Allderdice gets defense to oust WPIAL champion Penn Hills from PIAA playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 15, 2018 | 12:12 AM

The outcome didn't surprise Allderdice's Terrell Childs in the least, but he was shocked by the numbers on Baldwin's scoreboard.

“Forty-one to forty-four?”

A raucous crowd had jammed Baldwin's gym Wednesday night to see City League champion Allderdice play WPIAL champion Penn Hills, and neither team escaped the 40s.

The reason was simple.

“We played D,” said Childs, a 6-foot-4 junior who had 16 rebounds, four blocks and also a few crucial jumpers to defeat Penn Hills, 44-41, in a PIAA Class 6A second-round game that saw nearly every shot contested. “We normally score like 60 a game. They held on and we held on.”

The victory earns Allderdice (26-2) a quarterfinal matchup with WPIAL runner-up Pine-Richland (22-6), the team that ended the Dragons' season last year.

Penn Hills (24-4) had a chance to tie with 4 seconds left after Allderdice's Tyler Williams missed the front of a one-and-one, but this time the Indians couldn't pull off another last-second miracle. A 3-pointer by senior Cam Wiley from the right corner bounced off the rim.

The teams combined for just five points in the final 3 minutes: a crucial 3-point play by Allderdice's Shaun Morris to lead 44-39 with 88 seconds left, and a steal and layup by Penn Hills' Cory Fulton at the 1-minute mark.

“They run good stuff,” Childs said. “We just tried to know what they were doing, stick with what we were doing and stop them.”

Daivon Stephens led Penn Hills with 17 points and Fulton had 11. Tyler Williams and Bobby Clifford each scored 10 points for Allderdice.

The 41 points were a season low for Penn Hills, and Allderdice's 44 were its second-lowest. Penn Hills defeated Allderdice, 54-40, on Dec. 12.

“I knew points were going to be tough, but there was no way we were winning with 44 points,” Allderdice coach Buddy Valinsky said. “I had high 50s, 60s looking at previous scores. To beat Penn Hills with 44 and hold them to 41? I would have never predicted that score.”

For much of the night, the battle was under the basket.

At any one time, there were four players 6-4 or taller in the paint. The battle matched Childs and 6-5 teammate Shaun Morris against 6-6 Keyshawn Adams and 6-5 Stephens for Penn Hills.

With the path to the basket crowded, the key was to make shots or draw fouls.

Childs, who spent this week working on his mid-range jumper, made three in a row to start the fourth quarter. Combined with a put-back by Morris, Childs sparked an 8-0 run that gave Allderdice a 41-32 lead with 5 minutes left.

Childs practiced in areas that could target Penn Hills' zone.

“Normally when we break the press, the middle is open,” said Childs, who scored eight points. “When I just slip in, I can get an easy shot. I haven't been shooting well, so I worked on it. I had to step up this time.”

Allderdice shot 49 percent from the field, and Penn Hills converted just 31 percent. The split was most drastic in the second half, where Penn Hills made just 6 of 24 attempts and Allderdice made 12 of 18.

“They're a very good defensive team,” Penn Hills coach Dan DeRose said. “We knew they were going to pack it in, and they're longer than what we've seen. We still needed to get the ball inside, get to the free throw line and get some guys in foul trouble. We weren't able to do that.”

Neither team drew many fouls. Penn Hills went 6 for 10 from the line, and Allderdice made 3 of 8.

Allderdice's defense was focused on stopping Stephens and Fulton, who made just 12 of 26 shot attempts.

“If we're going to lose the game, let's make sure it's not No. 1 or 2 that kills us,” Valinsky said.

Penn Hills led never trailed until late in the third quarter. The Indians led 13-8 after one quarter and 25-18 at halftime.

Allderdice took its first lead with a 7-0 run in the third, capped by a 3-pointer from Clifford to lead 29-27 with 3:33 left in the quarter. After Penn Hills retook the lead on a 3-point play by Stephens, Allderdice scored 12 of the next 14 points in a run that included Childs' fourth-quarter jumpers.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Allderdice, Penn Hills