Matt Coldren-Wilson

A made free throw, a perfectly missed free throw, an offensive rebound, and a 3-pointer. All of that needed to happen for the Bulldogs in just 1.6 seconds…and it did. It played out exactly as longtime head coach Matt Coldren drew it up in the huddle during a timeout. Wilson trailed Methacton 50-46 with Aidan Melograna at the foul line. The junior forward calmly made the first free throw before missing the second on purpose. Foday Sillah snatched the offensive rebound and quickly found Cam Jones on the left wing for a game-tying trey at the buzzer! Cleveland Harding, who made a key triple from the left corner with twenty seconds left in regulation, took over in overtime with seven of his 15 points. Ofure Odiale went 1-2 from the FT line with five seconds remaining for a dramatic 60-56 victory at West Lawn on Saturday afternoon. The (14-5) Bulldogs handed the Warriors just their second loss of the season. Coldren said it felt like a state playoff game. Wilson trailed by 14 in the third quarter and by a dozen with just over two minutes to go. I asked Coldren what this comeback showed him. He replied, “We can play with anybody.” The former all-county player and assistant coach for the Bulldogs described the final play of regulation. Wilson outscored Methacton 21-13 in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t looking good early when Jones picked up his second foul with 2:27 left in the opening period. The junior point guard and all-state football player was on the bench for the rest of the first half. The (19-2) Warriors were in front 24-16 at the break and 37-29 after the third quarter. Matt Christian drilled three 3-pointers in the first two and a-half minutes of the third period to put Methacton on top 33-19. He splashed two more treys in OT to finish with a game-high 19 points. Brett Byrne, a three-year starter at guard, added 14 points. Coldren praised Odiale for his defense on 6’8 senior Cole Hargrove who had eight points. Hargrove has an offer from Drexel and interest from lower-level Division I programs, but hasn’t committed yet. Coldren was also very pleased with the performances of Sillah and Harding. Sillah, who didn’t play last year, provided a team-high 17 points. The athletic 6’4 senior jammed 13 points into the second half. Meanwhile, Harding poured in 13 points after the third quarter. Coldren emphasized that the 5’9 junior still doesn’t understand how good he can be. Jones contributed all 14 of his points after halftime. He told me that he knew his game-tying 3-pointer was going in as soon as he let it fly. Foul shooting became a big story late. The Warriors were 0-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Cam Chilson missed the front end of a pair of 1-and-1 opportunities in the closing seconds of regulation. Methacton was 2-10 overall from the charity stripe, while Wilson went 15-22. Harding made two foul shots with 13 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 59-53 edge. Wilson did a much better job of valuing the basketball. The Bulldogs only committed five turnovers. Coldren noted how much his team has improved since December. They’ve won ten of their last eleven games. Wilson had to replace all five starters from a (20-2) squad that won its second straight Berks County championship. The Bulldogs have two more difficult tests coming up. They travel to Berks Catholic on Tuesday and visit Reading on Wednesday. Coldren is (371-172) over 21 years as head coach. He set the school record for victories earlier this season.