Delcohoops.com

Jordan Parks was unstoppable Wednesday night.

The Delco Christian guard poured in a career-high 25 points to lead the Knights to a 60-41 Bicentennial League boys basketball victory over Bristol.

Parks, who went 8-for-10 at the foul line, added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tyler Penley netted 14 points and Jacob Bronkema contributed eight for the Knights (11-8, 9-6), who blew the game open with a 23-8 run in the second quarter.

Elsewhere in the Bicentennial League:

Plumstead Christian 59, Christian Academy 55 >> The Crusaders’ fourth-quarter struggles cost them a win on the road despite a strong performance at the free-throw line (16-for-22).

Jalen Sherrill scored a team-high 19 points to go with six steals. Davier Daniels added 12 points and Tehron Phillips finished with eight.

By Matthew De George

In a tie game in overtime, Marple Newtown went to the plan that got them to the extra session: Mark Dever.

Dever laid in a lob from Scott Hahn Tuesday night to finish with a career-high 33 points as Marple downed Garnet Valley, 77-75, in the Central League.

Dever also hit two free throws to send the game to OT in a vital win for the playoff aspirations of the Tigers (7-11, 4-9).

Hahn added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Mike May contributed 11 points, five assists and four steals, including one that set up the game-winning shot.

Austin Laughlin led Garnet Valley per usual with 36 points. Brandon Starr chipped in 19 for the Jags (12-7, 7-6).

Also in the Central League:

Lower Merion 58, Penncrest 56 >> Tyler Norwood scored 22 points, including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one score in the final 10 seconds, and dished seven assists, but the Lions (13-6, 9-4) dropped a fourth straight decision.

Mike Mallon added 16 points for Penncrest.

(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)

 

By Matthew De George

Luke Sareyka fields the question with a knowing chuckle. Yes, in his first season at The Christian Academy, he expected stories from teachers and coaches who knew his father and uncle.

But Sareyka is happy to see another of his expectations subverted. The reputation of his father, Kevin, and uncle Kyle proceeds him. Both were athletic standouts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

This season, though, as Luke and his cousin Grant (Kyle’s son) embark on their first year at TCA, any apprehension about following in others’ footsteps has vanished.

“I thought it was going to be a lot, people were expecting a lot out of me,” Luke, a sophomore forward, said. “But as I came to know, it’s not important. They want to know who you are, not who your father is or who your uncle is.”

The Sareyka name resonates through TCA athletics even decades later. Kevin, a 1992 graduate, scored 1,143 points in his career, eighth all-time in school history. He was a second-team All-Delco pick as a senior, as was Kyle (Class of 1990) two years prior. Kyle’s pitching prowess earned him the 1990 Daily Times Baseball Player of the Year distinction.

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By Josh Verlin

As MaST Community Charter coach Dan Tirendi called timeout, all the moment was on Delco Christian’s side.

The Knights had cut what had been a 10-point deficit in half in a matter of seconds midway through the third quarter, with a home-friendly crowd getting behind its team in its battle for first place in the Bicentennial Athletic League’s Presidents division.

Even the Delco Christian PA announcer got in on the act, blasting the Backstreet Boys’ “We’ve Got it Goin’ On” over the soundsystem.

“We were playing out of control, we turned the ball over a couple of times, I called a timeout, I tried to settle the guys down, I think it helped,” Tirendi said. “I just told them we’re better than this.”

In previous years, Tirendi’s words wouldn’t have carried nearly as much weight, considering the program’s track record.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Michael Bullock

Here’s installment No. 7 of City of Basketball Love’s state rankings, a package that will appear on Mondays throughout the remainder of the regular season.

Appearing below are all six of our top 10s, with PIAA district and this season’s record displayed in parentheses. Only those schools competing for PIAA state championships are eligible for ranking purposes.

CLASS 5A

Tyree Pickron’s trey from the left corner with less than a second remaining capped a game-closing 7-0 run as No. 1 Archbishop Wood pocketed a come-from-behind 62-59 victory over Class 6A power Emmaus in the first of five games at Sunday’s Hoop Group showcase in suburban Allentown. Collin Gillespie, who banked 42 points in Wood’s conquest of Neumann-Goretti three days earlier, set up the game-winner. David Kachelries scored 31 points for Emmaus, which led 59-55.

No.  School                                          Rec       Pvs
1.     Archbishop Wood (12)              14-3         1
2.     Abington Heights (2)                 15-2         2
3.     Bangor (11)                               17-1         4
4.     Archbishop Carroll (12)             12-6         3
5.     Mastery Charter North (12)       21-0         5
6.     Chester (1)                                13-4         6
7.     Whitehall (11)                            15-3         8
8.     Meadville (10)                            15-1      OW
9.     Bishop Shanahan (1)                 13-5      OW
10.   Northeastern (3)                         18-2          7

Checked in: No. 8 Meadville/No. 9 Bishop Shanahan.
Checked out: No. 9 Bonner-Prendergast/No. 10 Penncrest.

(click on this link for the rankings and notes on all six classifications)

 

By Matthew De George

In mid-December, when leading scorer and two-time All-Delco forward Nick Alikakos went down with a knee injury, Jack O’Connell underwent the same self-evaluation as the rest of the Episcopal Academy teammates.

The role they entered the season expecting to fill needed to evolve to fill the scoring void. O’Connell, a spot-up 3-point specialist, would need to morph from an ancillary threat to a primary contributor.

Six weeks later, Alikakos is back. And the phenomenal surge EA is enjoying owes as much to those surrounding Alikakos as the forward’s return.

O’Connell stepped to the fore Friday in spectacular fashion, draining all five of his 3-point looks in a 15-point outing as EA downed Haverford School, 71-57, to upend the title picture in the Inter-Ac that seemed secure just a week ago.
EA’s win is retribution for a 54-51 setback at home three weeks ago. A fifth straight win moves the Churchmen (13-9, 6-1) into sole possession of the league lead. Haverford School, which rode a 13-game win streak into this week, falls to a second-place tie with Germantown Academy at 5-2. GA beat Haverford Tuesday in a five-overtime classic, 100-98.

(click on this link for the full article)