City of Basketball Love

Jerome Taylor (@ThatGuy_Rome)
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EXTON, Pa. – After giving up a twelve-point lead to start the half, Collegium Charter had to keep its composure if it wanted to secure the victory. 

And the most composed player on the court was also the player who impacted the game in the most ways: Duce Jackson. 

“He just does everything for us,” Collegium head coach Markel Jones said. “I asked him to bring the ball up this year, get other guys their shots, and then he got into his own flow. He’s really our leader out there.” 

Jackson finished the game with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in Collegium’s 59-54 win over their rival Church Farm on Wednesday. 

The win took on extra importance because of the schools' proximity. Not just geographically — a 15-minute drive down Lincoln Highway separates the schools — but in the standings too. The Cougars (7-2) came into the game just a half game behind Church Farm (7-2) in the Bicentennial League.

“This is a rivalry we always get up for this game, and it had a lot of implications,” Jones said. “It moves us up in the league standings, and I’m pretty sure we’ll see this team again.” 

From the start, Jackson showed how many ways he could impact the game, even when he didn’t score. Specifically, he was actively getting his teammates involved, finishing the first half with 5 assists. 

The senior has had to take on additional responsibility as the primary playmaker this year without guards like K’Mari Smith (transferred to  West Chester Henderson) and Dinero Washington (deemed ineligible by the PIAA).

“Ball handling is something I’ve been working on my entire life,” Jackson said. “But now I have to do it for my team so we can win, so I have to stay composed and not let the pressure rattle me.” 

The players on the receiving end of a lot of those first-half assists – Travon Mack, Evan Schinitzius, and Aaron Pitt — helped the Cougars get out to a 33-21 lead at halftime. 

“We started the game hot, we were just trying to play hard and match their energy because they were talking crazy before the game, and that energy was really there,” Jackson said. 

But the Griffins came out in the second half with a different level of intensity. And they used their speed to their advantage, upping their ball pressure, resulting in several steals leading to transition points. 

By the 4:52 mark in the third quarter Church Farm had tied the game 33-33 on a Gavriel Henriquez-Peralta layup. But the 12-0 run was just the beginning, as the Griffins headed into the 4th quarter leading 43-41. 

“We knew they were going to make a run, they’re a 9-3 team, they’re a good team, we just knew we had to play through that adversity,” Jones said. 

In the fourth quarter, the game became a back-and-fourth affair until the final minute before the Cougars closed the game out, thanks to some clutch play from their upperclassmen. 

After Henriquez-Peralta gave the Griffins a 54-53 lead with 55 seconds remaining, Nick Kiley countered with a putback to put the Cougars up one. Then on the next Collegium possession, Mack knocked down two free throws with 24 seconds left, 57-54 Cougars. 

Jackson iced the game by splitting his two free throw opportunities in the final 20 seconds to secure the victory for the Cougars.

Dock Mennonite leads the Bicentennial with a 9-0 mark. Collegium is now only a half game out of second place, behind Delco Christian (7-1), as the Cougars try to carry on the winning ways from last year’s District 1 4A championship team. 

“At the end of the day, we started something last year going 27-3, and we want to continue that, trying to keep that winning culture,” Jones said. 

By Quarter:

Collegium: 17 | 16 | 8 | 18 || 59

Church Farm: 13 | 8 | 22 | 11 || 54

Scoring:

Collegium: Duce Jackson 15, Aaron Pitt 12, Evan Schinitzius 11, Travon Mack 11, Nick Kiley 6, Nashier Buchanan 4

Church Farm: Cooper Shivers 18, Gavriel Henriquez-Peralta 9, Neiman Smith 9, Andre Anyimah 8, Mason Jarvis 6, Mohamed Sow 2, Larry Paul 2