VPS upends shorthanded Toad hoopsters
By Jesse Phelps

Villanova seniors Ryan Kirby, Djadji Daffe and Chris Gerhart received roses before their Condor League showdown against Thacher Wednesday night, then each proceeded to make a strong contribution in his team's 55-44 victory over the shorthanded Toads.
In their final home games, excluding potential playoff matchups, the three seniors set the tone early, paving the way for an important win that positioned the team positively for a CIF playoff berth.
Gerhart scored four points and grabbed five rebounds, including four on the offensive end, all in the first half. Kirby and Daffe took it from there. Daffe controlled the game from the paint, scoring 19 points on seven of 13 shooting, and adding 12 rebounds. Kirby hit a huge three with time running out on the shot clock late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Thacher, with two players out due to ankle injuries and a flu bug plaguing many of the remaining available roster, played with only seven players. Guard Graham Douds was clearly ill but managed to score nine points, including a perfect three-for-three in the second half as Thacher surged.
Thacher head coach Jason Carney said of Douds, "I've never seen a kid like him in terms of his spirit and his fight."
Villanova scored the first four points of the game and Thacher was forced to play catch-up all night. At halftime, the Wildcats had extended their lead to 27-18 behind the scoring of Daffe, Gerhart and Kota Matsushige and the intimidating defense of Nate Langelier.
Langelier was a big contributor on the night for Villanova, notching a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He was four of five from the field in the second half, many of those hoops coming as Thacher made a fourth quarter run to pull within four points.
"He's a great athlete," said Villanova head coach Matt Dunn of Langelier. "He's a very athletic kid and he's the kind of kid we almost gotta calm down sometimes, he's so athletic. You saw a couple of those blocks tonight, they're real spectacular but he fouls a lot, too. As he's improved, we've improved as a team."
The Toads had managed to hold the Villanova lead to between seven and 11 points throughout the third quarter and entered the fourth down 39-30. Thacher capitalized with two free- hrows as Villanova got called for a technical foul with six men on the court but then was unable to score on the ensuing possession.
As the fourth quarter got under way, Thacher began to make a solid run at the lead. Junior Chris Willoughby nabbed an offensive board and put-back to pull the toads to within seven. Sam Felton then drove to the hoop, made the shot and got fouled. He missed the free throw, but suddenly Thacher was as close as they'd been since the first quarter.
On the other end, Langelier got loose in the lane to make the lead seven again, but was answered by Douds to make the score 43-38. After a Daffe free throw, Willoughby hit again from the baseline to pull Thacher to within four points.
Villanova guard Clark Tevis then drilled a free throw. Thacher, with Daffe on the bench for a quick breather, had a chance to move within a bucket with a three-pointer but Felton missed on his 11th trey attempt of the game.
Daffe returned moments later and scored immediately. Douds hit again to keep Thacher within five, setting up Kirby's big moment.
With two minutes on the clock, Kirby calmly drilled his only three of the game, a dagger to give the 'Cats an eight-point cushion. From there, Daffe hit again, drawing a foul from Thacher guard Brenton Sullivan in the process.
Moments later, Sullivan stole the ball and went coast to coast but it was too little too late for the Toads. He finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals to lead Thacher in defeat.
After a series of free throws, Villanova had its sixth league win of the year, against a single defeat, and now looks forward to a playoff game after its next game at Cornerstone Christian.
Dunn praised the effort of his three seniors. "They do it in their own way. Djadji's our go-to guy, he's a big horse. He did a really nice job tonight of staying really calm. He's got three and four guys guarding him every night, it feels like. Ryan Kirby's our general, he's real steady. He made a big three there at the end. That was the one that kinda put us over the hump. And Chris Gerhart is, he's a kid who's a leader. He sets the tone every day in practice."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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