State Basketball Playoff Recaps, 2013-14

CLASS A
First Round
At Southern
Math/Civics/Sciences 100, Delco Christian 50: Junior guard Samir Doughty shot 19-for-28 (two treys) and 5-for-9 for a school record 45 points as the Elephants indeed were Mighty. Doughty, a transfer from shuttered Comm Tech, raised his career total to 1,011. Mike Watkins added 23 points and nine boards.
At Carroll
Phil-Mont Christian 76, New Media 65 (OT): The Jaguars were outscored, 36-12, over the final 12 minutes. John Fieffe recorded 22 points and Tyquill McFadden had 15.
At Dallastown
New Hope Academy 58, Sankofa 52: Anthony Wright-Downing packed 19 of his 30 points into the first half. He finished his career with 1,415. For the season, his 627 points represented 42.2 percent of the Warriors' 1,486.
Second Round
At Allentown Parkland
Math/Civics/Sciences 57, Sullivan County 39: A 20-8 first quarter sent the Mighty Elephants into coast mode. Samir Doughty (13) and Mike Watkins (10) led in scoring. The former had four assists; the latter had 15 rebounds and seven blocks.
Quarterfinal
At Ryan
Math/Civics/Sciences 47, Church Farm 46: Mike Watkins scored 11 points, swept 16 rebounds and registered five rejections to pace the Mighty Elephants, who trailed until 5:42 remained in the third quarter. Samir Doughty added 16 points and Nazeer Bostick, out since Feb. 7 with a groin injury and playing against his doctor's advice, held CF franchise Andofo Anyan (20) to four points in the second half. With Dan Jackson attending the funeral of his uncle, James Jackson, who raised him, MC&S was coached by assistant Lonnie Diggs.
Semifinal
At East Pennsboro
Math/Civics/Sciences 76, St. John Neumann 53: Nazeer Bostick and Samir Doughty scored 17 points apiece as the Mighty Elephants, who played top-notch, larger-school competition all season, finally surpassed .500 at 15-14. Bostick added eight rebounds and five steals. Mike Watkins collected 15 apiece of points and rebounds. Neumann's Richard "Tre" Allen, grandson of Phillies all-time slugger Dick Allen, was held to eight points.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
Lincoln Park 70, Math/Civics/Sciences 66: The Mighty Elephants finished the season 15-15 despite strong efforts from Samir Doughty (12-for-19, 26 points) and Mike Watkins (17 points, as many rebounds, five blocks). Nazeer Bostick hustled for seven points, eight boards, five assists and four blocks.

CLASS AA
First Round
At Southern
Constitution 61, Columbia 45: Kimar Williams nailed two treys en route to 21 points; he was the only General in doubles.
At Philly Univ.
West Catholic 61, Palumbo 40: Josh Townsend registered a triple-double (11 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks) for the Burrs, who were in control throughout. Other mainstays were Devonta Peterie (10, 10 rebounds) and Jahmil Harris (12, eight assists). Shafi Meachum (17) and West transfer Anwar Epps (12) topped Palumbo, which shot 11-for-58.
At Parkland
Del-Val 60, Notre Dame (Green Pond) 45: DaShon Giddings (14), Darius Wallace (12) and Shahid Adams (11) topped the Warriors, who scored their first 18 points via treys.
At Council Rock South
Bristol 52, Future 47: Kameron Gilfillian (18) and Dominick Morales (17, three treys) fueled the Firebirds, who fell into a 17-6 hole over the first eight minutes. Morales added eight rebounds and three apiece of assists/steals. A climb within 41-39 was followed by Bristol's 10-point run.
Second Round
At Allentown Parkland
Constitution 67, Mid Valley 52: Ahmad Gilbert (26) and Kimar Williams (14) did the heavy lifting while Gilbert and Chad Andrews halved 20 rebounds. The Generals stormed to a 22-12 advantage in the final quarter.
At Bethlehem Freedom
Elmer L. Meyers 51, West Catholic 41: Jahmil Harris (18, three treys), Josh Townsend (11, three first-half putbacks) and Devonta Peterie (also 11) combined for all but one of West's points. The Burrs led at halftime, but surrendered 10 consecutive points to open the third quarter.
At Cumberland Valley
Del-Val 46, Loyalsock 45: While falling backward out of bounds, Darius Wallace (10) nailed a deeeeep left-wing trey with 19 seconds remaining and Loyalsock failed to hit its shot in response. DaShon Giddings posted 11 points and grabbed the offensive rebound after a one-and-one was missed with nine-tenths left.
Quarterfinals
At Allentown Allen
Constitution 72, Holy Cross 62: Kimar Williams reached 20 points thanks mostly to a 13-for-16 performance at the foul line. Overall, the Generals went 31-for-46 at the line and drained 23 in the fourth quarter. Ahmad Gilbert (15) and Floyd Preito (14) also scored in double figures. Gilbert added seven rebounds and three assists while Haneef Vaughn had four steals.
