Philly Basketball 24 • 7 • 365

City of Basketball Love

Current Section

Home

Diane Mosco Shootout Standouts (Dec. 16, 2023)

12/18/2023, 6:00pm EST

By CoBL Staff

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
__

WARMINSTER — The Diane Mosco Shootout took place on Saturday afternoon at Archbishop Wood High School, featuring six high-level boys basketball games. CoBL was there for the duration. Here’s who stood out during the day:

~~~

Coatesville 60, St. Joe’s Prep 56
West Chester Rustin 62, Bensalem 56
Imhotep Charter 78, Reading 54
Neumann-Goretti 75, Spring-Ford 45
Father Judge 77, Central York 61
Archbishop Wood 84, Salesianum (Del.) 54

~~~

Wood senior Jalil Bethea scored 27 points. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Jalil Bethea (2024 | Archbishop Wood)
Bethea’s first points came on a deep three-pointer and his last came on a three from the corner. In between, the Miami (Fla.) recruit had an eventful evening that featured some layups, a lot of free throws, some midrange looks and a pair of second half dunks. Bethea’s soaring slam of a Mike Green lob punctuated the night for the Vikings, his second three coming a few plays later to cap a 27-point night. On top of that, Bethea added nine rebounds and three assists in a high-tempo outing.

E.J. Campbell (2024 | Springford)
Campbell, like the rest of his team, had a tough time getting going in the first half, scoring just five points across the two quarters. The point guard had a tough time getting by Neumann-Goretti’s pesky guards, but got it going in the third quarter, scoring eight points. Campbell scored 14 of his 19 in the second half, shooting 8-14 from the field. The senior did most of his damage on quick mid-range pull-up jumpers. Campbell often used his speed to get downhill, getting his defender off balance before rising up to shoot.

Chaz Davis (2024 | West Chester Rustin)
On a day when Ben Malley stole the show, Davis provided a much needed boost with his play in the paint at both ends of the floor. The 6-8 senior big man poured in 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to spur the victory over Bensalem. His length provided problems for the Owls guards when they drove into the lane and as the game wore on, he found soft spots in the defense to get free and finish off the glass. When the defense keyed on Malley, he got loose for a lob, which he turned into an and-one, and also hit a jumper from the baseline. Davis is evolving as a legitimate post threat for the Knights and that bodes well moving forward.

Amir Drummond (2024 | Bensalem)
Drummond didn’t start the game but came in less than two minutes into the first quarter and gave the Owls the spark they were missing. The 5-6 senior lefty scored 10 of his 13 points in the opening half to give Bensalem a 32-26 lead at the break. The Knights struggled with the left-handed guard, who could not only finish around the rim but also absorbed contact when driving to the rim. He converted two and-ones, including one where Davis closed down on him and Drummond powered through off the window. He’s a strong guard who gives the Owls a high-scoring bench guard to deploy when they need a lift.

Central York wing Greg Guidinger impressed against Judge. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Greg Guidinger (2024 | Central York)
Down key juniors Ben Natal and Ben Rill against Father Judge, the unsigned senior took on a huge workload offensively and he carried it well. Guidinger came out of the gates hot with a catch-and-shoot three from deep. Then, in the midst of a few two-point buckets, he drew two fouls on threes and made all 6 free throws. His 17 points in the opening quarter gave CY a 22-17 lead. Even as Judge tried to crowd his dribble by throwing a smaller-but-quicker defender on him and sometimes blitzing him on the catch, Guidinger still found avenues to create from the elbow. He kept his team in the game by using his strength to drive through his man for layups and his height advantage to shoot over him on turnaround jumpers. In the end, Central York fell short. However, Guidinger contributed 30 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Larenzo Jerkins (2024 | Neumann Goretti)
Jerkins is making the most of his time with Neumann Goretti after being ruled ineligible by the PIAA. Jerkins was a dominant force down low in a 75-45 win over Spring Ford, scoring 13 points, while shooting 7-for-9 from the field. Jerkins attacked the offensive glass and used his bulky frame to muscle smaller defenders out of the way. Jerkins got in the passing lane during the first half, leading to a thunderous slam in transition. In the second half he maneuvered his way down the paint with the ball before throwing down another jam.

