Delcohoops.com

By Matt Gaffney

For a team hit hard by graduation following a 19-9 season that ended in the second round of the PIAA playoffs, Upper Darby coach Bob Miller expected his young team to experience growing pains early in the season. But he didn’t see it happening to this extent.

 “We knew in the beginning there was going to be some growing pains, but we didn’t think we would have this much trouble scoring the basketball,” said Miller following his team’s 43-40 loss to Columbia in Friday night’s opening game of the CoBL Winter Showcase at Exeter Township High School.

Upper Darby came into the contest carrying an 0-3 record, including two-point and six-point losses. After falling to the Crimson Tide, the Royals departed Exeter not only still searching for their first win, but with leading scorer Gary Bonner sporting an air cast on his right arm.

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By Matt Smith

Garnet Valley’s Emily Olsen felt some butterflies in her stomach prior to Thursday’s Central League game at Ridley. Or maybe it was a sense of déjà vu.

It was against the Green Raiders, albeit on Garnet’s home floor, on Dec. 13, 2022 that the trajectory of Olsen’s high school career was sent off course, suffering a devastating injury five games into the season.

“I tore my knee – the MPFL (medial patellofemoral ligament) and I had to get my bone shaved. It’s about the same recovery time (as a torn ACL),” she said.

The good news is that Olsen is back and feeling healthy. She was able to get back on the floor with her AAU program, the Delco Goats, in the fall. The versatile power forward can control the boards, defend a team’s top shooter, cut to the basket and pop a 3-pointer when needed.

“It feels great to be back, I am so happy,” she said. “I think my defense has improved a lot since coming back, certainly more than last year.  The offense is coming, but we’ve got a really good offensive team. Anything that I can do, I’ll do.”

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By Bob Grotz

Much as Penncrest senior Patrick Garrison respects defending District 1 Class 5A champion Radnor, he was tired of watching them celebrate.

That changed Thursday night when Garrison scored a dozen points and contributed a handful of clutch steals, and sophomore Mikey Mita added 12 points to lift the Lions to a 41-37 win over the Raptors snapping a five-game losing skid in the series.

“It was a long time coming,” Garrison said. “Year after year, we were getting beat by them. It finally feels good to get one back. You always think about what you’ve done in the past and of them taking us down. We wanted to change the narrative.”

The Lions (2-0, 1-0) fell behind early in a mistake-filled first quarter, but thanks to a three-pointer from Garrison, salvaged a 6-6 stalemate entering the second frame. Neither team was knocking down shots, and the Lions were having a tough time dealing with the tight defense of the Raptors (2-1, 0-1). Radnor was playing with attitude thanks to Henry Pierce, who finished with 15 points, and Michael Savadove (seven points), who played huge roles for last year’s team.

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Radnor’s defense rose to the occasion of a first-quarter deficit by holding Penncrest to one second-quarter point on the way to a 47-29 girls basketball win Thursday night.

Kate Gallagher scored 13 points to go with six rebounds, three steals and three assists., and Blayse Jennings added 11 points. The Raptors trailed 15-11 after one quarter. But they held the Lions to one point in the second quarter. Jennings scored nine points in the third quarter as Radnor outscored Penncrest, 25-7, over the middle two quarters.

Bailey Garrison led Penncrest with nine points. Emily Huggins had six points.

Strath Haven 48, Marple Newtown 38 >> Eliza Jauregui hit three first-half 3-pointers on the way to 13 points, and Olivia Voshell had eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Panthers to victory.

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By Finn Courtney

Since first meeting her in seventh grade, AJ Thompson saw the potential for a special player in Marisa Francione.

She’s taken that potential and turned it to reality, becoming Thompson and Conestoga girls basketball’s best player and leader. 

“I kinda knew it then, it was just a waiting game to get her here,” Thompson said. “But the minute she stepped on the floor, [she’s] been leading us ever since. From Day 1, we knew she was gonna be our point guard, [and] when she came in last year as a captain as a junior it’s been a natural gravitation to her — she never backs down, she’s not afraid to speak up and with her play, she’s a leader by example.”

That leadership was on display Thursday night in a 47-38 win over Haverford. Francione, who averaged 11 points per game and shot 51% as a junior, finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals against Haverford — 10 of those points coming in the second half alone after a first half to forget for the whole Pioneer roster. 

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By Josh Verlin 

The first Scholastic Play-By-Play event of the year is coming up this weekend with the two-day Kobe Bryant Classic. The first night, on Saturday, features a doubleheader at Lower Merion before Widener University hosts five games on Sunday. 

After Saturday’s first game, four “Mamba Mentality” winners will be awarded from the four teams, and Lower Merion coach Greg Downer will talk about the legacy of Kobe Bryant at 6 p.m. Following, the 1996 Lower Merion team will get inducted into the school’s basketball hall of fame.

Tickets are $20 for Dec. 9 ($10 for LM students), and $15 for Dec. 10. The full schedule is here, and a breakdown of the games can be found below: 

Sat., Dec. 9
Lower Merion High School
4:00 PM Archbishop Wood vs. Huntington Prep (W.Va.)
6:00 PM Lower Merion vs Methacton

Sun., Dec. 10
Widener University
10:30 AM Plymouth Whitemarsh vs Sanford (Del.)
12:15 PM Westtown School vs Math, Civics & Sciences
2:00 PM Richmond Heights (Ohio) vs St. Joseph’s Prep
3:45 PM Neumann-Goretti vs Salesianum (Del.)
5.30 PM George School vs Life Center (N.J.)

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