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By PAPrepLive

James Hendricks scored 13 of his 21 points in the third quarter and DaQuan Granberry scored 11 points despite playing with a dislocated pinky finger in his shooting hand as Chichester downed Penn Wood, 56-53 in a Del Val League boys basketball game. Josh Smith added nine points for the Eagles (7-3, 1-1).

Makai Moore scored eight points but missed a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer while Chris Nash had 15 points and Issac Williams scored 20 for the Patriots.

Also in the Del Val:

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

(Webmaster’s note: The Penn Wood vs Chichester 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 PAPrepLive

Tyler Penley hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points, but it wasn’t enough for Delco Christian in a 70-51 setback to Faith Christian.
Jackson Piotrowski added 14 points, and Tyler Rossini chipped in eight for the Knights (5-4, 2-4 Bicentennial League), who’ve lost four straight.

Also in the Bicentennial League:

Dock Mennonite 73, Christian Academy 53 >> Grant Sareyka scored 16 points and Sam Geathers chipped in 12, but the Crusaders (4-7, 3-4) couldn’t recover from a 24-7 deficit in the first quarter in seeing a two-game winning streak snapped.

 

By Bruce Adams

Undefeated Penncrest relied on its trademark defense in the first half to defeat visiting Conestoga, 67-55, Tuesday evening in Central League boys’ basketball action.Penncrest head coach Mike Doyle said, “To hold a high-powered offense like Conestoga to 12 points in the first half like we did tonight is unbelieveable. We’ve really been hanging our hat on our defensive effort, on the fact that we’ve been giving up only 41 points per game.”

The Lions (11-0, 8-0) outscored the Pioneers 18-3 in the second quarter to take a 32-12 halftime lead.

“[Senior forward] Chris Mills helping on Conestoga’s shooters was unbelieveable,” said Doyle. “His defensive effort tonight was one of the best that I’ve ever seen.

He’s a defensive wizard, able to help against their shooters and then get back on his man.”

Penncrest turned red-hot early in the second quarter, starting the period on a 14-0 run to take a 28-9 lead against Conestoga (6-4, 3-3). The run began when junior Isaiah Rice got open for a couple of baskets, then a Conestoga miss from outside was followed by junior forward Matt Arbogast working his way inside for a score. After the Pioneers missed from inside, senior all-state guard Tyler Norwood nailed a trey despite tight Conestoga defense, then a minute later Norwood fed Arbogast inside to make it 28-9.

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

 

By Austin Petolillo

Frank Wolf truly started from the bottom inside the Academy Park basketball program.

Back in 2004, Wolf began his coaching career as an assistant freshman basketball coach at the Sharon Hill (Pa.) high school. Fast-forward 14 years, and Wolf is in the middle of his second season as the varsity head coach.

“I just kind of worked my way up,” he said. “Can’t get anymore lower than the assistant freshman boys basketball coach.”

After starting as assistant freshman coach, Wolf became head freshman coach, then head JV coach, then assistant varsity coach, then finally head varsity coach in 2016-17 after serving as an assistant for four seasons under Allen Brydges.

In Brydges’ final season as head coach at Academy Park, the Knights reached the PIAA AAAA state tournament, where they fell to the defending (and eventual repeat) champion Roman Catholic in the first round.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

 It can be worn down to the point of cliché by coaches. But Tuesday night, as Chester’s offense threw the ball everywhere but into teammates’ hands for its first seven trips up the floor, the old bromide rang true. Most of the offense Chester generated against Academy Park, it seemed, would have to start on the defensive end.
And no one embraced that mandate more fully than Brian Randolph.At the top of the key in a 3-2 zone defense that stifled Academy Park’s usually robust outside shooting, Randolph’s length translated into seven steals and 11 rebounds, which led to a game-high 17 points in a 50-33 Chester win in both teams’ Del Val League openers.

All of Randolph’s points came in the first half, an otherwise disastrous opening 16 minutes that the Clippers might not have survived without Randolph. Chester had amassed just 20 points at the break, holding a two-point edge. Randolph was 7-for-9 from the field in the first half; the rest of his team was 1-for-7.

