Late Whistle Dooms Cherry Hill East Boys Basketball

With 1.3 seconds left in Wednesday night’s NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 4 quarterfinal between No. 6 Cherry Hill East and No. 3 Shawnee, a whistle sounded out above the jet-engine roar of the student section.

Its sound was unmistakable. Its impact was undeniable.

With East clinging to a 37-36 lead, Ryan Bodner heaved up a shot just inside the three-point arc with 1.3 seconds left in regulation. The shot bounced off the rim, but the whistle had blown, sending Bodner to the free throw line with a chance to win it. Bodner calmly knocked down both free throws and the Cougar’s desperation three-quarter court heave came up short and wide left.

The Renegades stormed the court in celebration while the Cougars were left feeling robbed.

“Our kids played hard, fought back in the game and we came up short in the end,” East coach Dave Allen said. “They made a call at the end of the game and that was the difference in the game. The kid made the foul shots and they won.”

The game was close throughout, with neither team extending a lead past six points. Defense ruled the way, particularly in the first half, with Shawnee leading 13-12 at the break.

“We really played hard,” Allen said. “We probably gave our best defensive effort of the year. We rebounded the ball really well. I am proud of the way they played.”

Senior guard Jake Silpe almost single-handily kept the Cougars in the game in the third quarter, scoring 10 of East’s 13 points in the frame. The other three came from Andrew Brown, who rebounded a Silpe miss and put it back in, plus a foul with no time on the clock in the third to bring the Cougars within 29-25.

East scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and gained a 32-29 lead when Gary Hettinger knocked down a bucket with 5:03 remaining. Shawnee answered by scoring seven-straight to seemingly take control with 36-32 lead with 1:26 left.

However, East was able to draw within two when Brown knocked down a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left. Shawnee helped the Cougars’ comeback attempted by missing the front end of a 1-and-1 of the ensuing possession, giving East the ball with a chance to tie or go ahead. After a timeout, Silpe, who finished with 22 points, took the ball and drove to the basket, converting a layup while also being fouled. He knocked down the free throw to give East a 37-36 lead with 6.4 seconds left.

“When you are the best player, you answer the call, and he answered the call,” said Allen.

Unfortunately, it was Silpe who was also whistled for the final foul as he jumped past Warren during the final shot. Silpe had a look of disbelief on his face over the call, disputing it thoroughly.

The loss brings to a close a strong season for East. Allen said the team has nothing to shake its head about after going 18-7.

“At the end of the day, we exceeded expectations, and at the end of the day, that’s all we are about,” Allen said. “We won 18 games and we have a lot of gratitude for what we were able to do.”