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By Matthew De George

Three hours before the basketball season was set to tip off Friday, Mike Webb got the unexpected news that he’d be playing.The long story, involving an ejection-marred fracas from the first round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament last spring, had Webb assuming he’d be on the bench for the opener at O’Hara. On a whim, though, he packed his jersey just in case, but not his sneakers.

On short notice, all Webb did was have the game of his life, pouring in 40 points for the Cougars.

Yet Webb wasn’t the story Friday night, not even among players wearing a No. 4 jersey. That distinction was pried away in the final moments by Antwuan Butler, whose first game at Cardinal O’Hara is going to be awfully hard to top.

The senior guard canned the game-winning 3-pointer falling out of bounds in overtime, part of his 30-point effort in an unbelievable 83-82 win for the Lions in the neighborhood rivalry.

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By Neil Geoghegan

You expect a lot of jitters in a season opener, and that’s exactly what happened on Friday between the Haverford and Unionville boys’ basketball squads. The two combined to turn the ball over 45 times.But the host Indians forced a lot more mistakes than they committed, and the end result was a convincing 61-42 non-conference triumph over the turnover-prone Fords at the Unionville Tournament.

“I’m ecstatic for our players. They deserve it,” said first-year Indians’ head coach Chris Cowles, who spent the previous two seasons at West Chester East. “Everybody says it, but they’ve really been putting in the work.”

In all, Unionville forced 27 turnovers and never trailed. For a nice chunk of the first half, Haverford had as many turnovers as points. It was close, however, until the Indians used a 14-3 third quarter rally to take command.

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By Steve Moore

With just above four minutes left in the fourth quarter Friday night, Downingtown East guard Malik Slay approached the free throw line in hopes of taking the lead back from Garnet Valley. The Jaguars had just taken the lead for the first time with a pretty back-door pass and layup from Austin Laughlin to Greg Vlassopoulos.As Slay received the ball from the official, he acted out his best Kevin Durant impression. Two dribbles, a deep breath, another dribble and a shoulder shake before letting the ball fly. The first shot allowed Slay to tie the game. Once the second shot came down, it gave Downingtown the confidence to close out the game.

The Cougars went on to beat Garnet Valley 61-56 in the season opener for both teams.

“We knew the run was coming,” said John Goodman. “This is a team that can score in the 80s and we held them to five points in the first quarter. I just flat out said at halftime they are going to start making threes. I think Laughlin had one point in the first half. He’s a thousand-point scorer and we knew he was going to make a couple. I think we responded well. We lost the lead, but we came down, scored and got it back.”

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By Matthew De George

Tyler Norwood picked up right where he left off last year, scoring 33 points to lead Penncrest to a 54-50 nonleague win over Academy Park Friday.

The reigning Daily Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as the Lions recouped a deficit. Chris Mills added nine points.

Naseim Harley led Academy Park with 14 points, and Jalen Cassidy tossed in 13.

In other nonleague action:

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By Matthew De George

As Keith Taylor slips on a knee brace and meets his Chester team for practice, he acknowledges how long he’s been out of the coaching saddle.A long-time assistant for the late Fred Pickett, Taylor stepped away in 2008, when his mentor retired after another state championship run and the Clippers’ head coaching job went to his fellow assistant and former teammate Larry Yarbray.

“I took a break, and I guess I started liking it,” Taylor said. “Being away from the game, doing what I wanted to do, didn’t have to worry about going to practice or anything, just spending time with my family.”

With a lineage like Taylor’s — as an All-Delco guard and a 1,000-point scorer — one can’t completely disengage. And through his work with the Chester Boys & Girls Club and the high school, Taylor stayed abreast of the program, enough to know that when the administration chose not to renew Yarbray’s contract in the spring that he wanted the chance to pilot his alma mater.

Now it’s Taylor’s show, armed with the imperative to return Chester to what many see as its destiny atop the state of Pennsylvania.

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By Matthew De George

After 33 wins in two seasons in charge, Dave McFadden abruptly stepped down in September from the helm of Strath Haven, citing family reasons.

In the quest to perpetuate their recent success, the Panthers dug into the program’s roots for a new coach who tracks back decades.

Dan Spangler takes charge, his latest role in a climb that started as a ball boy and extended through his playing days and stints on the freshman and JV team coaching staffs.

Spangler inherits a solid framework, though the biggest cog from last year is absent in All-Delco forward John Harrar, now at Penn State. Cooper Driscoll, who endured an injury-plagued junior campaign, will provide the height in the post to contrast the Panthers’ passel of guards. Ryan Morris, a Monmouth lacrosse commit, differentiated himself down the stretch last year by averaging six points per game; he, Jordan Graves and Chris Rosini all hit 20 or more 3-pointers.

AJ Santisi and Jeff Conner contributed significantly last year. Luke Mutz, Justin Morris, Ibo Pio and Brady Mutz fill out the spine of the team.

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