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By Matt Smith

There was a seamless rhythm in how Haverford seniors Mya Foley, Megan Kelly, Natalie Wright and Rian Dotsey operated during Thursday night’s Central League clash with Upper Darby. It was clear they have a connection that’s difficult to replicate.

When they weren’t executing, making everything look easy, the seniors enjoyed moments of rest on the bench, a luxury granted by a lopsided 48-19 decision.

It was, after all, Senior Night and a chance to celebrate all they have achieved, savoring a brief respite before the road toughens. The Fords’ experienced core is on a mission to capture a third straight Central League championship.

Dotsey, a Saint Joseph’s commit, showed the way with 18 points, including 11 in the opening quarter. The All-Delco forward, who eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone this season, grabbed nine rebounds.

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By Owen McCue

When Rashyne Patterson stepped into the Lower Merion lineup for the first time at the start of this season, he was given a few simple instructions by the Aces coaching staff.

“They always told me, ‘Rebound and protect the rim. Protect the house,” Patterson said. “That’s always been my role on this team. I try to protect the house as best as I can.”

The 6-foot-3 senior swatted away five shots in a 54-45 win over Central League foe Springfield-Delco on Tuesday night — a matchup between two squads jockeying for league playoff position.

Patterson’s most important rejection came during a key fourth-quarter stretch that turned the tide for the Aces, who trailed by as many as seven in the second half.

“Huge,” said fellow senior Lamont Grier. “He’s been making plays like that the whole season. I’m glad we have him on the team. He does way more than that off the scenes with the rebounding besides blocking, with the scoring too. He’s really playing a big part in our game.”

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By Matt Smith

It has taken some time, but the Bonner & Prendergast girls basketball team is building a winning foundation again.

Developing a successful program is especially difficult in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which is the premier high school basketball conference in the state. Tom Stewart, a Delco Athletes Hall of Famer, knows this better than most, now in his 50th season as a head coach and 31st at Prendie. He’s seen it all.

He’s optimistic about the potential of his freshman class, particularly rising stars Kayla Epps, Skylar Rothley and London Tyler, who are helping put the Pandas back on the map.

Guiding their growth on the court are senior forwards Taylor Eagan and Melanie Standen, along with senior guards Emily Riehl and Amaya Cash, a senior guard who transferred from Haverford High.

The Pandas last made the state playoffs five years ago, advancing to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals before the pandemic brought the season to an abrupt halt. Their last appearance in the Catholic Leagues was 2022. Last season, the Pandas improved from two wins the previous year to eight.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

KJ Carson didn’t have the first 36 minutes of basketball he wanted Tuesday afternoon.

Thanks to some early foul trouble, a bit of cold shooting and a modicum of wise senior deference, the Haverford School point guard entered the second overtime period against Episcopal Academy with just four points to his name.

With three of his fellow Fords starters fouled out and Haverford School having already forced extra sessions with two unlikely last-possession executions, Carson made the most of his bonus basketball time. He hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the second OT period, leading Haverford School to a wild 74-67 win over their local Inter-Ac League rivals.

“That’s what you prepare for,” Carson said. “You prepare for moments like this. Two guys step down, you’ve just got to step up. That’s what you’ve got to do.”

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By Matthew DeGeorge

In a battle for Ches-Mont American supremacy, Sun Valley showed itself to be out front decisively.

Kaiden Robinson scored 29 points as the Vanguards handled Great Valley, 62-46, to move into first place in the division.

Aaron Freeman scored 12 points. Dino Diemidio added nine as Sun Valley moved to 14-3 on the year.

In the Central League:

Haverford 61, Marple Newtown 57 >> Andrew Brown hit a big 3-pointer in overtime as part of an 18-point effort to lead the Fords. Reese Fitzgibbons added 15 points, and Jaime Haskell had 13.

Ryan Keating forced overtime with a layup at the buzzer. He had 16 points for Marple. Matt Gardler hit seven 3-pointers to tally 26 points.

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By Jeremy Goode
Do not let her 5-foot-4 frame fool you. Everything else about Kylie Mulholland’s basketball game is just big. 

Mulholland’s game was fully on display, showing how deep her basketball bag is, as she recorded her 1,000 point and helped Garnet Valley come back and defeat Notre Dame de Namur Irish, 62-57 at the 18th Annual Hoops for Hope Classic at Arcadia University on Jan. 30.

Coming into the contest, Mulholland was only two points away from scoring her thousandth. Two shots into the game, she achieved the milestone, sinking a baseline floater. The game stopped to acknowledge the accomplishment, as Mulholland was mobbed by her teammates and coaches. She took pictures with the team and her family, which included signs made to celebrate the area’s latest 1,000-point scorer. 

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Kylie Mulholland scored her 1,000th career point on Monday, and then managed to step it up even more.

Mulholland scored 11 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter as Garnet Valley charged past Notre Dame, 62-57, at the Hoops for Hope tournament.

Mulholland added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. She was 6-for-6 from the free throw line late to seal the game.

Haylie Adamski was named game MVP for GV with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Addie Adamsky hit four 3-pointers for 15 points, plus four assists.

Riley Davis led Notre Dame with 13 points. Emma Anthony tallied 11 points, and Catie Kelly chipped in nine.

In other nonleague action:

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By Owen McCue 

Neumann-Goretti junior Zion Coston isn’t one to fill up the scorebook.

Coston instead finds other ways to make her presence felt when she comes off the bench.

“I defend, I get rebounds, do the extra kickouts,” Coston said. “I do the little stuff.”

It was Coston’s defensive pressure in the fourth quarter that helped turn the tide for Neumann-Goretti in a 52-43 win over Archbishop Carroll on Saturday. 

The junior guard started as a sophomore last season. As a junior, her job has been to come off the bench and make her presence felt — and she’s thriving in it.

It’s why even though Coston hasn’t reached double figures scoring in a game this season Saints coach Andrea Peterson made sure to note how critical she’s been in helping the Saints out to a 13-3 start and 6-0 mark in Philadelphia Catholic League play.

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Olivia Voshell scored 22 points as Strath Haven’s girls basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit to top Rustin, 54-50, in overtime on Saturday.

Maddie Fanning added 11 points for the Panthers.

In other nonleague action:

Academy Park 52, Pope John Paul II 40 >> Emani Banks went off for 23 points plus seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists for the Knights. Kiala Bright added 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. A 16-5 margin in the second quarter set the Knights on the path to victory.

Chester 69, Mastery Charter 5 >> Ja’Mya Muhammad paired 19 points with 12 rebounds, and Imani Dorsey added 14 points as the Clippers pitched a shutout for the last three quarters. Zay’Yonna Clark set a career-high with 13 points.

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By Andrew Robinson

Ryan Carter is starting to get the hang of this Philadelphia Catholic League thing.

The Archbishop Wood sophomore, in her first season with the Vikings after playing as an eighth and ninth grader at Penn Charter, knew it would be an adjustment going from the Inter-Ac to the PCL. This week was the guard’s first experience playing against the upper echelon of the league, Wood hosting Lansdale Catholic on Tuesday and then Cardinal O’Hara.

In another competitive game between the perennial league and state title contenders, it was 26 points from Carter that led Wood to a 49-38 win over O’Hara.

“It’s a more competitive game, everyone wants something in the game and everyone wants to win, so it feels more competitive,” Carter said. “I feel like I play better against better teams so it does raise my level of play, but it makes the energy level for the whole team better too.”

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