Delcohoops.com

By Matt Smith

Kailyn Bell’s 24-point output Saturday helped the Ridley girls to a 53-48 overtime win over Harriton in the championship game of the Methacton Tip-Off Tournament.

Taylor Marsich accumulated 10 points for the Green Raiders (2-0).

Ridley 49, Methacton 21 >> Kyla Carney went for 21 points and Bell tossed in 14 as the Green Raiders routed the hosts Friday night.

Penncrest 54, Academy Park 49 >> Bailey Garrison and Emily Huggins scored 13 points apiece in the Lions’ overtime win at AP.

Emani Banks produced a game-high 18 points to go with 12 rebounds, seven blocks and three steals for the Knights. Alaysia Kinlaw (eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals) and Kiala Bright (five rebounds, two blocks) had 10 points each.

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By Josh Verlin

The Central League is up for grabs.

There isn’t anything close to an odds-on favorite in the 12-team league of Montgomery and Delaware County public schools, the conference as wide-open as any of the coaches in the league can remember. Last year’s champs, Radnor, graduated almost the entire rotation; runner-up Lower Merion saw Sam Brown finally depart for Penn along with a big senior class; Upper Darby also graduated its entire lineup from the third-place finishers. 

That should make for a fun year in the Central League, whose teams all play 16-game league slates, making up the majority of their regular seasons. With conference play beginning just a week into the season, it won’t take too long to see if anybody starts to assert themselves, or if it’s going to be one big mess of possibilities heading down the stretch. 

Here’s a look at how we see the Central League breaking down in 2023-24:

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By Matt Smith

West Chester Rustin senior Riley Stackhouse didn’t mind the fast turnaround after scoring 35 points against Penn Wood Friday night.

Stackhouse and the Golden Knights began the 2023-24 season with two away games in Delaware County in as many days. The reigning Ches-Mont League and District 1 Class 5A champions capped their “road trip” with a gutsy, 46-42 win Saturday over a Springfield squad that refused to surrender.

Stackhouse paced the Knights (2-0) with 19 points, including eight in a competitive fourth quarter that saw the Cougars (0-1) nearly storm all the way back from a 14-point deficit. For Stackhouse, who is the lone returning starter from last year’s 27-4 team, scoring 54 points in less than 24 hours is nice, but what matters most to her is the two wins.

“Right now I’m kind of on a high from the two wins, but I will definitely be exhausted later,” Stackhouse said. “I’m so proud of everybody because we found a way to come together. It’s a different team this year. Last year we had Laine (McGurk) and we could rely on one person, but now we have to rely on everybody. … I’m trying to be that leader, making sure everybody is staying together even when we are turning the ball over and making mistakes.”

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Lamaj Mapp scored 10 points, and Chris Taylor added nine as Penn Wood topped Marple Newtown, 38-36, in the consolation game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament late Saturday.

Penn Wood outscored Marple, 16-10, in the fourth quarter.

Matt Gardler was held to 11 points for the Tigers. Ryan Keating added seven.

Marina High from California defeated Conestoga, 53-44, in the title game.

Interboro 48, Upper Darby 46 >> Jayden Diawara scored 15 points to lead the Bucs in the consolation game of the Avon Grove Tip-Off.

Gary Bonner led all scorers with 21 points for the Royals. Nairi Hodges added nine points.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

The boys basketball team at Radnor had the kind of season that required multiple trips to the archives. It was the only source of relevant context for its accomplishments.

So many of the Raptors’ achievements begged the question of, “when was the last time?” That led to dusting off the record books, especially to find a way to describe how unprecedented the Central League and District 1 Class 5A champions’ season was.

One day, might a shot of the current squad be so venerated? Will what they’re doing be frozen in amber as the standard to which future teams are held?

“That would be awesome,” Jackson Hicke said. “There’s certainly potential for that. What we did this year was memorable and kind of hard to replicate in however many years to come. I think we’ve earned it, to be recognized throughout the years and leave a lasting mark, for sure. We hope it’s a bar we set for future teams and that’s something they try to attain.”

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By Matt Smith

Growing up, Caroline Dotsey had a pretty good role model pair in her mom and dad, both of whom were excellent athletes in their heyday.

Dotsey never knew as a youngster that someday she would become one of the greatest basketball players to come through Haverford High. She would start all four years, score more than 1,300 points and win a Central League championship. And after her high school career was over, she would play basketball at a Division I college.

She had two excellent examples to learn from. Dotsey’s father Dan is in the Cabrini Athletics Hall of Fame for his exploits on the tennis court. The Archbishop Carroll product also played basketball for the college’s JV team.

Sue Dotsey, Caroline’s mother, was an all-conference soccer and lacrosse player at Old Dominion. Caroline dabbled in soccer and returned to lacrosse after a few years away this spring. She tried playing ultimate, but throwing frisbees around didn’t meet her competitive needs.

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