City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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Each Sunday this season, we’ll be putting out a preview of the week to come, with a spotlight on key local matchups. Here’s a look at the upcoming week — Monday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 17

High school hoops are back in full swing with objectively two of the best events of the winter taking place. Wonder who’s running them… The college hoops slate is in a weird spot with many of the small colleges starting to slow down for finals/winter break while the D1 squads are wrapping up their non-league schedules. 

We’ll start with a look at the top college games:

• WBB: Villanova vs. Princeton (Mon., 7 PM)
  Two of last season’s NCAA Tournament squads meet at the Finn on Monday both with 6-3 records and in need of a big win. The Wildcats are coming off a loss to St. Joe’s on Saturday and host a Tigers squad that took them down 69-59 in New Jersey last season.
• MBB: Penn vs. Howard (Mon., 7 PM) 
  There’s an interesting storyline in this one as Howard graduate guard Jelani WIlliams started his career with Quakers, suiting up for Penn in 2021-22.
• MBB: Drexel vs. Albany (Sat., 2 PM)
  Albany head coach Dwayne Killings brings a squad with plenty of local ties to the DAC, including Ny’Mire Little (Westtown), Muneer Newtown (Archbishop Wood), Aaron Reddish and assistant coach Ryan Daly.
• WBB: La Salle vs. Temple (Sun., 1 PM)
  Both squads enter with 0-2 records against city rivals this season, looking to pick up their first Big 5 wins of the season. The Explorers will have 10 days of rest following their fourth loss of the season.
• WBB: Drexel vs. Florida State (Sun., 2 PM)
  The Dragons welcome what is currently a Top 25 Seminoles squad to the DAC on Sunday afternoon with eight days to prepare. Florida State sophomore guard Ta’Niya Latson, an All-American honorable mention last season, is one to watch. She’s averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg.

In the high school world, here are a few games and events of note:

• Boys: Lower Merion vs. Garnet Valley (Tues., 7 PM)
  Two early unbeatens in the Central League match up. There’s no stars for the aces, but seniors John Mobley, Owen McCabe and Adam Herrenkohl have helped the Aces to some big wins already. Jake Sniras and the Jaguars look to make an early statement that they’re the team to beat in the Central League.
• Girls: Villa Maria vs. Gwynedd Mercy (Tues., 5 PM)
  The AACA is up for grabs this season, so an early-season showdown between last season’s champ and runner-up will give a hint at who the favorite in the league is in 2023-24.
• Girls: Friends’ Central vs. Penn Charter (Tues., 5:30 PM)
  Two of the top three or four girls teams in the area meet up with D1 talent scattered all over the floor, highlighted by FCS versatile 6-4 junior Logyn Greer and Penn Charter freshman Ryan Carter, both high-major targets.
• Girls: George School vs. Perkiomen School (4:30 PM)
  An interesting matchup of prep teams pits a pair of D1 commits against each other as 6-5 Delaware commit Gianna Johnson leads the Cougars, while 6-foot La Salle commit Lauren Patnode spearheads the Panthers.
• Boys: Cheltenham vs. Upper Moreland (Fri., 7PM)
  The Panthers and Golden Bears look like the two early favorites in the SOL Freedom standings. This should be a fun one with good guards and intriguing size on both sides.
• Boys: Diane Mosco Classic @ Archbishop Wood (Sat.)
  This event never seems to disappoint with games with plenty of talent and great games typically filing the floor. An early matchup of Coatesville and St. Joe’s Prep and late afternoon game between Spring-Ford and Neumann-Goretti give two of District 1’s best tests against the Philadelphia Catholic League. There will be a full event preview of the event this week.
• Boys: CoBL Winter Showcase @ Harriton (Sat.)
  After a fun boys event at Exeter last weekend, CoBL hosts its second boys event of the winter at Harriton on Saturday. The slate starts at 2 p.m. with Abington vs. Pennsbury and continues with West Chester Henderson-Cardinal O’Hara, Harriston-Great Valley and Unionville-Haverford School.
• Girls: CoBL Girls Winter Classic @ Jefferson (Sun.)
  CoBL’s first girls event features 14 games on two courts at Jefferson University beginning at 9 a.m. and going all the way into the evening. We’ve got the top public and private school teams in the area as well as a few powers from out of town. High-powered Westtown plays a loaded Blair Acad. (N.J.) team in one of the games of the day.
• Boys: Post & Pivot Reindeer Games @ Cristo Rey (Sun.)
  A five game slate in North Philadelphia features North Catholic vs. Constitution, Haverford School vs. Samuel Fels, Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)  vs. Springside-Chestnut Hill Acad., Academy New Church vs. New Hope (Md.) and Cristo Rey vs. Devon Prep.

Weekly Schedule

Note: this is not the complete schedule of every local high school game; CLICK HERE for the full boys’ slate and CLICK HERE for the girls’ schedule. Included are every Big 5 game (home and away) plus local D-II and D-III games of note. Home team listed first unless @ symbol used.

