Malachi Leonard came into the PIAA playoffs as William Penn's leading scorer at more than 15 points per game. In the first three games of the tournament, however, he averaged only 6.7 points and fouled out of two of those contests.
The 6-foot-6 senior had a bit of a rebirth in Wednesday's semifinal victory, scoring 16 points for the Bearcats.
"Actually, Malachi, I think he's played all year and sometimes good players have tough games," fellow senior forward Malik Generett said. "He played hard and I know he has my back and my team's back. He grabbed rebounds and that's what we need him to do to win these games."
A similar performance tonight will go a long way toward securing a state title for William Penn, especially considering the opposition.
Penn Wood features even more size in the front court to Plymouth-Whitemarsh, with two players standing 6-foot-7 and two players standing 6-foot-8. That's four players taller than anybody the Bearcats can put on the floor. There are a total of eight players on its roster 6-foot-4 or taller.
Nonetheless, the William Penn offense will likely run through the 6-foot-5 Generett and Leonard. The big men will have to make up the size differential with toughness and strong fundamentals.
"We need to play as a team and just do what we do: strong man-to-man defense and making sure our bigs get touches," William Penn guard Ryan Matthews said. "If we get them touches, they're going to rebound for us."
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