Penn Wood boys advance to Class AAAA final

Tyree Johnson decided a few weeks ago to pursue his love for architecture and basketball at the University of Hartford. "I can draw well," he said. "That's my talent."

Tuesday night, Johnson, a senior point guard, sketched a strong overall floor game to spark third-seeded Penn Wood past second-seeded Souderton, 71-49, in a PIAA District 1 Class AAAA semifinal matchup at Villanova.

The 5-foot-9 Johnson netted 15 points, dished eight assists (five in the first half) and grabbed four rebounds to make sure the Patriots, ranked No. 3 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, advanced to the district final for the second straight season.

In Friday night's championship, set for 9 at Villanova, Penn Wood, runner-up to Norristown in districts last year, will take on top-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh, the area's No. 2 team and a semifinal winner last night over fifth-seeded West Chester Rustin.

Against Souderton, Penn Wood's two scoring bursts - a 14-0 run in the first quarter and a 13-4 surge in the third – dashed any hope the eighth-ranked Indians (23-3) had of moving closer to their first district crown. The Patriots (22-3) entered as a big favorite.

"We always respect our opponent," Johnson said. "We know, at any given time, any team can beat you. You can't take anybody lightly."

Shawn Oakman, a 6-9 junior center, powered the defending state champions with 22 points, nine rebounds (four on offense), four assists, three blocks shots, and a steal.

"I love what he does," Johnson said. "I kept feeding him down low. That opens things up for everyone else."

Because he's joined by the likes of Oakman and 6-5 junior forward Aaron Brown, Johnson is not as concerned about scoring as he was the last two years.

"He's scoring less," Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones said, "but he's a much better player. Now, he has all of the pieces around him. He's recognized that everybody's skill level has improved and he has no problem being the distributor."

Brown chipped in with 15 points, nine boards and two assists; wing guard Will Brown notched 12 points and two blocks; and sixth man Dequan Pelzer recorded four steals, two assists and a block.

For Souderton, which will play West Chester Rustin for third place on Friday at a site and time to be determined, senior wing guard A.J. Picard hit three treys en route to 18 points.

Souderton    11 14 13 11 - 49

Penn Wood    22 15 13 21 - 71

S: Nate Moyer 8, A.J. Picard 18, Jeff Bishop 5, Nate Lewis 6, Kyle Connolly 10, Ryan O'Connor 2.

PW: Tyree Johnson 15, Aaron Brown 15, Shawn Oakman 22, Will Brown 12, Dequan Pelzer 3, Jeff Kyem 2, Akil Anderson 2.