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Donofrio Classic Report: March 23, 2016

03/23/2016, 11:45pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Here’s a recap of the action from the Donofrio Classic on Wednesday, March 23, 2016:

Game One: Despite trailing by nine at half, the Yellow Jackets came roaring back in the second half to advance to the second round with a 91-76 win over a Hunting Park squad whose roster looked quite different from the advertised one. The Yellow Jackets were helped by a strong second half from soon-to-be Cornell forward Josh Warren (2016/Downingtown West), who had 18 of his 19 points after halftime; another forward who played well over the closing 20 minutes is future Kutztown forward Max Wagner (2016/Pennridge), with 11 of his 13 after the break.

Game Two: Positive Image II picked up a 97-82 win over the Del-Val Toros in a game that they led from early on all the way through. Springside-Chestnut Hill junior Zuri Peyton dropped 26 points to lead Positive Image, which also got 19 points from Bartram senior Greg Kercy and Southern junior Damian Bryant, plus 17 from Lenape junior Justin Kupa. Del-Val got a 30-point effort from Hatboro-Horsham junior Jay Davis plus 17 from Spring-Ford junior Lance Ford.

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Clifton Moore (above) is starting to draw the interest of several Division I programs for his size and shooting ability. (Photo: Abigail Hoffer/CoBL)

Hatters' Moore prepares for big summer
During his junior year, Hatboro-Horsham forward Clifton Moore made progress towards achieving his ultimate dream: a Division I scholarship.

A 6-foot-9, 180-pound forward, Moore burst onto the scene over the last few months, drawing the attention of several programs. Coaches from St. Joe’s, George Mason, La Salle, Lafayette and Lehigh came to his games, though it’s only interest at this point.

“Feels good, makes me know that I’m getting better, but I still want to get better,” he said. “I have some stuff I want to work on, need to work on, so it’s good to be in this tournament and showcase my skill.”

Moore is currently best described as a stretch-forward, especially at the high school level as his height all but requires that he play in post even though his biggest strength is his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting.

This summer, while he plays with his AAU team, Hoopdreamz, Moore wants to expand his perimeter game to make himself more of a valuable commodity at the next level, where he hopes he can play on the wing.

“I’m looking to work on my dribble for sure, because I’m going to be a guard next year who also can play in the post,” he said “I want to work on my shot a little bit more and getting to the basket and finishing.”

What’s perhaps most intriguing about Moore is that he might only be scratching the surface of his potential. He’s already grown from 6-7 to 6-9 over the last few months, and according to his doctors he might not be done.

“I’m off the charts, (the doctors) don’t know,” he said. “They said I was going to be 6-10 two years ago, but then I just keep growing. So they don’t know.”

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Quick Hits
--The Yellow Jackets have a lot of size, and they were able to use it to their advantage in the win over Hunting Park to open up the evening. Strath Haven’s junior forward, John Harrar, got a good amount of his 17 points on clean-up work, getting to the weakside glass and putting in several misses from point-blank range. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound big man will be playing with the PA Renegades this spring, and could certainly see himself in the Division II range with a strong summer and senior season.

--Valley Forge Military Academy 2018 F Abraham Deng looked very raw when I saw him during the regular-season, though his 6-10 frame and raw athleticism is certainly intriguing. Today, he seemed to benefit from a more up-and-down pace that allowed him to show his ability to run the floor and change shots around the rim, as well as grab a few rebounds out of his area. He’s still very raw offensively and still shouldn’t do much more than catch and finish around the rim, but Deng has good instincts and hands, and with continued work should be a Division I prospect before long.


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