Author: delcohoops

By Matthew DeGeorge

For the better part of three quarters Thursday night, Springfield mostly did what it wanted offensively against an active Ridley zone defense.

In the fourth quarter, with the Green Raiders switching back to man, the Cougars pulled away.

When they’re going well, Springfield can do that to teams, its unselfish ball-sharing and smart shot selection leading to a 65-48 win over Ridley Thursday.

The switch to the zone, after the Cougars (9-3, 5-2 Central) hit their first three looks from 3-point range, didn’t faze Springfield.

“We’ve seen a lot of it this year,” forward TJ Valletti said. “A lot of teams switch to it, and we practice it a lot, so we’re used to it and honestly we enjoy it.”

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By Josh Verlin

Penncrest came into this season with high expectations. 

Just past the midway point of the regular season, it’s possible the Lions are surpassing them. 

The only unbeaten boys basketball team left in District 1, Penncrest put its perfect record on the line Thursday night at Central League co-leader Conestoga and passed another test, opening up a double-digit lead in the second quarter and finishing strong for a 62-51 road win. 

There’s a lot of hoops to be played, but there’s no doubt that Mike Doyle’s squad is opening eyes around the area. 

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By Jeremy Goode

Brandon Williams knows how good his Penn Charter boys basketball team is. Coming off a Inter-Ac championship from last season, Williams returned much of his squad, led by three high-major Division I commits. While it is a talented team with much depth at scoring, it is the Quakers’ defense that truly could be the difference between themselves and their opponents.

Penn Charter’s offensive and defensive talent was on display on Thursday night at the Haverford School, another Inter-Ac team that has realistic goals of winning the league championship this year.  

Williams and his team did not want to hear it, as Penn Charter walked into Haverford’s gym and defeated the Fords, 74-53. 

“I like to call this a social media win,” Williams said. “There were a lot of folks that did not think we were the class of the Inter-Ac and might have had Haverford above us, so I think for the outside looking in, this is a win that does more for them than does for us.”

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By Owen McCue

Brandon Russellwas a complimentary piece in his first year in Northeast Philly. 

The 6-foot-5 guard, who started his high school career at the Pennington School (N.J.), was deep in the rotation on an Archbishop Ryan team filled with seniors, including a pair of Division I-bound stars.

When Ryan’s season ended in the state semifinals last season, coach Joe Zeglinski let Russell know the Raiders would be his team during his senior campaign in 2024-25.

Facing a 22-point halftime deficit and a potential 0-3 start in the Catholic League on Wednesday night at Archbishop Carroll, the Raiders needed their leader and Russell rose to the occasion.

While he got plenty of help from his teammates, Russell’s 36-point effort paved the way in an 84-79 comeback overtime win Ryan hopes can fuel a run in PCL play.

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By Matt Smith

Garnet Valley’s Savannah Saunders flashed a modest smile, deflecting attention when asked about her growing confidence as an offensive player after the Jaguars’ win over Springfield Tuesday night.

Saunders, who scored 11 points and confidently knocked down two 3-pointers along with a couple of mid-range jumpers, has been known for her tenacity on defense. As a junior, she anchored the Jaguars’ defense during their run to the PIAA Class 6A semifinals, and offense wasn’t her primary responsibility. But this season, with the team relying on her to contribute more on the offensive end, Saunders has excelled.

When pressed about her improvements, she offered a shy response. “A little bit,” she said, smiling. Her teammate, senior star Haylie Adamski, was more than willing to sing Saunders’ praises.

Adamski, a 1,000-point scorer and one of the most decorated players in program history, who has been a constant focus for opposing defenses since her freshman year, wanted to chime in. So she raised her hand and declared, “I have something to say.”

The floor was hers.

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Brynn Kehl scored 13 points with four rebounds and Addi Thomas scored 10 points and picked up three rebounds as Episcopal Academy downed Baldwin School, 46-25.

Maura Irish scored seven points and collected three rebounds, and Ali Dennis and Kate Boerner added five points each.

