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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Impressive Early Runs, Young Squads and Rebuilding Comprises this Week's FSL Notebook

By Marc Narducci, 01/14/23, 1:00PM EST

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FRIENDS SCHOOL LEAGUE NOTEBOOK (As of 1/12)

Photos: Kathy Leister, Lennie Malmgren, Colleen Claggett & Mark Zimmaro

By: Marc Narducci

Friends' Central lacks depth, but not talent or wins

Friends' Central coach Vinny Simpson isn’t working with great depth, but he and the Phoenix are making the most of the situation.

Simpson, in his first full season, has Friends Central at 16-3 and 3-0 in the Friends League. The roster consists of eight players and one of them is an eighth grader who hasn’t seen much action.

So basically, Simpson is going with a seven-person rotation.

What the Phoenix have lacked in quantity, they have made up in quality.

Leading the way is 6-3 sophomore Logyn Greer, the team’s leading scorer and second leading rebounder. Nal’La Bennett, is a 5-8 sophomore, who can shoot the lights out of the gym.

Then there is 5-8 senior point guard Sanaa Garrett who runs the show.

“She controls the game and makes things happen,” Simpson said.

Other contributors include 6-0 sophomore Kaaya Rain Tucker, who plays power forward and is aggressive going for rebounds. One game she snagged 16 of them.

Friends' Central vs. Moorestown Friends, Jan. 4 - PSD Highlights by Lennie Malmgren

Amani Savage, a 6-0 senior, provides a little bit of everything.

“She is one of our leaders and the heart of the team,” Simpson said.

Two other sophomores are part of the rotation. There is 5-9 Jordyn Adderly, who provides some serious D.

“I love what she does defensively, and she will guard the best player on the other team on any given night,” Simpson said.

Need some shooting?

No problem, Simpson calls on 5-5 sophomore Sydney Williams.

“She can flat-out shoot the ball,” he said.

Simpson had been an assistant with the boys’ program before taking over for the girls last January. He is a Philadelphia product who attended now closed Cardinal Dougherty, where one of his teammates was current Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry.

Simpson played for Hampton University, where he graduated in 2010. As a senior he led Hampton with a 14.1 scoring average. After a college he played professionally overseas for more than a decade.  

He says he played in 10 different countries including Hungry, Greece, Germany, Finland, Argentina and Sweden to name a few.

“I had a great time and really loved it,” he said.

He’s finding similar enjoyment with coaching Friends' Central. If only there were a few more players.

“It is kind of hard when you have seven, you have to worry about foul trouble and fatigue,” he said. “And you can’t practice too hard.”

Still, he is having a blast and making the best of the situation.

On Tuesday the Phoenix improved to 3-0 in the Friends League with a 58-33 victory over a talented George School team. This is a team that in the early going has shown it can be a viable contender.

Westtown still rolling

Two-time defending Friends League champion Westtown is again considered the team to beat. The Moose won their first three Friends League games by considerable margins. They are 9-3 overall.

What is more impressive is the combination of youth and experience at Westtown.

The two senior leaders are 5-10 Grace Sundback and 5-10 Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick. Sundback is a Delaware commit and Bland-Fitzpatrick is headed to Seton Hall.

Two key juniors include 5-9 Zahra King and 5-11 Savannah Curry.

Then there is Jordyn Palmer, a 6-1 eighth grader who is already turning heads.

“She is a hybrid, who can lead the fast break, post up and shoot the three,” Westtown coach Fran Burbidge said of Palmer.

At the Slam Dunk to the Beach in Delaware, Palmer was an all-tournament selection and according to Burbidge, really impressed coaches.

Among the other young players in the rotation are 5-10 freshman Atlee Vanesko and 5-9 eighth grader Jessie Moses.

Westtown vs. Germantown Friends on 1/4 Highlights by Kathy Leister for PSD

Wade leading ANC

Academy of New Church had some convincing Friends League wins.  First was a 75-11 win over Abington Friends. Junior Xola Wade had 19 points, seven steals, three rebounds and three assists and junior Arianna Frank had 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

In a 60-27 win over Moorestown Friends Frank had 19 points seven rebounds, five assists and three steals and Wade added 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.

