Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU tops Lock Haven, reaches quarters
“I love playoff basketball. I feed off the energy and I’m just glad I got my first win under my belt in the playoffs,” Heath said.
“Robbie is a special player,” Jackson added. “We kind of feed off of each other. We know we have to do the majority of the scoring, but also get others involved. We just have a good duo right now.”
Heath entered the game as the first West Chester player to lead the league in scoring in 17 years. He is the reigning PSAC Player of the Week -an honor he’s grabbed a total of five times this season -- on his way to a new conference freshman regularseason scoring record.
In addition, Heath shattered Ramzee Stanton’s single-season school record, dating back to the 2002-03 campaign. He is at 692 and counting.
“Listen, I’ve seen a lot of basketball players and this kid is special,” Blair said. “A lot of people talk about him being a Division I player – you’re doggone right he is. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what level you are playing at, if you are good, you’re good.
“When you think he can’t do something, he finds a way to get it done. He’s the total package. He has some things to work on, like everybody does, but he makes life a lot easier when you know you can put 23-26 points on the board every night.”
Trailing by as much as 18 in the second half, LHU staged a 16-6 rally that included three free throws following consecutive technical fouls on Blair and the WCU bench, who were upset about a 10-1 foul discrepancy. It sliced the Rams’ lead to 66-60 with 7:43 to go.
But that’s when Heath took over. He nailed back-to-back three-pointers, and went on to score 10 points over the next four minutes, to put the Rams comfortably ahead by 14.
“He turned the switch on and it was over,” Blair said.
“I just felt we needed a little spark,” Blair added. “The tech’s really got us going.”
Heath finished with five threepointers and Jackson knocked down six from beyond the arc, and the two did it on only 17 attempts combined.
“When Malik is making shots and Robbie attacks the basket the way he can, I don’t know if there are two guards in this league to guard him,” Blair said. “But what we need is everybody else to step up and contribute.”
The Rams’ defense was so bad in the early going, however, that Blair called two timeouts in the first 5:46. West Chester did tighten up and went on an 18-2 spurt and led 40-34 at the half.
“We didn’t know who we had (defensively), we gave up layups and three-pointers – and you can’t do that in a playoff game against a good team and expect to win,” Blair explained.
As for Heath, he could make a return trip to Hollinger on Saturday for the semifinals if the Rams are able to get past East Stroudsburg, a squad that’s beaten WCU twice already.
And according to Blair, Health will be welcomed back next season with open arms if he decides to return.
“Some people chase numbers. Other people chase legacy or championships,” Blair pointed out. “It’s up to Robbie as to what interests him. If he is chasing a legacy, his numbers will probably be the best in the history of this league.
“But that’s between him and his family. They will have to figure it out. We gave him an opportunity, we love him and he’s a great kid.
“I am not going to re-recruit him – if he wants to be here, he is going to be here.” NOTE » A senior, Malik Jackson scored 24 points on Monday to break the 1,800 point-barrier for his career and moves into 4th place on school’s alltime scoring list.
West Chester 83, Lock Haven 73
LOCK HAVEN: McPherson 1-5 2-3 4, Lecuona 6-12 0-0 16, Kelly 7-14 7-10 23, Washington 2-6 0-0 5, Cerruti 2-7 4-6 8, Campbell 6-12 2-5 17. Totals 24- 56 15-24 73. WEST CHESTER: Samec 3-6 0-0 8, Toro 5-10 2-3 12, Heath 13-22 2-2 33, Jackson 8-15 2-2 24, McGee 0-1 0-1 0, Dade 2-6 0-1 4, Daly 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Lewis 0-1 0-0 0, Littles 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 32-68 6-9 83. Three-point goals: Lecuona 4, Kelly 2, Washington, Campbell 3, Samec 2, Heath 5, Jackson 6. Halftime: West Chester 40-34.