Long Ball Knocks Hatboro-Horsham Basketball Out

There is an old saying in basketball- you live by the three, or die by the three.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Upper Darby Royals lived by it- and the Hatboro- Horsham Hatters boys basketball team died because of it.

Playing in the first round of the Upper Dublin Cardinal Classic Boys and Girls Invitational, the Hatters gave up too many 3-pointers in their 65-59 loss to Upper Darby.

The Hatters got off to a slow start offensively, but strong defense kept the score close.  A long 3-pointer by Ryan Kelly got the scoring started for the Hatters, and two nice jump shots by captain Mike Brown capped a 7-2 Hatter run. 

But it did not take long for Upper Darby to heat up from beyond the arc, and the Hatters could not cool them off. Back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Royals a 12-9 lead, one that they would take into the second quarter.

Despite being the smaller team, Hatboro-Horsham started the second quarter playing big, getting rebounds and shots down low to make a run. A drive to the basket by Brown led to free throws, then a textbook give-and-go between Zach Quattro and Matt Kane gave the Hatters a 15-14 lead. But just like in the first quarter, back-to-back 3-pointers by Upper Darby took the both momentum and the lead and the Hatters went into the half trailing, 29-24.

The third quarter would prove to be the nail in the coffin. After a goaltending call on Hatboro-Horsham gave the Royals a basket, a missed rebound by the Hatters gave them another. Despite good offensive showings by Brown and an impressive "and 1" by Ryan New, the long ball did the Hatters in again. A 3-pointer by Upper Darby at the buzzer capped off an impressive display of shooting by the Royals, and gave them a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Frustration boiled over for the Hatters in the fourth, as a technical foul on Travis Bryan allowed the lead to grow to the biggest of the game, 50-36.  The loss of composure was not something that pleased head coach Dennis Steinly.

"It was an emotional part of the game," said Steinly. "But we have to keep our composure."

The Hatters, however, would not go away quietly. Horsham went on a furious run at the end to give the Royals a scare. After cutting the lead to 10, two free throws by  Bryan made it only an 8-point game with two minutes to play. After a defensive stop, the Hatters' Brown misfired on a 3-pointer, but Kane soared in over the bigger Upper Darby defender for an "and 1" basket. Trailing by only 6 with a minute and a half to play, the Hatters needed the Royals to miss free throws down the stretch.

They wouldn't.

Upper Darby knocked down free throws to finish off the Hatters. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kane would finish the scoring, and allow the Royals to walk away with a 65-59 win.

The 3-point shooting by Upper Darby was the story of the game, as the Royals hit seven in the game, equaling almost one-third of their points. Afterward, coach Steinly said it was to be expected.

"We knew that they could shoot and they hit some big shoots. We needed to be tighter on our close outs," said Steinly.

The loss puts the Hatters into the consolation game, which will be played on Wednesday. They will play the loser of Upper Dublin-Wyomissing. Tip off for the game is set for 3 p.m.