FSL BASKETBALL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME XXVI NO. 5 FEBRUARY 14, 2009
ANC WINS TITLE WITH A THRILLING OVERTIME WIN
ANC topped Friends' Central 57-52 on Friday, February 13th at Haverford College, but it took an extra period to seal the deal. In a high-energy game which saw no lead greater than six points, the Phoenix forced overtime with a steal and a Devin Coleman basket with 8 seconds remaining. Jon Riles' winning attempt for the Lions left his hands and passed through the hoop just after the final buzzer. With the score knotted at 48-48 the two teams geared up for the extra four minutes. ANC pulled ahead by 54-52 and after a FCS miss, Savon Lloyd-Goodman hit one free throw to put the Lions up by three with 13 seconds remaining. A Coleman three point attempt was wide with 6 seconds left and ANC finished off the game with another two points. Warren Gillis led the Lions with 21 points including two big shots from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter (one with 30 seconds left put the winners up by 2 points). Marcus Gilbert scored 16 points (14 in the second half and OT). Riles added 11 points for the winners who came from a third place seed to take the title. Friends' Central was paced by Travis Robinson with 17 points. Dominic Morris netted 13 and Coleman 11 for the Phoenix. The climb from third place to the championship was the first since Abington did it in 2003. There have been five overtime games in FSL boys' championship history. Friends' Central has played in four of those games and has lost each of them.
In one semifinal on Tuesday, February 10th Friends' Central hosted Germantown and used a stifling defense to open up a 29-6 halftime lead on the way to a 62-31 win. Every Tigers' shot was contested and the Phoenix used an inside-outside balance on offense to pull away after an even first four minutes of the game. In a very balanced attack, the hosts had 9 players score, with four of them leading the way with 9 points each. Four others were between 5 and 7 points. Two Tigers also scored 9 points as no one in the game reached double digits.
In the other semifinal ANC visited Westtown and overcame a 3 point deficit after one quarter to take a three point halftime lead and then pull away to a final score of 58-51 on the strength of excellent free throw shooting down the stretch. In particular, Gillis sank 10 of 12 from the charity stripe at the end of the game to keep the Lions in the lead. As a team ANC was 23 for 27 from the line. Gillis led the winners with 20 points, while Lloyd-Goodman added 13 and Kenny Ross 10. Dockery Walker paced the hosts, who had won the regular season contest 53-48, with 21 points and Matt Lee added 16. Lloyd-Goodman pulled 17 rebounds and Gilbert had 9 blocked shots for the winners.
FSL BASKETBALL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME XXVI NO. 4 FEBRUARY 7, 2009
PLAYOFF PAIRINGS SET: FCS-GFS, WESTTOWN-ANC
On Tuesday, January 27th Shipley traveled to Moorestown and brought home a 69-47 win. The Gators jumped out to a 36-9 halftime advantage and cruised home from there. The Foxes poured in 26 points in the fourth quarter to more than double their score through three frames. Shipley was led by Ky Howard with 29 and Armand Leaks with 23, while Jake Montgomery and Phil Dwyer each had 12 for Moorestown. Also on the 27th host Westtown topped ANC 53-48. The Lions led 13-10 after one quarter, but Westtown reversed the lead at halftime, going up 25-23 and then won the 3rd quarter by one point and the final period by 2. Lusito Jiminez paced 'town with 20 points, while Daniel Ochefu add 16 and Matt Lee had 11. Savon Lloyd-Goodman and Kenny Ross each had 14 for ANC, while Warren Gillis netted 11. The victory was the first for Westtown over ANC since 2002.
On Thursday, January 29th host Moorestown came back from a 33-25 halftime deficit and held George School to 20 points in the second half to top the Cougars 59-54 in overtime, outscoring the visitors 6-1 in the extra period. Montgomery had 23 and Dwyer 17 for the Foxes, while Tom Wayda with 15 and Kirk Wynn with 10 paced the Cougars.
