Haverford rally not enough to tip Downingtown West

DOWNINGTOWN » It is a tried and true mantra of basketball teams in the postseason and it is “Survive and Advance.” That could sum up the Downingtown West boys basketball team Tuesday night.

The fifth seeded Whippets had complete control of their District 1 Class 6A second-round game with Haverford, leading by 17 after three periods.

But the visiting Fords suddenly got hot from the outside and had a chance to tie the game with three seconds to play, but Googie Seidman’s jumper did not fall and Downingtown West survived with 45-42 thriller.

The Whippets (20-5) will travel to Central Bucks East Friday in the quarterfinals while Haverford will go into playbacks hoping to qualify for the PIAA 6A state tournament.

Haverford, the No. 21 seed, shot 6-for-10 from the field in the fourth. The Fords (13-11), who turned the ball over 13 times in the first three periods, committed just one fourth-wyarter turnover. And being behind 40-23 after three did not deter them.

Haverford started the fourth on an 11-0 run to close the Whippets lead to 40-34 with 4:45 to play in the fourth period. Seidman got hot as he scored six of his nine points in the fourth period and Kevin Gannon, who had 11 points, drained two 3-pointers.

“We had a little trouble with their pressure,” Haverford coach Keith Heinrichs said. “In the first three periods we did not do the little things to get open and get good looks and I did not do a good enough job making those things happen tonight.”

The Whippets, up 4034, got big baskets from Kelly Bell and Dylan Blair to make it a 44-34 Whippets lead with 3:07 to play in the fourth period.

Blair had a gamehigh 15 points while Bell chipped in with seven points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Donovan Fromharctz had 14 points.

It seemed like the Whippets would repel the Haverford rally but the Fords kept coming. Seidman scored on a runner in the lane with 1:22 to play to make it a 44-39 game. Then the Whippets; foul shooting betrayed them. Blair missed the front end of two 1-and-1s, and Bell missed on another to keep the Fords in the game.

With West up 45-39 with 53 seconds to play, Gannon drained a corner three to make it 4542 with 37 seconds to go.

Bell was fouled with 31 seconds to play and missed both free throws to give the Fords life. Out of a timeout, the Fords got the ball to Seidman, whose last second shot missed.