BY JEREMY GOODE
(PHOTOS BY KATHY LEISTER FOR PSD)
MALVERN, PA--Entering the game against Germantown Academy, Malvern Prep junior Nick Harken was five points away from 1,000 in his high school basketball career.
The night before Harken had been up until midnight. He was just excited for this moment, one that has only taken him two and a half years to achieve. He was looking forward to the moment, and he had had the last few games marked for a long time.
The junior scored four points pretty quickly and then… a pause. With fans holding cellphones out to capture the moment, for once in Harken’s career he was not scoring the basketball. Occasionally he was given the ball at the wing, but he would end up making a pass, halting the pursuit of the four-figure mark in points and an excited Malvern gym.
“The goal wasn’t just to get that [1,000 points], it was to win the game,” Harken said. “Some of those possessions, I’m not going to force a shot. I’m just going to try to do what's right for the team.”
Of course, this is the reasonable answer. After all, Harken helped build a 10-2 lead against Germantown Academy to start the game by not only drilling a few field goals but also by moving the ball to teammates who scored themselves. Yes, Harken has proven a thousand times he can score the ball. But it's also his playmaking ability that allows his teammates to get involved, which also benefits Harken.
It would not be until the second quarter, a little over a minute in, when Harken beat his defender in cutting in front of the basket from the top of the key, received a pass from Bryce Perkins from the wing, and laid it off the glass for the easy layup to both tie the game at 16 and reach 1,001 points.
Suddenly, the race to 1,000 points was over.
“Just all the hours I’ve put in, it just feels great to finally have it all pay off,” Harken said. “To be able to celebrate with my team, my family, in a win… it just feels great.”
Nick Harken Scores his 1,001 Point
Nick Harken Celebrates 1,000 Career Points with his parents. (Photo by Kathy Leister for PSD)
The layup was his sixth point of the evening, and he went to finish with a game high 27, enough to help take down Germantown Academy 73-63 on Fri., Jan. 30. The win keeps Malvern one game behind Haverford in the Inter-Ac, while the loss for Germantown Academy keeps them in third place, but now two games behind Malvern for second place and three games behind Haverford for the top spot.
It was all you could ask for in terms of two top-three teams in the Inter-Ac going at it. A close game throughout, Malvern took the edge in the first half behind Logan Chwastyk’s 13 first half points. The 6’11 sophomore was key in scoring under the rim, while also popping out inside and outside the arc and hitting shots from deep. He finished with 21 points.
In addition to scoring, Chwastyk protected his basket well, blocking several shots and securing several defensive rebounds.
“I’ve put a lot of work into my jump shot; it’s been feeling really good lately,” Chwastyk said. “It showed off a little bit and I just keep battling down in the post and it's going my way.”
Germantown Academy’s James Brenner and Mick McKee helped keep it a game for 30 minutes. Mckee had several fast break dunks that energized Germantown Academy and consistently kept the team a basket or two behind Malvern. Brenner scored 11 points in the first half in various ways, including from the free throw line, around the rim, and beyond the arc.
Both teams traded baskets and leads in the third quarter, and three three-pointers from Germantown Academy’s Tommy Rush really kept the visiting team in the ball game.
Game Highlights
Malvern Prep vs. Germantown Academy. (Photos by Kathy Leister for PSD)
Malvern was eventually able to expand their lead to 46-43 heading into the final eight minutes. Of Harken’s 27 points on the evening, 12 came in the third quarter and nine in the fourth.
Keep in mind that this was a Germantown Academy team that had finished last in the Inter-Ac last season.
Nick Harken on Closing Out Germantown Academy
Logan Chwastyk on Scoring in Different Ways Against GA
Harken took over in the second half, making eight of his 11 baskets. When needed the most, Harken delivered.
“We just made some shots,” Harken said. “We got in the paint, passed it out, got some good looks, and knocked down some shots.”
With 2:36 seconds left in the game, Collin Romanczuk, a junior who is committed to pitch at Northwestern next year, drilled a three-pointer to extend Malvern’s lead to 62-55, putting the game out of reach.
It is the second win Malvern has earned against Germantown Academy this year. On Jan. 9, Malvern escaped with a 63-60 win in Fort Washington, Pa.
“They have a tremendous coaching staff that knows what they're doing and a winning culture that they really built in one year,” Malvern head coach Paul Romanczuk said. “I really respect how they’ve turned that program around. It’s a tough game for us.”
At halftime, Malvern honored the 1975-76 boy’s basketball team that won the Inter-Ac and went undefeated with a 10-0 record. Several players returned to be honored at half court. Among them was legendary and Hall of Fame coach Fran Dunphy, who graduated from Malvern in 1966 and was a coach on staff of the 1975-76 team.
Legendary Coach Fran Dunphy Reflects on the 1975-76 Malvern Prep Team
Malvern Prep Honors Members of the 1975-76 Championship Team. (Photos by Kathy Leister)
Malvern Prep will be on the road this Tuesday when they face undefeated The Haverford School. Germantown Academy will host Episcopal Academy on Feb. 3rd.