By: Jeremy Goode
Photos: Ryan Nix
PHILA - For the first time in George School history, the boys’ basketball team is in the driver’s seat.
A 71-44 win at Germantown Friends School improved George School to 16-4 on the season, but more importantly, they finished Friends League play undefeated, going 8-0 for the first time in program history.
“We’re resilient. We don’t have to play perfect basketball to win,” George School head coach Ben Luber said. “It feels great; it is the first time in our school’s history that anyone has ever gone 8-0 in the regular season. But job’s not done yet, kind of thing. The season is still going on and we want to keep getting better.”
George School may not be playing perfect basketball, but it is pretty close. They started off a little sluggishly in the first quarter, tying GFS at 11. But as George School has done all year, they adjusted, turning to full court defense in the second quarter and outscoring Germantown Friends School by 17 going into halftime.
Peyton Miller, a 6-foot-2 point guard, led the way in pulling away from Germantown Friends in the second quarter, scoring nine points. He finished with 14. George School also turned to 6-foot-4 combo guard Luke Melniczak, who scored 17 points while making seven shots.
“I was just coming in to make a difference,” Miller said. “I’m trying to win at the end of the day so whatever it takes to win.”
The 8-0 league record has been a nice change for this George School basketball team. Last season, the team finished 3-4 in league play and fifth overall in the league, missing the playoffs.
After the first quarter, George School gave up a combined 15 points through the second and third quarter. In that 16-minute span, Germantown Friends only converted on five baskets.
The full court pressure from George School might well have influenced those stats.
“We’re all on the same page,” Miller said. “So, whatever works, we know what works, and we are going to go with that.”
George School will be the one seed on the Friends League Playoff. The last time they won the Friends League Championship was in 2023. Until that time, they had not won since 1982. In 2002 they were finalists, losing to Friends Central 70-30. From 1991-1994, they lost in the championship game to Abington Friends School. In all four of those games, George School lost by an average of four points.
With that sparse history in mind, George School boys’ basketball is now trying to clinch its second championship in three years.
It is a new environment for George School as they try to maintain success for an extended period. Melniczak acknowledged that this is a different George School team from most of their history and that winning the Friends League regular season is a huge deal itself. He also understands what this unit is capable of due to his team’s success even before the playoffs.
George School senior Luke Melniczak #13 scored 17 points in win vs. Germantown Friends - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix
“Winning the regular season is huge,” Melniczak said. “We’re a program in the past that has not been great, now, we’re really picking it up. It’s great we won this, but our main goal is winning the championship, so we’re not satisfied yet.”
Germantown Friends’ Jordan Dill continued his excellent play. He finished with a game high 18 points, while Billy Henighan contributed 10.
Kasey Fleming scored all of his 12 points for George School in the second half. All of his makes came from beyond the arc, as the junior shot 4 for 5 from the three-point line. George School as a team took more three-point shots than shots inside the arc, shooting 23 for 49 overall, and 11 for 28 from three-point range.
Part of the reason why George School was able to shoot from long range was due to their spacing and ball movement. Germantown Friends played zone for much of the contest, and George School was able to find open shooters and escape Germantown Friends’ defensive scheme.
“Our guys are prepared. We brought a lot of sets, we practice our five on zero at a fast pace, so we are prepared for the games,” Luber said. “They know spacing, timing, and what their responsibility is in the play.”
Miller refers to the way George School competes as “playing free.” He also said that in order for the team to continue to win games, they have to do the little things. Miller, who spent his first three years of high school at St. Peters Prep in New Jersey, has enjoyed the success his George School team has earned this season.
“I came here with high expectations, and we are fulfilling them,” Miller said. “I am just glad to be a part of this team.”
George School will have a target on its back as it enters the Friends League playoffs. Everyone wants to beat the best, and it will take their best shot to prevail. After a slow start against Germantown friends, Melniczak knows what it takes to avoid any chance of an upset.
“Right from the start, being aggressive,” Melniczak said. “Not having to wait a quarter to get into our stuff.”
While Luber knows there is more work to be done to get to their end goal of being Friends League champion, he feels confident that his team will be able to get to the finish line based on their consistent play.
“They’re unselfish and they’re dangerous,” Luber said. We always have five guys that can fill it up. It is an impressive group to coach; very mature and very coachable.”