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By Tom Nash

In order to take a step forward Friday night, Episcopal Academy senior Conner Delaney first needed to take a step back.

A step back in time, that is.

“I wasn’t having too much fun early on and it showed,” he said. “Once I got things going, it felt like I was playing eighth grade basketball again.”

The Johns Hopkins University commit went on a 15-point surge during the fourth quarter and eventually sealed it in overtime at the free-throw line during Episcopal Academy’s 59-58 win over the Hill School in the semifinal round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) playoffs.

Delaney scored 18 of the No. 3 seeded Churchmens’ final 21 points, kick-starting it with a 3-pointer two minutes into the fourth quarter. Even with the Hill defense selling out to put a hand on him, Delaney was locked in from all over the court. He’d finish with a game-high 25 points, that after going scoreless through the first quarter.

“That first 3-pointer went down and I knew I was back on track,” he said. “I got hot at the right time. Coach (Craig Conlin) said I was controlling the game and I think that helped keep me in it.”

(click on this link for the full article)

By Christopher A. Vito

One player stepped out of the Penn Wood locker room, then another followed. They both left smiling. The next few joked with each other as they packed their bags.

Frowns were nowhere to be found. The way they were behaving, one might have guessed that Penn Wood came out on top in Friday night’s District 1 Class 6A quarterfinal.

The Patriots, though, didn’t escape Abington’s stuffy, sweaty home gym with a victory. Eric Dixon paired 20 points with 14 rebounds and the third-seeded Ghosts took down 11th-seeded Penn Wood, 67-49, with a lopsided fourth quarter.

So why the smiles from Penn Wood?

Perhaps rookie coach Matt Lindeman’s group had reason to be happy. After all, his guys already had locked up a spot in the state tournament. The challenge now, he said, is ensuring that they will remain as motivated for Tuesday, in the first of two playback games that will determine PIAA playoff seeding.

“It’s a weird feeling that you’re out of one tournament, but still playing for the next one,” Lindeman said. “But they’ll be ready.”

Readiness was the issue for Penn Wood (18-7) heading into the game’s final eight minutes. The Patriots labored mightily to erase Abington’s seven-point lead, which at that point had been the game’s largest. A 9-2 Penn Wood run over a three-minute stretch of the third quarter leveled the score at 37.

In a blink, Abington got two buckets to fall and carried a 41-37 lead into the fourth. Then the wheels came off completely. Penn Wood went nearly three minutes without scoring, and the Ghosts staged a 12-2 run to create some distance.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Matthew De George

One buzzer-beater wasn’t enough for Cade Brennan Friday night.

Sadly, even two weren’t enough for Garnet Valley.

Brennan nailed clutch shots as time expired in regulation and the first overtime period, but No. 9 seed Spring-Ford ultimately outlasted Garnet Valley, 93-85, in a thrilling District 1 Class 6A playback game.

No. 11 Garnet Valley’s season ends at 15-10. Friday was its fifth overtime game of the season.

Brennan only hit three baskets on the night, but his triple at the end of regulation sent the game into the extra session tied at 72, helping Garnet Valley surmount an 11-point third-quarter deficit. It’s just his second 3-pointer of the season.

Each team only scored five points in the first OT, punctuated by Brennan’s deuce at the buzzer to extend it to an extra, extra session. Brennan tallied nine points on the night.

Austin Laughlin led Garnet Valley with 35 points, including seven 3-pointers. It’s the junior’s sixth 30-point game of the season.

Brandon Starr added 22 points, and Connor O’Brien chipped in 13 for the Jags.

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

By Mike Cabrey

With the clock running down and the season on the line, Miz Nyagwegwe found himself with one option left driving to the basket.

“I was looking pass at first and then the last second threw up the shot,” the Dock Mennonite junior said. “Hoped it went in.”

Nyagwegwe’s hope got help from the backboard, as his running floater in the final seconds banked in, capping the second-seeded Pioneers boys basketball team’s rally from eight down in the fourth quarter to edge visiting No. 3 Delco Christian 59-58 in the District 1-2A semifinals Friday night.