At Allentown Allen
Elmer L. Meyers 52, Del-Val 50 (2 OTs): Shahid Adams racked up 20 points and his bucket with 8.6 seconds left in regulation got the Warriors to OT. They missed one shot at the end of the first extra session and two at the end of the second.
Semifinal
At Allentown Parkland
Constitution 55, Elmer L. Meyers 44: In a 23-17 third quarter, Ahmad Gilbert (18 points) dealt two early assists and then nailed three triples. Raheem Liggins posted all 13 of his points in a 37-26 second half. Kimar Williams added 10 points.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
Constitution 61, Seton La Salle 59: Ahmad Gilbert scrambled for 19 points and 14 rebounds and Akeem King contested a last-second trey that would have caused major heartache. The Generals had also won a state crown in 2012 (at the Class A level). Kimar Williams mixed 14 points with five assists and sub Chad Andrews had eight points, nine boards.

CLASS AAA
First Round
At Ryan
Neumann-Goretti 62, Berks Catholic 46: The Saints broke open a close one with a 16-0, third-quarter run. Ja'Quan Newton finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Troy Harper (13) and Jamal Custis (10) also scored in double figures.
At Garden Spot, New Holland
Carroll 57, Manheim Central 35: Late in the first half, Derrick Jones was limping out of the gym after hurting his hip. By late in the fourth quarter, he was flushing a pair of alley-oop dunks. His 17 points led the way. Austin Tilghman (11 points) and Ernest Aflakpui halved 14 rebounds and Samir Taylor posted four steals.
At Carroll
Phila. Elec. 68, Blue Mountain 50: Larenz Thurman dished eight assists and notched eight of his 23 points in a 19-6 first quarter. Anthony Harris (15) and Devante Truitt (13) helped with points and James Suber swept 14 rebounds.
At Central Dauphin East
Susquehanna Twp. 65, Imhotep 47: Frosh Daron Russell (16) was the lone Panther to score in double figures. Basil Thompson added nine points, eight boards. Imhotep shot 17-for-59 and 4-for-22 beyond the arc.
Second Round
At Bethlehem Freedom
Neumann-Goretti 73, Wilkes-Barre GAR 55: Ja'Quan Newton crammed 12 of his 19 points (and two assists) into a 26-11 third quarter, thus expanding a 30-23 lead. In part due to foul trouble, he'd entered halftime with three points. Troy Harper (16) hit two treys, Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble added eight rebounds and five assists to 11 points and Tony Toplyn had five steals, four blocks.
At Allentown Parkland
Carroll 59, Abington Heights 55: Derrick Jones scored seven of his 17 points on three consecutive fourth-quarter possessions to help the Patriots overcome a three-point deficit; the last three markers came on an and-one. Jones also had 10 rebounds (as did Ernest Aflakpui) and three apiece of steals/blocks. Austin Tilghman added 13 points.
At Colonial Elementary School (P-W)
Phila. Electric 53, Holy Ghost Prep 52 (OT): Larenz Thurman hit a step-back, foul-line jumper to provide a one-point lead, then created enough of a distraction to assure HGP's last-second trey would not cause agony. Thurman (18, three treys) and Devante Truitt (14, five steals) scored in double figures while James Suber contributed nine apiece of points and boards.
Quarterfinals
At Souderton
Neumann-Goretti 60, Allentown CC 50: Ja'Quan Newton (20) finished the night still needing six points to break the Catholic League's all-time career record (1,923 by '07 Bonner grad Jeff Jones), but his defense helped to assure he'd get another opportunity. Against others, ACC star Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkwan scored 10 quick points to start the game and seven more to open the third quarter. Until the final 4:31, which began with N-G in command, 50-33, Abdur-Rahkwan (30) notched just two points against Newton. Troy Harper and sub Vaughn Covington (three treys) contributed 11 points apiece, Newton added eight rebounds/four assists and Tony Toplyn had five blocks.
At Ryan
Phila. Electric 52, Carroll 51: James Suber bagged 16 points and 10 rebounds, Larenz Thurman notched all 15 of his points on treys (eight attempts) and Jihad Barnes provided a three-point lead with a regular field goal off a goaltending call with 16.8 seconds remaining. Carroll scored on Ernest Aflakpui's layup with a tenth or two under five seconds left, but was out of timeouts and the Chargers did not have to inbound. For Carroll, Derrick Jones had 15 points while Austin Tilghman and Ryan Daly halved 24.
