Delcohoops.com

By Matt Smith

Nadir Myers did everything in his power to keep Upper Darby alive in the PIAA Class 6A tournament.

Facing a defensively explosive Reading High Wednesday night at Coatesville, Myers, a senior guard, showed a fearlessness that Royals coach Bob Miller won’t soon forget.

Myers carried the Royals on his shoulders, scoring 31 points in an 83-58 loss to the District 3 champion Red Knights (29-1). Reading advances to the quarterfinal round Saturday against New Castle, a 65-56 winner over Downingtown West.

“There is no quit,” Miller said of his Royals. “And how about the little kid (Myers) out there? They were doubling and tripling Nadir. … He’s such an amazing player and colleges out there that aren’t involved with him, it just blows my mind. 

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Webmaster’s note: If you missed the game you can watch it on NFHS Network (there is a monthly pass fee required).  

By Matthew DeGeorge

Basketball can get complicated, though at times it stays refreshingly simple.

Sometimes, mundane as it sounds, it’s all about making shots.

Parkland did that Wednesday night at the Geigle Complex, Garnet Valley didn’t do enough of it and thus the District 11 champion is moving on in the PIAA Class 6A tournament via a 74-58 victory.

It’s not a slight on Garnet Valley, the seventh seed from District 1. The Jags (18-10) shot a modest amount of 3-pointers and hit exactly half of them, 7-for-14. They had 13 assists on 21 baskets. They committed 14 turnovers, too much for any coach but hardly debilitating in a fast-paced game.

But they just didn’t hit enough shots to keep up with Parkland. A 39.6 percent shooting night (21-for-53) didn’t keep up with the torrid 56.5 percent that Parkland put up (26-for-46).

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By Jared Leveson

Roman Catholic’s Xzayvier Brown has got some stuff in his bag, but what makes the Saint Joseph’s commit special is that he knows when to pull out certain tricks. 

The 6-foot-2 senior guarded Lower Merion’s senior guard Sam Brown (Penn) all night in the PIAA 6A tournament second round contest at Archbishop Ryan. 

The two guards are familiar with one another. They’ve gone back since fourth grade and played grassroots ball together for Philly Triple Threat. 

But Roman’s Brown noticed something about his former backcourt mate’s game early on, which he turned into a big-time play for the Cahillites down the stretch. 

“(Sam) always does this thing where he spins,” Brown said. “He spun and just left the ball in his outside hand and I (stole) it.

“That’s something I always do to everybody. I didn’t do it earlier. I always try to time it because you never know when you’re going to need it.” 

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By Andrew Heller

Backed by battle-tested seniors, Reading High will try to extend its boys basketball season for another 32 minutes as it travels to take on Upper Darby at Coatesville High School in a PIAA Class 6A second-round game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

“We relish the fact that we’re still playing basketball,” Reading High coach Rick Perez said. “We are one of 16 teams left in 6A, so we’re excited to be playing against Upper Darby and we look forward to it.”

All-Berks senior Myles Grey scored a game-high 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, to lead the Red Knights (28-1) over Haverford in a first-round game on Saturday in what was a picturesque sendoff for Grey and his fellow seniors at the Geigle.

Following his last game on Reading High’s home court, the 5-11 guard was happy to look back on old memories while knowing that more are in the making.

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Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will video stream this game, LIVE, through NFHS Network tonight, beginning at 7:20 PM from Coatesville High School.

By Bob Grotz

Cardinal O’Hara got off to a sluggish start Tuesday in its PIAA Class 6A second round game against Spring-Ford.

For a while, nothing was easy, not even finding the correct doorway to reach the floor in the cavernous, dimly lit Geigle Complex from the upstairs makeshift locker room.

But once the Lions found a rhythm, they had no problem finding the basket and except for a late run, preventing their opponent from getting to the rim in a 42-39 victory over Spring-Ford.

Joanie Quinn scored a game-high 16 points for the Lions (21-5), the first seed in District 12. Molly Rullo added a dozen points, Carly Coleman 11 for O’Hara, which faces the Easton-Central York winner Friday in the quarterfinals.

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By Bob Grotz

We’ll never know if Izaiah Pasha could have taken this Cardinal O’Hara basketball team to Hershey.

Not after Lucas Mushrush, whose last name sounds like the disciplined pass rush in football drilled a buzzer-beating triple to give Allentown Central Catholic a 49-46 triumph over O’Hara Tuesday in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs at the Geigle Complex.

There is, however, no doubt in the mind of Pasha, an elite talent commited to Iona. He did his part to push the Lions through as he made both ends of a one-and-bonus to knot the score with 11.1 ticks left. Instead, he finished his high school career with 18 points. Not the easiest way to depart for bigger and better things.

“It was super-tough,” Pasha said. “I tried to give it my all and unfortunately my team fell short. Buzzer beater. We were in the huddle talking about what defense we could play. We like to play like an extended zone. We tried to matchup with the shooters, felt we got a good contest. He just knocked down a great shot.”

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