Marple Newtown’s Nick Giordano, left, running by Upper Darby’s Quadir Turner in a Jan. 30 game, and his team are relaxed despite being big underdogs to No. 2 seed Methacton in the District One playoff opener. (Special to the Times)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Six consecutive wins later, and the No. 31 seed has gotten its second life, entering as a major underdog with no pressure on its shoulders.
For Marple (13-9), matching up with No. 2 seed Methacton (21-3) will be no treat. But even in the face of the Pac-10 champions, Marple has little to fear.
“You’ve got nothing to lose,” Marple coach Brian Shane said Sunday after his team eked into the postseason. “We wanted to get in, get a chance to play. It’s a great opportunity. We don’t have anything to lose.”
The Tigers will face a tough and long test from the Warriors, a battle-tested team that made states two years ago and has advanced to each of the last four Pac-10 championship games, winning in 2012 and last week against Pottsgrove.
The main scoring threat is 6-3 guard Justin Ardman, while 6-3 TJ Tornetta is likely the person to be tasked with trying to mute the influence of Marple’s leading scorer Nick Giordano. Sean Mann, a 6-2 guard, can also score, while the Tigers short lineup will be tested by matchup problems Tom Dyer and Chris McCarthy, both 6-6 and able to use their height to score. That puts a big burden on forwards Marcus Weathers and Austin Fullington to hold their own in the post, while Methacton’s half-court aptitude may behoove Marple to press and up the game’s tempo.
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