Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Wood secures spot in states
The Vikings are in. With Archbishop Wood and Northeast sharing the same mascot, whichever team won Tuesday night’s District 12-6A third place play-in game would say it was a state tournament team. Wood hadn’t taken a conventional path to the game, played at La Salle College High School, but there was a second chance for the taking.
Wood’s firepower left no doubt, downing Northeast 65-43 to secure a berth in the PIAA tournament.
“After that tough loss in the PCL, we had a chance to recuperate and our last few days of practice had a lot of energy,” Wood guard Mike Green said. “We stayed ready, that’s really it.
“Not too many people get another chance at it once you lose, so it was a blessing to get that second chance.”
Wood (16-8) never trailed despite playing for the first time since losing to Father Judge in the PCL quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 16. That loss left the Vikings in an unusual place, their season pending the outcome of a game they weren’t even playing in.
Roman Catholic’s win over Judge in the Catholic League semifinals bought Wood that second chance, but there was still another game to win. As far as that went, Wood jumped out to a 16-5 lead after the first quarter and by the midpoint of the third, the team’s regulars were on the bench as the clock continued to run.
Senior Jalil Bethea netted 23 points, hitting 13 of 13 at the foul line, to pace Archbishop Wood.
“It gives us a second chance at winning a championship,” Bethea said. “The goal now is going to Hershey and holding up that big chocolate bar.”
Josh Reed added 12 for Wood, the Drexel recruit adding a few more dunks to his season register. Green and Brady MacAdams each had eight for Wood, which got 12 players minutes thanks to a 25-12 advantage in the second