Author: delcohoops

Central League Basketball Championships are set

 

By Delcohoops.com Staff

The final four for the Central League Basketball Championships are set!

The Springfield Cougars will take on the Garnet Valley Jaguars on Monday night at Harriton High School at 6 PM for the Girl’s title.

The Penncrest Lions will challenge the Lower Merion Aces also at Harrition High School on Monday night at 8 PM for the Boy’s title.

The Central League Champion games at Harriton on Monday night will be covered as our Game-of-the-Week and will be available right here on Delcohoops.com!

Little comes up big as Carroll tops Prep

By PAPrepLive

Nymire Little tallied 17 points and Archbishop Carroll overcame an eight-point, second-quarter deficit for a 48-47 Catholic League victory over St. Joseph’s Prep.

Tairi Ketner added 12 points and Amiri Stewart pitched in with 10.

Neumann-Goretti 81, Cardinal O’Hara 54 >> The Saints bolted to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Christian Ings led four players in double figures with 20 points. Jordan Hall added 15.

Anthony Purnell (12 points), Adrian Irving (11) and Jameel Burton (10) showed the way for the Lions.

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

Radnor beats Strath Haven in last seconds – Game-of-the-Week

Radnor’s Jahmir Dixon goes up for a basket as Radnor defeated Strath Haven in overtime. Photo by BQ Photos (click on the photo to see more game shots)

 

By Matthew DeGeorge

Radnor 48, Strath Haven 46

Jack D’Entremont scored 20 points, including the game-winning layup in the final seconds to seal the win for the Raiders.

Ibo Pio cuts left and drives to the basket. Photo by BQ Photos.

Lewis Robinson tossed in 11 points, and Jahmir Dixon added 10 for the Raiders (11-10, 7-9).

Brady Mutz led Strath Haven with 11 points. Luke Edwards tossed in 10, and Jaeise Davis added nine for the Panthers (3-19, 3-13).

(Webmaster’s note: The Radnor vs. Strath Haven game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard in its entirety below or on our Archived Broadcasts link listed in the menu at the top of our page.)

Click on this icon for the complete Box Scores for this game!

Unionville vaults into Ches-Mont Final Four, pushes Sun Valley out

By Steve Moore

The Unionville boys basketball team entered Thursday night’s finale with Sun Valley on the outside of the Ches-Mont League Final Four playoff picture.

The Indians left as the top seed from the American Division, and used their stifling defense to push Sun Valley out of the Final Four.

The host Indians shut down the high-powered Sun Valley offense, and harrassed the Vanguards into a frigid 17-for-49 shooting night, on their way to a 59-48 win Thursday night.

The result, combined with West Chester Rustin’s win over Kennett Thursday night, created a three-way tie atop the Ches-Mont League’s American Division. Unionville and Rustin will finish ahead of Sun Valley in District 1 playoff points, so the Indians (7-3, 15-7) and Golden Knights will represent the American in Saturday’s Final Four at Oxford. 

Unionville will face West Chester East, while Rustin will meet top-seeded Coatesville.

Sun Valley’s season is not over, however, as the Vanguards (7-3, 15-7) will easily qualify for the District 1 Class 5A tournament, along with Unionville, Rustin (7-3, 15-7) and Great Valley out of the American.

(click on this link for the full story)

Injured seniors share moment in spotlight for Penncrest


By Matthew DeGeorge

Dylan Bittle and Dan Lloyd didn’t get much time on Penncrest’s senior night, but they made the most of it.

Both cleared for limited action after sustaining injuries that had effectively ended their season, Lloyd hit a 3-pointer from the corner off a set play on the first possession of Thursday night’s game against Springfield, and Bittle added a bucket in the first minute of the Lions’ 58-27 win over the Cougars.

Fellow senior Gee Antonelli, who has missed the entire season with a foot injury, also got into action for the first time Thursday.

Malcolm Williams led the Lions with 17 points. Matt Arbogast added 10 points, and Aiden Carroll chipped in nine for the Lions (17-5, 13-3), who enter Saturday’s Central League semifinals on a six-game winning streak.

Robby Longo scored all seven of his points in the fourth quarter, and Cole Rhodes added six for the Cougars (0-22, 0-16).

Also in the Central League:

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

Delco Boys Basketball Notebook: Nwobodo bros helped each other, Delco Christian improve

Delco Christian boys basketball players Ebuka, left, and Obinna Nwobodo. Photo by: Digital First Media

By Matthew DeGeorge

Any summer afternoon while they were growing up, you knew where to find Obinna and Ebuka Nwobodo.The sound of the basketball thudding off concrete would be the giveaway, studded with the occasional good-natured trash talk. For hours, from noon until it was too dark to see, at the basket nailed to the overhang behind their Northeast Philadelphia home, the two brothers would be shooting.

