PERKIOMEN – As the Methacton boys basketball team broke down the court in the first half’s final seconds, Christian Matos took a pass from Sal Iemmello in front of the 3-point arc. The sophomore guard, however, was certain he had enough time to try something from closer range.
“Well, my first teammate Alex Hermann threw it to Sal and I looked at the clock, glimpsed at it and then it was like six seconds left,” Matos said. “So I thought maybe I’m a have time to pump fake, drive.”
After getting around Wissahickon defender driving from the right wing, Matos was met by another only to put a hanging shot over him and in off the backboard just before the buzzer, capping a 21-5 second quarter by the Warriors that gave them a 33-14 halftime lead in Thursday night’s Perkiomen Valley Holiday Shootout matchup.
“I thought we just brought a lot of energy coming in from the first quarter to the second quarter that provided us to make plays that we didn’t make in the first,” Matos said. “With more energy comes better offense, better transition, better defense. If we keep increasing that throughout the game, we’ll be a great team I think.”
Matos had 14 points at the break and added a few key baskets in the second half to keep the Trojans at bay, recording a game-best 26 points as Methacton earned a 61-49 victory.
“With the versatility we have out there, the depth we have out there, somebody’s going to face a mismatch to be able to attack off that,” Warriors coach Pat Lockard said. “And so he’s been able to really be under control, patient as you said, with shot fakes and not always taking the open three there and mixing it up.”
Anthony Daddazio drained a trio of 3-pointers in adding 10 points for Methacton (7-2, 3-0 PAC, 2-0 PAC Liberty), which extended its win streak to four.
Matos posted six points Wednesday as the Warriors opened the Shootout with a 66-43 victory over North Penn. Thursday the sophomore followed a five-point first quarter by dropping nine in the second – seven coming during Methacton’s 9-0 run to end the half.
“I had only six points but my teammates still thrived and we still won by 20,” Matos said. “Coming into this game, I thought I didn’t need to score for us to win but it’s just my teammates finding me.”
Methacton led by as much as 21 twice early in the third before Wissahickon (3-7, 3-3 SOL Liberty Division) whittled the margin to 44-30 going to the fourth.
The Trojans got the deficit down to 10 twice in the final quarter, the second time at 53-43 after a Brayden Ryan basket. But Matos connected on a runner, Iemmello scored inside and drew a foul with 1:23 remaining and a Mason Conrad free throw at 53.1 seconds put the Warriors up 15.
“They hit a few more jumpers than we were hoping for and that’s always going to happen against a competitive team there,” Lockard said. “But the guys did a great job.”
Nico Vacchiano paced Wissahickon with 17 points, 12 coming in the second half. Ryan and Dom Vacchiano both had 11 points for the Trojans, who have lost their last three since knocking off Plymouth Whitemarsh Dec. 19.
Both teams begin January on the road, Methacton visiting Owen J. Roberts for a PAC Liberty game Wednesday while Wissahickon is at Upper Moreland for an SOL crossover contest Friday, Jan. 5.
“We know there’s no easy games in our division, in our conference – the other side of things playing some good basketball,” Lockard said. “And we have some good teams, we have Phoenixville in the second half, we got Pottstown in the second half as well for our crossover games on top of we start with OJR and Spring-Ford.”
Methacton never trailed after grabbing a 5-0 lead after Matos scored on a baseline drive and Daddazio hit a 3-pointer.
A Matos corner trey made it 10-3 before consecutive threes from Josh Palutis and Dom Vacchiano had the Trojans within 10-9. Iemmello’s fast-break layup in the final seconds put Methacton up three at the end of the first quarter.
Dom Vacchiano’s basket had Wissahickon again within three at 14-11 but the Warriors proceeded to go on a 10-1 run, extending their advantage to 24-12 after a Hermann baseline runner.
After a two by Nico Vacchiano, the Warriors collected the half’s last nine points, beginning with a Matos 3-pointer. Manny Rodriguez hit two free throws at 40.2 seconds for a 29-14 lead. Matos scored off his steal then after a missed Wiss three, the Warriors pushed the ball up the court to Matos for his last-second bucket to go into intermission up 33-14.
“We’re so good in transition that we have so many ball handers out there that we get an outlet pass and we attack and we have guys that have great finishing ability and in transition that’s tough to stop there without having a set defense,” Lockard said. “I think when we get those stops, as cliché as it is, that really spurs our offense to be able to attack off that.”
After a Daddazio trey had Methacton up 38-17, Wissahickon scored the next seven. Another Daddazio triple made it 41-24 before baskets from Nico Vacchiano and Palutis pulled the Trojans within 41-28. A Matos offensive rebound kept alive a Warriors possession, which ended with Matos connecting on a three.
Palutis’ basket to cap the third and a Ryan three to start the fourth had Wiss down 44-33 but Methacton responded with seven straight points – a Hermann bucket making it 51-33 Warriors. However, a Dom Vacchiano trey, Ryan’s 3-point play at 5:09 and two Nico Vacchiano free throws at 3:43 put the margin at 51-41.
Matos snapped the 8-0 run with a basket after Methacton broke through Wissahickon’s press. Two from Ryan had the Trojans again within 10 at 53-43 but the Warriors posted the next five points to go up 58-43 with 53.1 seconds left.
Methacton 61, Wissahickon 49
Wissahickon 9 5 16 19 – 49
Methacton 12 21 11 17 – 61
Wissahickon: Nico Vacchiano 7 0 3-3 17; Brayden Ryan 2 2 1-1 11; Dom Vacchiano 13 0-2 11; Josh Palutis 2 1 1-2 8; Gave Lassiter 1 0 0-0 2; Totals 13 6 5-8 49.
Methacton: Christian Matos 7 3 3-4 26; Anthony Daddazio 0 3 1-2 10; Sal Iemmello 4 0 0-1 8; Alex Hermann 3 0 0-0 6; Manny Rodriguez 0 1 2-2 5; Wes Robinson 2 0 1-1 5; Mason Conrad 0 0 1-2 1; Totals 16 7 8-12 61.
