QO boys overmatched by Springbrook

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

QO boys overmatched by Springbrook

by Chay Rao | Staff Writer

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In the aftermath of his team’s 51-30 loss to Springbrook in the 4A West Region boys basketball semifinals last Thursday, Quince Orchard coach Paul Foringer was not dejected or upset. A realist, he knew his team was going to have its share of trouble with the top-seeded Blue Devils. Springbrook’s big frontcourt, led by junior Jamal Olasawere, presented a physical style that had caused the Cougars problems. Earlier this season, Quince Orchard had fallen to them by 50 points.

‘‘When teams get physical, it gets hard for us,” Foringer said. ‘‘We’re just not that physically strong as a team. If the referees aren’t going to call the touch fouls, our offense has a tendency to get pushed towards the bleachers.”

That was on display against the Blue Devils for the second time this season. Quince Orchard came in to slow the tempo of the game down, and passed the ball around the perimeter for the first two minutes. Yet, before they could make a move to the basket for their stall tactics to pay dividends, the Cougars threw one pass too many.

Olasawere flashed into the passing lane, picked it off and went the length of the court for a slam dunk. Quince Orchard’s deliberate play led to quick points for Springbrook. Guard C.J. Garner also had seven steals for the Blue Devils.

‘‘Those turnovers hurt us,” Foringer said. ‘‘We tried to control the pace, but we turned the ball over. Otherwise we could have built a double-digit lead in the early part of the game.”

Despite that, Quince Orchard (16-8) actually built a lead into the second quarter, thanks to the play of senior forward Neil Kosculiek. He scored 14 points Thursday — almost half of his team’s total output — and as he has all year, led the team in every offensive category.

‘‘He’s been there for us all year,” Foringer said. ‘‘Tonight, he was the only guy that could score, and he couldn’t do it himself.”

Despite the fact that the Cougars’ season ended with the loss, Foringer was complementary about how far his team had come this season. For the second straight year, Quince Orchard won 16 games, a feat a bit more impressive this season considering that only Kosculiek returned as a proven commodity. Senior guard Jeff Dowdy emerged as its second scoring option, though he struggled against Springbrook in his final game, scoring three points.

‘‘We started out this year with a lot of questions,” Foringer said. ‘‘I’m proud of how hard they played this season. They fought the whole year and earned those 16 wins.”

Though the Cougars graduate seven seniors, they may reload next year, rather than rebuild. A host of sophomores will come up from a junior varsity team that went undefeated this year. They are quick and athletic, and along with holdovers Matt Kennedy, Cody Schecter and Kason Leach, may allow Foringer to employ a more wide-open style.

‘‘For the last two years we have played a 3-2 zone most of the game because that has what has fit our personnel,” Foringer said. ‘‘Next year, you will see us incorporate a full-court press more often. We’re excited about who is coming back.”