On Friday, January 30th host Friends' Central pulled away from a 20-17 first quarter advantage, holding Shipley to just 17 points in the next two periods combined on the way to a 73-46 win to keep their league record unblemished. Travis Robinson led five double-figure scorers for the Phoenix with 15 points. Peter Chawaga added 14 points, Dominc Morris 13, Devin Coleman 11 and Mark Margulies 10. Howard had 16 and Leaks 12 for the Gators. Also on the 30th host Westtown raced out to a 47-21 lead after three periods on the way to a 55-35 win over Friends Select. Ochefu led the way for the winners with 21 points, while Doc Walker added 18. Craig Presant paced the Falcons with 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers.
On Saturday, January 31st ANC opened a 17-7 first quarter advantage and then held on for a 44-41 win over Abington in a game played at Penn State Abington. Lloyd-Goodman and Ross again paced the Lions with 17 and 14 points respectively. Joey Gripper and Will Wise each had 12 points for the 'roos.
On Tuesday, February 3rd ANC visited GFS and broke open a very close game by hitting a three at the first half buzzer and then scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter. The Lions led by 28-24 before their surge opened it up to 44-24. The Tigers fought back and pulled to within 8 points before succumbing 64-43. The win gave ANC third place and dropped the hosts to fourth place. Lloyd-Goodman paced four ANC double-digit scorers with 19 points. Gillis had 15, Malcolm Gilbert 13 and Ed Bieker 10. Anton Popov and Wes Bill each had 15 for the Tigers. Also on the 3rd Friends Select visited Shipley and fell behind 16-8 after one period then pulled to within two at halftime, only to fall back by 7 points after three quarters. The Falcons then went on a 17-5 fourth quarter run to top the Gators 46-41 for the first time in at least 9 years. Craig Presant again led the Falcons, nailing 5 treys for 15 points. Ben Roach added 11 for the winners. Howard led the Gators with 13 and Leaks had 11. The final contest on the 3rd had host Abington and visiting Friends' Central knotted up at 33-33 at halftime before the Phoenix pulled away with a 41-21 second half burst. Robinson again led the Phoenix with 20 points, while Morris had 16, Coleman 15, and Malique Killing 10. Wise had 16 and Gripper 15 for the 'roos.
On Wednesday, February 4th Westtown visited George School and took home a Moose point 61-36. The visitors were only up by 4 at the half and 8 after three periods, before exploding with a 25-8 fourth quarter. Ochefu (18), Lee (17) and Jiminez (15) led the winners, while Kyle Scott led the Cougars with 12.
Friends' Central closed out a perfect regular season with a 63-27 win at Friends Select on Friday, February 6th. The Phoenix went up 34-11 at the half and coasted home from there. Morris with15, Robinson with 14 and Mark Margulies with 12 led the winners. Craig Presant topped the Falcons with 8 points.
Congratulations to ANC which won the JV tournament for the first time on Saturday, February 7th. The Lions went 4-0 for the day.
FSL BASKETBALL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME XXVI NO. 3 JANUARY 25, 2009
FCS EDGES WESTTOWN 52-50 AND ANC 50-42
On Friday January 16th Friends' Central hosted Westtown in a very competitive game between teams unbeaten in FSL play heading into the game. Dominic Morris sank two free throws with 11.6 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix the lead. Westtown had two chances to win the game with a layup and a put back, but both missed. There was a foul at the final buzzer which the officials determined had occurred after time had expired, allowing the hosts to celebrate a 1 point win. The score was knotted after the first quarter and Friends' Central held 2 point leads at the half and after three periods. Travis Robinson paced the Phoenix with 19 points and Morris added 9. Lusito Jiminez had 17, Daniel Ochefu 14 and Matt Lee 12 for the visitors. On Saturday Westtown beat the only team to beat FCS, Malvern, by 15.