ANC’s Xola Wade talks about what she’s been working on in practice – PSD Video by Mark Zimmaro

ANC’s Te’a Richards was happy with her team’s passing vs. Abington Friends - Video by Mark Zimmaro

Oniya Osborne was pleased with ANC’s first FSL victory vs. Abington Friends - Video by Mark Zimmaro

The Lions then fell to 2-1 in the Friends League with a 72-40 defeat on Tuesday to Shipley.  

Wade is averaging 16.3 ppg. While Frank averages 10 points.

The team has gone through some key injuries but is more than holding its own, at 7-6, 2-1.

Shipley impressive in the early going

Shipley has gotten off to an 8-3, 2-0 start.

In an opening Friends league win over Germantown Friends, nine different players scored, and Shipley had a season-high 19 assists. Leading the way was 5-10 sophomore Mallory Farr with 10 points. Classmate Anna Pascale added nine points, eight steals and two assists. Sophomore guard Ani Proper added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Shipley then had an impressive 72-40 win over Academy of New Church.

Pascale led the way with 18 points and junior Sanai Johnson scored 15 points.

Germantown Friends young and rebuilding

This has been a rebuilding season for Germantown Friends. The Tigers advanced to the Friends League championship last year, but were hit hard by graduation. Now this young team has stated this season 7-5 and 0-2 in the Friends League. The Friends League losses were to defending champion Westtown and formidable Shipley.

“We’re transitioning from an experienced group,” GFS coach Mike Lintulahti said.

Besides working with so many newcomers, one of the veterans, 5-7 senior Ndaia Blakney, a third-year starter, broke her wrist in early December and has been sidelined since suffering the injury.

The other seniors on the team are 5-9 Caroline Putnam, a starter from last year, 5-9 Caroline Schure and 5-9 Sydney Dixon.

There are no juniors on the team, but heading up the sophomores is 5-7 Alayah Campbell, the Tigers leading scorer. Other key sophomores are 5-10 Katie Day, 5-5 Mia Rutledge and 5-6 Fiona Behan. Freshman on the roster include 5-3 Olivia Lutey, 5-6 Addy Williams and guard Sarah Goldberg.

The Tigers are building a team to challenge in the future and the players are receiving valuable experience.

George School impresses in rebuilding effort

George School has gotten off to an 8-8, 1-2 start and considering that the Cougars only returned three players from last year, the team is ahead of schedule in coach La’Keisha Sutton’s second season.

“I scheduled a lot of tough non-conference opponents and wanted to be battle-tested come conference and playoff time,” Sutton said. “CP

Priyanka Ponnam, a 6-3 sophomore, is averaging a team-high 14 points. She was an All-Friends selection a year ago.

“She can go inside and also can run the point,” Sutton said. “She has to do everything.”

According to Sutton, Arizona is among the schools that has already offered a scholarship.

The Cougars don’t lack size.

Gianna Johnson, a 6-5 junior, averages 11 points.

“A lot of people don’t know about Gianna, but she is turning heads,” said Sutton, who adds that Johnson has picked up an offer from Delaware.

Junior point guard Sophia Martinez has adeptly run the offense.

Three’s company at Moorestown Friends

Moorestown Friends had its most competitive Friends League game on Tuesday, losing 38-34 to Abington Friends. Both sophomore guard Mikelle Smith and senior forward Macey Wilkins played well for the Foxes, each scoring 12 points.

Smith was especially on fire from the perimeter with four, three-point field goals. She is averaging nearly two three-pointers per game.

Wilkins is averaging 7.1 points for the Foxes, who opened the season with a 25-23 non-league win over Collingswood, as Wilkins had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

For Abington Friends, the win over Moorestown Friends was its first this season in the Friends League. Sakinah Abdus-Salaam led Abington Friends with 24 points while Nyla Coleman chipped in with 14.