INTER-AC ROUND-UP: This coming Friday, the Inter-Academic League portion of the basketball season will be already half over. Talk about time flying.
Through four games each, undefeated Haverford School continues to excel at 4-0, with 3-1 Episcopal Academy right behind. At 2-2, neither Germantown Academy nor Malvern Prep possess any room for error; 1-3 Penn Charter and 0-4 Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy are both playing the spoiler role.
“We try to preach to the guys that there are 10 playoff games,” said Haverford School coach Bernie Rogers. “We approach it that way.”
Much has already been said about the Fords, and deservedly so. Behind a roster comprised of all underclassmen, Haverford has won 12 straight and is 15-1 overall. The Fords’ latest victory, 80-59 at Malvern Prep on Tuesday, was basically over by halftime. A 41-21 lead then swelled to 60-30 after three, before a defenseless fourth quarter – Malvern outscored the Fords by 29-20 – made the final score more respectable.
Haverford & Malvern Prep Photo Gallery
Sophomore Christian Ray was a force with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Three other players – sophomore Jameer Nelson (15), junior Bobby Stratts (14) and junior Kharon Randolph (12) – tallied double digits, with sophomore Gavin Burke (nine) one point shy.
“It was another great defensive victory,” said Randolph. “We held a team that reached 100 points (against St. Joseph’s Prep on December 12) to 59. We took pride on that end of the floor, which led to easy points.”
Thanks to Episcopal Academy’s 51-44 triumph at four-time defending champion Germantown Academy, a question needs to be answered: Is it too early to look forward to what might amount to a league-championship battle two weeks from now? If not, then Friday night, Jan. 27, promises to be an electric evening when the Churchmen visit Haverford School.
First things first.
Coming off a memorable 82-81 overtime win over Malvern Prep on Jan. 13, the Churchmen used a 12-7 fourth quarter to hold off the Patriots. A phenomenal effort by EA senior guard Conner Delaney included 22 points, which helped offset GA senior Evan-Eric Longino’s 21. Senior Nick Alikakos continued to resemble his old self since coming back from an ankle sprain, scoring 14 points. Sophomore Matt Dade added eight points.
EA's Conner Delany tallied 22 points against GA - PSD Photo by EA Jr. Reporter Annin Decker
“It was a huge win for us,” said Delaney. “It’s always tough to go into their gym and beat them, especially on a Tuesday afternoon with next to no energy in the building. But I think that played into our favor. We were able to create our own energy with our play and get out to an early lead.”
EA coach Chris Conlin recognized the importance of defeating Germantown Academy.
“It felt great for our program,” said Conlin. “As Coach Doc (legendary retired coach John Dougherty) would say, ‘The league is won on Tuesday afternoon.’”
For senior forward Kyle Virbitsky, execution and consistency supplied the essentials.
“A great team win,” said Virbitsky. “No one did anything super spectacular, but together we played very efficiently and did what we needed to do. I thought our defense was awesome. A great win for us.”
Penn Charter vs. Springside Chestnut Hill
Penn Charter notched a much-needed victory over visiting Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy, 69-53. Junior Mason Williams’ 21 points, junior Will Samuel’s 13, freshman Ryan Holmes’ 11, and scoring contributions from seven other players were too much for SCH, which relied on senior Matt Rahill’s 13 points and senior Zuri Peyton’s 11.
After the completion of Friday’s itinerary (Germantown Academy at Malvern Prep, 7:15; Haverford School at Penn Charter, 7:30; Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy at Episcopal Academy, 7:30), the second half of the season will begin.
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)