B-Ball: Cardinals Can't Overcome Turnovers In Loss to Penn Charter

The Upper Dublin Cardinals were just a few key plays from hoisting the Cardinal Classic championship trophy.

For most of Thursday night's game, the Flying Cardinals looked like the winning team, but a few sloppy minutes turned out to be crucial as the team fell to Penn Charter, 61-55, in the final of the 2^nd Annual Cardinal Classic.

In what was a closely contested matchup for most of the game, Penn Charter took advantage of three consecutive turnovers to start the 3^rd quarter, putting the Cardinal and Gray in a hole they would not climb out of.

“Every time we turned it over, they capitalized,” said head coach Josh Adelmen. “I’m proud of my team, we tried to battle back. We just came up on the wrong end.”

The Cardinals won the opening tip-off and went right to work, as sharpshooter John DeCamara caught fire from beyond the arc, nailing two consecutive 3-pointers to give Upper Dublin an early 10-8 lead. Penn Charter would answer back with five straight points and appeared to be ready to take a 13-10 lead into the second quarter, but DeCamara struck again from beyond the arc to make it a tie game, 13-13, after one.

After DeCamara carried the offense in the 1^st quarter, it was Upper Dublin reserve forward Briyon Turner’s turn in the 2^nd.  Turner displayed an array of skills, scoring from down low, driving to the basket, and finishing long outlet passes. Upper Dublin used baskets by Turner, Andrew Carber and free throws by DeCamara to take 21-15 lead just minutes into the quarter.

“Briyon is a tough match up down low,” said Adelmen after the game. “He came off the bench and gave us some big minutes.”

Following the Cardinals' run, Penn Charter began to heat up from the outside.  The Quakers sunk a 3-pointer, then converted a basket despite a hard foul from Upper Dublin to cap off an 11-2 run and reclaim a 27-23 lead with two minutes to go in the half. However, the Cardinals used a quick spurt, fueled by the hot hand of Turner, to take a 33-31 lead into the half.

The Cardinals came out sloppy in the 3^rd and Penn Charter made them pay. Taking advantage of three straight Cardinal turnovers, Penn Charter quickly took a 42-35 lead. The 7-point difference was the largest lead of the game for either team to that point.

After a timeout by Coach Adelmen, the Cardinals regained their composure and began to chip away at the Quaker lead. Guard Tyreek Magruder keyed the comeback, as he was able to consistently penetrate to the basket, knocking down free throws when fouled and dishing it to the wings.

With the Cardinals down 46-39, Magruder kicked it out to a wide open Carber, who sank a 3-pointer to bring the Cardinals back within four. However, Penn Charter answered back when a layup at the buzzer, extending their lead back to 6, 48-42.

The Quakers once again came out hot to start the fourth, hitting a 3-pointer on their first possession. After an Upper Dublin miss, Penn Charter converted a fast break layup to increase their lead to 53-44.

With the game slipping away, the Cardinals seemed to dig a little deeper and pushed a final run. Back-to-back 3-pointers by DeCamara were followed by a Carber 3-pointer that brought the crowd to its feet and the Cardinals back to within two, 55-53, with just under three minutes left in regulation.

With Penn Charter on its heels, Upper Dublin used solid defense to force a miss. DeCamara came down with the rebound, but didn’t feel the pressure from Quaker players behind him, and turned the ball over. 

The opportunity to tie or take the lead didn't come again, as Penn Charter sealed the victory with a layup, making the final score 61-55, Quakers.

It was a bittersweet result for the Cardinals, as they played well for most of the game but couldn't overcome the careless turnovers.

The loss dropped Upper Dublin to 6-2 on the season, but with still over half the campaign to go, Coach Adelmen said he is happy with where his team is.

“We are only going to get better. We work hard in practice and we’ve done a good job so far this season,” said Adelmen. “We’re going to be a really tough team.”

The Cardinals next take to the hardwood when they play Plymouth-Whitemarsh this Tuesday.