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By Matthew DeGeorge

The play that Upper Darby dialed up to start the second quarter Tuesday afternoon served a dual purpose.

On the one hand, senior guard Nadir Myers stood on 998 career points. The sooner he reached 1,000 points, the better for the Royals’ collective focus, coach Bob Miller knew. But after spotting Ridley the first 10 points of a Central League matchup and going the first 3:50 of play without scoring, the hosts would’ve greatly appreciated any easy offense at that point.

The elemental inbounds play – a down screen to free Myers for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right corner – accomplished what so much of Myers’ voluminous offense does: It advanced not just his personal tallies but translated into wining basketball for the Royals.

Myers scored 30 points in an exemplary personal showing that included his 1,000th career point, helping Upper Darby shake its early struggles and rout Ridley, 82-60.

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

By Josh Verlin & Owen McCue

The high school calendar is about to turn to full-time conference play, the rare non-league game still dotting the landscape but the vast majority of contests getting much more meaningful. Half of the area’s leagues, like the Suburban One, Central, and Bicentennial, have already started; others, like the Catholic League, Friends’ Schools, Inter-Ac boys and the Del-Val, have only had non-league games thus far.

Based on how things have shaken out in the non-league, here’s a brief look at just a few of the leagues and what we’ve learned so far, as well as which games are going to be crucial down the stretch:

(click on this link for the Girls updates on all the leagues)

(click on this link for the Boys updates on all the leagues)

By Josh Verlin

If Tuesday night’s Catholic League opener between Archbishop Carroll and St. Joseph’s Prep was any indication of how the league slate is set to play out over the next four weeks, the PCL’s in for a wild ride.

A back-and-forth contest with talent all over the court went down to the final possession, as Carroll senior Dean Coleman-Newsome capped off one heck of an individual fourth quarter with a reverse layup just ahead of the buzzer, delivering a 70-68 win for the Patriots on their home court. 

“Catholic League, Catholic League, everyone talks about it like it’s some amazing league,” Carroll coach Francis Bowe said afterwards. “And it is. This is awesome.”

Coleman-Newsome’s heroics ended with a shot he barely got off. 

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

When the shots weren’t falling in the first half Friday night, Sam Wright and his Lower Merion teammates recommitted, turning up the energy on defense and looking for the extra pass.

When Chester faced a similar turning of the tide in the third quarter, the Clippers tried to speed up. But as the turnovers mounted, all the effort ultimately kept them stuck in place.

A massive run in the third quarter erased what had been a 10-point Chester lead in the second quarter, the Aces running away with a 75-60 win in the Pete and Jameer Nelson Scholastic Play by Play Showcase at Widener University.

Chester led 16-6 after one quarter and 22-12 within sight of halftime. But Lower Merion hit Chester with a quick 7-0 spurt, the last a Justin Poles steal for an and-1. The teams entered halftime tied at 27, and the Aces proceeded to turn on the afterburners, outscoring Chester 29-8 in the third.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Rich Flanagan

Jake Sniras recalled the trepidation that he felt at different times during his freshman year.

While he was a starter for all 29 games in his first varsity season, Garnet Valley had two experienced players that it would run its offense through in 6-foot-4 senior forward Logan McKee and 6-2 senior guard Max Koehler, who will play at York College (Pa.) next season. It was effective as the Jaguars entered the District 1 6A playoffs as the last seed but then beat Upper Dublin and Spring-Ford, advancing to the PIAA state tournament where they won their first state playoff game since 1997.

Stepping into year two alongside McKee and Koehler, Sniras has noticed a change in himself both from a physical and mental standpoint. He’s grown to 6-foot-4 and 180 lbs., and the game has slowed down to the point where he can make assertive decisions in key situations. It was the next and most natural step in his maturation as a player for a program looking to build on last season’s success.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Konner Metz

Deuce Ketner had no hesitation racing in transition with a clear path to the hoop late in Bonner-Prendergast’s win over Malvern Prep on Friday. He soared for a slam, an exclamation point on a day where he and teammate Nelson Lamizana looked to be an unstoppable tandem in certain moments.

Lamizana, a 6-foot-7 junior, stood unguarded as Ketner took the points and dunk for himself, a rarity during a game in which the two Friars seemed to have a knack for finding one another again and again.

It put Bonner up up seven with under a minute remaining, and gave the 6-6 Ketner a highlight-reel moment after Lamizana had two consecutive dunks earlier in the second quarter.

(click on this link for the full story)