There was more to Saturday's PIAA Class AAAA championship game than the score, though that's a strong indicator of what went down at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn Wood led for every second of the first half, and Plymouth Whitemarsh pulled the same feat for almost all of the second half. Did you know Penn Wood turned the ball over seven fewer times (19-to-12) than the winners?

Take a look at some other numbers from Saturday's game, at Penn State University...

4 – Points from Penn Wood center Shawn Oakman.
8 – Turnovers by Oakman.

NOTE: Coming into this game, I was certain that Oakman was the difference. If he could stay out of foul trouble (he didn't) and own a rebounding edge on P-W (he didn't), then Penn Wood could win it all again. This game showed that Oakman, while he's come a long way, still has a lot of work to do.

32 – Minutes played by Penn Wood's Aaron Brown, Tyree Johnson and Will Brown, pictured. The trio never left the court.

NOTE: Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones knew his best chance at a comeback was through his best players – so he kept them on the floor the longest.

5 – Blocks by Plymouth Whitemarsh center CJ Aiken.

NOTE: Aiken got dunked on – quite memorably – in the District One Class AAAA championship game, by Penn Wood's Aaron Brown. But Aiken got the last laugh, swatting two of Brown's fourth-quarter shot attempts.

13 – Rebounding differential (38 to 25) owned by Plymouth Whitemarsh.

NOTE: Whis Grant, a 6-0 guard with 11 boards, outrebounded Penn Wood big men Oakman and Darian Barnes combined. That's an unsettling stat.

28 – Field-goal percentage by Penn Wood.
50 – Field-goal percentage by Plymouth Whitemarsh.

NOTE: As offensively sound as Penn Wood is, the Patriots looked downright miserable in the final 19 minutes Saturday. After taking their 10-point lead, they were outscored, 40-20, by the fourth quarter's midway point.

(Photographs by Daily Times staff photographer Eric Hartline)

Here's a little something to chew on, leading up to Saturday's PIAA Class AAAA championship:

***Only once has a Delaware County team won back-to-back titles at the AAAA level, since PIAA expanded in 1984 (Glen Mills, 1990-91).
***And only once have teams from Delco combined to win state titles in three straight years (1989 Chester, 1990-91 Glen Mills.)

So when Penn Wood rolls up the Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center, the Patriots are hoping they can reserve a little place in the record books of Delaware County boys basketball history.

In the last two years, Chester ('08, AAAA), Penn Wood ('09, AAAA) and Archbishop Carroll ('09, AAA) have brought home titles to Delco.

That's not to say Penn Wood's got this one sewn up, either. The Patriots will have their hands full with a Plymouth-Whitemarsh squad that likely has not forgotten getting burned in an overtime District One final against these very Pats.

On top of that, the Pats are catching the Colonials when their second-best scorer Jaylen Bond is hitting his stride. Bond shot 12-for-13 in a PIAA semifinal Wednesday, making his final nine shot attempts. If C.J. Aiken, their leading scorer, Saturday night is only half as potent as Bond was Wednesday, the Patriots could have a problem.

But let's leave that for Saturday. It's the best time of the year. The final game is upon us. Have a safe trip to State College.

C'mon - did you expect anything less?

You knew Penn Wood was this good before the season even began. You knew Penn Wood had the potential to repeat, the Division I prospects to compete, the players to steal a win or two from some of the nation's best programs.

Perhaps the only surprise that came from Wednesday's 70-51 win over Liberty was that leading scorer Aaron Brown, who averages 20 points per game, was limited to eight. Still, the Patriots cruised past the Hurricanes in a PIAA Class AAAA semifinal and into Saturday's championship game against ... Plymouth-Whitemarsh.

Surprised?

Shouldn't be. This was the matchup of fate, one that seemed predestined in the first weeks of the 2009-10 season, with both teams gaining national acclaim and regional hype. But, hey --- we have some days ahead to talk about Plymouth Whitemarsh. How about we stick with the PW from Delaware County?

En route to making consecutive appearances in the PIAA title game, the Patriots did what they do best - run up the score. The Hurricanes made the Pats kick the tires a couple times in the first quarter, leading 8-4 and making the District One champs think otherwise about a repeat.

Then, it happened.

Penn Wood went on a 17-0 burst on the way to a 40-19 halftime lead. The rest is history. Tyree Johnson scored 19 points, Dequan Pelzer tossed in 14 and Shawn Oakman dropped in 12 (and some thunderous dunks) for the Patriots.

See you in State College.

Congratulations, Penn Wood Patriots: You are the 2009-10 District One Class AAAA champions.

For the first time since 1992, the Patriots own that distinction, after having beaten Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 54-49, Friday night at the Pavilion.

The Patriots needed an overtime session to overcome a deficit that seemed to last the entire game ... and overcome the top-ranked team in the state and top-seeded team in the district.

Here's what we know about the Patriots:
***They still haven't lost to a team from Pennsylvania.
***They needed every ounce of veteran leadership and playoff experience against the Colonials.
***And, most importantly, they will face District Three's seventh seed, Penn Manor, a team the Patriots beat by five in the opening round of states a year ago.

Ahh, states --- now, the real fun begins.

Penn Wood made it all the way back to the District One Class AAAA championship game.

A year after winning the PIAA title, the Patriots get a shot at winning the one crown that eluded them during a magical 2008-09 season. The Patriots solidified their return trip to the district title game Tuesday with a 71-49 win over Souderton.

Shawn Oakman (pictured), a junior center for coach Clyde Jones' team, had a breakout game. The 6-9, 245-pound Oakman scored a career-best 22 points, pulled in 10 rebounds, dished three assists and blocked three shots in the rout of the Indians. He was one of four players to score in double figures.

And about that championship game...

Everyone with any knowledge of District One has been saying since November that it's going to be an all PW title game. Now, that's official. Top-seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh knocked off West Chester Rustin to move on to play Penn Wood for the crown.

And we're not just talking about the best two teams in the district --- they're the best two in the state. More incentive to get your tickets ASAP for Friday's final.