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Chester bounces back with comeback win over Pennsbury

Jamar Sudan (above) had 18 points as Chester overcame Pennsbury at Widener University on Friday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

By Michael Bullock

Apparently, one setback this week was one too many for Jamar Sudan and his determined Chester Clippers teammates to digest.

So, imagine how dropping two games in two days may have felt.

Especially in your hometown.

As it turned out, Sudan & Co. never found out since they used some typically nasty Chester pressure and plenty of contributions from up and down the bench to turn back a determined Pennsbury side 56-48 in Game 5 of the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic Friday night at Widener University’s Schwartz Center.

Sudan wound up pocketing 18 points, Jordan Camper chimed in with 14 and Michael Smith tacked on 10 — including four clutch freebies in crunch time — as Larry Yarbray’s Clippers (5-2) rebounded from their 53-50 loss to Abington one night earlier.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

Chester ends drought at Widener

Things haven’t gone quite well for Chester in the Jameer Nelson Classic recently. The Clippers had not won a game at the Swartz Center since they defeated Atlantic City in 2013.
Jordan Camper, Micahel “Man-Man” Smith and Jamar Sudan made sure that streak came to an abrupt end.
The trio combined for 42 points as the Clippers snapped a two-game losing streak and three-year drought in the Nelson Classic with a 56-48 victory over Pennsbury on head coach Larry Yarbray’s birthday.
Smith scored 10 and hit four straight free throws after the Falcons cut a double-digit deficit to 45-44 in the fourth quarter. Camper had 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots to earn MVP honors for Chester (5-2). Sudan led the Clippers with 18 points.

(click on this link for more game scores)

 

Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic Standouts 2016

 

Cheltenham’s Trevon Pitts was one of many standout players during Thursday’s action at Widener. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

By Jeff Griffith, Josh Verlin & Varun Kumar

For almost twelve hours Thursday afternoon, several local high school basketball teams and players showcased their talents as part of the first day of the Scholastic Play-by-Play Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University.

Here are some standouts from Thursday’s action:

Izaiah Brockington (2017/Archbishop Ryan)
The NJIT commit played a two-way game, as he finished with 22 points and made several key defensive plays. On the offensive end, Brockington was able to consistently score from within the arc by either pulling up in the mid-range, or by driving to the basket. He also effectively utilized his size to finish through contact around the rim or to get some separation on his jump shots. He used his size well defensively too, fighting through defenders and getting his hands on passes. The senior was particularly great late in the game with his team trailing, as he led Ryan to a comeback victory. He had eight points in the final quarter, and also had a tremendous sequence with under three minutes to go when he scored on a long two, stole the subsequent inbounds pass and layed the ball up to bring Ryan to within three.

(click on this link for all the additional stand-out players)

 

Heath’s 17 points help Abington hang on to top Chester

By Andrew Robinson

 Robbie Heath and Rob Young knew it was coming.

They knew because their coach, Charles Grasty, told them it was coming. They knew because it always comes when the opponent is Chester. It certainly did come Thursday night at Widener, that patented late Clippers run that the program has done so many times.

Abington knew it was coming and they outlasted it, not by much, but enough to claim a 53-50 win over the Clippers in the nightcap of the first day of the Pete and Jameer Nelson Play-by-Play Classic.

“We were rushing a little bit,” Heath said. “Coach was telling us to slow it down and limit our mistakes. He told us they were going to make a run, and that was their run but we still came out with the W.”

Abington (7-2, 3-0 SOL National) led by 14 after three quarters, 47-33 and for the most part, was playing a really good offensive game. Just before halftime, the Clippers’ pressure defense had started to get to the Ghosts, speeding them up and getting them to take quick shots out of their offense.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

Round-up – Nelson Jr. starts fast in Haverford School win

By Matt Smith

Jameer Nelson Jr. got off to a blazing start, scoring half of his 16 points in a game-opening 25-11 spurt, and even though Haverford School cooled off considerably, the Fords had enough cushion to hold off Central Bucks South, 63-57, Thursday in the Athletes Helping Athletes showcase at Council Rock North.

Kharon Randolph and Christian Ray added 14 points apiece for Haverford School (9-1), which sank five shots from beyond the arc in the opening eight minutes, but never made another trey on the night.

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

 

Abington survives comeback to down Chester, 53-50

By Jeff Griffith

Abington seemed as though it had everything in control.

The Ghosts opened up a hot start in the first quarter, and by the middle of the second frame, they were at a 24-9 advantage.

For the next 15 minutes or so, that’s basically how the score looked; Abington by double digits, coasting to a victory.

Then suddenly, with just under 30 seconds to play, the numbers on the scoreboard were separated by one, moments after Chester’s Ahrod Carter drilled a wing three.

