By Matthew De George
After a first half in which Friends’ Central’s DeAndre Hunter blistered his team for 19 points, Haverford School coach Bernie Rogers reasoned that the best strategy for defending the star swingman involved keeping him on the bench for as long as possible.
That tactic worked … at least for a little while.
Hunter shook off a quick bout of foul trouble after halftime to finish with 35 points, keying the Phoenix’s 68-57 nonleague win Monday afternoon.
Rogers’ halftime message reinforced what he tried to impress upon his charges pre-game, that making Hunter work on the defensive end and goad him into foul trouble would be the best way to slow down the University of Virginia-bound small forward. By redoubling efforts to feed the post, the Fords saddled Hunter with three quick fouls in as many minutes in the third quarter. He was whistled for his fourth in questionable fashion on a loose ball in the first minute of the fourth.