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MIDDLETOWN — Much as Penncrest senior Patrick Garrison respects defending District 1 Class 5A champion Radnor, he was tired of watching them celebrate.
That changed Thursday night when Garrison scored a dozen points and contributed a handful of clutch steals, and sophomore Mikey Mita added 12 points to lift the Lions to a 41-37 win over the Raptors snapping a five-game losing skid in the series.
“It was a long time coming,” Garrison said. “Year after year, we were getting beat by them. It finally feels good to get one back. You always think about what you’ve done in the past and of them taking us down. We wanted to change the narrative.”
The Lions (2-0, 1-0) fell behind early in a mistake-filled first quarter, but thanks to a three-pointer from Garrison, salvaged a 6-6 stalemate entering the second frame. Neither team was knocking down shots, and the Lions were having a tough time dealing with the tight defense of the Raptors (2-1, 0-1). Radnor was playing with attitude thanks to Henry Pierce, who finished with 15 points, and Michael Savadove (seven points), who played huge roles for last year’s team.
The Lions stretched their opponent out in the second quarter and worked the ball to Mita, who deposited a spinning pull-up in the low post that got the attention of everybody at Kaufman Gymnasium.
Lions coach Mike Doyle described Mita as “a tremendous talent” that he hopes will evoke memories Tyler Norwood, a Daily Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
What Doyle truly appreciated was his young team battling the aggressive defense of the Raptors, who won 29 straight games last year before their run ended in the quarterfinals of states.
“I said to the guys, you just won your first street fight,” Doyle said. “(Radnor) is a scrappy, very athletic and talented team that just grinds. For us to have to grind out a win in that style is a really nice win for us.”
The Raptors didn’t go quietly. They trailed by six points two minutes into the fourth quarter, which was the largest lead of the evening.
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Penncrest head coach Mike Doyle during a 2022 game. (PETE BANNAN -DAILY TIMES)
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