So, as we head into the second half of the Inter-Ac season, there are many questions still to be answered, such as which teams will also make the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Tournament, and plenty of good basketball to be played.

Through the first two weeks of the Inter-Ac season, here is what we have learned:

John Owens’ squad has won its last three Inter-Ac games by an average of 13.3 points per game. Point guard Mark Butler led the way with 16 points in a 66-44 win over the Churchmen while 6-foot-3 junior forward Isaiah Grimes added 11 points. Keith Gee, a 5-11 junior guard, hit two three-pointers on his way to 10 points. Butler, the 6-foot junior floor general who leads the Quakers with 11.8 ppg, poured in a season-high 25 points in the victory over the Friars, which included 10 in the fourth quarter. He also added five assists.

Trey Shinholster, a 6-2 junior guard, had 16 points, three rebounds and five assists against Malvern Prep and hit four of Penn Charter’s 12 three-pointers in the game. Gee hit three treys while Collin Schumm and Kevin Cotton drilled two apiece. Finally, Gee had 13 points and Grimes chipped in 12 in Friday’s win over the Patriots.

With both Turner and Hicks gone, the next great perennial guard has entered in the form of 6-2 sophomore Ryan Williams.

While he did not burst onto the scene as a freshman playing behind Hicks during a shortened season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams is avg. 16.4 ppg in his first season as a starter and he has scored in double figures in every game this season. He can get into the lane and finish but his outside shooting (28 three-pointers made so far) has been equally as impressive.

He and dynamic 6-4 junior forward Andrew Phillips (15.5 ppg) have been a palpable one-two punch for head coach Paul Romanczuk and put Malvern Prep in position to claim the Inter-Ac title once again, something they did in 2020 behind Turner, Hicks and Fran Oschell. Williams scored 15 points against the Churchmen to open league play and had 18 points in a win over the Fords on Monday night.

Against Springside Chestnut Hill on Jan. 14, he had 17 points, including two three-pointers, six rebounds and two blocks. Kearney has been one of the real surprises in the Inter-Ac this year and has emerged as the go-to scorer for the Fords.

McCarthy leads the Churchmen with 15.7 ppg but even more importantly, he has hit 49 three-pointers, which leads the Inter-Ac. He began the regular season by hitting seven treys against Abington Friends and has been even better since league play began. He poured in 31 points against the Blue Devils on Jan. 18, becoming the first Episcopal Academy to score 30 or more points in a game since Alex Capitano (Colgate) poured in 40 against Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) on Dec. 21, 2019. 

Performances like his 26-point and nine-rebound game against Friends’ Central as well as his 16-point, nine-rebound and five-block line in a win over defending PIAA Class 4A champion Allentown Central Catholic have brought in major Division I programs from across the country. Yet, his offense is still very much developing but it’s at the defensive end where he is truly excelling right now.

He was held scoreless in a 54-48 loss to the Friars but did have 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. The following day, he was limited to eight points but chipped in nine boards and nine blocks against George School, a Friends School League contender.