Springfield’s Patrick Flaherty, right, seen in a game against Conestoga recently, scored eight second-half points to lead the Cougars to a win over Penncrest Thursday. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Chris Dolan is, admittedly, a reluctant shooter. Part of that is the Springfield guard’s sense of awareness, knowing the strengths around him and the patience powering the offense. Part of it is being able to impact games without scoring.
But Thursday, he showed he can make a difference on both ends of the court.
Dolan hit a pair of second-half 3-pointers to go with three steals, his steadfast defense keying a 46-43 win over Penncrest that is vital for Springfield’s district playoff hopes.
Dolan passed up plenty of good looks early on, deferring to the Cougars’ more proficient scorers. But in rhythm in the third, he let fly on a triple to put Springfield up 30-29, one of 11 lead changes. He added a trifecta to make it 41-36 early in the fourth, scoring eight points while attempting just two field goals.
“We came in at halftime and your teammates give you a lot of confidence,” Dolan said. “And they yell at you if you don’t shoot the ball. So I wanted to help them out by shooting the ball.”
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