Delcohoops.com

By Matthew DeGeorge

Malachi Williams talks fast, eager to get his point across, words spilling out hot on each other’s heels. With the game in the balance Wednesday evening, though, the point guard’s ability to slow his team down to a steady and error-free pace made the difference for Ridley.

Williams was the calming presence in an occasionally hectic and rarely pretty affair, but Ridley walked away with a 65-51 win over Interboro at the Green Raiders’ holiday tournament thanks to a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter.

That late spurt owed to the disparity in composure when each team had the ball, created in part by Williams’ patience with the rock.

Interboro led in the third quarter, tied the game at 43 a minute into the fourth and trailed just 46-45. But 10 consecutive empty possessions — including four of the Bucs 18 turnovers on the day — offered Ridley room to make its run. And while Interboro may have been in a giving mood with the ball, Williams made sure Ridley didn’t reciprocate.

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

By Michael Bullock

While we brought you our six preseason packages in those anxious days immediately preceding the start of the 2017-18 campaign, here’s a look at our second all-inclusive set of rankings for each and every classification.

So, enjoy, squawk and even ponder. There’s plenty more results to come.

Appearing below are all six of our top 10s, with PIAA district and this season’s record displayed in parentheses. Only those schools competing for PIAA state championships are eligible for ranking purposes.

(click on this link for the CITY OF BASKETBALL LOVE STATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS)

(records through games of Dec. 26/OW-others to watch/NR-not ranked)

By Matthew DeGeorge

(Based on games reported to the Delco Times through Friday, Dec. 22)

Scoring average
(minimum 50 percent of team games played)

Tyler Norwood, Penncrest 27.6
Mike Webb, Springfield 27.0
Vinny DeAngelo, Sun Valley 23.7
DaQuan Granberry, Chichester 23.4
Alex Capitano, Episcopal Academy 21.4
Isaiah Wong, Bonner & Prendergast 21.0
Matt Dade, Episcopal Academy 19.6
AJ Hoggard, Archbishop Carroll 19.3
Connor O’Brien, Garnet Valley 19.3
Christian Ray, Haverford School 18.8

(click on this link for the full list of stats)

By Owen McCue

Isaiah Wong’s basketball career started by going onto YouTube.

He didn’t look up old games of NBA greats like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Or find tutorials of how to shoot, dribble and pass.

Instead, Wong searched for videos on the Youtube channel Hoopmixtape, where he found highlight reels of high school stars like Brandon Jennings, Kyrie Irving and Lance Stephenson, who were known for their flamboyant playing styles, fancy handles and acrobatic finishes.

“I would watch Hoopmixtape, and I was like, I want to be like one of them one day,” Wong said.

Now, Wong can type his own name into YouTube and see a handful of highlight packages of himself with several thousand views.

The 6-foot-3 guard, who transferred to Bonner-Prendergast this year from Notre Dame (N.J.), is starting to make a name for himself on the national scene.

(click on this link for the full story)

Kevin Reeves was at his best in overtime for the Cardinal O’Hara boys basketball team Saturday.

Reeves scored half of his team’s points in the extra session to lead the Lions to a 5755 nonleague victory over Germantown Academy. He finished the day 4-for-5 from the field, but was 3-for-3 and scored six of his eight points in OT. Jordan Hall led a balanced Lions attack with 15 points. Garrett Ripp added 10, while Kyle Maska matched Reeves with eight points.

In other nonleague action:

MARPLE NEWTOWN 70, INTERBORO 36 » The Tigers’s Mike May led the offense with 15 points. Matt Peel added nine points and nine rebounds, while Mike Smith contributed eight points and nine boards. Marple Newtown was in a giving mood, too, with 17 assists on 29 made baskets. Carley Jones paced the Bucs with 15 points.

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

By Matthew De George

The pendulum had swung back and forth in the final 10 minutes Friday afternoon, from a 12-point Episcopal Academy lead to a three-point edge for Abraham Lincoln High School. So when the Churchmen pushed the ball up the floor in the waning seconds of a tie game, Alex Capitano knew to be ready.For quite what, he wasn’t exactly sure. But when Jack O’Reilly’s missed layup found him on the weak-side glass, he figured it out in a hurry.

The sophomore wing cleaned up the mess with the hoop and a foul, scoring the final three decisive points in a 69-66 nonleague win for EA, capping a wild and not always well-played affair marred by turnovers, fouls and a little late intrigue.

Capitano finished with a game-high 23 points, restoring his dynamic partnership with Dade after both had missed time with injuries. Dade added 22 points and led the Churchmen in the other four statistical categories: Rebounds (six), assists (four), steals (two) and blocks (three).

(click on this link for the full story)