On Saturday the 17th host Abington withstood a furious 4th quarter comeback by Shipley and held on for a 52-50 win. The 'roos were up 42-28 after three periods, having held the Gators to just 2 points in the 3rd quarter. Shipley poured in 22 points in the final stanza, but came up a bucket short. The 'roos had a balanced attack, led by Jake Lerner with 14 points. Will Wise added 12, Joey Gripper 11 and Nick Keefer 10. Shipley was paced by Ky Howard with 19. Also on the 16th Germantown traveled to George and completed a league trifecta with their third FSL win in a week, 50-38. The Tigers pulled away from a 24-20 halftime lead with a 15-6 3rd quarter. Rasheed Stewart led the visitors with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Wes Bill added 14 and Anton Popov 10 for the winners. Tom Wayda paced the Cougars with 15 points.
On Tuesday January 20th Germantown traveled to Westtown to play their fourth league game in 8 days. The Tigers lost an 8 point lead in the final minute + of regulation and lost to the hosts 60-55 in overtime. Missed free throws were the key down the stretch as Westtown made their shots from the field and Germantown missed at the charity stripe. Lee paced 'town with 16 points while Ochefu had 15 (including a key three in OT). Longi Yiljep netted 15 and his brother Nan added 12 for the winners. Bill paced the visitors with 17 points and Stewart added 15. Also on the 20th Friends' Central visited Moorestown and came home with an 84-48 victory. The Phoenix jumped out to a 23-8 first quarter lead and coasted home from there. They placed 10 players in the scoring column and five of those were in double digits (Amile Jefferson - 18, Devin Coleman - 16, Mark Marguiles - 13 and Morris and Robinson 10 each). Rusabh Thosani led all scorers with 19 points for the Foxes. The third game on the 20th saw visiting George School open a five point lead after one period and then hold on at Friends Select for a 43-40 win. Malik Garner led the Cougars with 13 points, while Brett Nagle topped the Falcons with 11. In the final game on the 20th host ANC topped Shipley 66-43. The Lions were paced by Kenny Ross with 17, Warren Gillis with 16 and Malcolm Gilbert with 14 points.
On Wednesday January 21st ANC hosted Friends' Central in a game postponed from January 6th. The Lions held a 26-25 halftime lead, but the Phoenix held the hosts to only 16 second half points while matching their first half output to take home a 50-42 win. Coleman topped the winners with 21 points and Jefferson added 11, while Gillis paced ANC with 15 points and Savon Lloyd-Goodman added 10. The win left Friends' Central with the only unblemished record in league play.
Games played on Friday January 23rd saw Germantown top host Shipley 61-57 in overtime, while Friends' Central cruised past host George School 62-30 and ANC bested Moorestown 85-41. The Tigers learned from their OT loss on Tuesday that free throw shooting is crucial and sank 22 of 26 attempts including 13 of 14 in the 4th quarter and OT. GFS opened a 31-23 halftime lead but Shipley bounced back with a 15-6 third quarter run. Popov led the Tigers with a career high 23 points, while Stewart added 13 and Bill 12. Howard took game scoring honors with 26 points, while John McCann added 17 for the Gators. Friends' Central led 29-9 at the half on the way to their 5th league win at George. Jefferson (14), Morris (13) and Robinson (11) paced the Phoenix, while Kirk Wynn led the Cougars with 9. ANC posted a 23-10 first quarter advantage and never looked back in their game at Moorestown. Ross and Lloyd-Goodman each had 20 and De'Sean Popley added 14 for the Lions, while Mike Stobbe had 18 and Thosani added 10 for the Foxes.
On Saturday January 24th visiting Westtown held Abington to 10 points in each quarter while scoring 12, 13, 12 and 14 themselves en route to a 51-40 win. Lee with 18 and Jiminez with 12 led the winners, while Lerner topped the 'roos with 12 and Pat Dorsey chipped in with 11. Also on the 24th ANC threw a big scare into defending state champion Chester by jumping out to a 16 point lead in the first half before eventually falling to Chester's stifling defense and hot shooting 71-56 in a game televised on local cable. The Lions represented themselves and the league well.
