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By Owen McCue

While Elijah Sellers didn’t see the floor often for the Radnor boys basketball team last season, Michael Savadove and his teammates could see there was something there inside the athletic 6-foot-3 wing.

They watched him on the scout team in practice each day, getting in the faces of guys like Jackson Hicke and Charlie Thornton as they led the Raptors to the best season in program history.

They watched him once again this preseason ready himself for a larger role.

“He was always the hidden gem,” Savadove said. “He works so hard. He spends countless hours in the gym. He’s here before, after practice. He’s working on his game.” 

Hicke, Thornton and several other members of last season’s Central League and District 1 championship team were in the stands for Radnor’s home game against Springfield-Delco on Thursday night.

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Clutch foul shooting down the stretch propelled Penncrest to a 54-48 Central League victory at Springfield Tuesday night.

The Lions were 11-of-14 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Alex Bruce went 7 of 9 on the night and finished with a game-high 17 points. Kathryn Harding chipped in with 11 points.

Molly Clifford and Cora Fattori led the way for the host Cougars with 11 points apiece.

By Josh Verlin

Haverford High coach Lauren Pellicane pulled Megan Kelly aside late in overtime and told her point guard to be confident. With Garnet Valley playing a zone, focusing heavily on Fords stars Rian Dotsey and Aniya Eberhart, someone else needed to step up and hit a shot. 

Kelly listened, and did exactly that. 

When the Fords’ 5-foot-4 junior guard caught a ball on the left wing with less than a minute left in a tied ball game, she head-faked an incoming defender, took one dribble to the left, just inside the arc, and buried the jumper. 

“I was wide open on the wing all the time and I wasn’t stepping up and Pell called me over and told me that I was open and I had to start being confident in my shot,” Kelly said. “And then I got the pass, ball faked and I was open, so I shot it.”

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A six-point deficit after one quarter didn’t deter the Springfield boys basketball team Tuesday night at Penncrest.

Jake Adams buried four 3-point field goals and finished with a game-high 14 points in the Cougars’ 48-31 victory.

The Cougars used a 20-7 run in the second quarter and cruised from there. Adams, Cole Treude (11 points), Chris Dolan and Tom Toomey each made a trey in the period.

Connor Cahill and Mikey Mita carried the Lions with nine points apiece.

Upper Darby 43, Conestoga 40 >> The Royals used a 15-7 run in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the final period. Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch sealed the win over the visiting Pioneers.

TJ Jackson recorded 15 points and seven blocks for UD. Niari Hodges tallied 10 points and Alex Brown tossed in eight.

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Girls Basketball

Megan Donahoe scored a career-high 21 points as Sacred Heart claimed a nonleague win over MaST Charter, 58-23.

Keara McCaffrey was a force in the post with 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Maya Walker added a career-high 15 points. Donahoe hit five 3-pointers, including four in a second quarter where she scored 16 points and the Lions outscored MaST, 23-7.

In other nonleague action:

Plymouth Whitemarsh 57, Chichester 21 >> Rayne Edwards scored 13 points as the Eagles hung tough for a quarter but were hit with a 16-2 disadvantage in the second stanza against the traditional District 1 powerhouse.

Boys Basketball

Ja’Bryl Bennett scored 25 points, but Chester Charter Scholars Academy dropped a 70-63 decision to Lincoln Leadership Academy. Calvin Lewis added 13 points for the Sabers.

By CoBL Staff

The inaugural CoBL Girls’ Winter Classic took over the courts at Jefferson University’s Gallagher Athletic Center on Sunday, with 14 games across two courts bringing together some of the best girls’ talent from the region.

Here’s a brief recap of all seven games from Court One:

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Click HERE for recaps from Court Two
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Game One: Conestoga vs. Great Valley

Stifling would be a good word to sum this one up.

The Pioneers turned in an outstanding team defensive effort to stifle the Patriots in a 47-11 decision to kick things off Sunday morning. Conestoga switched, rotated, rebounded and limited Great Valley to just two points in each of the first three quarters.

Isabella Valencia defended well inside, while Marisa Francione and Ryann Jennings were all over the perimeter keeping GV senior Julia Curran in check. Great Valley shot just 5-of-25 in the game, the Patriots often running through some intricate offensive sets that forced Conestoga to defend for long stretches.

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