City of Basketball Love

Jerome Taylor (@ThatGuy_Rome)

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LOWER MERION — The 15th Kobe Bryant Classic opened with a head-to-head showdown between teams with two of the best guards in the nation, and Jalil Bethea and Darryn Peterson did not disappoint. 

In a whistle-filled affair, Bethea and Peterson showed why they are such highly touted prospects. Peterson’s Huntington Prep (W.Va.) came into town to take a 73-70 win over Archbishop Wood in Kobe Bryant Gymnasium. 

“When I walked in the gym, I got chills. This is the place Kobe put this school on the map,” Huntington Prep head coach Arkell Bruce said. “It put chills down my spine to see the old photos. It was a beautiful site to see, and we’re honored to be here.”

Peterson (No. 3 in the 247Sports 2025 rankings) was everything advertised: a big, athletic guard who can hurt you at both ends and could score at all three levels, something Archbishop Wood learned early in the game.

He finished with 31 points, six rebounds, two assists, four steals and three blocks. He was specifically proficient from the mid-post, knocking down fadeaways that the tournament's namesake inspired. 

“Footwork, in the post, fadeaways, I definitely locked in on that, and then just the mentality,” Peterson said of the things that Kobe inspired in his game. “I touched the court (the hardwood in the Bryant Gymnasium hallway), and I felt like that spirit was lingering.” 

By halftime, Peterson, who recently signed two separate high-profile NIL deals with Adidas and Fanatics, had 21 points as Huntington Prep took a 36-32 lead at the half. 

“Peterson got anywhere on the floor he wanted to. It looked like men against boys,” Archbishop Wood head coach John Mosco said. 

On the other end of the floor, Bethea had some frustrating moments starting the game, including picking up a technical foul in the first quarter. 

Despite that, the Miami (Fla.) commit was still uber-effective. He broke down his defenders off the dribble to get the rim and convert. When he didn’t, he drew fouls and went 13-for-14 at the free-throw line en route to a 29-point outing. 

“He’s got to calm [the technicals] down. People came to see him… he’s just got to play within himself. He ended up with 29 and didn’t even know he had that… If he doesn’t pick up one bad [foul] here or there, it helps,” Mosco said. 

The third quarter of Saturday afternoon’s game contained the most drama. Powered by an eight-point quarter by Peterson, Huntington Prep took a 49-37. 

It looked like they were beginning to pull away.  

But with 3:23 remaining in the quarter, Peterson picked up his fourth foul, forcing Bruce to put his star player on the bench for the remainder of the third and most of the fourth quarter.

It set the stage for the other star guard on the court to display what happens if he gets space beyond the arc. Bethea knocked down three straight threes, and with some solid defense and contributions from Drexel-bound Josh Reed (17 points) and sophomore Brady MacAdams (12 points), the Vikings made it a 56-51 game heading into the fourth quarter.

“They were at a different level. Once we settled down and figured we could play with them, we got back in the game,” Mosco said.

Despite a valiant effort led by Reed, Betha, and Macadams in the fourth quarter, the Vikings could not fully close the gap. Timely free throw shooting from Huntington Prep junior Micah Tucker (6-for-8 from the free throw line) in the final frame kept the Vikings at bay as Huntington Prep left the Main Line with a victory. 

The silver lining for Mosco and Wood is this game and the rest of their out-of-league schedule will prepare them for the challenges that await them in the Catholic League.

“[Archbishop] Ryan is probably as big as this team. [Huntington Prep] had guys on the bench that looked like they played for the Sixers, and they didn’t get in,” Mosco said. 

“We play a hard schedule preseason to try and get ready for the Catholic League. I coached under Carl Arrigale, and that’s how I was brought up – we’re getting ready for the wars of the Catholic League, hopefully tonight makes us better.”

By Quarter

Huntington Prep: 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 || 73

Archbishop Wood:   14 | 18 | 19 | 19 || 70

Scoring

Huntington Prep: Peterson 31, Gilkes 16, Payne 9, Tucker 6, Tingler 4, Hawthorne 4, Kuany 3, 

Archbishop Wood: Bethea 29,  Reed 17, Macadams 12, Dean 6, Howell 4, Jenkins 2

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Lower Merion 75, Methacton 70

The Aces improved to 4-0 behind a 26-point night from senior Adam Herrenkohl. 

Both teams started out red hot with the Warriors holding a 26-24 first-quarter lead after drilling four triples in the period. Junior Sal Iemmelo scored nine of his 23 in the period. Herrenkohl and Jayden Robinson (13 points) combined for 16 points in the second period to help the Aces reclaim the lead, 46-38 at halftime.

The Warriors trimmed the deficit to six by the end of the third. They eventually tied the game for a brief moment in the fourth, but a strong finishing kick delivered the Aces a victory. 

Senior John Mobley added 11 points for Lower Merion. Senior Alex Hermann (15) and sophomore Christian Matos (13) joined Iemmello in double figures for the Warriors, who dropped to 2-1.

By Quarter

Methacton: 26 | 12 | 18 | 14 || 70

Lower Merion:   24 | 22 | 16 | 13 || 75

Scoring

Methacton: Sal Iemmello 23, Alex Hermann 15, Christian Matos 13, Anthony Daddazio 9, Mason Conrad 5, Manny Rodriguez 3, Wes Robinson 2.

Lower Merion: Adam Herrenkohl 26, Jayden Robinson 13, John Mobley 11, Owen McCabe 9, Justin Mebane 9, Carson Kasmer 7