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Bliss, Nzeh lead George School out from COVID doldrums

01/21/2022, 11:00pm EST
By Rob Rose

Rob Rose (@RobRoseSports)

After watching George School play on Friday night, it would be hard to tell the team had just one practice and had not played a game during the last week.

The Cougars’ strong start to the season has been derailed due to COVID-19 cancellations, but when they are allowed to step on the floor, the result is a victory.


Christian Bliss (above, in Dec.) and George School have only played three games since Dec. 18 due to COVID. (Photo

Since a wild, upset win at Archbishop Wood before Christmas, the Cougars had played only twice, but looked like a team that had been playing together for years against Shipley with a blowout 80-37 win on their home floor.

“It’s been frustrating, but it's a great experience to learn from,” George School head coach Ben Luber said. “With our team, we can stick together through tough times and through adversity and I think tonight was a testament to them to sticking together and staying positive, controlling what we can control.”

Two of the main reasons why George School (8-2, 3-0) can step on the floor and win with ease without much practice are Christian Bliss and Kachi Nzeh. The Division I-bound duo were dominant during the game and outscored Shipley themselves with a combined 45 points.

Bliss found his shot early with eight points in the first quarter and a pair of 3-pointers. He ended the first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and closed the game with 20 points.

While the sophomore had a few special scoring plays of his own, it was a pass of his that was the highlight of the night.

On a fastbreak, Bliss received the ball, passed up an easy layup and instead tossed the ball off the backboard for Nzeh to slam it home. The 6-foot, 8-inch junior had 25 points and was able to do whatever he wanted during the win.

Not many teams have players with the size or talent to negate Nzeh, but Shipley had a player with a shot. Fellow 6-8 junior Raijon Dispensa gave the Gators a chance to make Nzeh work hard with his height, but he was no match for the Cougars’ star.

Nzeh’s focus is on improving his own game, but admitted he was excited to show he could do his thing against someone his own size.

“I want to play my best, but of course in the back of my mind my competitive spirit tells me I want to go after the guy that has potential or is that guy on their team,” Nzeh said. “I don't think I focus on it too much, I still just want to be the best version of Kachi, but obviously the competitive nature of me comes out, and I'm gonna dominate all parts of the game.”

That’s not cockiness from Nzeh; he was dominant in every part of the game vs. Shipley. He had three big dunks, grabbed rebounds all night and hit 3 of 4 free throws. While his huge dunks get the crowd excited, college coaches could be more interested in Nzeh’s ability to step behind the arc.

The junior drilled a pair of 3-pointers during a third-quarter run where George School really pulled away and pushed the lead too far to come back from. Nzeh already has double-digit NCAA D-I offers including Miami, Maryland and Penn State, but Luber said somehow his name isn’t known by all the top college coaches yet.

Despite the long period without practices or games for the Cougars, Luber said Nzeh had been in the gym as much as possible trying to perfect his skills and it showed against Shipley.

“He’s put in a lot of unseen hours, but it's been his secret weapon,” Luber said. “Waking up early in the morning since I met him (at) 5 a.m. multiple days a week. He's dedicated to development getting better, so I think it's all come into play now. He's a very skilled player that’s building confidence, but he puts in the reps and that's just what happens, eventually you see it go in and it builds your confidence.”

While getting an easy win after a week without practice was nice, George School has goals bigger than beating up on teams with losing records. The Cougars have outscored their three 2022 opponents 221-124, but none of them have the talent that teams like Westtown and Academy of the New Church have.

Luber and the Cougars won’t have to wait long to find out if they’re ready to compete with the top teams in the Friends School League on Tuesday when they travel to Academy of the New Church, as long as COVID doesn't cancel another contest like it has since the new year began.

“It’s always in the back of my mind, will we be ready for those tests and I think it just builds my confidence every time I watch these guys performing in live settings,” Luber said. “It's not easy to generate that energy in practice. It's definitely been something that's been a hiccup and we're fighting through, but I think that's what's gonna make us even stronger in the end.”

By Quarter
George:  21  |  11  |  20  |  28  ||  80
Shipley:   9   |   8   |  14  |   6   ||  37

Scoring
George: Kachi Nzeh 25, Christian Bliss 20, Zach White 13, Dante Weise 8, Gestin Liberis 6, Kyle Anderson 6, Evan Heffelfinger 2.

Shipley: Darrien Grady 13, Iman Jackson 9, Raijon Dispensa 8, Justin Powell 5, Bo Donaldson 2.


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