On one side was Ebuka, now a 6-1 freshman guard/forward for Delco Christian. On the other was Obinna, a 6-4 junior center. Together they are a study in contrasts, their rough edges helping polish each other’s games. Against the bigger Obinna, Ebuka learned how to move faster and smarter with the ball. Against the speedier Ebuka, Obinna focused on devising the most efficient path to the rim.

All those hours on the unforgiving concrete – “if you fall, there’s going to be blood,” Obinna said – have put them in a remarkable situation. Both contributed from the start of their careers at DC and are enjoying their first season playing together for the Knights.

“It’s so exciting,” Obinna said Tuesday. “He can be really, really great, way better than I can ever be. So for me, I have to be there to mentor him throughout the whole way.”

(click on this link for the full story)

Nelson, fellow Haverford School seniors come back to clinch the Inter-Ac title

Haverford School’s Gavin Burke, right, takes a ball up court as Malvern Prep’s Tygee Leach gives chase in the third quarter of a game between the teams Tuesday. The Fords came from behind to deliver a 69-68 victory and an undefeated Inter-Ac season. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)


By Matthew DeGeorge

Christian Ray paused for a moment before identifying the play that made him believe.

Down nine points with a chance to go down 11, Ray’s Haverford School senior classmate Jameer Nelson Jr. stood his ground on the edge of the lane while Malvern Prep’s Rahdir Hicks jumped up and through him for an offensive foul.

“That’s when I knew, ‘come on, we’ve got this,’” Ray said.

Malvern eventually would stretch that lead to 11 in the fourth quarter. But Nelson’s toughness in that moment had its effect, the first of many veteran plays from the Fords Tuesday afternoon.

(click on this link for the full story)

Daniels, Morris lead Chester Charter to key win over TCA


By Matthew DeGeorge

The first senior night in Chester Charter School for the Arts history went pretty well for the Sabers.

Kabree Daniels scored a career-high eight points, and Devante Morris added 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks as the first two seniors to play for the second-year varsity program, leading CCSA to a 66-61 win over Christian Academy in a battle of District 1 Class A playoff hopefuls.

Sean DeShields scored 12 points to go with six rebounds, two steals and two assists, and Bruce Rogers added nine points for the Sabers (11-9).

Tehron Phillips led TCA with 33 points and six steals, and Grant Sareyka added nine for the Crusaders (9-9).

In the Central League:

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

Lower Merion downs Conestoga, remains Central League aces


By Bruce Adams

The Lower Merion boys’ basketball squad rolled into Conestoga’s Gerry Gasser Gymnasium Tuesday evening with a perfect 14-0 Central League record and a healthy respect for the Pioneers, who lost to the Aces by only three points in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium seven weeks ago.

“Our games against Conestoga are usually electric, very tight,” said Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer. “It’s a good rivalry.”

The electricity was flowing Tuesday evening in the Aces’ 61-50 victory, and the first jolt was a 17-3 Conestoga run in the first six minutes.“Conestoga always comes out hot, and they always play aggressive against us,” said Lower Merion senior forward Jack Forrest, who scored 29 points Tuesday. “In my four years here, they have a great record against us in this gym. They’re a great team, and they’re really well coached.”

The Pioneers’ Milton Robinon and Connor Steele combined for 12 of Conestoga’s 17 first quarter points; meanwhile, Lower Merion was missing underneath and not getting offensive rebounds.

(click on this link for the full story)

Beniwal shows versatility as Garnet Valley ends skid

Neel Beniwal takes a shot against Ridley. Photo by: Digital First Media

By Matthew DeGeorge

Defenders beware: Stopping Neel Beniwal doesn’t just mean shadowing him to the 3-point line.

Beniwal, Delco’s leader in 3-pointers made, connected on just one longball Monday, but he scored 25 points to give Garnet Valley a 72-57 win over Ridley in a battle of two Central League teams aspiring for berths in the District 1 Class 6A field.

Beniwal scored 10 points in a third quarter when the Jaguars (13-7, 9-5 Central) opened up a cushion via a 25-9 edge. Beniwal was 8-for-10 from the line in addition to seven two-point baskets. Carl Schaller scored 14 points, and Greg Vlassopoulos added 12 points for GV, which snaps a four-game slide.

Enoch Clark led Ridley in the post with 19 points. Josh Howard buried five 3-pointers for 15 points for the Green Raiders (12-7, 7-7), who’ve followed seven straight wins with two consecutive losses.

In the Catholic League:

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