At 13.0 points per game, John Harrar, center, leads Strath Haven in scoring this season. (Times Staff/Robert J. Gurecki)
By Matt De George
The first boys basketball notebook of the season, highlighting the rise of Cardinal O’Hara’s Jaye’Lyn Peebles, which means it’s time for the first set of stat leaders. These leaders, which you can find in Thursday’s paper, are based on games reported to the Delco Times through Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Strath Haven’s Josh Singleton gets off a shot in a game against Interboro earlier this season. Singleton came off the bench to score 10 points and helped the Panthers claim a 59-54 victory over Penncrest in a Central League game Tuesday night. (Times Staff/Robert J. Gurecki)
By Matthew De George
As the fourth quarter of a tie game opened Tuesday night, Strath Haven’s Alex Ischiropoulos wasn’t thinking about the past.
The senior guard didn’t concern himself with the five wins his teams had collected over the last two seasons combined, about the lingering placement in or near the Central League basement the Panthers had often been consigned to.
Instead, he pondered how to write a new narrative.
“We knew that we are a fourth-quarter team,” Ischiropoulos said. “We knew that we could win this game and there was no reason why we shouldn’t.”
Ischiropoulos translated his confidence into a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers, complementing nine final-stanza points by John Harrar as the Panthers pulled away for a 55-49 win over rival Penncrest.
Webmaster’s note: Listen to this complete game on our Archive listed to the left of this article
By Matthew De George
Wing, Foster power Ridley’s surge over Conestoga>>Julian Wing (17 total points) and Brett Foster (15) combined for 15 points in the fourth quarter as Ridley claimed a 55-39 win over Conestoga in a battle of Central League unbeatens.
Ryan Bollinger added 10 points for Ridley (5-0, 3-0).
In other Central League action:
Ryan Bollinger (above) and his aggressiveness paid off in Ridley’s fifth-straight win to open the year. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Josh Verlin
After establishing himself as a 3-point shooting threat last year, Ridley’s Ryan Bollinger is determined to show he can do more than just bomb away from beyond the arc. Against Conestoga in a big early Central League matchup on Tuesday night, the 6-1 senior attacked the rim at every opportunity for the first three quarters, helpling take pressure off the Green Raiders’ star guard, Brett Foster.
When push came to shove, though, Bollinger’s biggest shot of the night was an old standby. After Ridley’s eight-point halftime lead turned into a Conestoga lead late in the third quarter, Bollinger’s triple from the right wing less than three minutes into the fourth sparked the home team, who ran away to a 55-38 victory to continue an undefeated start to the season.
(click on this link for the full article)
Photo courtesy of aceshoops.com Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer holds his 500 win plaque in one hand and his daughter Brynn in the other following the Aces win against Garnet Valley Tuesday.
By Eddie Levin
Lower Merion High School boys’ basketball coach Gregg Downer has always put his players and other coaches ahead of himself. Heading into Tuesday night’s Central League match-up against visiting Garnet Valley, the attention was focused on Downer and for good reason.
When the clock ticked under 1:00 remaining, the Lower Merion student section known as the “Dawg Pound” held up signs with 500 printed on them and began chanting “Downer”.
As the chants got louder Downer acknowledged the appreciative student section before giving assistant coach Kevin Grugan a small hug as the final seconds ticked off in a 72-55 win giving Coach Downer his 500th career win at Lower Merion.
Wyatt Harkins nailed the go-ahead jumper with five seconds remaining, as Delco Christian erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge Gloucester County Christian, 54-53, Saturday in the championship game of the Delco Christian Invitational.
Harkins totaled 21 points and six rebounds, Devon Hill had a key steal and a bucket late to cap his 18-point, six-rebound, 4-assist effort, and the tandem of Nazim Trammell-Wells and Bryce Shook played lockdown defense for the Knights (2-0).
In the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic:
Archbishop Carroll 66, Parkland 59 >> Josh Sharkey filled the stat sheet with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Patriots (3-0) built a double-digit first-half lead and held on for the win.
John Rigsby added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists and Ryan Daly dished out three dimes to go with his 11 points and seven rebounds.
