By: Dennis Deitch
Midway through the fourth quarter of a key Central League boys basketball showdown with Penncrest Tuesday night, Jack Donaghy and his Haverford team came to a moment where a road team protecting a lead could lose its cool and the edge it has on the scoreboard.
Instead, both the sophomore and the Fords responded with their best ball in a game in what was a thoroughly neat, 55-41 victory over the Lions.
Donaghy, who learned a little about poise under pressure as Haverford’s starting quarterback in the fall, received a test when he was called for a technical foul that was more about the sell by Penncrest guard Mike Doyle than his actions.
After fouling Donaghy hard in the backcourt with Haverford holding a 44-34 lead and the hosts in need of a momentum shift, Doyle added an embellishment when Donaghy turned to confront. Donaghy got T’d, then Doyle made one of the two free throws and Penncrest had the ball with a chance to apply some heat. When Rahmi Halaby (14 points) got a second-chance bucket, the Lions had drawn within 44-37.