Although the comeback that had just ensued may have taken them by surprise – just as it likely did everyone in attendance – Abington didn’t appear phased

“Good teams make runs, and that’s what I told our guys, that they were going ot make a run, we knew they were going to make a run,” Abington head coach Charles Grasty said. “We just wanted to try to sustain it, we didn’t want it to be as big as it was, but we knew they would make a run.”

(click on this link for the full article)

 

O’Hara rounding into form after win over Interboro


By Matthew De George

A season ago, Jaye’Lyn Peebles was likely to be the name jumping off the page of a Cardinal O’Hara boxscore, with his propensity for offensive outbursts. Just as often, though, that game would go down as an O’Hara setback.

This season, under new coach Jason Harrigan, Peebles’ role is similar. But individually and collectively, the Lions have developed a new degree of consistency, which showed through in Wednesday’s 60-41 win over Interboro in the consolation game of the Ridley Holiday Tournament.

Peebles, who didn’t start by coach’s decision, poured in his obligatory 17 points, his eighth straight double-figure game to begin the season. But needing just 12 field-goal attempts, Peebles managed to produce his points within the framework of a balanced and productive O’Hara offense, his personal rising tide lifting all the O’Hara boats.

Through eight games, Peebles’ scoring average has risen from last year’s mark at 18.8 points per game. He finished the 2015-16 season pouring in 15.5 points per contest, and stood at an even 17 by the end of last year’s holiday tournament, for a 4-5 O’Hara team that lost 11 of its last 13. Peebles is also accounting for a larger share of points (38.3 percent of O’Hara’s scoring as opposed to 37.4 a season ago).

But he’s doing so while more efficiently integrating those around him. Last season, only three Lions averaged greater than three points per game; this year, there are five. And Wednesday, all 10 Lions who saw the court scored, with eight recording field goals.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

Round-up – Harrison makes instant impact as Academy Park advances to final

By Matt De George

It took Derik Harrison until Academy Park’s fourth game of the season to get a chance to shine.
Wednesday, he made a convincing case for more minutes.

Harrison scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as Academy Park roared back to top Pope John Paul II, 58-49, in the Steve Juenger Tournament at Haverford High School.

Shermik Lofton added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Nick Simmons drained three 3-pointers to tally 10 points for the Knights (2-2), who take on the hosts in Thursday’s title game.

Also at the Juenger Tournament:

Haverford 44, Collegium Charter 32 >> Dan Roe scored a season-high 18 points and Trey Blair added 11 as the Fords (1-6) got their first win of the season with a season-best point total. They advance to the final against Academy Park Thursday.

At the Penncrest Holiday Tournament:

Penncrest 52, Olney Charter 46 >> Tyler Norwood exploded for 38 points, including 15-for-17 from the line, in accounting for 21 of the Lions’ 23 fourth-quarter points.

The win extends Penncrest’s win streak to six games. The Lions (6-2) take on West Chester Henderson, a 63-53 winner over String Theory, in Thursday’s title game at 7:30 p.m.

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

 

Round-up – Fleming leads balanced Ridley attack

Damir Fleming scored 13 points as Ridley handled Interboro, 47-15, Tuesday in the Ridley Holiday Tournament. (Digital First Media/Anne Neborak)

By Matt De George

Damir Fleming scored 13 points as Ridley spread the scoring in a 47-15 win over Interboro at the Ridley Holiday Tournament.

Jimmy Bramwell added seven points and six rebounds. Mike McMenamin and Jamai Bean dished four assists apiece as the Green Raiders (4-2) advance to Wednesday’s title game against South Philadelphia, which defeated Cardinal O’Hara. Details were not reported.

Interboro’s Albert Pewa did all he could for the Bucs (0-7), scoring every last one of their 15 points. They get O’Hara Wednesday.

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

 

 

Shorthanded Churchmen let lead slip away against Ryan

By Matthew De George

With a grim countenance, Conner Delaney counted the errors that stood between Episcopal Academy and a win over Archbishop Ryan Tuesday.

Turnovers, missed free throws, rash shot selection — Delaney pointed to all as contributing to Ryan’s come-from-behind, 44-43 nonleague win.

But with respect to the astute point guard and Johns Hopkins commit, the difference was much simpler, though one Delaney resisted summoning: Where EA lacked its Division I talent, two-time All-Delco forward Nick Alikakos, Ryan enjoyed its team-carrying star in full flight, eventually.

Izaiah Brockington scored 11 of his 15 points in the final frame, orchestrating Ryan’s recovery from an 11-point deficit after three quarters. His jumper with 67 seconds left set the final margin, Ryan’s first lead since 4-2.

“I just felt that if I didn’t step up, we were going to have a tough time or we were going to lose,” Brockington said. “… We were down by double-digits, and I knew if I didn’t step up for my team, we would lose.”

(click on this link for the full article)