Pepper’s buzzer-beater stuns Bensalem
Pennsbury has seen its fair share of great basketball players over the years.
From now assistant coach Torian Jones to current Philadelphia 76er iavoy Allen to current Temple Owl Dalton Pepper, the list has headliners and legends.
Somewhere in the fray, though, lies Pepper’s younger brother, Shawn. More known for his football accolades, which have made him a Division I recruit in that sport, Shawn Pepper has also been a mainstay on the hardwood for the Falcons the past few years.
What he did last Friday, Jan. 18 in front of a big home crowd, though, may be the moment he is remembered most for. With 8.8 seconds remaining and Pennsbury trailing, 62-61, a 3-point shot by Cameron Jones went awry, as did a rebound and desperate mid-range heave from junior iewis Troh as the clock ticked under two seconds.
It looked as if Bensalem (7-6, 4-4 SOi) was going to survive a huge comeback bid, but just when all looked lost, Pepper came in from nowhere. He grabbed another rebound, this time almost uncontested, and put up a reverse shot from underneath. It went through as time expired, prompting a court rushing by the Falcons’ faithful in celebration of a 63-62 thrilling triumph.
“It landed right in my hands,” recalled Pepper, who thought it was one of those in the right place at the right time scenarios and I reversed it.”
7hRVH wHrH WhH finDO WwR of a 14-point effort from Pepper on the night, and without question, none were bigger. Pennsbury had not led, or even tied, things in the second half prior to that moment, and at times, looked on the verge of being blown away by a bigger and equally athletic Bensalem squad that was clicking on all cylinders.
Despite the odds, though, the Falcons hung strong and gradually chipped away at an Owl advantage that reached eight points on several occasions and was six with under two minutes remaining.
Momentum swung backDnG-IRrWh Ln WhH finDO SHriod, with Pennsbury pulling within three with under a minute to play. iike on other occasions, however, Bensalem responded with whDW DSSHDrHG WR bH WhH finDO blow, this time coming from Donnie Reed on a layup set up by a nice pass with mere seconds to go.
Needing something big to happen quickly, Jones pulled up for a shot from well beyond NBA 3-point range at the other end after another play called for him did not work properly, but resulted in a defender backing off. He nailed the shot to cut the lead to 61-59 with 26.5 seconds to play, and life was back in the gym.
“I’ve always been pretty much a shooter since I was younger,” said Jones, D VRShRPRrH whR hLW fivH 3-pointers for a team-high 15 points. “I think my role is to be a point guard at times, but also, [Iz have to be the scorer.”
The Owls were fouled after getting the ball inbounds, but guard ieo Vincent, who also scored 15 points on the night, made only one of two free throws to keep their advantage at three points. Junior guard Steve Ciotti then drove for a tough runner off the glass to cut the lead to one point with about 10 seconds to play. It was also the last basket for Ciotti, who came off the bench to score 12 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.
Bensalem had a chance to PDNH WhLnJV vHry GLIfiFuOW for the Falcons, but Vincent slipped after receiving the ensuing inbounds pass and was called for traveling on the Owls’ 13th and most costly turnover of the night. The stage was then set for Pepper’s heroics.
“Game’s 32 minutes, so the game doesn’t end until that buzzer goes off,” said Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman after the victory.
The win improved the Falcons to 10-3 overall on the season and 5-3 in the Suburban One ieague (SOi) National Conference. It also gave Pennsbury four wLnV Ln WhHLr ODVW fivH 62L National tilts and avenged a 16-point defeat at Bensalem last month. Currently, they are tied for third place in the standings with Truman, which the Falcons knocked off once already and face again Feb. 1.
“,W JLvHV uV WhH FRnfiGHnFH that we need to believe that we can compete with the big teams,” Coleman said.
“We’ve got 11 games left and we want to go 11-0,” Mekhi Bryant added.
Bryant’s statement was the mantra preached by Coleman as the week began.
Thanks to a Jan. 15 blowout over Neshaminy, Pennsbury is now two down and nine to go in that goal.
The road won’t be easy, though. While the Falcons appear well on their way to a District I Class AAAA playoff berth, getting back to states may be a challenge due to a lack of height and consistent interior game. In fact, senior forward Aamir Williams is the tallest player on the roster at 6-4, but he was shutout by the Owls on the night.
Midway through the third quarter, Pennsbury’s struggles inside were rearing their ugly heads. At that point, they had converted just two shots in the paint for the game, a stat which improved, thanks to Ciotti’s driving ability and Pepper’s solid play in the second half. vet, the Falcons’ attempts to score in the lane often resulted in bad shot selections and transition opportunities for the Owls, which at times, fueled big runs.
With the game squared at 15 in the second quarter, Pennsbury went on an 11-0 run sparked by great defense, quick transitions and excellent shooting. Bensalem, though, answered with a 20-0 run of its own, one that saw the Falcons held VFRrHOHVV IRr DERuW fiYH PLnutes of game action between the second and third quarters.
Bryant was called on to change that, but only managed one interior basket on the night. vet, he had a solid firVW KDOI, wKHn KH EurLHd D trio of 3-pointers on his way to a 13-point game before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
“I think me fouling out made the difference, honestly,” Bryant said, adding that it forced Pennsbury to slow down the offense, thus relying more on defense and shooting.
“At times, we do get a little sloppy,” Bryant continued. “We have to be big down low.”
That will be key if the Falcons hope to make another run in the district and state playoffs. The good news is that the defense appears to be solid, as Bensalem was just the third team to crack the 60-point plateau on them so far. Further, the shooting is, at times, outstanding, as Pennsbury buried 10 threepointers and shot around 40 SHrFHnW IrRP WKH flRRr in the victory. Junior guard Pierson Burton was the only other scorer, though, with nine points.
“We have to rely heavily on our defense,” Coleman said.
If the Falcons can shore up their defense, they could be one of the teams to beat when the postseason begins less than a month from now.
*** firVW TuDrWHr Dnd KH Dnd London combined on 10 of the Cahillites’ 13 points in the second period. The Cahillites sank an astounding 11-RI-15 fiHOd JRDOV Ln WKH firVW SHrLRd.
“Taylor’s a big kid. [We] tried to box him out, get him off the glass. London is a quick guard, bigger than our guard. We tried to keep him out of the lane but his outside shot was hitting. He’s a future Division I guard and you can pressure him but he wasn’t going to turn the ball over, he wasn’t going to make mistakes,” stated Kelly.
“We tried to zone him to keep him out of the lane but he was just shooting so strong; everyone shoots well on this team.”
While the Eagles tightened things up on defense in the second stanza, they went into the locker room trailing, 41-21.
Egan’s cause was also hurt by some poor foul shooting as it converted just four of 10 opportunities from the charity stripe before the intermission. The Eagles were plagued Ey WurnRYHrV Ln ERWK WKH firVW and third periods, quarters in which the Cahillites outscored CEC by 18 and 11 points, respectively.
“To Roman’s credit, they are one of the best teams in the city every year and especially this year,” Sabol added. “They were pressuring us, forcing up tempo