WALLINGFORD – The high school version of March Madness got off to an electric start on Saturday. 

#18 seed North Penn Knights upset #15 seed Strath Haven 68-62 in round 1 of the playoffs as North Penn was led by the tandem of Seniors Josh Jones and Billy Coley putting in 24 and 16 apiece. 

“Billy is definitely a key part to our offense,” said Jones. “When I’m able to drive in and collapse the D, he is always in the right spot to hit a spot up three.”

The game opened in a familiar way for the Knights as Senior Josh Jones opened scoring by driving in for a layup to get things going. The Panthers followed up with a layup by Junior Matthew Shuler and a three by Senior Luke Edwards. Sophomore Ryan Zelt was able to knock down a three of his own to knot things back up at 5. On the other end, Edwards spotted up and hit another three but, only for Zelt to answer right back again with another shot from deep to tie it at 8. After once more trading buckets, Jones And1 and Coley hitting a jumper off a turnover and a pair of free throws pushed the lead to 15-10 for the Knights.  Strath Haven answered with a bucket from Sophomore Jaden Jauregui and free throws from Edwards to cut the deficit to 15-14 and close out the 1st quarter.

Jones opened up the 2nd the same way he started the game and drove to the basket and put in a layup. Shuler followed up with a three that tied the game at 17. Coley drove in for a layup on the other end and Sophomore Mario Sgro stole the ensuing inbound pass and turned it into another basket for the Knights. Edwards got a layup to go and then Senior Chris Golay was able to draw the foul and sink the layup but missed the free throw leaving the score tied at 21. A small run by North Penn saw Senior Joe Larkins split a pair at the line, a mid range jumper by Jones, and Sophomore Terhan Wright got a lay in off a missed shot to push the lead to 5. The Panthers once again stormed back with a steal and three from Shuler. Immediately followed up with another three ball by Edwards to regain a one point lead. Senior Carl Borgstorm split a pair for Strath Haven and the rebound led to Zelt driving in and getting a foul call where he made both. A last second layup by Edwards put Strath Haven up by 2 heading into halftime 30-28. 

For the 3rd time in 3 quarters, scoring was opened by Jones on a jumper. Senior Will George got his first points on a layup to take the lead again. Sgro was able to catch a kick out pass and drain the 3 from the corner, once again making another lead change. George was fouled and converted both free throws on the other end. After a turnover, Senior Robert Guilday sunk a layup to push the Panthers lead to 3. Coming back down the court Coley was wide open in the corner and made the most of it by tying the game up. A forced turnover allowed Coley to follow up with a layup which was answered by another Edwards three. A Sgro layup and three by Junior Milind Pulugara gave the Knights a 4 point lead. Jauregi cut the lead in half with a layup before Pulugara was able to get one of his own to fall. Jones free throws pushed the lead to 6 for the Knights. Edwards, once again, was able to earn an And1 opportunity but missed the free throw. The Panthers secured the offensive board however, and Edwards was able to get the second chance points. A nice turnaround jumper by Jones closed scoring for the 3rd quarter with North Penn leading 49-45. 

“We knew how much of a tight game this was,” Jones said. “ We just had to execute our plan coming out of the break and do what we needed to do in the 4th to win.” 

Jones had the first bucket for the Knights in the 4th quarter making the lead 51-45. Shuler cut into the lead again with a three ball. Guilday got an And1 but missed the free throw leading directly to another Jones layup. Edwards couldn’t seem to miss from deep as he came back with another three to tie the game. The Knights picked up the pace and started a small run. Larkin hit a jumper and Coley got a bucket of his own making it 57-53. After a pair of Edwards free throws, Jones hit a three to extend the lead. A layup by George was answered by another three by Coley which was arguably the turning point in the game. 

“We always work on positioning ourselves in practice,” said Coley. “We never want to drive and not have someone in the corner for a pass. So I was in my spot and just let it rip.”

The three by Coley made the score 63-57 in favor of the Knights. Strath Haven found themselves in foul trouble and got the Knights into the bonus in the 4th. Jones split a pair at the line and Edwards took the rebound and hit another three to bring it within 4. Larkin was sent to the line and hit both free throws and was able to play great defense on the other end forcing a missed shot. After a North Penn turnover, Edwards hit a layup to make it 66-62. Jones would be sent to the line again where he split a pair stretching the lead to 5. An emphatic chase-down block by Jones sealed it and one last trip to the charity stripe for Zelt put it away as the Knights won 68-62.

The Knights get a win in the opening round of districts while the Panthers see their season come to an end. The Knights will now have to travel to the 2 seed Conestoga for a round 2 matchup. The team does feel confident being the underdogs again though.

“We are treating this as a new season,” said Coley. “It’s the playoffs so anyone can beat anyone. As long as we play our brand of basketball, we will be okay.”