GIRLS BASKETBALL: Seniors Lead the Way While Competition Still Reigns Among Young Line-Ups in this Week's Friends League Notebook for 2/2

By Marc Narducci

(Photos by: Kathy Leister, Ryan Nix, Lennie Malmgren & James Quinn)

Young Academy of the New Church team on the rise

Academy of the New Church has accomplished the difficult feat of being competitive with a young lineup.

Coach Rashim Lancit’s Lions are 8-6 and 4-3 in the Friends League.

A contender this season?

Not likely, but a program that certainly appears on the rise.

Already this is a statement season for the Lions.

They have already tied the most wins and most Friends League victories in school history.

The Lions don’t have a lot of size, but plenty of heart.

In fact, the center is often Omega Wade, a 5-8 freshman.

Yet what the Lions lack in size, they make up for in hustle.

And the young players are receiving valuable experience.

Xola Wade, the sister of Omega and a 5-4 sophomore, is averaging 13.8 points, 3.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

She had personal highs of 25 points, eight assists and eight steals in three different games.

In short, there are a lot of ways that Xola Wade has contributed to victory this year.

Other top players include 5-9 junior Oniya Osborne, 5-8 sophomore Arianna Frank and 5-4 sophomore Te’a Richards.

Good luck to opponents attempting to bring the ball up against the Lions’ press.

“I use my smalls to man press up the court and eat up time,” Lancit said.

That makes is difficult for opponents to get into their offense, with so much time taken off the 30-second shot clock.

Xola Wade has become a major perimeter threat.

Academy of the New Church vs. Germantown Friends School.(Game highlights/Kathy Leister for PSD)

Academy of The New Church vs. Germantown Friends. (Photos/Kathy Leister for PSD)

“She rarely misses open shots,” Lancit said. “She has really been consistent.”

What is more impressive is that it is her first-time playing varsity.

Osborne and Frank are accomplished rebounders, despite often giving away considerable size.

And Osborne isn’t just a rebounder. Opponents have found her to be a handful to stop in transition.

“When Oniya gets in the open floor, it’s a wrap,” Lancit said.

Kiana Frazier and Rebecca Clark are two seniors who have provided invaluable leadership. Both have also been productive when on the court.

Clark, a lacrosse standout, is often used as a defensive stopper.

Annia Mejia, is yet another senior who has been a great influence on the younger players.

Lancit came last season but there was no season for ANC due to COVID.

This season he has injected a great spirit to the program. The young players at times have taken their lumps, but the experience bodes well for the future, while the present doesn’t look too bad either.

Good competition for Westtown

Westtown, the lone undefeated team in Friends League action, had an ambitious non-league schedule. In a highly competitive game against an excellent team, Westtown fell to host New Hope Academy of Landover Hills Maryland, 77-67 on Tuesday.

Among the better teams in Maryland, New Hope Academy improved to 20-2.

Westtown is 15-4, 6-0 and remains the Friends League favorite.

“That was basketball at its finest,” Westtown coach Fran Burbridge said. “They are a top five team in the country.”

Westtown in game vs. ANC (photo/James Quinn for PSD)

Westtown was within four points with 1:19 left, but then had to begin fouling.

Burbridge said the players who have been leading the team all season played extremely. That includes 6-1 senior and Rutgers commit Kaylene Smikle, 5-10 sophomore Zahra King and 5-10 junior Grace Sundback.

“We would have liked to have won the game, but we got an awful lot out of it,” Burbridge said. “Both teams played really hard.”

And apparently really well.

Strong season for Abington Friends senior

Abington Friends has received excellent leadership and scoring production from senior Hanna Rhoades.

A 5-5 combo guard, Rhoades is averaging 12.5 points. She is an Arcadia commit and coach Jeff Bond feels she has a bright future.

“She is going to be really good at the next level,” Bond said. “I think she is a perfect fit for Arcadia, especially the way she shoots the ball.

Rhoades is averaging 12.5 points per game.

Abington Friends senior Hanna Rhoades in game vs. Germantown Friends. (Photo/Kathy Leister for PSD)

In last week’s 56-24 loss to Germantown Friends, she scored 16 points and added 21 in a 55-44 loss to the George School on Tuesday.

“She has run the point for us and also played the two and we have needed her to do both,” Bond said. “She is a fearless kid who always plays so hard.”

Smith remains out

Friends Central senior Madison Smith, who recently scored her 1,000 point, missed her team’s win over Friends Select due to injury. Coach Phil Annas has no timetable for her return.

In Tuesday’s convincing win over Friends Select, 5-9 freshman Jordyn Adderly led the way with 18 points.

A pair of guards – senior Aminah Alwyn and junior Sanaa Garrett each scored 12 points.

Friends Central vs. Friends Select - PSD/Video by Lennie Malmgren:

Germantown Friends continues to roll

In one of the better defensive struggles of the Friends League season, Germantown Friends scored a 30-23 win over Academy of the New Church on Tuesday.

That improved the Tigers to 17-3, 6-1.

Once again, the Tigers were led by 6-3 senior Clare Meyer, who had one of the monster games of the season, 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

In a game where both teams struggled to score, Meyer, the Dartmouth commit still found a way to dominate.

Germantown Friends senior Clare Meyer in game vs. ANC. (Photo/Kathy Leister for PSD)

George School moving upward

George School got another big effort from freshman Pri Ponnam in a 55-44 win over Abington Friends on Tuesday. Ponnam had yet another double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Sophomore Sophia Martinez is becoming among the top all-around point guards in the Friends League. She had 16 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Freshman forward Ava Gregorio added four points and eight rebounds.

In another positive development senior Emily White returned from injury, contributing eight points and two steals.

Her veteran presence should be huge for this young but improving team.

Shipley improving

Shipley continues to show improvement, with among the youngest teams in the Friends League. During Tuesday’s 55-36 win over Moorestown Friends, freshman Julianna Proper and senior Lauryn Redcross each had 10 points while eighth grader Sanai Johnson added nine.

Redcross has continued to provide the veteran that this young team has benefited from.

That improved Shipley to 3-3 in the Friends League.

Shipley vs. Moorestown Friends.(game highlights/Ryan Nix for PSD)

Moorestown Friends competitive in non-league action

Another team highly competitive recently in non-league action was Moorestown Friends. Last week the Foxes found themselves in a major defensive struggle before losing a 21-17 decision at Delsea.

Several players scored four points for Moorestown Friends. Senior Roni Kennedy had four points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Kennedy has quietly enjoyed a strong senior season. She is averaging 8.2 points and 7.8 rebounds and giving the Foxes consistency on both ends of the court.

Also, against Delsea, junior Macey Wilkins had four points and nine rebounds.

That was a respectable showing against a Delsea team that is 9-7 and competes in South Jersey Group 3 (similar to 3-A in Pennsylvania).

In Tuesday’s 55-36 loss to Shipley, the Foxes were led by sophomore Hanilyah Williams, who had 10 points and made two three-point field goals.

On this young Moorestown Friends team, several different players have contributed and are gaining valuable experience for the 2-11 Foxes.

Strong non-league win for Friends Select

As often happens when the Friends League teams step outside of league games, they are extremely competitive.

That was the case when Friends Select defeated Lincoln Leadership Academy of Allentown, 53-49.

Margot Schneider continued her torrid senior season with 33 points. Junior Lucy Rupertus had eight points and freshman Rachel Pastor contributed six.