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Penn Wood makes it look easy in win over Cheltenham

It was midway through the third quarter, and the Penn Wood girls' basketball team was on a 16-0 run, when Joy Morton knocked down a three-pointer.

It was midway through the third quarter, and the Penn Wood girls' basketball team was on a 16-0 run, when Joy Morton knocked down a three-pointer.

The senior stopped, smiled, and looked right at her coach, Monique Boykins.

Usually, Boykins doesn't have her team shoot very far from the basket - even in practice. Instead, she likes her players to focus on mid-range jumpers, instructing the Patriots to always "shoot inside" first.

But Morton had a certain confidence during Penn Wood's 68-27 win at Cheltenham on Saturday in the first round of the District 1 Class 4A tournament.

So when she shot that three-pointer and it went in, the swing player couldn't let the moment pass without a little playful teasing in the form of an "I told you so" look to the bench.

It was just one moment, but it was indicative of the larger mood for Penn Wood: The Patriots were having fun.

Why wouldn't they when they made it look that easy in what was just the squad's second district playoff win in four years?

The buildup to the game was anything but easy for Penn Wood (17-6), as the team started the season 1-5, with all of its losses coming by single digits.

"It was very frustrating," senior Dahnye Redd said. "At one point we kind of gave up."

But Boykins knew the more difficult nonleague schedule - comprising teams with storied traditions - would pay off later in the season. The Patriots just had to get through it.

Redd said it was an overtime win over Downingtown East - the first of 12 victories in a row - that jump-started the team.

"I feel like Penn Wood always belonged in a realm like this," Boykins said. "I just feel like people slept on us and didn't really pay us any attention."

It was hard not to pay attention against Cheltenham (15-9), as the Patriots put on a show at both ends. Redd finished with 25 points, six steals, and six rebounds while Morton added 12 points, seven boards, and four steals.

On the same court where her season ended last year - in the same round of the district tournament - Redd savored the final seconds of the contest.

"Last year when that buzzer went off we were crying. It was sad," Redd said. "This year is just so much different."

Penn Wood 18 15 18 17 - 68

Cheltenham 12 8 7 0 - 27

PW: Dahnye Redd 25, Carle Andrews 16, Joy Morton 12, Gabby Hairston 8, Khaliah Gordon 5, Saleia Matthews 2

C: Gabrielle Wright 11, Mia Leonard 9, Savannah Roberts 3, D'ajah Bouchereau 2, Nashira Brown 2