City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Starting the fourth quarter in a tied game, Pennsbury came out with a clear gameplan: Feed the team’s big man.

On the first few Falcons’ possessions of the fourth quarter against St. Joe’s Prep on Saturday, the ball went inside to Mark Flagg. And twice, the 6-foot-8 center skillfully spun on the baseline and finished with a layup.

Flagg scored his team’s the first six points of the final period as Pennsbury started its season with a 48-43 victory against the Philadelphia Catholic League opponent in the Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic.

“They had guys in foul trouble and we were trying to take advantage of that,” coach Bill Coleman said. "And our mismatches are in the post.  It’s a logical place to go there. We got Mark with some isos and it worked out for us.”

Flagg ended with a team-best 15 points, and 10 of those points came in the second half after the junior was stuck on the bench for a good portion of the first two quarters with foul trouble. It was a sign that Flagg can be a go-to scorer for the Falcons who lost three major contributors to graduation from last season, including center Derrick Woods, who is playing as a freshman at St. Bonaventure.

A 2017 recruit who noted he's getting interest from Patriot League and MAAC schools, Flagg knew he’d have more responsibility this season and prepared for it a lot in the summer on the AAU circuit with the Jersey Shore Warriors. One of the moves he practiced the most since the end of last season? That spin move he showcased multiple times in the fourth quarter.

“I’m comfortable with the role,” Flagg said. “The Jersey Shore Warriors really helped me out in the summer. My spin move was something I worked on a ton and it got me going today.”

Pennsbury was also aided by seven points from point guard Addison Howard, who hit four free throws down the stretch; Joey Monaghan, who added seven points off the bench and starters Tyler Sessa-Reeves and Rob Daly, who evenly split 12 points.

The game was tightly contested throughout and neither team ever took an advantage larger than six points. The Hawks were led by Temi Aiyegbusi and Darius Kinnel, who both scored 12 points.

Aiyegbusi, a 6-3 senior, notched nine of his points before halftime, but was his court time was limited after halftime due to foul trouble. Kinnel, meanwhile, is 5-10 sophomore, and hit one of St. Joe’s Prep’s two 3-pointers. It also looked as though Kinnel would give his team the lead entering the final quarter, but his banked-in triple was discounted at the end of the third quarter, as the refs said it came after time expired.

The Hawks were stymied in the fourth quarter, scoring just four points before the final seven minutes of play. St. Joe’s Prep also struggled with Pennsbury’s press at times in the game, and Coleman credited his squad’s defense as a big reason for the season-opening win.

“The pressure we were able to put on them is what changed the game and kept us in the game," Coleman said. "If we’re able to do that for 32 minutes, it will be a good thing. The one thing we’ll always hang our hat on is defense, whether it’s zone pressure or man pressure. Regardless of who we’re playing, we need to do it.”

The game’s first points also came thanks to the Falcons’ defense, as they turned a steal into a fastbreak dunk for Flagg. It was a strong start to the game in what Flagg and his teammates can use as a launching pad for the 2015-16 campaign.

“It gives us so much confidence for the season,” Flagg said. “Coming out of the SOL and beating a Philly Catholic League team, it’s awesome. …People think we’re down since last year, but I still think we’re still up there. I think we’re a real good team.”