Silpe's 'heck of a game' lifts Cherry Hill East over Eustace

Jake Silpe suspected it after making his first three-point attempt, a bomb from 25 feet.

He knew it after making his second, a step-back jumper at the buzzer of the first quarter.

"The basket just looked that much bigger," Silpe said.

In a tight game with points at a premium, Silpe was the only player on the floor who generated any consistent offense.

The slick senior guard scored 20 points, including his team's first eight of the fourth quarter, to lead Cherry Hill East to a 36-33 victory over Bishop Eustace in an Olympic Conference interdivision clash of Top 20 teams on Thursday.

"He is a heck of a player and he had a heck of a game," Bishop Eustace coach Bob Falconiero said of Silpe. "That was the big thing today."

Lee Rosen-Swell bounced off the bench to deliver five points in the third quarter for Cherry Hill East (6-0), the No. 4 team in The Inquirer Top 20.

"That was huge for us," Silpe said of Rosen-Swell's work in the third quarter. "That gave the whole team a big lift."

Connor McLaughlin scored 13 for No. 16 Bishop Eustace (5-3).

"It was a hard-fought, slowdown game," Falconiero said. "I saw a lot of hustle and defense on both sides."

Both teams were effective in limiting the opportunities for the other side's high-scoring center. Cherry Hill East junior Tim Perry scored just four while Bishop Eustace senior Brandon Cazan managed just two as both big men were the focus of opposing defenses.

"We did a really good job on Cazan," Cherry Hill East coach Dave Allen said. "He's so good at getting the ball, getting to the basket, getting to the line."

Allen credited guard Josh Brown with fronting Cazan, while Perry played behind the Crusaders' leading scorer.

McLaughlin, Mike Cohen (six points), and Brian Keller (four off the bench) picked up some of the slack, but the Crusaders still struggled to generate much continuity at the offensive end.

Cherry Hill East was in the same boat, but the Cougars' advantage was Silpe's ability to find shots for himself and to bend the defense to create some openings for his teammates.

"He creates so much space," Falconiero said.

Cherry Hill East was in front, 27-26, after three quarters, but Silpe outscored the visitors by six points to give the Cougars a 35-28 lead with 2:18 to play.

Included in that sequence was another step-back three-pointer, two driving hoops, and a free throw.

"He does everything for us," Allen said of Silpe, a Penn recruit. "He's a special player."

Bishop Eustace 9 6 11 7 - 33

Cherry Hill East 11 4 12 9 - 36

BE: Brandon Cazan 2, Mike Cohen 6, Connor McLaughlin 13, Jack Walter 6, Max Raiken 2, Brian Keller 4.

CHE: Jake Silpe 20, Tim Perry 4, Olin McClendon 3, Josh Brown 1, Pierce Elliott 3, Lee Rosen-Swell 5.