“Just unbelievable,” said Nyagwegwe of his shot. “It was just amazing.”

Nyagwegwe scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth while Deins Bergis posted 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half as Dock clinched its first PIAA Tournament berth since 2008.

“We just kept battling and every they’d come down and make a play, we wouldn’t quit, we’d come back and make a play on the other end. It was like two heavyweights slugging it out,” Dock Mennonite coach Mike Fergus said. “And at the end Miz just made the play. We ran the play that we called and I don’t know how he made that shot.”

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Josh Verlin & Anthony Dabbundo

The eight teams left in the District 1 5A bracket aren’t quite safe yet.

Only seven of those left in the district’s second-largest classification will advance onto the PIAA Class 5A Tournament, meaning whoever loses three consecutive games from this point out is done for the season.

Here’s a look at each of the quarterfinal matchups, which take place on Saturday at 7 PM (unless otherwise noted):

3) Penncrest vs. 11) Wissahickon
The Lions come into this game off a close revenge win over Harriton on Wednesday night, and will look to their leading scorer, junior guard Tyler Norwood to produce yet again. Norwood is very tough to stay in front of, and can shoot it from the parking lot off the dribble. Fellow seniors Mike Mallon and Justin Ross will be key for the Lions to provide auxiliary scoring to Norwood. Norwood and Ross combined for 37 of the Lions 51 in their opening-round win. Mike Doyle’s group has experience making the state tournament, qualifying in 2010 and 2015, but this year’s Penncrest squad is trying to make its own legacy in the new 5A bracket.

Wissahickon enters this second round affair off an impressive upset win at Phoenixville, a game they controlled throughout thanks to dynamic offense from senior Shane Ford and junior Zach Reiner. The pair scored 20 and 17 respectively, and Ford showed his ability to score both inside and out for the Trojans, with Reiner controlling the interior. Chaz Owens, a 6-3 junior wing guard who also features in the Trojans lineup, can provide additional scoring as he showed Wednesday with 12 points. Neither team has a ton of size, but the Trojans might have a slight advantage in that category across the board; if Wissahickon can’t slow down Norwood, though, it might not matter.

(Webmaster’s note: The Wissahickon vs Penncreast game is our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard LIVE by clicking on the GAME-of-the-WEEK link on the left hand side of the page.)

(click on this link for the full review)

 

By Will Slover

The field for the Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association (PAISAA) semifinals might look a little familiar to some, as the same four teams who reached this round last year will all be back for another shot at the title.

The only differences from last year are that this year’s bouts will take place at Malvern Prep, as opposed to last season’s venue of Penn Charter and the match-ups differ as well. Last season, Westtown Academy was pitted against Episcopal and Germantown Academy took on the Hill School.

So while the settings surrounding the contests may be different, four familiar teams are back and will be giving it their all to reach PAISAA glory and win the coveted state championship. 

Here’s a look at Friday night’s games:

Game 2: No. 2 The Hill School vs. No. 3 Episcopal Academy (8:00 PM)
The second matchup of the night will pit the two losers of last year’s semifinal games against each other to see who will be able to reverse last year’s fortunes and earn a spot in the championship. The Hill School’s game plan will depend on the potential return of 7-foot-1 senior Solomon Ruddell. Ruddell, the UC-Irvine commit, has been sidelined for the last two games with a concussion. Filling in for Ruddell in his absence has been Chase Audige, Colton Lawrence, and Ethan Norton. Audige, a 6-foot-4 junior, stuffed the box scored in Hill’s 63-46 quarterfinal win over the Haverford School as he turned in a 22-point, seven-assist, six-rebound, four-steal performance to lead the way for the Blues. Lawrence, a senior, added in another 15 points and eight rebounds while Norton dished out six assists, grabbed five rebounds, blocked four shots and stole the ball twice. 

(click on this link for the full review)