Semifinal
At Southern
Neumann-Goretti 65, Phila. Electric 53: On a lefthanded layup 4:11 before halftime, Ja'Quan Newton raised his game points total to seven and career number to 1,925, thus eclipsing 2007 Bonner grad Jeff Jones (1,923) for the top spot in Catholic League history. He finished the night with 21. Troy Harper (20) ended the first half with three free throws after getting hacked beyond the arc, lifting the lead to 28-24, then drained a trey to open the second. The Saints added eight more consecutive points before the Chargers regrouped (and eventually moved within six). Newton (five steals) and Tony Toplyn halved 16 rebounds. Devante Truitt (17) and Larenz Thurman (12) paced PE.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
Neumann-Goretti 64, Susquehanna Twp. 57 (OT): A day after his mother passed away, Ja'Quan Newton exploded for a career high 33 points (six in the extra session) and a team-high eight rebounds as the Saints seized their fourth state title in five years (also 2010-12). The outburst, best by a Catholic League player in a state playoff, finalized his total at 1,972, the No. 9 effort in city history. Troy Harper (12) and Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble also scored in double digits and Tony Toplyn blocked a late jumper to assure OT.

CLASS AAAA
First Round
At Carroll
Roman 48, Oxford 38: The Cahillites stormed to a 15-point halftime lead, but the pad dwindled to one before control again was established. Only Gemil Holbrook (13) reached double figures in scoring, but four more guys managed nine/eight. Manny Taylor grabbed seven rebounds. Shep Garner made four steals.
At Southern
King 57, Cumberland Valley 43: Jahmir Taylor (12 rebounds) and Chase Rodgers halved 28 points while Greg Bennett made five steals. Thanks mostly to free throws, the Cougars won the fourth quarter, 15-7.
At Spring-Ford
La Salle 64, Conestoga 58: Shawn Witherspoon totaled 19 points and four assists while David Krmpotich shot 7-for-10 en route to 16 points. Najee Walls and Dan Corr hit two treys apiece and the latter, as a sub, added two assists and three steals. Chuck Champion went 3-for-4 at the line in the final moments to expand a three-point lead.
Second Round
At Ryan
Lower Merion 64, Roman 52: The Cahillites shot just 19-for-56 while suffering the upset. Guards Shep Garner (Penn State) and Rashann London (Drexel) tallied 17 and 19 points, respectively, ending their careers with 1,437 and 1,103. Starter TreVaughn Wilkerson, sidelined for three-plus weeks by a high-ankle sprain, came off the bench to contribute seven points and six rebounds.
At Colonial Elementary (P-W)
King 65, Pennsbury 43: Jahmir Taylor added 11 rebounds and eight blocks to his 16-point outing while Jabri McCall notched his 16 markers thanks to a 12-for-13 performance at the line. Sammy Foreman had eight points and seven apiece of rebounds/assists. Twenty-eight fouls (of 44 total, with three techs) were called in the first half.
At Coatesville
La Salle 49, Cedar Crest 43 (OT): Najee Walls (22) drained two treys in a 15-8 fourth quarter and David Krmpotich's bucket got the Explorers to OT. They'd trailed by nine with 6:32 left. A quick sequence -- triple by sub Dan Corr, Walls' three-point play -- was huge in the early part of the extra session.
Quarterfinals
At Colonial Elementary (P-W)
La Salle 71, Lower Merion 48: Thanks to nine points from subs (Sean Greenberg five, Shane Stark four), the Explorers stormed to a 22-5 lead in the first 9:23. By halftime, they owned 24 of the game's 30 rebounds. By late in the third quarter, La Salle's students were chanting toward LM's, "You need Kobe! You need Kobe!" Jalen Herdsman led the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shawn Witherspoon also scored 14 points while Najee Walls managed 13.
At Colonial Elementary (P-W)
Abington 56, King 52: Sammy Foreman posted 16 points, three assists and six steals for the Cougars, who were prevented from trying a trey, at 54-51, when Jabri McCall was fouled while dribbling along the arc. He went 1-for-2 at the line, then the Ghosts added two free throws at 4.5 to end the drama. Chase Rodgers had 10 points, eight rebounds. Jahmir Taylor contributed nine/10.
Semifinal
At Coatesville
La Salle 61, Chester 55: David Krmpotich (19) and Shawn Witherspoon (17) led the way as the Explorers became one of the few schools to beat twin powers Lower Merion and Chester in back-to-back outings. The shooting performances of those two (DK 6-for-8 and 6-for-8; SW 5-for-6 and 7-for-9) helped La Salle, which led by as many as 11 and became the first District 12 school to earn a berth in a AAAA final, shoot 18-for-33 (one trey) and 24-for-31. Krmpotich grabbed six rebounds. Witherspoon dealt three assists.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
New Castle 52, La Salle 39: The Explorers fell short of becoming one of the few teams in recent state history to win a state title with no returning starters and no transfers to flesh out the lineup. Najee Walls (15) and Shawn Witherspoon (10) led the way. La Salle hit just one of 10 attempts from behind the arc and was outrebounded, 36-23. The Explorers' eight varsity returnees totaled 1,521 points after scoring 94 in 2012-13. NC finished 31-0 with a starting lineup featuring four players bound for Division 1 football.