Delcohoops.com

By Matt Smith

Garnet Valley and Haverford needed an overtime period to determine a winner when the teams met Dec. 19. This time around, the game was effectively out of reach after the first quarter.

Haverford held Garnet Valley to eight points in the opening half and cruised to a 48-34 win Thursday. The Fords took both games from the Jaguars in the regular season and now sit alone in second place in the Central League, with one more loss than Conestoga. The league tournament begins next week.

After sweeping the Jags and handing Conestoga its only loss, the Fords have every reason to believe they are destined to become back-to-back champions.

Junior forward Rian Dotsey scored nine of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter. Dotsey hit a baseline runner as time expired in the opening frame to extend Haverford’s lead to 15-3.

Senior guard Aniya Eberhart played with smooth quickness and court savvy that left the Jags searching for answers. The Millersville commit racked up 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked. She was outstanding.

Haverford improved to 18-3 overall and 13-2 in the league. Garnet Valley fell to 17-3, 12-3.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Chris Dolan is, admittedly, a reluctant shooter. Part of that is the Springfield guard’s sense of awareness, knowing the strengths around him and the patience powering the offense. Part of it is being able to impact games without scoring.

But Thursday, he showed he can make a difference on both ends of the court.

Dolan hit a pair of second-half 3-pointers to go with three steals, his steadfast defense keying a 46-43 win over Penncrest that is vital for Springfield’s district playoff hopes.

Dolan passed up plenty of good looks early on, deferring to the Cougars’ more proficient scorers. But in rhythm in the third, he let fly on a triple to put Springfield up 30-29, one of 11 lead changes. He added a trifecta to make it 41-36 early in the fourth, scoring eight points while attempting just two field goals.

“We came in at halftime and your teammates give you a lot of confidence,” Dolan said. “And they yell at you if you don’t shoot the ball. So I wanted to help them out by shooting the ball.”

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Chester is back atop the Del Val League.

Jalen Harris led the way with a career-high 19 points as the Clippers beat Interboro, 84-55, to improve to 17-1 on the season, including a title-clinching 7-0 start to Del Val play.

Jaseir Thompson added 16 points. Dante Atkinson scored nine, and Calvin Williams chipped in eight. The Clippers hit 12 3-pointers and led by 14 after one quarter.

Sean Thomas led Interboro with 18 points. Zakhai Collins chipped in 13.

In the Central League:

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Noah Griffin has been there before, but then, so has his Sun Valley basketball team.

Wednesday wouldn’t be the first time the Vanguards have seen a reversal of fortune in the fourth quarter of a tight game, for or against. It wouldn’t be the first time Griffin would shoulder the responsibility of the ball in his hands in the final seconds. And it wouldn’t be the first January in which a Sun Valley team has borne little resemblance to its shaggier December version.

For it all, Griffin was ready Wednesday. The guard scored Sun Valley’s final nine points, all in the last two minutes, to pull out a 64-63 nonleague thriller over Delco Christian.

It extends for Sun Valley (13-7) a win streak to six games, while curtailing an eight-game run for Delco Christian (12-5).

Griffin made the difference in a pulsating final stretch. The Vanguards trailed by nine when Khamai Orange opened the fourth with a 3-point basket. But SV trimmed the gap with a 6-0 run from Blaize Eldridge midway through the quarter, then Eldridge’s power drive to the hoop with 2:39 left put Sun Valley up, 55-54. So began seven lead changes in the final three minutes.

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The Haverford School basketball coach Bernie Rogers became the winningest coach in program history Tuesday.

Rogers earned his 128th victory as the Fords defeated Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 72-52, in Inter-Ac League action. The previous record of 127 wins was held by Bill Prizer, who coached the Fords from 1945-65.

Silas Graham produced 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. KJ Carson tallied 17 points and Jacob Becker finished with 14.

Sophomore Megan Donahoe and Sacred Heart Academy vanquished Bonner & Prendergast in a nonleague game, 45-33.

Donahoe scored a game-high 15 points for the host Lions, who made five 3-point baskets and shot 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. Keara McCaffrey accumulated 11 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots in the winning cause. Dani Jeffries chipped in eight points.

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By Matt Smith

For about a month Joanie Quinn was forced to watch Cardinal O’Hara games from the sidelines. The La Salle commit and All-Delco guard was bummed out to miss a big chunk of her senior year, but she was happy to see other players making an impact in her absence.

Freshman Brigidanne Donohue got the starting nod while Quinn was recovering from a surgically repaired finger. Donohue has been a revelation for the Lions.

In Tuesday’s 45-37 victory over rival Archbishop Carroll, Quinn and Donohue were in sync on the floor and created scoring opportunities for each other. Quinn scored a game-high 12 points and Donohue contributed 10 off the bench, including five in the fourth quarter.

“At first, being a freshman I didn’t think I would get as much playing time as I did,” Donohue said. “When Joanie got hurt I knew I had to try to step up and score as much as she does. But as I did I think it really brought up my confidence and that’s why I think I am playing as well as I have been, because of her.”

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