William Penn senior forward Malachi Leonard is pretty sure he knows what separates the Bearcats from their league and district competition. It also might be what separates this year's William Penn squad from other talented groups in the past.
"We straighten each other out quick," Leonard said after Wednesday's semifinal victory over Harrisburg. "We don't have no ball-hogging on the team. Everybody is willing to make the next pass to get easy buckets."
Leonard said that teams like Reading and Harrisburg aren't so mature and resilient and it showed in William Penn's victories over the two teams. Coach Troy Sowers has talked about his team's dedication and positive attitude, which I wrote about here, and Leonard is citing this maturity and lack of egos as key to the postseason success.
Fundamentals was also cited by Leonard as being key to the Bearcats success, but tied to the team's athleticism. The senior said you "have to have fundamentals and be athletes" after the Harrisburg win. And that athleticism comes in handy, Leonard said, late in the game.
"We usually wear out teams in the last two quarters," Leonard said. "We like to run and after we see them wearing out we're going to run even stronger. We like to guard and run and do what we do."
It has led them to the district title game for the first time since the Bearcats won the crown in 1995. CD East is all that stands in the way of the 10th district crown in school history. If they are able to tap into that maturity again, they have a great shot at winning.
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