FSL BASKETBALL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME XXVI NO. 2 JANUARY 16, 2009
WESTTOWN, ANC, AND FRIENDS' CENTRAL STILL UNBEATEN IN LEAGUE PLAY
Germantown and Abington opened the new year with homecourt wins on Tuesday, January 6th. The Tigers placed three players in double figures as they opened up a 26-11 halftime advantage en route to a 53-31 win over Moorestown. Seniors Rasheed Stewart and Wes Bill led the hosts with 16 and 14 points respectively, while junior Anton Popov chipped in with 11. Senior Rushabh Thosani paced the Foxes with 10 points (3 threes.) Abington jumped out to a 12-4 lead after one period and then closed the deal with a 21-10 surge in the final stanza on the way to a 57-38 win over Friends Select. Nick Keefer with 12 and Jake Lerner with 11 led the 'roos, while Brett Nagle topped the Falcons scorers with 9 points. Friends' Central's game at ANC was postponed until January 21st.
On Friday, January 9th a full slate of four league games took place, with three of the results being very one-sided and all four visiting teams coming home victorious. Friends' Central traveled to Germantown and scored the first 11 points of the game on the way to a 28-12 first-quarter advantage and an 84-46 win. The Phoenix spread their scoring with 7 players having at least 8 points, led by Devin Coleman with 17. Amile Jefferson and Dominic Morris each had 11 and Peter Chawaga netted 10. Stewart had 15, Popov 14 and Bill 11 for the Tigers. Westtown jumped out to an early 23-12 advantage at Moorestown and finished the game with a 79-36 win. Daniel Ochefu paced 'town with 19 points, while Lusito Jiminez added 15 and Matt Lee 14 for the winners. Jake Montgomery led the Foxes with 10 points. In ANC's 74-34 road win over Friends Select the Lions were led by Warren Gilles' 21 points and 14 each from Savon Lloyd-Goodman and Kenny Ross. Corey Smith led the Falcons with 15. The final contest on the 9th saw Abington top George 50-34.
On Tuesday the 13th host ANC topped George 72-44, outscoring the Cougars 43-18 during the middle two periods. Lloyd-Goodman paced the Lions with 16 points, while Ross added 15 and Gilles 13. Malik Garner topped the visitors with 14 and Arie Manders netted 11. Host Germantown held off Friends Select in the 4th quarter for a 38-31 win. The Tigers brought a 32-17 lead into the final stanza. Stewart led the hosts with 11 points and Bill had 10 while Smith paced the Falcons with 12 points. Abington travelled to Moorestown and expanded a 6 point halftime lead to 10 after three periods on the way to a 58-38 win. Lerner led the 'roos with 18 points and Will Wise added 16. Montgomery topped the Foxes with 18.
On Thursday, the 15th Germantown traveled to Abington and built a 30-17 halftime lead and maintained it on the way to a 48-33 win, the first for the Tigers over the 'roos since 2002. Stewart led the winners with 14, while Joey Gripper and Will Wise each had 9 for the hosts. Also on the 15th Select pulled away from a14-14 tie after one period at Moorestown and steadily built up to a 60-49 final score. Smith again led the Falcons with 17, while Brad Presant added 15. Thosani and Mike Stobbe each had 14 for Moorestown and Montgomery added 10.
FSL BASKETBALL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME XXVI NO. 1 DECEMBER 31, 2008
WESTTOWN AND SHIPLEY GRAB DECEMBER LEAGUE WINS
Westtown and Shipley opened the FSL season early with a December 11th matchup at Shipley. The hosts trailed only by 5 (21-16) after one quarter but Westtown outscored the Gators 41-9 over the middle two periods to set up an easy 71-38 win. Matt Lee paced a balanced attack for the winners with 19 points and Longi Yiljet added 13. Three other players had at least 8 points for 'town. Chima Nwakpuda led the Gators with 13 and Ky Howard added 11.
On December 18th Shipley completed its matchups against the boarding schools with a 58-33 homecourt win over George School. The Gators opened an 18-10 lead after one period and expanded the lead in each successive period. Junior John McCann paced the winners with 14 points, while Howard added 12 and Bakari White netted 11. Malik Garner and Tom Wayda led the Cougars with 13 and 12 points respectively.
December tournament championships went to Westtown (Battle of the Boarding Schools), Friends Select (FSS Invitational), Friends' Central (FCS Invitational), and ANC (Mercersburg Invitational).