PW junior Michael Pereira scored 28 points in Tuesday’s win. (Photo: Matthew Chin/CoBL)
By Owen McCue
After a season spent on the freshman basketball team, Plymouth Whitemarsh forward Michael Pereira was the “hypest kid in the stands” when the Colonials went to the District 1 title game during his first year on campus.
Pereira sprouted into a prospect and player for PW in the two years since, helping guide the Colonials back to the area’s top stage.
The 6-foot-9 forward had his third straight 20-point outing in Tuesday night District 1 6A semifinal, putting up 28 points and 10 rebounds to power No. 5 Plymouth Whitemarsh past top-seed Lower Merion, 58-50, and into Friday’s title game against Conestoga at St. Joe’s Hagan Arena.
“I’ve made leaps and bounds this season,” Peirera said. “I’ve leared to play a lot more physical than I was before. I feel like the team’s relying on me in a way that I didn’t see them relying on me earlier in the season. Twenty-eight in the district semis, it’s a great feeling. If I hit a couple more foul shots it’s 30.”