by Hayden Downer (7th)
Another year, another great season for Plymouth-Whitemarsh basketball. On March 4th, the Colonials knocked off Spring-Ford High School 59-54 to win the PIAA District One Division 6A Championship. PW came into the game as underdogs, but their ball-hunting defensive style caused all kinds of problems for the Spring-Ford offense, as Spring-Ford didn’t lead the entire second half. It was just a 4-point game heading into the fourth quarter, and the two teams went back-and-forth through the entire fourth quarter, trading buckets for the majority of the quarter. However, PW locked up on defense and got two critical baskets, a layup from forward Qudire Bennett, and a huge three pointer off a turnover by guard Jaden Colzie. They would then hold off the Rams to win their seventh district championship in program history.
Chase Coleman led PW in scoring with 18 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field. Colzie, the star guard with multiple NCAA offers, chipped in 16 points, and Qudire Bennett scored 14. Despite a valiant effort from Spring-Ford guard Jacob Nyugen, who scored 20 points, the Colonials shut down the rest of the Rams offense throughout the second half en route to the victory.
It’s been an astonishing season for the Colonials thus far, as they’ve compiled a 25-2 record this season, including running the table in conference play, as they won the Suburban One League title. However, the season didn’t start out as all sunshine and rainbows, as in their first game of the season, they fell to Roman Catholic High School 76-52. After the embarrassing loss, coach Jim Donofrio kept his head up and was quoted as saying, “I loved our confidence and our attitude,” he said. “But in a game against Roman — if they punch first, hopefully we can punch back. But if you punch them and take a lead, they’re going to have three more gears to go. … We’re young yet. We still don’t understand that every time we counter, they counter and you’ve seen a whole new thing to learn.” PW would bounce back, beating the arch-rival Norristown Eagles, and would go on a 7-game winning streak before falling to West Chester East in a close-fought game.
After the heartbreaking loss to East, PW wouldn’t lose a game for the rest of the regular season, and they took home the SOL Liberty Division title. They would sneak past Neshaminy in the semi-finals of the SOL Tournament before running Central Bucks East out of the gym, 68-40.
District playoffs were next, and PW survived a close call in their first game, edging out Penn Wood 64-62. The following Friday they would take on North Penn. A sold-out crowd watched as the Colonials gave the Knights a beatdown. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 21-5! PW would finish the game with an 83-53 victory, and would move on to their toughest game yet, as they traveled to the home of Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion High School. The game was extremely close, as neither side seemed to ever have a decisive lead throughout the game. The PW fans were extremely loud, with many reports suggesting that they actually were louder than the famous Dog Pound student section of Lower Merion. A great showing from Colzie and Bennett were enough for the Colonials to grab a 64-58 victory, which led to their district championship win over Spring-Ford.
Unfortunately, the Colonials were taken down in the state playoffs after a loss to Chambersburg, but that really just puts a small blemish on what was an incredible season across the board for the team. Even though some players will be graduating, Jaden Colzie and the bulk of the roster will be back for next season. After a successful season this year from the boys team, a solid season from the girls team (following last season’s state championship), a good season from the Junior Varsity team, and the CMS 7th grade team winning the MSAA, the program in Colonial School District looks destined for a decade of success in the 2020s.
Image Citation:
Cabrey, Mike. "PW Boys Basketball." PA Prep Live. February 14, 2023. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://papreplive.com/2023/02/14/fast-start-helps-plymouth-whitemarsh-win-second-sol-tournament-title-over-cb-east/