Archbishop Wood falls in state semifinals for third consecutive year

The flaws all came out at the wrong time.

At times this season, the Archbishop Wood boys’ basketball team had been its own worst enemy. Sometimes, the highlights and prolific talent overcame stretches of selfish play, a lack of intensity on the defensive end, and other negative things when they flared up.

On Tuesday night, the flaws were too much at the forefront as Wood fell to Parkland High School, 59-51, in the PIAA Class 6A semifinals at Norristown High School, ending the Vikings’ season a win short of Hershey for the third consecutive year.

“We didn’t follow the plan, we chased them too much, we weren’t in good help, and offensively, we were selfish,” said Wood coach John Mosco. “Everything that killed us all year hurt us tonight. Selfishness, it’s not even selfishness shooting the ball or who’s shooting because in our offense, we give freedom — the selfishness is not guarding or getting the big rebound or doing whatever it takes to win.”

Parkland knocked off its second Philadelphia Catholic League opponent in a row after downing Roman Catholic in the quarterfinals to reach its first state final since 2004. The District 11 champion from the Allentown area got 16 points from Davidson-bound Nick Coval, although he had far from his sharpest night, shooting 4 of 13 from the field and 0 of 5 from three-point range.

Instead, Coval let his teammates share the stage as Robbie Ruisch finished with 12 points and Jayden Thomas had 11.

“They were hustling more than us, they wanted the ball more than us,” said Wood senior Josh Reed. “When the ball went up, we weren’t boxing out, we weren’t trying to get the ball, we weren’t trying to fall on the ball or be more aggressive than they were. It came down to that, and at the end of the day they wanted it more.”

Reed, who is committed to Drexel and had a game-high 20 points, played with his usual tenacity while junior Mike Green supplied nine points off the bench. The Vikings’ leading scorer, Jalil Bethea, finished with 10 points, part of a frustrating night for the Miami-bound senior at the hands of a physical Parkland defense.

Even when Bethea made a deep three-pointer with 4 minutes, 5 seconds left in the game, tying the score at 49, Wood never capitalized. The Vikings got one more score — a Reed putback dunk when he took a fair bit of contact with no whistle — the rest of the way, as Parkland waited things out to get the right looks.

“We didn’t help, we chased and [Parkland’s] guys made shots,” Mosco said. “People were supposed to be in help and challenge and rebound, we didn’t show any toughness. They were a lot tougher than we were.”

Reed agreed with the assessment that the Vikings’ flaws from the course of the season ultimately proved their downfall.

“I picked up two quick fouls, that took me out of the game early,” Reed said. “Second half, I picked up a dumb third foul, and it just kept adding up. Jalil picked up his third foul, took us out of the game, took us out of our rhythm, and the team out of its rhythm.

“We couldn’t get stops. We couldn’t get defensive rebounds. That’s what took us out of the game.”

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Wood led by 15-10 after the first quarter and had an 18-12 lead 45 seconds into the second frame before an 8-0 Parkland run got the Trojans right back in it. A dunk by Bethea off a Reed outlet pass put Wood in front, 29-27, but a three-pointer by Ruisch that banked off the backboard at the halftime buzzer gave Parkland a 30-29 lead, and an edge it never lost.

Mosco credited the Wood seniors for keeping a high standard in the program. The team made the state final in their freshman year and the semifinals each of the last three. While many programs would gladly take that kind of run, the Vikings felt unsatisfied without a championship to go with it.

“I was hoping to leave with some type of win, some type of trophy, but I gave everything I had to this program,” Reed said. “Practices, everything, I fought my [butt] off and it just [stinks] to come up short, but I will always be a Viking.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.