Hatboro’s #25 Jay Davis goes for the slam. (Photo by bqpictures.com)
By Todd Orodenker
A 16-win turnaround from last season meant very little once Strath Haven tipped off with Hatboro-Horsham. So did the seed difference.
Eighth-seeded Strath Haven was beaten — and beaten soundly — by No. 25 Hatboro-Horsham, 68-46, Friday in the first round of the District One Class AAAA tournament. The Hatters advance to play No. 9 Chester next week. The Panthers, despite a remarkable turnaround campaign, are finished.
Hatboro-Horsham (12-11) led 19-7 after the first quarter and 30-19 at halftime. Standout forward Clifton Moore had 28 points, including five 3-pointers. His 6-foot-7 frame helped take care of Strath Haven’s 6-foot-8 beast John Harrar, and teammate Jay Davis did the rest, dropping 22 points, including a handful of breakaway dunks.
“(Moore) played really well, they’re a very well-coached team,” Panthers coach Dave McFadden explained. “I thought they got the shots they wanted, they hit (their shots). The three bomb was our Achilles Heel earlier in the season in one of our other losses — they did their homework.”
Strath Haven (19-5) came out much more aggressive in the second half and got the deficit down to single digits at a few junctures. With each hoop, momentum looked like it could be turning. But before anything could even get close, Moore would hit a big shot.
This happened six different times during the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter. Strath Haven could never get back into the contest.
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