Colts take on No. 2 Class A team in state
Last Friday, the Marian boys' basketball team won its second consecutive District 11 A title by knocking off Mahanoy Area.
The Colts' reward if it can even considered a reward: matching up with the No. 2 ranked class A team in the state in MCS Charter this Friday in the first round of the state playoffs.
MCS Charter, the No. 2 seed from District 12 (the Mighty Elephants lost to the No. 1 ranked class A team in the state in Constitution in their district final), hails from inner-city Philadelphia and boasts a 21-5 record. While MCS stands for Math, Civics and Sciences, it may as well be MCSB for Math, Civics, Sciences and Basketball since it is the only athletic program the school offers.
"We were able to find some of their games online," said Marian head coach John Patton. "Their district semifinal game was online, so we were able to watch them play.
"They are going to be tough. They get up and down the floor and they are very athletic. They can shoot from the outside. They have a little of everything. Actually, I should say they have a lot of everything."
MCS Charter will be unlike any other team the Colts have seen this season when they take the floor Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Martz Hall. The Mighty Elephants average just under 75 points-per-game and have four guys averaging in double figures. They possess both the inside and outside game as well. Three of their players have made at least 24 three-pointers, while five players stand 6-5 or taller.
On Tuesday, Patton admitted that he still did not know what his game plan was going to look like.
"I honestly haven't figured out what we are going to do yet," said Patton, whose team is giving up only 42.2 points to opponents this season. "We need to slow them down and shorten the game that's for sure.
"The key is figuring out how we are going to stop them. They are very quick in the open floor and they have the size down low. The main thing for us is stopping them from getting up the floor, but that is easier said than done."
Thomas Moore, a 5-11 senior, spearheads the attack for MCS Charter. Moore is averaging 16.2 points, five assists and two steals-per-game. He can shoot from deep, as he has knocked down 45 three-pointers over the course of the year. He has scored in double figures in 21 of the 25 games he has played in, including six games of 20-or-more points.
Whereas Moore dominates the perimeter, 6-6 sophomore Jeremiah Worthen controls the paint. Worthen averages 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per and can explode at any moment. He tallied over half of his team's points (36) in a 68-60 loss to Shipley earlier in the year.
Warren Dogan (6-2, Sr.) and Tyreek Riddick (6-1, Sr.) are the other two players averaging in double figures. The two put up 12.3 and 10.9 points respectively. Dogan does a little bit of everything by averaging three assists, rebounds and steals per contest. Both can also shoot from downtown.They combine for 62 triples (Riddick 38, Dogan 24).
Muhammad Amin (6-5, Sr.), Jeffon Powell (6-5, So.) and Chris Stokes (6-0, Sr.) also see minutes. All three average slightly over four points-per-game. Amin pulls down 7.7 rebounds in his time, while Powell grabs 4.5.
If Marian (20-5) wants to hang with MCS Charter it will have to do some serious scoring of its own. The Colts have just two players averaging in double figures. One is TIMES NEWS Player of the Year candidate Chris Barletta (17 ppg). The other is Ryan Gimbi (12.9 ppg).
Marian may be a heavy underdog heading into Friday, but the first thing any underdog needs is belief.
"Martz Hall is a little bit of a longer court than most gyms, so maybe that will throw them off a little bit," said Patton. "But I am basically going to tell the guys that on any given night any team can win.
"We will need to play our best game in order to do so, but it is possible. If we do the little things right and do everything the best we can, then we have a chance. You have to believe that you can win any time you step of the floor, but this will definitely be our biggest test of the year."
