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PBP Classics Wilmington Preview (Dec. 23)

12/21/2021, 10:15pm EST
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics are back in the Philadelphia area after taking last season off, and there’s a number of events chock-full of local teams scheduled to take place in the region during the holiday break.

The first big one of Jeremy Treatman’s showcases will take place on Thursday, Dec. 23, at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del. It’s a five game event that will run from 1:45 PM until the night, featuring some of the region’s top programs: Westtown School, Reading, Imhotep, Neumann-Goretti and more. 

Edit: As of 5:30 PM on Wednesday, the Reading/Lower Merion game has been cancelled. Schedule updated as of 8:45 PM Wednesday night:

Archbishop Ryan vs. Central Dauphin (1:45 PM)
Westtown vs. St. Benedict's (5:15 PM)
Imhotep Charter vs. Neumann-Goretti (7:00 PM)
Roman Catholic vs. Salesianum (8:30 PM)

Tickets are $15-20 and can be purchased in advance here.

Of course, with the Omicron variant currently spreading rapidly across the state and around the country, it’s very possible there will be scheduling changes over the next few days; this was originally scheduled to be a seven-game event.

For now, here’s a look at Thursday’s event: 

Darren Williams (above) is part of a strong sophomore class at Archbishop Ryan. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Central Dauphin vs. Archbishop Ryan (1:45 PM)
Making their way east out of the Harrisburg area, Central Dauphin gets a tough matchup in one of the Catholic League’s top programs in recent years. Ryan alum Joe Zelinski has his Raiders regularly playing deep into the postseason, and he’s got another group that looks plenty capable of doing so. Archbishop Ryan has experienced senior leaders like guards Luke Boyd and Jalen Snead matched with an exciting sophomore class that features 6-9 forward Thomas Sorber, 6-5 wing Jaden Murray and 6-3 guard Darren Williams, all of whom will be on Division I radars before long. The Rams feature their own Division I prospect in senior forward and Niagara signee Donovan Hill, a 6-9 post with length to make a real impact defensively.

Justin Edwards (above) has emerged as one of the top juniors in the country, leading a deep Imhotep Charter squad. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Imhotep Charter vs. Neumann-Goretti (7:00 PM)
The first of several true powerhouse clashes over the remainder of the day, this one should be quite the matchup. The Panthers and Saints are two of the premier programs in the state, both loaded with Division I talent, with a win-every-game-or-else mindset, and there’s undoubtedly a ton of mutual respect between Imhotep’s Andre Noble and Neumann-Goretti’s Carl Arrigale. Imhotep’s 2021-22 squad is built around the junior duo of top-five wing Justin Edwards, a recent Kentucky offerre, and Rahmir Barno, a talented lead guard with his own slate of D-I offers, as well as newcomer Ahmad Nowell, a muscular sophomore guard who’s immediately become a player to watch in the city; that being said, Noble has a rotation 9-10 deep that he’s happy to rotate through, full of shot-makers and high-level defenders. Neumann-Goretti’s just as deep, led by senior guard Masud Stewart, but it’s the sophomore class — guards Khaafiq Myers and Robert Wright III, wing Amir Williams and forward Luke Bevilaquad — that’s going to be fun to watch the next few years. Oh, and don’t forget 6-8 junior forward Sultan Adewale, a high-major recruit who was at St. Louis Christian (Mo.) last year. 

St. Benedict’s (N.J.) vs. Westtown (5:15 PM)
This isn’t just the type of game that’s interesting to college scouts — it might pique the interest of the NBA, too. That’s what happens when two of the premier prep programs in the Northeast go head-to-head, as 7-1, Duke-bound center Dereck Lively II, the No. 1 player in the 2022 class, leads Westtown down to Delaware to take on the Grey Bees. Lively isn’t the only draw for Seth Berger’s Moose; seniors Jameel Brown (Penn State) Alpha Bangura and Quin Berger (undecided), as well as junior shooting guard Matt Mayock, are all D-I prospects, as well as some of the younger members of the Westtown roster. St. Benedict’s is led by junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson, a creative and flashy scorer and finisher, as well as 6-7 junior forward Ladji Dembele; seniors Omarian Jett Dobbs, Jalijah Grant and Everton Browne provide them with depth and pop; keep an eye on 6-9 sophomore Maurice Vassel, a high-upside prospect with a lot of early D-I buzz. 

Daniel Alcantara (above) and Reading are the defending PIAA Class 6A champions. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Reading vs. Lower Merion (7:00 PM)
This is certainly a matchup we could be seeing again come March, as Lower Merion and Reading are amongst the favorites in District 1 and District 3’s 6A fields, respectively. Reading, under the direction of head coach Rick Perez, is the defending PIAA Class 6A state champion, the second one Perez has guided his Red Knights to after he 2017 squad led by current NBA guard Lonnie Walker IV. This year’s Knights are led by senior wing Daniel Alcantera, coming off a fantastic 28-point outing against La Salle College HS this weekend, as well as junior guard Ruben Rodriguez, who plays his summer ball with Team Final. The Aces, under the direction of 32nd-year head coach Gregg Downer, feature the inside-out duo of 6-9 senior and Penn State signee Demetrius Lilley and 6-3 junior guard Sam Brown, who just picked up an offer from Penn last week.

Edit: This game was called off due to COVID protocols.

Salesianum (Del.) vs. Roman Catholic (8:30 PM)
The nightcap features one of Delaware’s best taking on a Catholic League powerhouse, as the Sallies play ‘host’ to the Cahillites for some serious bragging rights. Salesianum features 6-7 senior wing forward Justin Molen, a do-it-all type whose recruitment ranges from scholarship Division I schools to high-academic D-IIIs, though powerful 6-4 sophomore wing guard Isaiah Hynson is looking like one of the bright young prospects in the First State. The Cahillites, who lost in the Catholic League championship in March, feature a pair of senior Division I signees in 6-7 wing Daniel Skillings (Cincinnati) and 6-3 guard Khalil Farmer (Hofstra), plus a terrific junior point guard in Xzayvier Brown and an impressive youngster of their own in freshman Shareef Jackson, whose father Marc Jackson starred in a Roman uniform before embarking on a long NBA career.


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