In Wednesday’s loss against 56-51 Carver, senior guard AJ Trunfio struggled early in the game, but as any great captain would, he was still able to motivate his team to victory. “I let my team down,” said Trunfio. “I wasn’t shooting good, I wasn’t playing good defense.”
It’s a performance that would have left many players unmotivated. But there’s a reason Trunfio was named as one of the team captains for this Devils’ basketball team, as he led the team with 15 points on a perfect 100% shooting in a 70-38 thrashing of Plymouth Whitemarsh this Friday.
“When a guy like that gets an opportunity to come out of a slump the way he did, and just lead us…It’s a great moment for the Blue Devils.”
Head coach Julian McFadden described Trunfio as the Devils’ “emotional and physical leader,” praising his work ethic and mentality throughout the game. “He comes out here and puts it all on the line for his brothers.”
Trunfio certainly put everything into the game against an incredibly talented Plymouth Whitemarsh team. The Colonials’ roster is chock-full of talent, including two senior stars: 6’10” center and 4-star UPenn-commit Michael Pereira and 6’5” guard and Towson-commit Mani Sajid.
“I knew it was going to be a good basketball game,” McFadden said postgame. “I know that’s a great team, but I thought we were hitting on all cylinders. And you know, when we defend the way we can, we’re pretty tough to beat.”
Early in the game, SCH seemed to be evenly matched with the Colonials. If anything, SCH looked a little frazzled. The Colonials had crowded the gym with a large student section, and they were chanting early and often.
Fortunately for SCH, their fans had shown up in droves. The stands were stuffed with students, and many fans were forced to simply stand instead. “It helps us a lot,” said Trunfio. “It’s like a sixth man, another guy on the court for us.”
Heading into the second quarter, tied at 14-14, SCH started to play like they truly had a sixth man on the court. PW struggled to score throughout the second, shooting just 24% from the field, as SCH led 28-21.
While the game was relatively close, it was senior center Stewart Greenleaf who opened the floodgates, cutting baseline to drop in an and-one layup, extending the lead to 10.
On the ensuing possession, the 6′ 5” big man sat in the corner, with no defender within a few feet of him. “Coach always encourages me to shoot it,” Greenleaf said post-game. “So I let it fly.”
Right in front of the packed student section, Greenleaf sank his first career three-pointer, as fans and players alike erupted in cheers, while the senior ran down the court celebrating the moment. “It’s fun to score. I like playing defense and rebounding, but it’s nice to get a bucket or two once in a while.”
From that point on, it was total dominance for the Devils, who dropped 42 points over the next two quarters to come away with a 70-38 victory over a talented Plymouth Whitemarsh squad. “Those guys are animals, man,” Coach McFadden said, praising his team postgame. “Those dudes are warriors. I’m just glad they’re on my side.”
