City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2nd Annual City Play-By-Play Classic brought six of the best teams in the area to Jefferson University (formerly Philly U) on Saturday afternoon, for three high-powered matchups that had the gym packed all day long.

Here are standouts from the event, which saw Neumann-Goretti outlast Abington, Plymouth-Whitemarsh top Archbishop Wood and Imhotep Charter handle Roman Catholic:

Eric Dixon (2018/Abington)
The powerful lefty had his struggles in the first half with Neumann-Goretti’s center Marcus Littles, but came alive in the second half. The 6-7 junior finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds on the afternoon. Because he was going against the big-bodied Littles, Dixon was forced to shoot more from the outside in the first half. He came alive in the second half, however, when we was able to grab some big time offensive rebounds and put them back for easy buckets. Villanova head coach Jay Wright was on hand to watch Dixon, as were St. Joe’s and Oklahoma State, among others.

Andrew Funk (2018/Archbishop Wood)
Funk poses a unique challenge for defenses. He’s known primarily as a sharpshooter, but the Bucknell commit boasts a quick first step and is capable of driving to the basket when the defense sells out to stop his long range shooting. Funk was Wood’s leading scorer against PW with 15 points. He showed the ability to have a major scoring impact even when his 3-pointers aren’t falling as the 6-4 combo guard went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Ish Horn (2018/Plymouth-Whitemarsh)
Horn was the spark plug that the Colonials needed to outmatch the Catholic League powerhouse, Archbishop Wood. The athletic 6-1 senior put up 20 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field after missing his only shot attempt of the first quarter. Horn turned it on with seven points in the second quarter, and didn’t look back. He has a habit of making highlight passes or finishes around the rim due to his impressive leaping ability. He tacked on 4 assists and three rebounds in PW’s 55-43 win over Wood.

Seth Lundy (2019/Roman Catholic)
In the new realm of “positionless basketball,” Lundy fits the bill as anything from a shooting guard to an undersized ‘4’ who can rebound regardless of position. Before departing in the fourth quarter with a left arm injury, Lundy scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, hitting 5-of-8 from the floor (1-3 3PT) and all seven of his foul shots. His shooting form off the catch is as pure as they come in the area, but he’s becoming much better off the rip, and he didn’t hesitate to stick his nose on the glass against a physical Imhotep frontcourt.

Donta Scott (2019/Imhotep Charter)
Scott has become a do-everything wing in his junior season, and he displayed that by going for 16 points (on 6-of-9 shooting), grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists in Imhotep’s win over Roman. He’s become ‘Tep’s de facto point guard, though his future lies as a combo ‘2’/’3’ who can run a play when needed. Scott’s improved handle was on display in the win, as he continually worked his way into the mid-range, where he he hit several pull-up jumpers and got to the rim on a few other occasions.

Elijah Taylor (2020/Imhotep Charter)
Out of all the players on the loaded ‘Tep roster, Taylor might have made the biggest jump from last year to this year -- and that’s saying something. A 6-8, 220-pound forward, Taylor has gone from a timid big man to a force in the post in the span of 12 months, and he took advantage of an undersized Roman frontcourt to go for 13 points and grab seven rebounds in the Panthers’ win over the Cahillites. He showed a few moves in the paint, including a soft right hook and a strong drop step, and he doesn’t hesitate to run the court hard at every opportunity.

Noah Warren (2018/Neumann-Goretti)
The 6-foot sharpshooter came out of the halftime break and could not miss from deep. He hit four 3’s in the third quarter alone, en route to a 23 point performance. Most of Warren’s shots came off of a pass, where he would come off of a screen fading to right side as he shot. Even with an unconventional release, the shots were falling on Saturday for Warren. He also had duty of bringing the ball up in Abington’s full court press, leading to assists when he found teammates underneath the basket.

Honorable Mention: Lynn Greer (2020/Roman Catholic), Chereef Knox (2019/Imhotep Charter), Dymir Montague (2018/Neumann-Goretti), Naheem McLeod (2019/Plymouth-Whitemarsh), Lucas Monroe (2019/Abington), Julius Phillips (2019/Archbishop Wood), Seth Pinkney (2018/Archbishop Wood), Jamil Riggins Jr. (2019/Imhotep Charter), Ahmin Williams (2018/Plymouth-Whitemarsh)