Month: January 2025

By Matt Smith

 In a 50-year span as a high school basketball head coach, Tom Stewart has never lost his passion for teaching and guiding young athletes, a perfect reflection of his lifelong career in education.

Stewart, Bonner & Prendergast’s assistant principal for student services, is in his 31st season leading the Pandas after spending 18 seasons at the helm of St. James High School in Chester, which closed in 1993. He was in as Prendie’s coach the next year.

Last year, he was finally inducted into the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame, a long-overdue recognition.

This season, Stewart has guided the Pandas back to respectability after some rebuilding years. He has talented freshmen who are starting and producing. While the Pandas aren’t quite ready to compete against perennial powerhouses Archbishop Carroll and Cardinal O’Hara, they are making progress under the tutelage of “Coach Stew.”

Even during the Pandas’ lean years, when the talent pool wasn’t as deep, Stewart, a 1964 Monsignor Bonner graduate, returned each winter. He has grown increasingly disillusioned with the recruiting battles, which he believes have intensified in recent years. That side of high school sports, he admits, is something he could do without.

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By Bruce Adams

The 6-foot-1 senior forward and second-year captain recently became the 11th player in the Ford girls’ basketball program to score 1,000 points when she reached the milestone Jan. 14 against Springfield (Delco), a game in which she scored 32 points. Dotsey is averaging 18.3 ppg and 10.2 rpg this season for the Fords (15-2 as of Jan. 27). Last winter, she averaged 15.5 ppg and 9 rpg and received first team All-Central League and All-Main Line honors. Next winter, Dotsey will play basketball for Saint Joseph’s University. Off the court at Haverford, Dotsey is a NICU Volunteer at Lankenau Hospital and is a member of the school’s Interact Club, which performs volunteer activities within the community.

Q: Tell us a little about the play in which you scored your 1,000th point, how the play developed. Were you aware as the play developed that you were on the verge of 1,000 points?

A: I was really excited to know going into the game that I was only eight points away from 1,000! When I needed one more basket I knew my team was looking for me. I got the pass on the block from Mya Foley, which was a super cool moment since we’ve played with and against each other for so long! After I scored that basket my team rushed the court and we all celebrated!

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By Josh Verlin

After two losses in the first half of Catholic League play, Father Judge is picking up steam. 

The Crusaders, widely expected to be one of the PCL’s main contenders after a strong summer and fall, seemed to solidify that status after a win over Imhotep Charter midway through December. But the Catholic League is a gauntlet for a reason, and a two-point home loss to Bonner-Prendergast and a five-point defeat at Devon Prep were good reminders that there were indeed other strong challengers for the crown.

But since that loss to the Tide on Jan. 16, Father Judge has won its last three league games, beating fellow contender Roman Catholic by four on Thursday before an absolute demolition of Cardinal O’Hara, 82-35, on Monday night in Delaware County.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Three seconds had ticked off the clock Friday night at Bonner & Prendergast when Korey Francis’ lob found Tysicere Jackson for a slam that set the rim rocking.

Literally and figuratively, it was a start from which Cardinal O’Hara would not recover.

The Friars led by 17 points after one quarter, on the way to a 59-43 Catholic League win. The formula was set from that first sequence – Francis pushing the action, and Jackson finishing around the hoop.

“We really had energy from the start,” Francis said. “We had energy since we got in the locker room to get dressed. But after the dunk, we really just turned it up and just kept leaning on each other to make better plays to help us win the game.”

Francis scored a game-high 17 points, though just three in a first half where he preferred to be the distributor. He added eight assists – six in that rampant first quarter – plus five rebounds and three steals. Jackson, the Upper Darby transfer, paired 14 points with 10 rebounds, including three first-quarter flushes.

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By Josh Verlin

All season long, Malachi Warren’s coaches teammates have been telling him the same thing: stay ready, and your time will come. 

It was a lesson the Archbishop Wood sophomore tried to keep at the top of mind even as his varsity minutes fluctuated from one game to another. Keep working, and be ready for anything.

“[Assistant] coach Pat [Haggerty] always tells me to stay ready, sending me Instagram reels of how to stay ready,” Warren said. “Sending me Instagram reels of Dan Hurley from UConn, telling me how to stay ready and stay positive — even if I don’t get any minutes one night, to be ready the next night.”

