City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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At this time last year, Springfield head coach Kevin McCormick was not sure exactly what he had in terms of personnel coming back. It was a team that went through inconsistent stretches despite having seniors such as Kyle Ryan, Mason Liberty, Steve Randolph and Nick Fox. The 2015-16 team also featured transfers in Great Orjih (Ridley) and Kyle Sullivan (Cardinal O’Hara).

The Cougars missed the District 1 playoffs and McCormick thought he had a lot of work to do to mold an inexperienced group back into district playoff form. After missing the playoffs despite having so many seniors for newer players to look up to and learn from, there looked to be a long road ahead.

“None of this group was a part of last year. We had a group of seniors who gave us everything they had. Kyle Long turned his ankle in the tenth or eleventh game. Sullivan had a long stretch where he was out,” McCormick said. “We really came back with not a whole lot of experience but a whole lot more athleticism.”

Those transfers along, with their point guard Long, were integral parts of the Cougars’ success in their return to the District 1 playoffs. After a decisive second-quarter run, No. 10 Springfield didn’t look back on its way to 58-42 opening round victory over No. 7 Holy Ghost Prep in the District 1 Class 5A playoffs.

Long was the catalyst, scoring 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and recording four steals. Sullivan added eight points after being held scoreless through the first two quarters. Orjih notched 10 points and led the team with five rebounds. Webb also chipped in eight points.

It was total team effort but it appeared to be a redemption effort as well.

Orjih, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, came out and scored Springfield’s first bucket of the game. His second basket came during that second quarter run and gave the team a 19-11 lead with 3:11 left before halftime. Webb, a 5-10 guard who had never played high school basketball before joining the Cougars midway through the season -- he takes classes at Cyber Charter -- tallied four straight points during that run.

Sullivan, who came in as the team’s leading scorer, hit his first shot on a 3-pointer from the corner to begin the third quarter then hit another only 44 second later off an assist in transition from Long.

Sullivan, who played on the freshman team at O’Hara then swung between JV and varsity during his sophomore year, is amazed how far this group has come in terms of becoming more united and translating that into team success.

“I never thought I’d be standing on a court [after a district playoff win.] Two years ago, I was at O’Hara then I come here and meet these guys,’ Sullivan said. “I think we just gelled and started from something but built into something. We all get along really well and we’re looking to build on this.”

While Orjih, Sullivan and Webb have been integrated into specific roles, Long was a player whose role had already been defined. Long had played significant minutes for Springfield (14-9) last year but going down with an ankle injury and the Cougars were without their floor general for the remainder of the year. With him back in the lineup, the offense is more fluid and the results are showing up in the win-loss column. Long feels the team is hitting its stride at the right time.

“They’re very talented and they knew going in, if they play right, they can put themselves in good position in these district playoffs,” Long said. “That was the mentality going in.”

Holy Ghost (16-10) started off strong on its home floor running out to an 11-8 advantage after the opening quarter, spearheaded by senior Mike McFadden (eight points) and sophomore Ryan Starapoli (six points, five rebounds, two steals). The Firebirds couldn’t find an answer in the second quarter then things got drastically worse in the third as McFadden recorded a steal then attempted a shot while being undercut by Springfield’s Ja’Den McKenzie. After falling awkwardly on his left ankle, McFadden lay on the ground for several minutes before being helped off by two teammates. He did return but he was a nonfactor for the remainder of his final Holy Ghost game.

The Cougars jumped on McFadden’s absence hitting four three-pointers in the third quarter alone plus two baskets by Long and Webb to push the lead to 42-26 heading into the final quarter. Springfield led by double digits for the entire second half and led by as many as 19. Springfield hit 10-12 from the free-throw line in the final quarter and Orjih’s basket with 2:07 left put the finishing touches on a dominating win.

Despite everything his team has endured to get to this point, McCormick saw all of his team’s hard work come to fruition in the first round of the district playoffs and feels last year may have actually been a positive

“We needed last year to get to this year; we needed that transition. We needed chip on our shoulder,” McCormick said. “These guys came out with it this year. Early in the year, we didn’t have that cohesiveness and lost some games…We think we’re now at the most cohesive point in the season.”

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In other District 1 5A action:

No. 1 Chester 75, No. 16 Upper Moreland 59
Jamar Sudan led the way for Chester as they downed Upper Moreland in the first round in 5A district play; the senior chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds for the host Clippers. Upper Moreland trailed by seven at the break, but the perennial district powerhouse was able to hold on for the win. Ahrod Carter and Brian Randolph contributed 10 and 12, respectively.

No. 2 Great Valley 54, No. 15 Upper Perkiomen 43
After leading 21-15 at half, the Patriots of Great Valley never looked back as they defeated Upper Perk 54-43. Alex Capitano led all scorers with 16, including going 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch. Great Valley as a team finished 18-20 from the stripe. For the visiting Indians, Ryan Kendra scored 16, while big man Nolan Graber added 10 points and 8 rebounds.

No. 3 Penncrest 51, No. 14 Harriton 44
Tyler Norwood scored 23 and Justin Ross added 14 as the Lions triumphed over the visiting Rams. That was revenge for Penncrest, which had lost to Harriton during the Central League season by six in late January. It was a 23-20 lead at the half for Penncrest, which widened that advantage to eight during the third quarter and then held on for the win.

No. 4 Bishop Shanahan 59, No. 13 Academy Park 39
The Eagles flew away from the Knights early, jumping out to an 33-14 halftime lead as Danny Browne scored all 11 of his points in the first half. Academy Park never threatened down the stretch as Shanahan moved on behind 19 points from senior forward John Kozinski and a 12-point, eight-rebound outing from junior forward Kevin Dodds. Senior guard Nick Simmons led AP with 17 points. 

No. 5 West Chester Rustin 57, No. 12 Glen Mills 50
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No. 8 Upper Merion 55, No. 9 Strath Haven 45
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No. 11 Wissahickon 67, No. 6 Phoenixville 48
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