-16012018-0001&caption=Will Samuel, Penn Charter senior basketball player, was a force on defense in the win over Penn Charter. ){kind=link}
Elmer Fudd would not have been happy with all of the missed bunnies Tuesday evening at Penn Charter.
Fortunately for the Quakers — who missed several layups early and often — the late-game aim of senior wing Will Samuel was finally true. It helped Penn Charter hold off visiting Germantown Academy, 72-65, in a tension-filled overtime thriller.
“This is very big coming off a disappointing loss to Malvern,” Samuel said. “We knew that we needed this win. We were a little sluggish, but in the end we were able to pull through.”
Even before regulation ended with a 62-all stalemate, layups proved elusive for the Quakers. Then they began the extra frame by thrice missing from point-blank range.
With Penn Charter clinging to a one-point lead early in overtime, Samuel aggressively grabbed a much-needed defensive rebound, raced down court with a determined stride and finally finished a layup for the Quakers.
“We needed a bucket and I felt like I had to get it,” he said. “We were missing too many shots and we just needed an easy one right there.”
He followed that possession with a near-steal that turned into a disjointed GA possession and a missed jumper. He also added another defensive rebound that helped the Quakers take control.
Tough assignment
Samuel was also tasked with guarding Germantown Academy’s stud freshman, Jordan Longino.
The 6-foot-4, long-armed wing finished with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, but he was face-guarded much of the game by the 6-3 Samuel.
“He’s tough to guard,” said Samuel, the quarterback on the Quakers’ football team. “He’s hard to stay in front of. He’s strong, but you’ve got to just keep your eyes on the waist .. .and outwork him.”
Samuel’s feisty defense helped Penn Charter (12-6, 2-1 Inter-Ac) seize early control and jump out to a 12-point halftime edge.
Mason Williams led all scorers with 25 points, while Ryan Holmes added 19. Samuel chipped in 7.
Samuel, whose role had been that of a perimeter shooter, is new to the role of shutdown cornerback. Coach Jimmy Phillips had tried other defenders on an opponent’s best offensive threat but gave Samuel the job two weeks ago in a win against Episcopal.
“Let’s get after it again,” Samuel said. “I knew I’d be out of breath by the first quarter, but I had to fight through it.”
Germantown Academy (5-11, 0-3), was led by junior forward Brian Basile, who finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Zach Anderson and Luke Traina finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Patriots, who never led but eventually tied the score with about a minute left.
| Penn Charter | 19 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 10 | — 72 |
| Germantown Academy | 10 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 3 | — 65 |
PC: Mason Williams 25, Ryan Holmes 19, Will Samuel 7, Ryan Maloney 7, Jake Nicastro 6, Brendan Thomas 2, Dylan Topaz 4, Ryan Dickson 2.
GA: Brian Basile 25, Jordan Longino 17, Zach Anderson 11, Luke Traina 10, Colten Smith 2.
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