Delcohoops.com

 

By Anthony Dabbundo

After watching him spend most of his freshman year shooting predominantly threes, most people see Haverford guard Gavin Burke as purely a spot-up shooter.

They would be wrong.

It has not come easy for the 5-foot-10 point guard, but Burke has developed into an excellent two-way player. And against Episcopal Academy on Tuesday afternoon, his development over the last year was on full display.

Burke scored nine points, and added an even more crucial five assists — and some tough defense as well — in the Fords’ 54-51 win over the Churchmen.

“He’s got about 35 games under his belt he’s a smart basketball player, so he picks up on what you show him very quickly,” Haverford head coach Bernie Rogers said.

During his freshman year, the sharpshooter made 61 shots, with 35 of them coming from beyond the arc. The difference this year has been his ability to get to the rim, where he scored six of his nine points on the afternoon.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Michael Bullock

Here’s installment No. 4 of City of Basketball Love’s state rankings, a package that will appear on Mondays throughout the remainder of the regular season.

We did showcase a set of preseason rankings leading up to the opening weekend (Dec. 9-10) and those groupings served as a starting point — since we’re going to continue to shuffle things around after each weekly cycle.

Appearing below are all six of our top 10s, with PIAA district and this season’s record displayed in parentheses. Only those schools competing for PIAA state championships are eligible for ranking purposes.

(click on this link for the all six classification rankings)

 

  

By Matthew De George

Colin Daly’s assessment of Archbishop Carroll’s loss Sunday quickly circled back to the Patriots’ defensive effort.

Implicit in his analysis was the decisive impact of the defense provided by Archbishop Wood, and Seth Pinkney in particular, on the other end of the court.

Pinkney swatted away nine shots and deterred countless more, pairing with another stellar all-around day from Collin Gillespie to send Wood to a 76-68 Catholic League win at Holy Family University.

The Gillespie-orchestrated offensive output left Daly with the most regret Sunday.

“We should’ve been better defensively,” said the senior guard, who scored 12 points. “It was a bad effort.”

In part, but it also reflected a tremendous shooting night from a Wood side with a propensity for punishing opponents that allow too many open looks. The Vikings (8-3, 2-1 Catholic) shot 55.1 percent from the field (27-for-49) and a red-hot 15-for-25 in the second half.

Gillespie fueled the attack, accumulating 28 points on 9-for-13 shooting and dishing seven assists. He and Tyree Pickron (16) points were each 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

With Andrew Funk (12 points) and Matt Cerruti (11 points, all in the second half) knocking down their open shots, the Vikings possessed the necessary scoring punch.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

 

A double-digit deficit didn’t deter Sun Valley Saturday.

Vinny DeAngelo and Marvin Freeman scored 18 points apiece as the Vanguards topped West Chester East, 65-60, in Ches-Mont action.

Freeman knocked down five 3-pointers. Shahir Brown Morris added 13 points, and Dino Karras chipped in 12 for Sun Valley (3-7, 1-4).

In nonleague action:

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

Penncrest’s Tyler Norwood doesn’t have many off nights.

One of Delaware County’s most prolific scorers was held in check Friday night. With Norwood struggling to bank shots, the Lions needed their ancillary players to step up.

Manny Ruffin and Mike Mallon answered the call and helped Penncrest claim a 49-39 decision over Garnet Valley. Ruffin posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Mallon added 14 points and eight boards.

Norwood still managed to reach double figures with 12 points thanks in part to a 6-for-8 effort from the foul line.

Brandon Starr led Garnet Valley with 13 points.

Elsewhere in the Central League:

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