MIDDLETOWN — Within four seconds Wednesday afternoon, Penncrest guard Marquis Tomlin took the tap from forward Malcolm Williams, charged the lane and earned a trip to the line. That’s four seconds for Penncrest, coming off three straight losses, to get two points and define one goal for the day: Bust a slump and nudge ahead of Garnet Valley, the team it entered one game behind in the Central League standings.
From that first sortie to the basket, the Lions did just that, and ruthlessly so. Near perfect days from Williams and Matt Arbogast helped Penncrest ends its slide with a 59-42 win over the Jags.
Though just one trip up the court, the Lions wasted no time in establishing what they wanted to do. They led 11-4 some 3½ minutes in, with all five starters scoring points. They were up 21-8 after a quarter, led by 11 at the break and never saw their lead trimmed to fewer than nine points the rest of the way.
“Coming off three losses, we knew we had to come out with that energy from the get-go,” guard Isaiah Rice said. “They like to score, they have a potent offense, they’re a high-scoring team, so we knew we had to come out and defend hard and get every loose ball, things like that.”
It didn’t hurt that Penncrest (12-5, 8-3) didn’t seem to miss. The Lions made 12 of their first 15 shots from the field. For Arbogast and Williams, that precision was more than perception.
Williams missed his final shot attempt, bricking a 3-pointer. Before that, he was 7-for-7 from the field for 17 points. Arbogast maintained a spotless record at 7-for-7 for 16 points. Williams added a team-best three steals, while Arbogast pocketed five boards.
“If Malcolm makes his first three shots, it’s going to be a rough game for the opponent,” Arbogast said. “And if he doesn’t make them, we’re there to crash the boards and get rebounds and put it right back up.”
With the big lead in hand, Penncrest worked the clock spectacularly. Long possessions burned time while still yielding points, Rice and Tomlin orchestrating an offense that didn’t rush but moved with urgency when it came time to shift from dribbling on the perimeter to attacking the rim.
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