Delcohoops.com

By Bruce Adams

Ridley jumped out to an early lead and led the rest of the way in a 53-47 win against Lower Merion Tuesday.

The victory kept Ridley’s Central League record unbeaten with one game left, against Garnet Valley Thursday. A win there earns Ridley a bye into the Central League final.

“Traditionally, we’ve not gotten off to quick starts in games this season,” Ridley head coach Mike Snyder said. “We’ve (sometimes) fallen behind early and had to catch up, so it was nice to get a early lead and keep it.”

The persistent Aces, who were celebrating Senior Night, kept coming after the first quarter, but the closest they got  was at the end of the third stanza, when they only trailed by four at 39-35.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Ridley went on an 8-0 run to take a 47-35 lead. Julian Wing hit a jumper, Ryan Bollinger nailed a three-pointer from the left corner, and Brett Foster hit a jumper to give the visitors some breathing room.

Foster, the Central League MVP last season, led all scorers with 16 points, while Wing and Bollinger chipped in with 12 points apiece.

“Ridley doesn’t beat themselves, and they play with good tempo,” Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer said. “…. Foster is hard to deal with, and they’re a seasoned 20-1 ballclub. I think we shot too many quick threes tonight, but that’s because of Ridley’s defense.”

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By Matthew De George

Sun Valley 47, Great Valley 41>> Ryan Hall scored 16 points, and Kyle Ryan added 14, but it was the Sun Valley defense that stole the show Monday night in a 47-41 win over Great Valley in Ches-Mont League boys basketball. The Vanguards (8-12, 5-7) held the Patriots to just eight first-half points, then weathered a 21-8 disadvantage in the third quarter to rally for the win and keep their hopes of earning the final playoff berth in the District One Class AAA playoffs alive.

Strath Haven 45, Marple Newtown 42 >> John Harrar paired nine points with 10 rebounds, and Kyree Fuller added nine points, including two free throws that clinched the game with 30 seconds left for Haven (18-3, 12-3). Marcus Weathers scored 17 points, and Nick DiCamillo added 14 in a game effort by the Tigers.

Garnet Valley 58, Haverford 29 >> Andrew Louden scored 17 points, and Austin Laughlin added 14 points as the Jaguars (13-7, 8-7) eased to a big victory for their District One Class AAAA hopes. Connor Guilfoil led the Fords with six points.

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By Matthew De George

Once your eyes pass the “soph” designation next to Tyler Norwood’s name on the Penncrest roster, it becomes difficult to recall that Norwood is in the midst of only his second year of varsity experience.

Certainly very little in his play Friday night betrayed the point guard’s youth.

Norwood was the only scorer to escape single-digits in Penncrest’s 59-34 handling of Marple Newtown, but his imprint on the game was reflected in much more than just his points tally.

Norwood’s 22 points were easily the high for either side on the night. (Through three quarters, his 17 had Marple’s 15 single-handedly beaten). But his ability to press the right buttons with the ball in his hands informed why Friday’s win was chalked up without much consternation.

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By Bruce Adams

The Strath Haven boys’ basketball team, which has lost only one game at home this season, relied on its defense to gut out a 44-42 nailbiter against visiting Harriton Friday evening.

“We gutted it out tonight,” said Strath Haven’s first-year head coach Dave McFadden. “We normally play man-to-man defense, but we recently had an injury and have played more zone [defense] the last few games. We forced Harriton into [taking some] quicker shots [tonight].”

In a defensive, seesaw struggle, Strath Haven (16-3, 12-3) held an 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, Harriton had a 25-23 advantage at halftime, then the hosts came back to take a 35-31 lead at the end of three quarters.
Strath Haven held a 41-37 lead with a little over two minutes left in the game, but Harriton had some kick left in them.

The Rams’ Will Esposto (who finished with a game-high 13 points, including three treys) hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to make it 41-40. Harriton went ahead, 42-41, with 1:02 left when a Strath Haven inbounds pass under the basket went awry, and the Rams’ Tyler Allen scooped up the loose ball at midcourt, and drove in for his only basket of the night.

With about 40 seconds left, Strath Haven’s Josh Singleton put the home team ahead 43-42 with an offensive rebound inside heavy traffic and a score underneath the basket.

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By Matthew De George

Episcopal Academy 41 –  Haverford School 34>>Matt Woods and Conner Delaney came up with big shots exactly when Episcopal Academy needed them. Woods scored 11 points and Delaney added eight, but they each hit vital 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Churchmen erased a deficit and topped Haverford School, 41-34, Friday. Nick Alikakos scored 16 points for EA (14-5, 5-1). Kharon Randolph led the Fords with 13 points.

Strath Haven 44, Harriton 42 >> Jahmeir Springfield scored 10 points, and Josh Singleton finished with seven, but his bucket in the last minute put the Panthers (16-3, 11-3) ahead for good.

Ridley 49, Upper Darby 40 >> Julian Wing scored 19 points, and Brett Foster added 12 as the Green Raiders (18-1, 14-0) pulled away in what had been a close game. Maurice Grier had 12 points, and Raquon West added 10 for Upper Darby (7-13, 5-10).

Conestoga 80, Garnet Valley 71 >> Andrew Louden scored 20 points and Connor O’Brien supplied 11 off the bench, but a 29-16 deficit in the first quarter stunned the Jaguars (11-7, 7-7).

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