Delcohoops.com

By Aaron Carter

No athlete wants to lead the team that allows a dynasty to crumble.

And make no mistake about it, Germantown Academy’s basketball program has reigned supreme in the Inter-Ac long enough to be considered dynastic.

Friday night’s 54-50 triumph at Episcopal Academy might have ensured the four-time defending champions a rare championship coup.

“One of the things we said to them before the game was, ‘We’ve been in this spot before,’ ” said Patriots coach Jim Fenerty.

Well, seniors Evan-Eric Longino and Kyle McCloskey had been.

Both had started games as freshmen, and both were desperate not to break GA’s string of championships.

“This is huge,” said McCloskey, who led all scorers with 22 points. “We’ve played in these games for four years now with crowds coming at you and saying stuff about you, and you learn how to zone it out.”

(click on this link for the full article)

 

Freshman Jackson Piotrowski is quickly making a name for himself.

Piotrowski scored a career-high 19 points as Delco Christian topped Morrisville, 39-22, in a Bicentennial League game Friday night.

Piotrowski helped DC pull away after a halftime break that they entered trailing 11-10 after a plodding first 16 minutes of basketball. The Knights went 19-for-26 from the line to seal the victory.

Jordan Parks added nine points, and Tyler Penley was 7-for-7 at the charity stripe for DC (12-8, 10-6).

Also in the Bicentennial League:

Faith Christian 78, Christian Academy 46 >> Sam Geathers scored 14 points and Tehron Phillips added 13, but TCA had no answer for 6-foot-8 Zeke Snowden, who accounted for 30 points.

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

By CoBL Staff

The penultimate Friday of the high school hoops regular season is upon us.

Here are some noteworthy games in the area this evening, both for league races and district playoff seeding (home team listed first):

Ridley vs. Lower Merion (7:00 PM)
As of the latest District 1 playoff rankings released Monday, Ridley (10-9, 7-6 Central League) was No. 23 out of 24 teams that will qualify for the 6A tournament, but that was before the Raiders lost to Strath Haven on Tuesday. They’ll likely need to take two of three against Lower Merion (12-7, 10-3), Garnet Valley and Upper Darby to close out the year, and then wait anxiously for the official rankings to be released. The Aces, meanwhile, are secure in a spot in the Central League playoffs, sitting one game behind league leader Conestoga with three games to play. Lower Merion also could use a boost in the district rankings, sitting No. 10 in the latest update; that’s enough for a home game in the first round of the bracket but a top-eight seed earns them a first-round bye and the ability to host a second-round game.

(click on this link for the other six big games tonight)

 

By Matthew De George

Marple Newtown’s tear keeps gaining momentum, and Mark Dever is the prime reason.

Dever scored 27 points Thursday as Marple Newtown tipped Strath Haven, 63-55, for a third straight win.

Dever also corralled six rebounds and buried six 3-pointers. Mike May posted a double-double with 14 rebounds and 10 assists for Marple (8-11, 5-9 Central League).

John Harrar led Strath Haven with 18 points, while Cooper Driscoll netted 10.

In the Del Val League:

Penn Wood 65, Glen Mills 51 >> Vincent Smalls and Sharif Goff scored 15 points apiece, and Kairi Jones added a dozen points for the Patriots (13-6, 7-1).

Kenyon Cooper led Glen Mills (10-9, 5-4) with 16 points.

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

By Delcohoops.com Staff

We’re getting very close to PIAA District One playoff time!  Want to know where your favorite team(s) rank in the current ratings?  Simply click on the link below and it will take you to the latest rankings on the PIAA District One web site!

(click on this link for PIAA District One power rankings)

 

By Bruce Adams

Following Lower Merion’s gut-wrenching loss to Garnet Valley Jan. 24, Aces’ head coach Gregg Downer felt the next two games could be the most important minutes of their season.
“It was very disappointing not to get the Garnet game, especially after the half-court shot,” Downer said following Lower Merion’s 58-56 win over Penncrest Tuesday. “I thought next 64 minutes [two games] would be most important of our season and whether it could define our season. Can we make Central League playoffs? Can we not make Central league playoffs? Can we get a top eight bye in the district playoffs? I knew 64 minutes would be critical and to come away with a pair of 58-56 wins (over Conestoga Jan. 27 and Penncrest Tuesday) were crucial.”
Lower Merion senior Terrell Jones, who led Lower Merion Tuesday with 18 points while adding seven rebounds and six steals, said, “Tonight was huge. Taking the loss to Garnet really set us back, but big wins over Conestoga and Penncrest, combined with some upsets help set us up. Everyone was locked in and we came in and did what we had to do.”
“We knew tonight was going to be very tough,” added sophomore Steve Payne, who finished with 13 points, two assists and two steals. “Penncrest is very tough especially when you have to play against a D1 prospect in Tyler Norwood. We just stayed in the gym and kept working and got our mind right and stayed focused.”
All evening seemed like punch-counterpunch with Lower Merion trying to break open a close game and Penncrest fighting back each time. Late in the third quarter Lower Merion opened up a 41-32 lead when sophomore Steve Payne converted a perfect feed from Khadafy Bilal.

(Webmaster’s note: The Lower Merion vs Penncrest game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link on the left hand side of the page.)

(click on this link for the full article)