Boys B-Ball: Overtime Heartbreak for Cards in Loss to Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 64-62

In a seesaw boys basketball game between Upper Dublin and Plymouth-Whitemarsh Tuesday night, both teams had plenty of chances late to be the last one landing. But it ultimately took an overtime period for the Colonials to come up with the 64-62 win at .

"It's just a heartbreaking loss," said Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman after the game.

And how could it not be-- after the Cardinals used hustle and some hot shooting to nearly defeat what appeared to be a slightly more skilled Colonial team, the perennial favorites in the SOL American Conference.

Upper Dublin was led by sharpshooting senior guard John Decamara, who scored 19, including five treys. However, the Cardinals struggled with turnovers, as senior point guard Tyreek Magruder and reserve guard Jared Zarwin were pestered by a nearly relentless press defense by the visitors.

"We work on pressure a lot, we knew we were going to be doubled a lot," said Adelman. "We knew [how to handle it] and it just seems like we do it so well sometimes, and other times it just disappears at the long time, which leads to some easy baskets for the other team."

The contest was knotted early until the Colonials used a 7-0 run to take a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter. However, senior Andrew Derr collected a long pass in transition for an easy make underneath, and Magruder added a floater near the buzzer to cut the lead to five at the quarter.

The increased intensity continued in the second, when Decamara would hit his second three of the game on the Cardinals' first possession. A six-point run by the Colonials, led by the strong inside presence of 6'7 senior center Jake Silvers, gave the visitors a short-lived cushion, as another run and three-pointer by the Cardinals would make it a one point game, 21-22, with 4:00 to play in the half.

Silvers looked to be trouble early, but the Cardinals tightened up their zone defense to gum up the passing lanes and give defensive help in the paint.

"We worked at practice on trying to push Silvers out a little bit," said Adelman. "For the most part it worked, he got a few nice layups at times, but I really thought the defense played well."

The teams would trade baskets until a lay-in by Upper Dublin's 6'7" forward Andrew Carber gave the Cardinals their first two-point lead since the opening basket. A tough outside jumper by Magruder would send the Cardinals into the locker room with a 30-27 halftime lead.

The pace of the game increased in the third, and along with it sloppy play, as the two squads racked up as many steals and turnovers as baskets. However, Upper Dublin found themselves with their largest lead of the game, 39-32, with 2:54 to play in the third frame when Decamara hit another three from the wing.

However, the Colonials would answer back, using a pair of baskets by forward Mike Rocchi to spark an 8-3 run that would leave them down two heading into the fourth.

As the defense began to key on Decamara, Upper Dublin's senior forward Briyon Turner began to emerge in the final frame of regulation. With the Cardinal guards being pressured, Turner, who finished with 14, became the recipient of several press-breaking passes, and helped to steady the offensive sets. 

With the Cardinals down two with two to play, Carber found a cutting Turner who made the layup and was fouled. However, he would miss the ensuing free throw, leaving the game tied at 55-55. Plymouth-Whitemarsh would hold for over 90 seconds, before missing a shot near the buzzer.

In overtime, the Cardinals would use baskets by Carber and Turner to take a 59-56 lead with three minutes left. However, the visitors would go on a 7-0 run, sparked by star guard Anthony McKie, to go up 63-59 with 1:05 to play. Again Turner stepped up, receiving a pass on the way to the hoop to cut the lead to two with 38 seconds left.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh would turn the ball over on the ensuing possession, giving the Cardinal and Gray a chance to tie or take the lead. However, Derr would miss from close range and the Cardinals were forced to foul on the ensuing possession. McKie, at the line with a chance to make it a two-score game, missed the front end of his one and one, and Magruder was fouled on the following transition, again giving a chance to tie.

However, the guard could only convert one of the two free throws, to make the game 63-62 in favor of the Colonials with :23 to play. After Silvers went 1-2 at the line on the following possession, the Cardinals had one last chance to tie or win the game.

The ball was placed into the hot hands of Turner, but he missed a three-point shot at the buzzer, giving the Colonials a hard-fought 64-62 victory.

The loss drops the Cardinals to 6-4, 1-2 in league, and improves Plymouth-Whitemarsh to 4-4, 2-1. The team returns to the nest against Norristown on Friday.

Scoring:

John Decamara: 19
Briyon Turner: 14
Andrew Derr: 8
Andrew Carber: 6
Tyreek Magruder: 6
Darrell Harrison: 4
Collin O'Donnell: 3
Jared Zarwin: 2