Congratulations to Devon Prep, who defeated Aliquippa 76-58 to bring home the PIAA 3A State Title - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
Photos/Videos: Donna Eckert, Rich Flanagan & John Knebels
By: Rich Flanagan
HERSHEY, PA – As the final seconds ticked away on the floor at the GIANT Center, Lucas Orchard was finally called to the bench to shake head coach Jason Fisher’s hand and embrace his teammates as Devon Prep put the finishing touches on an emphatic 76-58 victory over Aliquippa in the PIAA Class 3A Tournament Championship Game.
A season after making the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals for the first time in the program’s third year in the league, the Tide left Hershey with the first state title in team history.
As he looked out into the crowd and saw the Devon Prep faithful applauding the team and a program that had come so far in only four seasons since coming over from the Bicentennial Athletic League, Orchard had a moment to reflect.
“We know what it’s like to face adversity,” Orchard said. “We’ve faced the Woods, the Romans, the West Catholics and even went down to Reading. We’ve played all those elite teams that have prepared us for this.”
Devon Prep senior IV Pettit reflects on taking home the Tide's 1st State title - Video by John Knebels
Devon Prep junior Lucas Orchard scored a game-high 17 points in state title win - Video by John Knebels
IV Pettit talks about how he improved his game defensively and as a leader - Video by Rich Flanagan:
Orchard poured in 17 points while junior forward Jacen Holloway had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Tide rode a 25-0 run through the latter stages of the second quarter and through much of the third to pull away from the Quips. Orchard drilled one of the Tide’s 10 three-pointers then Demarkus Walker answered with a trey of his own to tie the game at 34-34. That’s when Devon Prep asserted itself and implemented what it learned over four progressive and, at times, rigorous seasons in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Sophomore Ty Mishock (13 points), a two-year starter, scored six straight points, including two layups through contact then Orchard sank another trey to push the lead to 43-34 at halftime. Mishock started the second half with a layup then Susquehanna University commit Allen Cieslak drilled a three-pointer and Devon Prep led by 14 with 7:24 left in the third. Senior IV Pettit, who had 15 points including four three-pointers and seven rebounds, knocked down two free throws then hit a trey to increase the lead to 19. Orchard closed out the run with a layup that was ruled goaltending and the Tide had a commanding 59-34 lead at the 4:27 mark of the third quarter.
Devon Prep (19-8) was 22-48 in its final five seasons in the BAL with only one title to its credit, the 2016 District 1-2A championship. After only winning five games in its first two seasons in the Philadelphia Catholic League, there were moments where Saturday’s triumph seemed unrealistic. Still, there were moments in year one, like an overtime loss to Archbishop Wood, which would go on to make a run to the PIAA Class 5A championship game later down the road.
Devon Prep vs. Aliquippa - PIAA 3A Championship Highlights & Celebration - by Donna Eckert, Rich Flanagan & John Knebels:
Devon Prep receives its Class 3A Championship Medals - PSD Video by John Knebels:
Pettit, who finished his high school career with 1,437 points, came over as a junior after two years at West Chester Rustin. He was moved after talking with Fisher about the direction of the program and the goals of becoming a true contender in Pa. basketball.
“I’m not surprised that we came in this far,” Pettit said. “I liked how we wanted to get better each and every practice. I liked the competition that the PCL brought.”
Fisher was in a state of euphoria as each starter came off the court in the waning moments. He met each one with a handshake and a hug as a farfetched dream became a welcomed reality. In his role as the athletic director, Fisher felt the decision to join the Philadelphia Catholic League was exactly what the program needed to reach the level that he had outlined and envisioned.
“It wasn’t like we made the choice of, ‘Oh, we’re going to join the Catholic League to win a state championship,’” Fisher said. “Our plan was to join the Catholic League because it was the right decision for the school. As a basketball coach, we’re going to play against the best and that’s a great challenge. It was incremental steps over the past four seasons and it’s great to win it.”
With the victory, Devon Prep became the sixth different Philadelphia Catholic League boys program to claim a state championship joining Archbishop Wood, Archbishop Carroll, Conwell-Egan, Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic. They had five players in double figures after having four score 10 or more points in the overtime win over Holy Redeemer in the state semifinals, the program’s first appearance there. The Tide were the only Philadelphia Catholic League team to have four players who made at least 40 three-pointers this season: Cieslak (56), Pettit (56), Holloway (42) and Orchard (41).
The advancement of the program has been surreal to players like Orchard, who has been a member of the rotation since his freshman season and learned from the team’s defeats, especially in the postseason.
“Last year, we went to Roman Catholic and lost in the PCL semifinals,” Orchard said. “We felt we had them in that game so going into this season we had very high expectations.”
Aliquippa (21-9) was attempting to become the fifth school in PIAA history to claim a state football and basketball title in the same season but the Tide prevented that. Cameron Lindsey, the 6-foot-2 guard who holds football offers from West Virginia, Penn State and Cincinnati, led the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He scored six straight points to cut the deficit to 19 but Holloway drilled a trey then went coast to coast for a layup to push the lead to 64-40.
PIAA 3A Championship Gallery - Devon Prep vs. Aliquippa - PSD Photos by Donna Eckert
The Quips faced a 17-point deficit heading into the fourth and Tide put the game away after Pettit hit his final three-pointer of the day then Cieslak went 3-for-4 at the line and the lead was 70-49. Orchard found Holloway on a backdoor cut and the lead 72-52 with 3:22 remaining. The benches were cleared shortly afterward.
Fisher’s goal of joining the Philadelphia Catholic League never included potential runs to the state tournament. The focal point of the decision was to find a new way to challenge his players and see if the program had what it took to compete, and hopefully beat, some of the best programs Pa. had to offer. Two consecutive league postseason runs and a state title later, the vault to one of the best has been accomplished.
“We’ve come a long way from where we were in the Bicentennial League,” Fisher said. “Jumping into the Catholic League was a contributing factor to this.”