By Andrew Parent
As Archbishop Carroll established its shooting game against The Haverford School Tuesday night, the lanes at Widener’s Schwartz Athletic Center opened up in kind fashion for Derrick Jones.
Whether it was for a putback basket off a rebound, a standing dunk inside or a rousing one-handed slam on the end of a drive inside, the Patriots senior forward proved to be a consistent force down low, and a big problem for the Fords as his 21 points and 11 boards helped Archbishop Carroll breeze past Haverford School, 69-49, at the Jameer and Pete Nelson Classic.
“I was just being aggressive,’ Jones said. “The past few games I’ve been playing, I’ve been playing aggressive.’
Since Carroll’s starting center, senior and Temple commit Ernest Aflakpui, suffered a meniscus tear in his knee that required season-ending surgery two weeks ago, Jones has stepped in as Carroll’s big man. Tuesday, it wasn’t much of a problem for the victors.