Agnes Irwin 50, SCHA 32 >> Audrey Comly scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Simone Harvey scored 13 points and added five boards in the Owls’ Inter-Ac League victory.

Sacred Heart Academy 47, Springfield (Montco) 41 >> Megan Donahue scored 13 points and Dani Jeffries and Keara McCaffrey added 11 each as the Lions celebrated a win.

McCaffrey had 10 rebounds and Grace Brown and Bella Donohue scored six points each.

Boys Basketball

Sun Valley 57, Kennett 47 >> Aaron Freeman scored 20 points and Josh Yannonis added 11 points and seven rebounds in the Vanguards’ victory in the Ches-Mont League.

By Matt Smith

The ceiling seems sky-high for Garnet Valley this season.

A year removed from a surprising postseason run that left them just one win shy of the PIAA Class 6A final, the Jaguars look poised to build on that success Tuesday night.

Senior Haylie Adamski scored 25 points, while fellow senior and defensive ace Savannah Saunders added 11, as the Jags rolled past a rebuilding Springfield squad, 53-21.

Adamski and Saunders did all their scoring in the first three quarters, setting the tone before both teams cleared their benches in the final period.

“I feel like we out-hustled them, got more rebounds and played better defense,” senior point guard Kylie Mulholland said. “It was a good game all around.”

Despite the graduation of standout forward Emily Olsen, the Jaguars have regrouped around a strong senior core led by captains Adamski, Mulholland and Saunders. While the season is still young they’ve shown they’re more than capable of building on last season’s success.

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By Josh Verlin

There were no surprises about where Ryann Jennings stood.

Walking into the lobby at Conestoga High School, there was a table set up front with pre-made signs celebrating the Pioneers junior’s impending 1,000th point, as she entered Tuesday night’s game against Radnor just three points from the milestone. 

It took her less than a minute to get there. 

On Conestoga’s second offensive possession, a ball out-of-bounds gave head coach A.J. Thompson the opportunity to draw up a play designed to get Jennings an open look from the corner — and she buried it. 

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Brady Krautzel played the hero Tuesday night with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lead Garnet Valley to a 40-37 win over Springfield.

Krautzel led the Jaguars with 15 points. Jake Sniras added 12 points.

Patrick Flaherty paced Springfield with 12 points. Chris Dolan added seven.

Penncrest 56, Haverford 41 >> Sean Benson scored 18 points as the Lions won their 11th game on the trot to open the season. Mikey Mita added 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Lions led 17-3 after one quarter and never looked back. Theo Gladue also contributed 14 points.

Andrew Steigleman led the Fords with 15 points with three 3-pointers. Reese Fitzgibbons chipped in 10 points.

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By Josh Verlin

The CoBL Girls’ Winter Classic is less than one week away: Sunday, Jan. 12 at Ursinus College. Our six-game showcase is a great way to check out a dozen of the area’s best girls’ basketball teams, featuring dozens of future college basketball players — not to mention give you something to do before the Eagles play later on in the day!

Admission will be $10 for everybody 12 and older.

Archbishop Carroll vs. Friends’ Central (12:00 PM)
This fun matchup features two teams that aren’t shy at all about utilizing their depth all over the court, though each have some no-doubt stars. For Friends’ Central, those stars include 6-3 senior wing Logyn Greer (Colorado), 6-2 sophomore wing Zya Small, 5-6 senior guard Nal’la Bennett (Stony Brook) and 6-0 senior forward Kaiya Rain Tucker (Siena), but keep an eye out on 6-0 freshman forward Faith Watson, 5-2 senior guard Saniyah Washington and more that head coach Vinny Simpson can utilize at his disposal. Carroll junior Alexis Eberz, with offers from Villanova and Marquette, is their biggest name, though she’s got plenty of seniors around her like Olivia Nardi, Brooke Olender and Brigid Archbold as well as her own younger sister, freshman wing Kayla Eberz, who’s got one of the brightest upsides around. 

(click on this link for other teams playing in this tournament)