Marple Newtown’s Matt Gardler, seen hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer against Mastery Charter in a PIAA second-round game, led the Tigers with 11 points against Imhotep Tuesday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).
By Matt Smith
The word “compete” is most emblematic of the 2021-22 Marple Newtown basketball team.
No matter the strength of their opponent, even if it’s nationally ranked Imhotep Charter, the Tigers always brought their competitive streak to the game.
“That’s the top word on our board every day,” head coach Sean Spratt said. “That’s what we say, if we’re playing a game, just compete and see what happens. That’s who they are.”
Many fans believed that District 1’s fifth-place team had no shot to compete with the District 12 champion Panthers in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal at Bensalem High. But Marple proved it belonged playing against one of the top remaining teams in the state.
Imhotep needed a late rally to overcome the Tigers and bolt for home with a 44-39 victory. The Panthers take on District 1 champion Chester in the semifinal round Friday.