Harried by Coatesville’s perimeter defense, Downingtown loses early lead
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
John Rodriguez III lays in during the third quarter.
CALN – Though the battle in the trenches was a wash, Coatesville’s perimeter steals and fastbreak offense led to a 66-46 home win over Downingtown East on Tuesday night.
East started out the stronger side with junior forward Cary Angeline drawing a foul and sinking both shots to open scoring on the first possession. While Coatesville’s high energy perimeter defense has been its strength all year, Angeline exploited the space that defense left open down low, getting consistent points in the paint all night.
“He is a flat out beast who can score from anywhere,” Coatesville Coach Chuck Moore said of the big man.
A couple of field goals late in the quarter by senior guard Marquan Gallimore put the visitors up 18-13 going into the second.
But from there, Coatesville’s offense showed its ability to hit outside shots, score in the paint, and push a wide open game. In particular, junior guard Rome Boyer put up eight points in the quarter, including making the first of three steals on consecutive Downingtown possessions. Senior forward Amir Ealey made the last of the three steals and turned it into a three point play, giving his team an 8-0 run for a 35-25 Coatesville lead at halftime.
“Defense has always been our mindset every game,” said Moore. “Slow start to the game—we weren’t really in tune as much as I hoped we were, but it picked up in the second quarter, and it carried out for the remainder of the game.”
The only respite from that defense came from Angeline, who led the game with 24 points on the night and scored East’s only field goals in the third quarter. But Coatesville continued to thrive, turning steals into points on either side of the break, taking a 52-34 lead into the break, which the home team rode to a 66-46 final.
