By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
When Thomas Jefferson goes up against New Oxford in a PIAA 5A first round playoff game Friday, the Jaguars will find themselves on the short end of a David vs. Goliath situation.
In several ways.
While TJ (16-8) and the Colonials (24-5) are both third place finishers in their respective districts (7 and 3), that’s about all they have in common.
The Jaguars feature a lineup whose tallest starters are 6-3 James Martinis and 6-2 Shane Stump, while the Colonials will put a lineup that includes 6-7 Thomas Haugh, 6-3 Abdul Janneh and 6-3 Brayden Long.
TJ, while having a solid squad, has not been ranked among the top teams in the state this season while New Oxford, in the state tourney for the third time in four years, has been a mainstay in the rankings most of this season.
And while the Jaguars will be making a four-hour bus trip to game site Dallastown High for the 6 p.m. tip, the Colonials will be playing on a floor they see in their conference games every year.
And if you put any stock in the state rankings on Maxpreps, TJ is 164 and New Oxford is 26.
When told the latter tidbit, TJ coach Dom DeCicco laughed and said, “I don’t know if they are the 26th best team in the state, but they are good. They are very good.”
DeCicco says he and his band of “Davids” will make the lengthy trip and take their best shot at slaying Goliath.
“We’ve been watching film on them and we see what they like to do,” DeCicco said. “I’m sure they will like to get in a half-court game and use their height advantage against us, but we’re excited. We’ve battled taller teams all season. That’s nothing new for us.”
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