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Imhotep tops competitive Beach Ball Classic field in Myrtle Beach

01/02/2017, 12:45pm EST
By Jeff Griffith

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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Imhotep Charter finished up 2016 and entered the new year on a high note, taking first place at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach (S.C.) after an unblemished long weekend.

The Panthers cruised to wins over Christ the King (N.Y.), Bishop Gorman (Nev.) and Dillard (Ill.) to reach the championship game, in which they defeated Evanston (Ill.), 78-76, to win the annual tournament.

“I thought we played really well,” head coach Andre Noble said of his team’s time in South Carolina. “We won all four games and played against a really good team, that Evanston team from the Chicago area that we played in the championship game, it was a great championship game.”

Prolific senior guard and Rhode Island commit Daron Russell was dubbed the event’s MVP after dropping 25 points in Imhotep’s title game victory over Evanston on January 1.

“I thought he played well,” Noble said of Russell. “He was all over the place. I thought the biggest thing he did a phenomenal job is he really, besides scoring which everybody knows he does well, he did a really good job of defending the ball and I thought that really made us go and helped us get out and run.”

His missed game-winning attempt was put back up and in by South Carolina commit David Beatty – who had to win the championship at the buzzer after three clutch free throws by Evanston’s Nojel Eastern to tie the game at 76.

With Beatty’s game-winner, Imhotep (8-1) – which sits at No. 1 in Pennsylvania’s 4A classification – became the first Philadelphia-based team to take home the Beach Ball Classic crown since Simon Gratz in 1992.

“We all jumped on the pile,” Noble said. “They jumped on (Beatty), kind of jumped on the pile, it was obviously super exciting because it was as the buzzer went off that he puts it back in, so we were thrilled for getting a chance to do that.”

The Panthers’ other three victories each came by double digits; Imhotep took down Christ the King by a final of 73-34, Bishop Gorman 72-54 and Dillard 80-54 before their only close contest in the tournament’s finale.

According to Noble, Beatty and Russell weren’t the only standouts of the tournament for his Panthers. As a whole, he thought his team put in a very solid all-around effort, as they had multiple players in double digits each game.

Now, being able to return from warm South Carolina and enter the cold, competitive Public League slate, Noble sees a few areas his team was able to grow during their Beach Ball Classic experience, and hopes those key areas will make a different going into conference play.

“I think we’re better when we have good ball movement, I think our guys have to pull that from this week,” Noble said. “When we get three or four of our guys in double digits, we’re just better basketball team, so I hope we got that out of this weekend.

“Obviously, getting a chance to accomplish something like that as a team, hopefully we learn something about ourselves and we can take it into league play.”




 


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