WHITEMARSH — Jon Coleman did everything in his power to keep Radnor’s boys basketball season alive. Coleman led all players in scoring with 24 points, but the 10th-seeded Red Raiders fell victim to No. 2 Holy Ghost Prep, 59-47, in a PIAA Class AAA District One second-round contest at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Saturday afternoon. While Coleman had his shot working the entire game, the Firebirds had all the answers. They chewed clock on most possessions by passing the ball around the perimeter like a hot potato, seemingly without any sense of urgency to score points. Holy Ghost Prep’s plan on offense was to slow … the game … down. One example: With 1:42 left in the first half, the Firebirds played keep-away like a high school bully swiping lunch money from an undersized freshman. Ultimately, they took the last shot of the half.
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And, ultimately, they scored more points than Radnor and won the game handily. “They really don’t do anything with the ball and that was really frustrating,” said Coleman, who grabbed six rebounds, made one steal and drained two 3-point shots. “Once they get the lead, they are hard to defend because they like to pass around a lot. Playing against them … it was really frustrating for us.” The Firebirds (22-3) had the lead early and never looked back. The Red Raiders (9-19) tied the game at 10 late in the first period, but the Firebirds scored six straight points to end the quarter. Radnor played catch-up the rest of the way. Coleman, a junior forward, was there with a big shot when Radnor needed it. However, the Red Raiders lacked other scoring options with the exception of senior center Rahil Rather, who did a good job working the post and chipped in with 13 points. “I worked hard and tried to do whatever I could to help my team,” said Coleman. “I know my teammates are working hard too, but sometimes things don’t happen the way you want them to.” Coleman’s last statement applies to teammate Tim Clement, a swingman with a sweet stroke who couldn’t find his rhythm. He had plenty of decent looks at the hoop, but shot 0-for-8 from the field. “When Rahil is hitting his shots, Tim is hitting his shots and Jon is hitting his shots, things work out better for us,” said coach Mike McBride. “We just didn’t shoot well in the first half and most of the second half. Everyone has up and downs, and when that happens, you have to pick it up on defense, which I thought we did. But Holy Ghost Prep did a great job of slowing down the game.” Late in the third period, Brendan O’Neill came off the bench and gave the Firebirds a solid inside presence. He led all Holy Ghost Prep players with 12 points. Colin McCarthy and Mike Byrne supplied 10 points apiece. “The kids came out and worked really hard to get to this point,” said McBride. “They got one win (a first-round victory over Phoenixville), but it’s a shame they couldn’t get another. (Getting this far) is a tribute to how well they played over the last week.”
