Delcohoops.com

By Josh Verlin

Tonight’s destination was the Haverford High School gymnasium, as the Fords hosted Conestoga in a Central League matchup. A slow offensive start had Haverford down four at the break, but a stout second-half defensive effort paved the way for the home squad to stay unbeaten earlier in the year thanks to a 41-31 victory.

I’ll have a story on the Fords’ hot start up in the next few days, but below is a quick report featuring some notes and stats on the game, as well as a photo gallery at the end.

There’s no doubt who was the best player on the floor. When junior wing guard John Seidman was out for most of the second quarter after picking up two first-half offensive fouls, the Fords’ offense struggled to get much going, failing to score a point in the final four-plus minutes of the half. But Seidman was out there the whole second half, and he made all the difference. The 6-2 guard isn’t real bouncy or flashy, but he’s productive, and there was a reason Conestoga double-teamed him whenever he had the ball. Seidman finished with 13 of his 15 points in the second half, grabbing 11 rebounds (two offensive) along with four assists, two blocks, and a steal. Seidman’s a true plugger, getting a few buckets off his own misses and taking advantage of driving lanes to get to the hoop, where he’s an adept finisher with both hands.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

In a lot of aspects of the game, the Christian Academy did what it wanted in the first quarter Friday night.

The Crusaders bullied visiting Delco Christian on the boards. They created turnovers. They got quality shots aplenty from the field. But still the teams were deadlocked at 10 after eight minutes of play, thanks to a sluggish shooting start.

The message after that first period was to keep at it, with Grant Sareyka’s shot and Isaiah Mitchell’s defense taking the lead at each end of the floor.

It proved to be a sound plan.

Sareyka poured in a career-high 29 points, and Mitchell kept the defensive intensity high with a double-double to lead TCA to a 66-55 win over their Bicentennial League rivals.

“It’s pretty tough not to get frustrated,” Mitchell said of the ghastly 5-for-23 shooting performance in the first quarter. “But for us, we’re a defensive team. We just try to keep playing defense, keep getting out on the break. It doesn’t matter how many shots we miss. Just keep playing defense. That’s our motto.”

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Tyler Seward had 10 of his 12 points in the second half, and MJ Atkins had six of his eight points in the fourth quarter as the Haverford School downed the Phelps School, 66-55 in a nonleague boys basketball game.

Zach Genther added a season-high 14 points, and Christian Clover had his first 20-point game of the year for the Fords (3-3), who outscored the Lions, 16-9 in the third.

In other nonleague action:

Cardinal O’Hara 71, Chichester 49 >> Adrian Irving scored 13 points, Te Dinkins added 10 and and Solo Bambara had eight for the Lions (2-1).

Ant Purnell and Jameel Burton had seven points apiece for O’Hara, which lead by 10 at the half and never looked back.

Jesuit Prep 69, Bonner-Prendergast 60 >> Big man Christion Johnson led the way with 14 points, and Tyreese Watson scored 13 points including a pair of triples as the Friars (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the visitors from Texas.

Donovan Rodriguez had 12 points for Bonner-Prendergast, which only trailed by two heading into the final quarter.

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

By Owen McCue

The past two Pennsylvania Independent Schools champions met up Wednesday afternoon at Hill School, but many of the faces that guided those squads were missing.

While 2018 champion Hill School and 2019 champ Haverford School both have returning experience from those title teams — notably brothers Caleb and Gabe Dorsey for Hill and Jameel Brown, Christian Clover and Tyler Seward for Haverford — both squads are relying on a group of inexperienced players around them as they try to get back to the top of Pennsylvania’s prep hoops programs.

Led by 17 points from Daniel Nixon and a stout defensive effort, Hill (4-2) showed it’s a step ahead at the moment, locking down Haverford (3-2) in the fourth quarter for a 56-45 victory. It was just the third loss in the past year and a half for the Fords, two of which have come at the hands of the Blues, the other defeat coming in the 2018 title game.

“We just grinded it out on defense,” Hill School senior Caleb Dorsey said. “We hit shots down the stretch, got to the foul line, and I think that’s how we were able to finish the game.”

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The Christian Academy raced out to a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back in an 81-43 trouncing of MaST Charter in Bicentennial League action.

Grant Sareyka poured in a game-high 21 points for the Crusaders, who enjoyed a 24-3 advantage after eight minutes.

Dom Jones tossed in 12 points and Isaiah Mitchell also reached double digits in scoring with 10 points.

In nonleague action:

Upper Darby 62, Wissahickon 58 >> The Royals (3-1) outscored the Trojans 24-7 in the fourth quarter to pull out a come-from-behind victory.

CJ Dabbs led four players in double figures with 14 points. Onyekachi Nzeh added 13 points and Shareef Jones dumped in 12. Iyan Joshuasville checked in with 11 points.

Hill School 56, Haverford School 45 >> The Fords stayed within striking distance in the second half, but couldn’t close the gap.

Christian Clover tallied 15 points for Haverford, while Tyler Seward chipped in with 10.