with them.”
Chester, which shot well for three periods, draining six treys in the first three periods, shot an awful two for 15, including going one for nine from three-point land in the final quarter. Shanahan not only outscored Chester in the final quarter, but locked up the game on the boards as Dodds and Ford controlled the paint. Ford had a big game for the Eagles also as he poured in 15 points, eight boards and five assists on the night.
“During the timeout we talked about just taking one possession at a time,” Doyle said. “We started to play into their hands and play too fast so we just wanted to talk to the kids and settle everything down. We had handled their pressure very well up until that point, I thought. These kids have played everyone the past four years during the season and in the offseason. They are very battle-tested. We play Coatesville in the regular season and I think we have played every Philadelphia Catholic League team except for Roman Catholic.
“Last year even though we had a young team we felt we left some things on the table. This year the seniors have decided they do not want this to end and they are working very hard towards that. And Chester is the class program not just in 5A but in the district, and the kids accepted the challenge tonight and got the win. Our defense was very good in the fourth period and I have to give Joe O’Malley a lot of credit. He is our energy guy and we ask a lot of him. He always guards the other team’s best player and he gave us a lot tonight. And Kevin is our backbone and he really has stepped up his game another level during these playoffs.”
Chester still had a 4443 lead until David Angelo buried one of his three treys on the night to give the Eagles the lead for good at 4644. Bishop Shanahan outscored the Clippers 15-3 over the last five minutes of the game and the smiles on the players’ faces when Chester called a timeout with 35 seconds left told everyone which team was going to play for a district title.
“We really wanted this tonight,’ Dodds said. “We just came out of the timeout and said ‘Let’s win this right now’ and that is what we did.” NOTE » Bishop Shanahan won two district titles in AA. in 1985 and 1995.