Mon., December 11
Boys: Archbishop Carroll vs. Eng. & Sciences (6 PM)
Boys: Pottsgrove vs. Upper Moreland (6:45 PM)
Boys: Lansdale Catholic vs. PJP II (7:00 PM)
Boys: Neshaminy vs. Upper Merion (7:00 PM)

Girls: Central vs. Imhotep (4:30 PM)
Girls: Bonner vs. PJP II (7:00 PM)

WBB: Villanova vs. Princeton (7 PM)
MBB: Penn vs. Howard (7 PM) 

Tues., December 12 
Boys: West Philly vs. Constitution (3:15 PM)
Boys: Penn Charter vs. Friends’ Central (5:30 PM)
Boys: Downingtown West vs. West Chester Henderson (6:45 PM)
Boys: Lower Merion vs. Garnet Valley (7 PM)
Boys: Council Rock North vs. Council Rock South (7 PM)

Girls: Villa Maria vs. Gwynedd Mercy (5 PM)
Girls: Friends’ Central vs. Penn Charter (5:30 PM)
Girls: West Chester Rustin vs. Sun Valley (6:45 PM)

Weds., December 13
Boys: Germantown Academy vs. Friends’ Select (5:30 PM)
Boys: Friends’ Central vs. Pennington School (6 PM)
Boys: Cardinal O’Hara vs. Perkiomen Valley (7 PM)
Boys: Malvern Prep vs. Bonner-Prendergast (7 PM) 

Girls: George School vs. Perkiomen School (4:30 PM)

MBB: Holy Family vs. Cheyney (6 PM) 

Thurs., December 14 
Boys: La Salle vs. Episcopal Academy (4 PM)
Boys: Constitution vs. Math, Civics & Sciences (6:30 PM, Ben Franklin)
Boys: Downingtown West vs. Coatesville (6:45 PM)
Boys: Conestoga vs. Lower Merion (7 PM)
Boys: Harriton vs. Penncrest (7 PM)
Boys: West Catholic vs. West Philadelphia (7:30 PM)

Girls: Gwynedd Mercy vs. SCH Academy (5:15 PM)
Girls: Villa Joseph Marie vs. Conwell-Egan (5:15 PM)
Girls: Pennsbury vs. CR South (7 PM)
Girls: Upper Dublin vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh (7 PM)
Girls: Lower Merion vs. Conestoga (7 PM)

WBB: Temple vs. Delaware (7 PM)

Fri., December 15
Boys: Methacton vs. Perkiomen Valley (6:45 PM)
Boys: Cheltenham vs. Upper Moreland (7 PM)
Boys: Abington Friends vs. SCH Academy (7 PM)
Boys: Roman Catholic vs. Scranton Prep (7 PM, Holy Family)

Girls: Merion Mercy vs. Agnes Irwin (5:30 PM)
Girls: Perk Valley vs. Methacton (6:45 PM)
Girls: CB West vs. Pennridge (7 PM)

Sat., December 16
CoBL Winter Showcase @ Harriton
2 PM: Abington vs. Pennsbury 
3:45 PM: West Chester Henderson vs. Cardinal O’Hara 
5:30 PM: Harriton vs. Great Valley
7:15 PM: Unionville vs. The Haverford School 

Diane Mosco Classic @ Wood
12:00 PM: Coatesville vs. St. Joseph’s Prep
1:30 PM: West Chester Rustin vs. Bensalem
3:00 PM: Imhotep vs. Reading
4:30 PM: Spring-Ford vs. Neumann-Goretti
6:00 PM: Central York vs. Father Judge
7:30 PM: Archbishop Wood vs. Salesianum (Del.)

Girls: West Chester Rustin vs. Central Bucks East (1 PM)

MBB: La Salle @ Miami (Fl.) (12 PM)
MBB: Jefferson vs. Saint Anselm (1 PM)
MBB: Temple @  VCU (2 PM)
MBB: Drexel vs. Albany (2 PM)
WBB: Villanova @ St. John’s (6 PM)
MBB: Saint Joseph’s @ Iona (Elmont, N.Y.) (7 PM)

Sun., December 17
CoBL Winter Classic @ Jefferson 
9:00 AM: Conestoga vs. Great Valley
9:15 AM: Bishop Shanahan vs. Kennett
10:30 AM: Cardinal O’Hara vs. Penn Charter
10:45 AM: Pennsbury vs. Germantown Acad.
12::00 PM: Neumann-Goretti vs. Spring-Ford
12:15 PM: Audenried vs. Shipley School
1:30 PM: South Shore Christian (Mass.) vs. Friends’ Central
1:45 PM: Perkiomen Valley vs. Sanford School (Del.)
3:00 PM: Westtown School vs. Blair Academy (N.J.)
3:15 PM: Springfield-Delco vs. Archbishop Ryan
4:30 PM: Archbishop Carroll vs. George School
4:45 PM: Nazareth Acad. vs. Notre Dame
6:00 PM: Upper Dublin vs. Council Rock South
6:15 PM: West Catholic vs. Abington

Post & Pivot Reindeer Games @ Cristo Rey 
12:30 PM: North Catholic vs. Constitution
2:15 PM: Haverford School vs. Samuel Fels
4:00 PM: Mt. Zion Prep (Md.) vs. Springside-Chestnut Hill Acad.
5:45 PM: Academy New Church vs. New Hope (Md.)
7:30 PM: Cristo Rey vs. Devon Prep

WBB: La Salle vs. Temple (1 PM)
WBB: Drexel vs. Florida State (2 PM