Delcohoops.com

By Bob Grotz

Karell Watkins is putting up numbers that followers of Chester High boys basketball only dreamed were possible in the era of the 3-point field goal.The sophomore forward is averaging 20.3 points and 12.6 rebounds after erupting for 28 and 23 Friday to lead the Clippers to a 79-48 rout of Glen Mills and — stop us if you’ve heard this, people — sole possession of another Del Val League pennant.

Watkins got 20 points and 13 boards almost without breaking a sweat to stake the Clippers (14-4, 7-0) to a 23-point lead at the intermission Friday.

And the Bulls didn’t go quietly, although they’re not the power they once were, particularly in their building.

“Not too many people are averaging a double-double like our guy is,” Chester coach Keith Taylor said. “I haven’t seen that in a while. And he’s doing it night in and night out.”

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By Bruce Adams

For its senior night Friday evening, the Conestoga boys basketball squad set itself up for a tough test against a red-hot, athletic Ridley team on a seven-game winning streak.

The Green Raiders held the lead for the first 26 minutes, but the Pioneers (13-7, 11-3) finally caught up in the fourth quarter. The game went two overtimes before Conestoga prevailed, 60-59.

The double-overtime battle featured rugged, physical defensive play on both sides. It wasn’t pretty but it was spirited.

“I thought we played with a ton of heart tonight,” said Conestoga head coach Mike Troy. “It was a back-and-forth battle all night, and we kept coming back, and coming back, and in overtime I thought we played as hard as we did all year long.”

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By PAPrepLive

It took 19 years for Haverford School to get one Inter-Ac title. Now under coach Bernie Rogers, the Fords have two in as many campaigns.

Tyler Seward scored 21 points, and Christian Ray added 19 as the Fords stopped Springside Chestnut Hill, 69-56, Friday to clinch at least a share of a second straight Inter-Ac title.

The Fords (23-0, 9-0) can clinch a second consecutive outright title Tuesday by winning at second-place Malvern Prep.

Gavin Burke and Jameel Brown scored 11 points each for the Fords, who also got seven points from Asim Richards. The starters accounted for all 69 of the Fords’ points.

Also in the Inter-Ac:

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Shermik Lofton knew from the scouting report Thursday night that he’d have a chance to make a difference against an undersized Chichester squad. But a rough start shooting didn’t bear that out.As Lofton stuck with it, on the defensive end and on the boards, it wasn’t hard to see the evening as a microcosm of the Academy Park senior’s season. He’d started the campaign, in which he’d be relied on as a featured scorer for the first time, with several underwhelming outings. But with time and patience, Lofton has picked up his game.

Thursday was no different, Lofton scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds as AP handled Chichester, 71-60, in a frenetic and error-strewn Del Val contest.

“I started off slow and I make sure I finish strong at the end,” Lofton said. “I always try to finish strong. Sometimes you come out in a game slow, but it’s about how you put it together, though.”

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Genetically, Neel Beniwal might not have been the most likely to reach basketball proficiency.The Garnet Valley wing’s mom is 5-foot-6. So is his dad. Just a sophomore, Beniwal stands 6-4, a guard whose height roughly matches that of Jaguars center Cade Brennan.

One endowment passed down from his dad has greatly helped, however. When Mahesh Beniwal moved to the United States for work from India, he fell in love with basketball. And he passed that along to Neel, who was born in the States.

“When my dad first moved here, he really liked watching Allen Iverson and he really liked basketball, so he just put me into basketball,” Neel said last week. “And ever since, I just liked basketball.”

That passion has paid dividends for Neel and the Jaguars. Beniwal leads Delaware County with 49 made 3-pointers this season, an average of about three per game. He’s averaging 15.0 points per game, second on Garnet Valley, which has 12 wins and is on its way to a fourth straight District 1 playoff berth.

Beniwal has taken big strides from his freshman year, when he was a regular in the rotation. He averaged 3.9 points per game, with 15 of his 33 made baskets coming from behind the arc as he and fellow freshman Carl Schaller got chances to impress.

Webmaster’s note: Our Game-of-the-Week is a match-up between Sun Valley and Garnet Valley on Saturday at 1:30 PM.  If you can’t get to the game you can listen to it right here on Delcohoops.com

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Chester clinched a share of the Del Val title Wednesday, and it did so in style.

Karell Watkins tallied 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Michael Smith added 23 points as the Clippers won their 10th straight game, 81-24, over Interboro.

The win means Chester (14-4, 7-0 Del Val) gains at least a share of the title, with Academy Park and Penn Wood each having three league losses. Chester can clinch the title outright with a win Friday at Glen Mills or in two chances next week.

Rahmee Gilbert added eight points for Chester, which led by 32 at half and shut the Bucs out in the fourth quarter just for good measure.

Damon Dukes led Interboro (1-18, 0-7) with 12 points.

Also in the Del Val League:

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