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By Matt Smith

Sacred Heart Academy senior power forward Keara McCaffrey had high praise for sophomore guard Dani Jeffries following Friday afternoon’s nonleague game against Penn Wood.

“Dani has really stepped up,” McCaffrey said. “I mean, we’ve seen it last year as a freshman, what she could do. She was putting up 16 points as a freshman in the district championship. And this year, she has definitely grown a lot and has been great.”

Jeffries smiled modestly when told of McCaffrey’s remarks. McCaffrey, a DeSales commit, will go down as one of the best post players to ever play for longtime Sacred Heart coach Zach Shuler.

For Jeffries, last year’s experience as a starter on a Lions team that captured its sixth consecutive District 1 title – and seventh in eight years – has been instrumental in her development. Her excellent performance in the District 1 Class A final against Delco Christian left a big impression on McCaffrey, and she’s continued to deliver this season. Jeffries has evolved into a multifaceted guard capable of attacking the rim, knocking down 3-pointers, facilitating the offense, and providing strong defense – assets that were on full display Friday.

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By Matt Smith

There was a seamless rhythm in how Haverford seniors Mya Foley, Megan Kelly, Natalie Wright and Rian Dotsey operated during Thursday night’s Central League clash with Upper Darby. It was clear they have a connection that’s difficult to replicate.

When they weren’t executing, making everything look easy, the seniors enjoyed moments of rest on the bench, a luxury granted by a lopsided 48-19 decision.

It was, after all, Senior Night and a chance to celebrate all they have achieved, savoring a brief respite before the road toughens. The Fords’ experienced core is on a mission to capture a third straight Central League championship.

Dotsey, a Saint Joseph’s commit, showed the way with 18 points, including 11 in the opening quarter. The All-Delco forward, who eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone this season, grabbed nine rebounds.

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By Owen McCue

When Rashyne Patterson stepped into the Lower Merion lineup for the first time at the start of this season, he was given a few simple instructions by the Aces coaching staff.

“They always told me, ‘Rebound and protect the rim. Protect the house,” Patterson said. “That’s always been my role on this team. I try to protect the house as best as I can.”

The 6-foot-3 senior swatted away five shots in a 54-45 win over Central League foe Springfield-Delco on Tuesday night — a matchup between two squads jockeying for league playoff position.

Patterson’s most important rejection came during a key fourth-quarter stretch that turned the tide for the Aces, who trailed by as many as seven in the second half.

“Huge,” said fellow senior Lamont Grier. “He’s been making plays like that the whole season. I’m glad we have him on the team. He does way more than that off the scenes with the rebounding besides blocking, with the scoring too. He’s really playing a big part in our game.”

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By Matt Smith

It has taken some time, but the Bonner & Prendergast girls basketball team is building a winning foundation again.

Developing a successful program is especially difficult in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which is the premier high school basketball conference in the state. Tom Stewart, a Delco Athletes Hall of Famer, knows this better than most, now in his 50th season as a head coach and 31st at Prendie. He’s seen it all.

He’s optimistic about the potential of his freshman class, particularly rising stars Kayla Epps, Skylar Rothley and London Tyler, who are helping put the Pandas back on the map.

Guiding their growth on the court are senior forwards Taylor Eagan and Melanie Standen, along with senior guards Emily Riehl and Amaya Cash, a senior guard who transferred from Haverford High.

The Pandas last made the state playoffs five years ago, advancing to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals before the pandemic brought the season to an abrupt halt. Their last appearance in the Catholic Leagues was 2022. Last season, the Pandas improved from two wins the previous year to eight.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

KJ Carson didn’t have the first 36 minutes of basketball he wanted Tuesday afternoon.

Thanks to some early foul trouble, a bit of cold shooting and a modicum of wise senior deference, the Haverford School point guard entered the second overtime period against Episcopal Academy with just four points to his name.

With three of his fellow Fords starters fouled out and Haverford School having already forced extra sessions with two unlikely last-possession executions, Carson made the most of his bonus basketball time. He hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the second OT period, leading Haverford School to a wild 74-67 win over their local Inter-Ac League rivals.

“That’s what you prepare for,” Carson said. “You prepare for moments like this. Two guys step down, you’ve just got to step up. That’s what you’ve got to do.”

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