PLYMOUTH – Plymouth’s Pilgrims showed that Saturday’s performance at Mishawaka was no fluke as they put on a show for their home fans Thursday night taking a 68-55 win over Goshen in an NLC matchup.
For a second straight game the Pilgrims got a lift from the senior squad and a career game from Dyllon Pavey.
“He’s making me look stupid,” said Plymouth coach Ryan Bales of Pavey. “I haven’t played him a lot and honestly nothing could make me happier. There’s nothing that makes a coach happier than rewarding people who deserve it.”
Pavey ended the night with 13 points and four rebounds and the five senior starters again gave the Pilgrims an early high energy start that they were able to ride to the win.
“You can’t explain really right now but they are coming together,” said Bales. “There’s really nothing more enjoyable to watch. They’re sharing the basketball, looking for one another. Nick (Felke) sets a tone for a lot of that you can see as he drives the ball in there he’s looking for dishes as much as he’s looking for a shot. It’s guys picking the right time to step up and make plays and everybody feels a part of it.”
“Early on we got a lot of defensive stops, some loose balls and some rebounds and that led to some things opening up for us in the open court for us.”
Felke again had an outstanding night leading the Pilgrims with 19 points and eight assists. He also had three rebounds and a pair of steals.
“Nick has been very good the past two games,” said Bales. “He still is looking to do it all but maybe not all at once. He has confidence he’s going to get the ball back, confidence in the people around him. This may be the best two game span that he’s had in his career.”
“Right now Nick and Pavey – there’s a connection there,” said Bales. “Dyllon is doing a great job moving under the basket finding the open space, and you see other guys doing it now. (Garrett) Tharp is doing it, (Nate) Patterson is doing it.”
Tharp ended the night with 12 points continuing his resurgence in the rotation as a big option on offense.
But it was still the seniors that deserved the praise for a second straight game.
“Those seniors are great team mates. These younger guys are getting a lesson in how to carry themselves the right way,” said Bales. “We had a very inconsistent month. We weren’t playing with pride on the defensive end and we weren’t playing as hard as we needed to play and who better to send that message. A team that has each other’s back are the best team’s. That’s what we have right now.”
The Pilgrims are now 11-7 with their big rivalry game next week at home with Warsaw. Goshen in now 9-8.
Score by Quarters
Goshen 11 24 42 55
Plymouth 14 35 54 68
Goshen (55) – Michael Pinarski 2 1-2 5, CJ Detweiler 2 2-2 7, Will Line 61-3 15, Deven Love 0 0-0 0, Mitchell Walters 6 3-4 15, Simon Myers 0 0-0 0, Eliot Nafziger3 0-0 9, Bryant Robinson 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 7-11 55.
Plymouth (68) – Benji Nixon 0 0-0 0, Clay Hilliard 3 0-0 9, Cam Dennie 1 1-2 3, Ryan Carmichael 1 1-2 4, Nick Felke 5 6-9 19, Nathan Patterson 2 0-0 4, Travis Owen 2 0-0 4, Dyllon Pavey 6 1-2 13, Cole Filson 0 0-0 0, Payton Skirvin 0 0-0 0, Tyler Games 0 0-0 0, Garrett Tharp 5 2-2 12. Totals 25 11-17 68.
3 Pt. FG – Goshen 6-16 (Nafziger 3), Plymouth 7-9 (Hilliard, Felke 3).
Rebounds – Goshen 14 (Walters 4), Plymouth 21 (Pavey, Hilliard 4).
Steals – Goshen 4 (Line 2), Plymouth 6 (Felke 2).
Turnovers – Goshen 7, Plymouth 7
Fou.ls (Fouled Out) – Goshen 13, Plymouth 7.
