City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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NEWTOWN — George School’s boys basketball program is not an underdog like David, but the Cougars defeated the Friends Schools League’s Goliath on Tuesday in the FSL tournament semifinal.

Westtown's run of eight-straight FSL titles ended Tuesday night with George School’s 70-39 victory over the defending champs to reach its first championship game since 2002, with a chance to claim the first title in program history.

“Our group is very mature,” junior guard Chrisitan Bliss said. “We (knew) what the stakes (were) going into this game and the next game. There (wasn’t) a lot to say other than in the huddle (where) me and Dante (talked) about how much this game means. But I feel like what’s understood doesn’t have to be said. We (knew) what we’re coming here to do.” 

“We still have one more game to win,” Bliss added. “We’re excited for (Friday).” 

The Cougars’ excitement was tame because it’s not all about championships and winning at George. Head coach Ben Luber has created a culture where his player’s are focused on becoming the best teammates and individuals they can be and where contending for championships is merely a by-product. 

“It feels good,” Luber said, who took over George’s program in 2019. “Our guys played really hard, played together through a rough first quarter, (and) stuck together. That’s all what it's about. Sticking together and going through those ups and downs without trying to do things yourself. I think last time when Westtown beat us we tried to do things ourselves (and) play one on one. I thought our team shared the ball (tonight).” 

“It really has never been about (championships). It’s about individual and team development. We expected to play at a very high level, and do that every game with every opponent. Championships come at the end when you take care of business.” 

Tuesday night’s semifinal matchup was the second time George and Westtown faced one another this year. Seth Berger’s Moose won the first contest 59-51 at George on Jan. 6. 

George led 28-26 at the half in the previous game, but the Cougars’ offense lost its rhythm and the defense couldn't stop Westtown’s offense in the second-half.  

The Cougars wanted to see Westtown again because they didn’t play as the cohesive group that they knew they were in the first meeting. They lacked ball movement, forced too many isolation plays, made poor passes and simply tried to do too much. 

Team captain’s Bliss and Dante Weise were determined to make sure that the result would favor George the second time around. 

“I definitely didn’t have my best showing,” the 6-foot-4 Bliss said of the first meeting. “I learned a lot from it. I think our team learned a lot from it. I didn’t force anything today. I let the game come to me and let my teammates do what they do. I got a lot of trust in them and I really showed that trust today.

“We learned from last game with Westtown that (we had) to be the guys getting our big guys involved. We definitely spoke about getting everything inside first (because) last time we didn’t do a good job at that. We settled for a lot of jumpers early on and in the second half we got out of rhythm.  We watched a lot of film and strategized on how we were gonna get our bigs involved, because that’s what we have to do as point guards, get everyone else involved” 

The whole team hurt after the loss, but they stuck together, stayed focused, and got on the same page. 

“I think it’s important to look (losing) straight in the face,” Luber said about dealing with the Westtown loss. “Failure is a great tool for teaching. We had tough conversations. Christian did not like those conversations at that stage and he’s night and day from that game the first time around, which is a big key to our success.” 

“We talk about how we can do things better. We don’t point fingers at one another, but we honor each other. I look them in the eyes, tell them the truth and say you gotta do better for the team, yourself, for your future, those little things are how you get to this point.” 

“We wanted to get back and see them again,” sophomore Luca Bevilacqua added. “I think this time around we prepared a lot better, and I think we came together as a unit a lot better and played with each other.” 

George’s offense was clicking on all-cylinders and finished with four players in double-figures. 

The Neuman-Goretti transfer, Bevilacqua, finished with 19 points, six rebounds (three offensive), and two blocks. Bliss, who's received offers from several mid-major and a couple high-major programs, recorded 10 points and added, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. 

Kachi Nzeh (Xavier) finished with 10 point-10 rebound (four offensive) double-double despite not scoring in the first half. Carson Mastin finished with 13 points and went 3-for-5 from 3-point land. 

George was in control as Westtown couldn’t quite situate itself on either end of the floor as it adjusted to a new lineup. 

The last time the two FSL foes faced off, Westtown got big performances from seniors Matt Mayock (American) and Se’yphon Tripplett (Stonehill) on the offensive and defensive end, respectively. However, Mayock broke a bone in his arm and Tripplett is no longer with the program. Junior forward and Division I prospect Matt Gilhool was also unavailable for Tuesday’s rematch due to an ankle injury. 

George didn't overlook the reigning champ Moose, who were led by 11 points from Malik Rasul. They top-seeded Cougars handled business like they were the Goliath.

“The next step is to win the championship,” Luber said. “Getting there is not the satisfying part. 

“We’re still the number one seed (and) we want to finish (as) the number one team.”

George didn’t celebrate the win too much; however, Luber and his player’s hung around on the court a little bit longer than usual, soaking up the moment and enjoying the historic night. 

The win got their total to 19 games, which is the most since the 1993-1994 season when George lost to Abington Friends in the championship, 65-54

Luber and his squad will begin preparations for Academy of the New Church, who beat Friends Select 63-49 in the other semifinal game. George defeated ANC, 72-52, on Jan. 24, which helped them secure the tournament’s number one seed. 

Their rematch with the Lions is not guaranteed to go the way it did a few weeks ago. ANC and head coach Kevin Givens are no strangers to championship basketball. Givens has won five FSL titles and appeared in six championships since 2011.  

“It wasn’t that long ago,” Luber said about George’s recent game versus ANC. “I thought we played great defense the first time we played them, rebounded the ball well and we shared it offensively. That formula works at this stage of the season.

“Coach Givens has been there before. We haven’t. It’s all about how we handle ourselves, in that atmosphere and that the atmosphere doesn’t get the best of us. (If) we just stay focused on each other and go all-in, like what we talk about, I think the rest will take care of itself.”

Winning is a major piece of basketball, but it’s not the only thing motivating Luber and the program he’s helped build. George School is driven by their desire for team cohesion and personal development. 

“(There’s) no initial meeting like these are the expectations,” Luber said. “That’s not me. I enjoy coaching these guys and I think they are all having a lot of success individually. For me, that's the satisfying part and I think the reward at the end for all of us is to cut the net down and celebrate as a group. Even if that (doesn’t) happen, I’m still super proud of these guys and they are still going to achieve (their) goals.

“(A championship) wasn’t the number one thing. But now that we’re here, we gotta go get it.”

By Quarter: 

Westtown:  6 | 9 | 9 | 15 || 39 

George:    11 | 14 | 27 | 18 || 52

Scoring: 

Westtown: Rasul 11, Kelsey 9, Wallace 9, Memphis 4, Forsythe 3, Hunter 2, Cloud 1

George: Bevilacqua 19, Mastin 13, Bliss 10, Nzeh 10, Weise 8, Kipper 5, Melniczak 3, Ryabov 2