Ben Malley (2025 | West Chester Rustin)
It was a career day for Malley, who tallied 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Knights to a win. Sixteen of those points came in the first half as the 5-10 floor general maximized his mid-range pull-up jumper to perfection. Scoring off a variety of floaters and elbow jumpers, Malley aka “Jet” showed off that quickness with his first step and swift swing through to get to his spots. While he did hit a pair of three-pointers, most of his damage was done inside the arc. Malley is excelling in his first season as a varsity starter on a team that needs his production.

Jaidyn Moffitt (2024 | Bensalem)
The Owls do not have much in the way of size, but don’t tell that to the 6-1 senior forward who went toe to toe with the 6-8 Davis for four quarters. Moffitt used his lower body and solid frame to shield the long big man and other Rustin forwards on his way to 14 points and 15 rebounds. He was all over the glass by blocking out Davis and basically anyone else who entered the painted area. Offensively, he lived with a dropstep and finish throughout the day and West Chester Rustin had no answer for him, specifically in the first half when he had 10 of his points. If he can duplicate this stat line with regularity, it benefits the Owls who boast a plethora of good guards.

Father Judge sophomore Derrick Morton-Rivera scored 22 points against Central York. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Derrick Morton-Rivera (2026 | Father Judge)
The 6-3 sophomore is still growing into his body but his long arms and rangy array of moves allow him to control the game in several ways. The shooting form is what immediately sticks out as he drilled three three-pointers in the first half. The smooth stroke and high arc give him the ability to shoot over smaller defenders and the quick release doesn't give the defense a chance to close out on him. He also rebounds well for a guard by using his length in the paint then keeps the ball high for easy putbacks as he did in the fourth quarter with all eight of his points coming in the paint. He finished with 22 points, five rebounds and three steals. The Crusaders are a legit threat in the Philadelphia Catholic League and Morton-Rivera is a huge reason why.

Khaafiq Myers (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)
Myers set the tone against Spring Ford in the first quarter, scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first quarter in a blowout win. Myers didn’t play in Neumann’s previous game against Salesianum (Del.), but came out aggressive early. The point guard looked for his shot, knocking down his first five, including a few mid-range jumpers and strong drives to the basket. Myers was also disruptive on defense, holding Spring Ford’s Jacob Nguyen and E.J Campbell quiet in the first half, as Neumann built a 20-point lead. The senior’s steady ball handling helped Neumann keep its lead in the second half, letting the other Neumann guards go to work while he ran the offense.

Brooklyn Nace (2026 | Central York)
As the Panthers were without the aforementioned Natal and Rill, they needed a complement to Guidinger and they got it in Nace, who provided 16 points and five rebounds on the night. The 6-2 guard knocked down three shots from deep with several stopping key Father Judge runs. He hit his first to give Central York a five-point lead in the first quarter then one in the third that cut the Panthers deficit to four. He hit his last trey in the fourth as the Panthers trailed by nine. Nace was playing extended minutes in the absence of two starters, but head coach Jeff Hoke has to feel good that once Natal and Rill return, Nace - combined with Guidinger - gives the Panthers another option on the offensive end.

Ahmad Nowell (2024 | Imhotep Charter)
The UConn recruit started a little slow, but he more than made up for it in the second quarter. Nowell posted 11 of his 28 points in the second frame, punctuated by a powerful two-handed dunk off a steal. The senior guard got his from all three levels, hitting a deep three in the second half, using his strength to drive through Reading’s always physical defense and sinking a couple shots in the midrange areas. Nowell also brought it in other areas, registering two blocks, a pair of steals and six rebounds.

Coatesville senior Marquis Peoples Jr. scored 22 points against SJP. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Marquis Peoples Jr. (2024 | Coatesville)
Peoples had a quiet first half with just 2 points and 2 rebounds as the Raiders went down 31-21 to St. Joe's Prep. Then, he came alive with 14 of their 22 points in the third quarter. The 6-3 senior was cooking from deep, splashing four threes, including a buzzer-beater to end the period. His teammates kept feeding him and using him as a decoy in the fourth. He cashed in his fifth triple and made three clutch free throws to finish with 22 points and 4 rebounds in the win.

Josh Reed (2024 | Archbishop Wood)
Reed played downhill all night long, the perfect mindset in an uptempo game that featured a lot of highlights. The Drexel recruit was responsible for several, throwing down three dunks as part of his 22 point effort. Reed did much more than that, grabbing nine rebounds with several coming over taller players, and dished four assists while taking care of the ball. Defensively, he was stout as usual, adding two steals and drawing a charge.

Honorable Mention