City of Basketball Love

Ben McWilliams (@benmcwilliams22)
--

Life is often about being in the right place at the right time. But a little divine intervention never hurts.

Trailing by two with a minute left in the game, Penn Charter stifled a drawn-out possession by Germantown Academy and a double team along the baseline knocked the ball loose. But a diving Quaker trying to save the ball from going out of bounds instead flipped it right into the hands of Patriots senior guard Evan-Eric Longino -- standing right under the net -- who laid in the game-clinching bucket.

Good luck? Not according to coach Jim Fenerty.

“We lost my dad in November, two days into practice and then we lost my father-in-law last week,” Fenerty said. “So I think we got some angels up in heaven.”

Longino’s bucket made it a four-point game with 57 seconds to play, allowing Germantown Academy to hold on for a crucial 57-51 win at Penn Charter on Tuesday afternoon.

The Patriots (17-6, 6-2 Inter-Ac) relied on Longino, who logged 10 rebounds and six assists, to control the offensive tempo in the second half. He scored nine of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Fenerty converted the 6-foot-4 Longino to point guard over the summer, a move he believes is vital to the team’s success. The position change was not without its skeptics however, as Longino had proven to be an effective scorer throughout his high school career, but had never seen the bright lights of the ball-dominant point guard spot with current Penn freshman Devon Goodman occupying that spot the last two years.

“The ironic thing is that for years young guys, coaches, were telling me ‘well, you know, I don’t know if he handles the ball well enough,’” Fenerty said. “Well he’s running point guard on a team that’s now 17-6 against the competition that we play. So now they can’t tell me that. What they can tell me is that the kid can play.”

Longino, a four-year starter for Fenerty, has been on the college radar for some time. He currently sits at 1,526 points, fifth all-time in GA history, per TedSilary.com. Longino mentioned Maine as the only Division I program recruiting him, and also claimed offers from D-IIs West Chester, St. Anselm (N.H.), Merrimack (Mass.) & Lincoln University.

But while he’s happy to have scholarship opportunities, he’s still chasing that Division I dream, and the way he’s playing this year he certainly looks the part.

“I’m playing with a chip on my shoulder,” Longino said. “I’ve been working hard to try to up my recruitment. I’ve lost like 15, 20 pounds, trying to get my body right. Because coaches were saying do I look the part, do I look like a D-I guard, I’m making my point -- hopefully, I think, making my point and doing the best I can do.”

In addition to Longino, Patriots senior forward Josh Brownstein scored 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including two 3-pointers Brownstein’s offensive outburst was a welcome sight for the Patriots, who are used to relying on him on the other end of the floor.

“[Brownstein] has been covering everyone in the post for us,” Fenerty said. “He just gives you everything he has.”

“He’s one of our role players but he stepped up today,” Longino added. “He always plays strong, always plays hard, always rebounds well so I’m happy for him and happy that he helped us with this big win.”

GA got off to a blistering start, taking a 23-8 lead in the first quarter, shooting 4-of-5 from three.

Penn Charter (10-11, 1-7 Inter-Ac) answered in the second quarter with 4 three pointers of their own, including a 3-of-3 output from senior guard Mike Hnatowsky.

Penn Charter coach Jim Phillips switched to a zone defense in the second quarter, stalling the red-hot GA offense.

“The zone meant that they were trying to stop us from driving inside,” Longino said. “I thought we could have been more patient and pass around, penetrate the zone, kick out for more shots, I don’t think we did the best job with it.”

The Patriots got back on track in the third quarter, scoring 18 points to take a 48-43 lead into the fourth on the Quakers. Senior wing Kyle McCloskey, a Villanova football commit, had five of his 11 points during that span.

GA used the clock to its advantage in the second half with long possessions to help hang on to its narrow lead. Penn Charter turned up the defensive pressure in response but they struggled to convert on the offensive end and the Patriots never relinquished the lead.

Junior Mason Williams scored 14 points for the Quakers while senior guard Adam Holland poured in 12.

The game was effectively a must-win for the Patriots, who are looking to secure their fifth straight Inter-Ac title. With a game against league-leading Episcopal Academy (14-9, 7-1) and Navy commit Nick Alikakos on Friday, the win was crucial for GA’s title hopes.

“The good thing about my guys is they can read and the bad thing about my guys is that they can read,” Fenerty said. “They know what’s at stake. The seniors especially, I’m starting five seniors and they don’t want to be the ones that let the streak go.”

“Every year, we always have a big game, it’s always against Episcopal, so it should be exciting to get at them again,” Longino added. “That’s for all the marbles.”