The shooting numbers only tell part of the tale, though, since Chester (3-5, 1-0) turned the ball over nine times in the half, including on each of its first seven possessions. The Clippers’ first shot attempt — not just made basket, but simply attempt — came 4:44 into the game when Randolph drove to the rim and laid in for two.

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

By Josh Verlin

Coming into this season, the biggest question for Garnet Valley was how the Jaguars were going to replace the scoring output of Brandon Starr. The 2017 graduate, a first team all-Central League selection, was beginning his college career at D-II University of the Sciences, leaving behind a sizable gap in the points department.

While current seniors Austin Laughlin and Connor O’Brien were sure to pick up some of the slack of Starr’s 19 points per game, and junior big man Cade Brennan looked ready to take a step forward Mike Brown knew that his Jaguars would need someone else to come in and get some buckets if they were to reach their highest potential.

So far, junior Greg Vlassopoulos has filled that role spectacularly — and is also producing even more impressively in another area.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matt DeGeorge

For a team with championship aspirations in the Inter-Ac League like Haverford School, a trip to Germantown Academy for the league opener is about the most daunting task possible. But the Fords responded to the five-time reigning champions with a statement victory Tuesday.

Kharon Randolph scored 22 points and Christian Ray paired 20 points with 11 rebounds as the Fords upended GA, 84-70, in an early broadcast of their title credentials.

Jameer Nelson Jr. poured in 18 points, and Asim Richards added a season-best 11 points for the Fords (10-4, 1-0). Haverford has won four straight games.

Germantown Academy, which last year shared the title with Episcopal Academy after four consecutive outright crowns, got 18 points from Lacey Snowden.

Also in the Inter-Ac League:

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

By Ari Glazier

This season, Bonner Prendergast sophomore Tyreese Watson made the jump from JV to varsity. Now, he’s not just getting minutes for the Catholic League contenders, he’s the Friars’ starting point guard.

The 6-foot-2 West Philly native was not intimidated by this major jump in responsibility. Instead he dove head first into a leadership role for Bonner, using his fun loving personality to connect with his teammates.

“Most of the kids are just semi-introverted…but Tyrese is more of a vocal leader,” Bonner coach Jack Concannon sad. “He’s not afraid to tell the older kids where they should be and what they should do, which is part of being a point guard, that’s what you want out of your point guard: leadership.”

Tyreese credits his leadership ability to the example set by his brother Maurice Watson Jr.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Michael Bullock

CITY OF BASKETBALL LOVE STATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS

(records through games of Jan. 7/OW-others to watch/NR-not ranked)

CLASS 6A

Speedy Morris pocketed career victories No. 998 and No. 999 as No. 6 St. Joseph’s Prep defeated West Catholic (75-55) and Archbishop Ryan (54-44). Darius Kinnel totaled 42 points in the victories, while Kyle Thompson banked 32. Morris could bag 1K on Friday against Lansdale Catholic. … No. 3 Hazleton walloped a pair of victims, decking Wyoming Valley West (94-64) and Crestwood (72-33) to remain unbeaten. Da’Mir Faison (25/11), Jeff Planutis (16/15), Josh Samec (19/11) and Joey Grula (14/10) reached double digits in both games. … No. 8 Penn Hills became the first Pennsylvania squad to collect 12 victories, as the Indians on Friday bested Penn-Trafford 65-56. Cameron Wiley netted 16 points for the Indians.

(click on this link for the full rankings)

A fast start helped Bonner & Prendergast, the No. 1 team in the Super 7, stay undefeated in Catholic League with a 49-37 triumph over Bishop McDevitt Sunday afternoon.

The Friars jumped out to a 17-5 lead in the first quarter and outscored the Lancers, 15-6, in the third period to take a 39-24 advantage into the final frame.

Isaiah Wong paced four players in double figures with 15 points for the Friars (9-2 overall, 2-0 PCL). Ajiri Johnson tallied 13 points, and Tyriq Ingraham and Donovan Rodriguez contributed 10 points each.

In the Central League:

Garnet Valley 68, Springfield 55 >> The Jaguars’ 3-point shooting was too much for the Cougars. Garnet Valley made 10 triples and scored 26 points in the second quarter to erase a 17-14 deficit.

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