By Matthew DeGeorge
The execution, after two snow-bound and practice-free days, wasn’t always crisp, but the plan was sound for Upper Darby Saturday.Nursing a lead in the fourth quarter, coach Bob Miller packed the backcourt with his two point guards, Jalun Trent and Mamadou Toure, to share ball-handling duties in the face of an aggressive Strath Haven half-court press. It’s a luxury most teams don’t have, two sure-handed vets in the backcourt.
The plan was blighted by a pair of late turnovers. But by and large the Royals held firm to the lead to preserve a 51-45 Central League win.
“It’s great because they’re able to facilitate on the floor, they’re able to get people open and they’re able to control the game since they’re the ball-handlers,” said shooting guard Magd Abdelwahab, a sturdy secondary option with the ball. “They’ve got good control down the stretch. It helps the team a lot.”
Toure committed those late turnovers as the Royals (7-3, 3-3 Central) tried to milk clock while defending an advantage that rose as large as 12 early in the fourth quarter, on a tic-tac-toe bucket by Chris Martin off crisp passing between Toure and Trent. Upper Darby wasn’t always successful in slowing the pace, with Cooper Driscoll cutting the deficit to two at 47-45 with 42 seconds to play. But the blueprint of a backcourt-driven Royals squad is a convincing model late in games.