The Peddie boys’ basketball team lost to the nationally-rated Blair Bucs 68-65.
By: Neil Hay
This one would have gone down as a upset worth remembering for years. Instead, it will be recalled as a just-missed, a what-if.
The Peddie boys’ basketball team threw a heck of a scare into nationally-rated and top-seeded Blair Saturday in the semifinals of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League tournament at Hill. Trailing at the half by a 37-32 count, and 52-48 with eight minutes left to play, the highly-touted Bucs rallied in the fourth quarter for a 68-65 win.
It could not have gotten much closer for the Falcons.
"Now it is starting to sting," said Peddie coach Chris Potash the day after what almost was. "We had them. Blair (now 20-3) has two future pros (Luol Deng, 22 points and Charlie Villanueva, 19). What happened is Deng decided to take over. Our offense got a little stagnant. Blair is the better team. They deserved to win the game."
The Falcons were unable to win their biggest test of the season, but it was not due to a lack of heart.
"Our kids easily played their best game of the year. We were ready. We have a great mix of kids. They were loose, not nervous. They came out and took a 7-0 lead.
"We have no one over 6-4," said Potash. "Deng is 6-8, Villanueva is 6-10. This may have been the biggest game ever for Peddie boys basketball. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We had an excellent effort."
The Falcons made the semifinals with a 72-65 win over tournament host Hill Friday night. Seeded fourth in the MAPL, Peddie avenged an earlier season loss to Hill, the tourney’s fifth seed.
The win over Hill was just the second of the year for Peddie over a MAPL team. Said Potash, "Hill was a great game. Hill’s a good team. We came out and controlled the tempo. It was a hard-fought game on the road. It was a defining moment for our season."
Jaaber led all scorers with 24 points. Also hitting double digits was Hilliard, with 12. But perhaps the key to the win was the play of the freshman, Myron Rolle, who had a "tremendous game" with 21 points. Also earning the coach’s praise was Corey Phelps, who scored five points and had some important assists.
"Corey Phelps was the unsung hero. Clearly he is the most improved player. He does not get enough recognition. Against Blair, he challenged Deng and Villanueva. And Taji and Bilal Morris played well against Hill."
The loss to Blair left Peddie with a 16-7 record. The Falcons just lost in the finals of the Peddie School Invitational Tournament, won the Neptune and Loomis Tounaments on the road, and posted some impressive wins. And then there was that tough loss to Blair in the MAPL.
"I am definitely pleased with our season," said Potash. "We achieved so much. All of our quality opponents were taller than us. We totally flipped the script this year with regards to boys’ basketball at Peddie. We’ll definitely be around for awhile. It’s now a program at Peddie. There is a lot of interest in the program."

