(PHOENIXVILLE, Pa.) – There was good news and bad news for the Wilson men's basketball team after games were played on Wednesday evening. The bad news was that the Phoenix fell to Valley Forge on the road in another nail-biting close finish. The good news is that with other results around the league, they clinched a bid to the postseason.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 91, Valley Forge 94
Venue: UVF Gymnasium
Records: Wilson 9-15, 5-7 UE; Valley Forge 8-15, 4-9 UE
How It Happened
- It was a close game throughout as no one held a double-digit lead for the full 40 minutes. Wilson held a slim four-point lead on a few early occasions after a Jaylin Davis (Sr., Hampton, Va. / Kecoughtan / Lynchburg) jumper, a pair of Jalen Pierce (Sr., Richmond, Va. / Collegiate) free throws, and an Armani Jones (Sr., Chicago, Ill. / Christ The king) layup, but Valley Forge responded with a 9-0 run on the latter of the aforementioned to take a 21-16 lead with 11:56 left in the first. It helped the Patriots build a six-point lead before the Phoenix rallied to tie the game at 31-all on a Richard Chase (FY, Harrisburg, Pa.) tip-in. Down the stretch, Valley Forge was able to catch some momentum and built up an eight-point. The Phoenix were able to cut some of that away and went into the locker room down 50-45 at the break.
- The Phoenix's fighting spirit remained and they were able to slowly chip away at the deficit before regaining the lead at 80-79 on a pair of Jones free throws. It didn't last long as Valley Forge made a 3-pointer on the return trip. Wilson was able to tie the game on a couple of occasions afterwards and still found itself with a chance to take the lead in the final minute after Davis made a pair of free throws. Unfortunately the go-ahead basket didn't go, and after Valley Forge made a pair of free throws after the rebound, Wilson was unable to get a final shot off to tie the game as time expired.
Inside The Numbers
- Jones had a huge night with 27 points and eight rebounds to lead the Phoenix.
- Pierce, Winston Raford (Jr., Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park), Davis, and Jalen Bowie (Sr., Frederick, Md. / Frederick / Shippensburg) all reached double-figures as well. Pierce tallied 16 with most coming from the free throw line where he was 10-for-11. Raford and Davis both scored 15, while Bowie added 14.
- Valley Forge was paced by Pierre Denzel who had an impressive night with 31 points. He was 9-for-17 with four rebounds.
Up Next
Wilson will conclude the regular season with Penn State Abington on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both teams sit at 5-7.
