Coatesville bench helps erase slow first quarter, to continue undefeated league season By Dave Conard, Sports Editor CoatesvilleTimes.com
Brad Sherry's attempt to tie the game with less than four seconds left fell short as Coatesville emerged with a hard fought win.
MALVERN—With Great Valley trailing 41-38 and having possession of the ball with 1:15 remaining in regulation, it was a for gone conclusion to the capacity crowd that junior Brad Sherry would be launching one from beyond the arc to tie the game.
After all, Sherry had already connected on six three pointers in the tilt and accounted for all but two points of the Pats third quarter scoring out put from beyond the arc.
Instead it was Great Valley senior guard Ryan Aker who posted up from the left wing and tossed up a shot, which appeared to have tied the game before rattling out, much to the dismay of the home faithful.
After a Coatesville turnover, it was Sherry who had one last chance to knot the game as he heaved up a tre with 3.2 second remaining in regulation, which fell short, thus extending the Red Raiders winning streak to nine games, 14-2 overall and allowing them to get out of Dodge with their perfect league mark intact at 8-0.
“That was great game to be a part of,” said Coatesville head coach Jim Smith. “The fans really got their money’s worth tonight. This one of those games that says a lot about our team’s integrity and fight that they have, a lot of team’s would have packed it in after that first period.”
The dramatics in the final moments would not even have had a chance to come to fruition, had it not been for the outstanding effort from the Coatesville bench, which rallied the visitors from the 15-5 hole they found them selves in following a lack luster first quarter, in which they posted their season-low point total for any period.
Brad Sherry and Coatesville's Tyler Burke, who were team high scorers, battled each other under the baords as well.
Fueled by sophomore forward Tyler Burke, who scored seven unanswered points in the span of 1:45 of playing time, and junior guard Andre Boggs the Red Raiders kicked the energy level to a point that the Patriots had no answer for.
Burke, who was 3-of-3 from the line along with five field goals for a team high 13 points, started the run with an eight footer, followed up by a put back the completed a three point play as he drew a foul while driving to the net on a great feed from Boggs.
“We are a team and all work together great,” said Burke. “I was just trying to do what I could to get us going, they surprised us a little in the first quarter, we just weren’t ready to play, but we got it going when it counted.”
“Our bench has been unbelievable all year long,” said starting junior forward Emmett Hunt, who was un-characteristically held scoreless. “Boggs, Burke, Jones have done a great job all season and tonight they really got us going, that’s what makes this a great team there is no one more important than anyone else, we all work together.”
It was the speed of Boggs that gave the Red Raiders their first lead of the night as he stole the ball and drove to hole with seven seconds left in the first half, converting on the opportunity giving Coatesville a 22-20 edge as the teams headed to the locker room.
“That why they call it a team,” added Smith. “Everybody contributes and has a valuable role to play, our bench really stepped it up tonight, Our mental toughness came through tonight and it was a game that we will draw from as the season goes on, it just goes to show we have to be ready to play every time we take the court.”
Thanks to Sherry’s heroics from three-point land, which pushed the Patriots faithful into a frenzied state, as Coatesville found itself trailing 34-30 at the end of the third period.
A slam by Red Raiders junior forward Eric Trowery to start the fourth quarter seemed to be the spark that was needed as the Coatesville defense allowed only two field goals in the final eight minutes, both jumpers by Pats junior Chris Geiss en route to closing out a 41-38 win with an eleven point quarter in which five different players scored.
Eric Trowery's slam propelled the Red Raiders to a fourth quarter come from behind win.
Up next for Coatesville is a league battle Tuesday night as they host the Cougars of Downingtown East, before traveling to Avon Grove on Thursday to take on the Devils. Look for our new feature on CoatesvilleTimes.com this week when we introduce the Red Raider Report, a feature highlighting one exceptional Coatesville student and helping get to know the person behind the numbers, music or performance. This week’s subject is three sport athlete Emmett Hunt.
“That was the best any body in our league has played against us all year,” added Burke. “We were glad to get the win, but really need to be ready and keep working hard at practice heading into the last few weeks of the season as every one in our league wants to be the first team to beat us.”
Coatesville 5 17 8 11 -41
Great Valley 15 5 14 4 -38
Coatesville (41)
Nixon 6, 1-2, 7; Miller 6, 0-2, 6; Hoggard 0, 1-2, 1; Trowery 4, 0-0, 0; Burke 10, 3-3, 13; Boggs 4, 0-1, 4; Jones 6, 0-0, 6. Totals 36, 5-10, 41. Three point FG – Jones (2).
Great Valley (38)
Sherry 20, 0-0, 20; Cohen 6, 0-0, 6; Geiss 8, 0-0, 8; Shackleton 2, 2-2, 4. Totals 36, 2-2, 38. Three point FG- Sherry (6)
Coatesville Jim Smith emplores his troops during the thrid quarter.
