Delcohoops.com

By Matthew DeGeorge

Penncrest didn’t hit a 3-pointer Saturday night. Leading scorer Tyler Norwood was held relatively in check, by his lofty standards.

And yet the Lions still eased past Chester, 57-48, in a battle of District 1 Class 5A teams in the final game of the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University.

Norwood scored 18 points, but he was one of four Lions with nine or more points as they extended their perfect start to the season to 8-0. Matt Arbogast tallied 15 points, and Gee Antonelli and Chris Mills chipped in nine each for the Lions.

Michael Smith led Chester with 13 points. Isaiah Schmidt hit four 3-pointers to score 13 points as the Clippers hit a season-high nine bucket from beyond the arc but still fell to 1-5 on the season.

Also at the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic:

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

 

By Josh Verlin

Coatesville sophomore DaPree Bryant’s steal-and-score just before the buzzer sealed a 60-55 win over Lower Merion in the penultimate game of four at Widener on Saturday afternoon and evening.

The Red Raiders held a 32-19 lead over the Aces at halftime, but Lower Merion mounted a third-quarter comeback to even take a brief 40-39 lead before a Jhamir Brickus 3-pointer put Coatesville back up two points going into the fourth.

Brickus (18 points) added seven more points in the fourth quarter as Coatesville (6-3) never again gave up the lead, though Lower Merion (6-2) didn’t make it easy. Though the Aces went nearly three minutes without scoring in the game’s closing stretch, a 3-pointer by Jack Forrest (14 points) cut it to 56-55 with 45.9 seconds to play.

Lower Merion had one final possession with 13.5 seconds left after two Brickus foul shots, but Bryant made sure the Aces didn’t even get a final look, snatching the ball and racing up the sideline to deposit the ball through the hoop just a split-second ahead of the buzzer for the last of his seven points.

Steve Payne led Lower Merion with 15 points. Brickus was joined in double figures on Coatesville by Chuck Smith’s 14 points.

(Webmaster’s note: The Coastesville vs Lower Merion game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link by clicking on the player below)

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By Josh Verlin

The 13th Annual Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic opened on Friday, with seven games taking place at the Gallagher Athletic Center’s Jefferson University (formerly Philly U).

Here are recaps of each of the seven games, updated throughout the day:

Game Five: Coatesville vs. Chester

For the past three or four games, Coatesville head coach Chuck Moore has used his sophomore guard Jhamir Brickus a little differently.

Brickus, a 5-foot-9 guard, is a special talent, and Moore knows it. He said the Red Raiders have started to run their offense through him, somewhat like how the Houston Rockets use James Harden or the Oklahoma City Thunder use Russell Westbrook.

In Friday’s game against Chester, Brickus poured in 27 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to help deliver Coatesville a 68-46 win.

Game Six: Abington vs Archbishop Carroll

Archbishop Carroll head coach Paul Romanczuk knew he was going to have a tough time trying to contain Abington’s junior forward Eric Dixon.

The 6-foot-7 Dixon, who holds offers from 11 D-I schools, most notably Villanova, finished the game scoring 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as Abington lost by a final score of 70-56.

“I thought he (Dixon) had 30-35, the way he was scoring.” Romanczuk said.  “Our gameplan was is that if we could keep the ball out of his hands, which is a lot easier said than done, possession by possession, that’s how we would win.

(click on this link for more game stories and the complete recap)

Webmaster’s note:  The Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic continues today at Widener University. Delcohoops.com will broadcast two games tonight LIVE from Widener.  Check the Game-of-the-Week box for times!

By Andrew Robinson

Jefferson University’s gym has not been kind to the Abington boys basketball team this month.For the second time in less than a week, the Galloping Ghosts struggled to make their shots at Jefferson, this time from the perimeter. That, coupled with an Archbishop Carroll team focused on attacking the rim in the second half added up to a frustrating outcome for Abington.

Carroll’s guard play set the tone in leading the Patriots to a 70-56 win over Abington as part of the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic on Friday.

“That’s something I think early in the game we didn’t do well, we settled for jumpers early,” Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said. “We were kind of out of sorts early, then we were able to get some buckets in transition, get some easy hoops. At halftime, I said we have to stop settling, we need to attack them inside and make them defend us inside.”

(click on this link for the full story)

By Andrew Robinson

Alan Glover connected on his fly route pass to Ish Horn and could finally relax.As Horn rose and dunked on the other end, putting Plymouth Whitemarsh up four points with 12 seconds left, the Colonials’ stiffest test of the season was nearly over. It had pushed them, taken everything they had and challenged them, but the Colonials endured it.

When the last buzzer finally sounded, a couple PW players put their hands in the air. Somehow, they had survived a 64-60 double overtime victory against Bonner & Prendergast at the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic Friday night on the campus of Jefferson University.

“It feels good that we secured the win but it feels great that we know we can win a close game like that,” PW senior guard Ahmad Williams said. “That was a double overtime war and I’m just happy for my guys.”

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

During a timeout with eight seconds to play Friday afternoon, Matt Lindeman addressed the Penn Wood huddle with a calm voice. He turned to his whiteboard, sketched an inbounds defense and joined the cacophony of assistant coaches offering last-second refreshers — not to reach, not to foul a shooter, etc.Then Lindeman turned and watched the plan disintegrate quickly, only the front rim denying a contested jumper by Frankford’s Taleek Anderson and preserving a 48-47 win for the Patriots at the inaugural Big Game Hoops Holiday Showcase at Interboro.

That snapshot, one of dozens like it for the green team from Green Avenue, illustrated the two defining poles of the Patriots, of the double-edged sword of a moniker like “youthful talent.”

“It’s going to take some time to figure out how to play the right way, and then we can get to some of the things we were able to do last year,” Lindeman said. “They’re learning on the job, they’re playing hard. We’re going to have some mistakes, but as long as they keep a positive attitude, that’s what we really care about right now.”

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)