City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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The Friends Schools League semifinal fields were set last Friday when the Friends Select boys and Shipley School girls won their respective play-in games. There will be a new champion on the boys side with reigning champion George School knocked out, while on the girls side Westtown looks well on its way to a fourth straight title.

The higher ranked teams all host for Tuesday’s semifinal games, including a boys/girls doubleheader at Friends’ Central. The winners of each contest advance to Friday’s Friends Schools League championship at La Salle University’s Tom Gola Arena, where the girls will play at 6:30 p..m. before the boys follow at 8 p.m.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the semifinal teams and matchups:

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Boys

1) Academy New Church vs. No. 4 Friends Select, 5:30 PM
This is a rematch of last season’s No. 2 vs. No. 3 semifinal that ANC has gone to the last four league title games, losing all four as the Lions chase their first FSL championship since 2009. Friends Select hasn’t reached the league championship since 1995, but the Falcons gave the Lions their toughest test to date in the league — a 76-72 ANC win on Jan. 13. They are certainly capable of pulling off the upset to break a near three-decade championship game drought.

The Lions completed their first undefeated FSl regular season since 2008 with a win over Westtown on Saturday. The last time ANC accomplished that feat it went on to win the league championship. Coach Kevin Gittens’ squad is led by 6-foot-5 guard Bahsil Laster, who had La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy in attendance for Saturday’s win. He’s the teams top scorer, a table setter and an impactful rebounder and defender as well. Sophomore wing Dior Carter and senior guard Nolan Waldon are the others back from last season’s league runner-up squad. Sophomore forwards Ryan Warren (6-6) and Cameron Smith (6-7) provide a frontcourt presence the team didn’t have last season, and classmate Tobe Nwobu is a talented guard who can spark the squad.

Friends Select caught the league by surprise this season, and even after losing a D1 player in Christian Kirkland (Youngstown State), the Falcons found a way to keep pace with the top of the league. The junior backcourt of Isaiah Marshall and Jalen Chiles complements each other well. Chiles dropped 33 on ANC in the teams’ first matchup, filling it up from deep. Marshall is strongly built guard who can drive, slash and shoot. Junior 6-7 stretch forward Owen Coughlin can cause some matchup problems and sophomore 6-5 forward Ahmeil Mclaurin will be needed as well against Warren and Smith down low. Senior guard Tiko Morris did not do much in the first matchup, but he could possibly be an X-factor.

2) Friends’ Central vs. 3) Westtown, 5:30 PM
Friends’ Central opened eyes when it took down Westtown 73-69 during the first week of FSL play on Jan. 5. The Phoenix have won six of seven since their lone league loss to ANC on Jan. 10, including five in a row entering the postseason. Westtown has dealt with injuries for the second season in a row, but the Moose look like they’re close to full health entering the league postseason. This should be a fun, uptempo game with plenty of firepower in the backcourt on both sides.

First-year coach Devin Coleman has three senior guards with tons of experience to lean on in Muhsin Muhammad, Fazl Oshodi and Reid Belcher. Muhammad and Oshodi are extremely dangerous when the pace of the game quickens. Freshman guard Patrese Feamster, who spent last season at Springside Chestnut Hill, has added even more scoring punch and shooting in the backcourt. Junior 6-6 forward Nigel Pierman is a steady presence in the frontcourt alongside the versatile 6-4 junior Sumeer Allenye.

Westtown has senior 6-6 wing/forward Malik Rasul in the frontcourt, while the rest of the lineup is mostly perimeter players. Junior Jahmare Memphis has emerged for the Moose this season, playing the point guard role. Junior guards Cameron Wallace and Jayden Forsythe, are combo guards with multiple offers up to the high-major level. Junior Jayden Kelsey, a 6-7 guard, is another D1 recruit who brings length and shooting, and junior Daveyon Lydner, a new addition this season, is a terrific shooter and D1 prospect. 

Girls

1) Westtown vs. 5) Shipley School, 5:30 PM
The Moose are the three-time defending Friends Schools League champions, looking to earn the league’s first four-peat since Shipley’s run from 2011-14. After falling to George School in the regular season on Jan. 23, Shipley took down the Cougars, 65-55, in Friday’s play-in game, winning the league’s No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup for the second year in a row to set up a daunting matchup with Westtown.

No one has come within 22 points of Westtown in the league this season, including a 95-48 win over the Gators on Jan. 12. The Moose are loaded from senior Temple commit and sharpshooter Savannah Curry, junior 6-1 forward Aidan Langley and junior 5-10 do-it-all guard Olivia Jones to the talented young group that includes star 6-1 freshman wing/forward Jordyn Palmer and sophomore Atlee Vanesko and freshman Jessie Moses in the backcourt — all-high major recruits. It’s a group that’s overwhelmed everyone they’ve faced since running up against Winston-Salem Christian (N.C.) and IMG Academy (Fla.) in December.

The postseason win over George is a great experience for a Shipley team that’s really young. The Gators are typically balanced with junior guard Anna Pascale, sophomore guard Taylor Lasky, sophomore guard Sanai Johnson, 5-10 sophomore guard Mallory Farr, sophomore 5-10 wing/ guard Rikai Williford and 5-9 eighth grader Cidney Stanfield all bringing a little something different to the table. 

2) Friends’ Central vs. 3) Academy New Church, 7 PM
Friends’ Central has won nine in a row since an overtime loss to Paul VI (Va.) on Jan. 7, including a victory over a Winston Salem Christian (N.C.) team that was one of two squads to take down Westtown this year. The Phoenix have taken care of everyone in FSL not named Westtown by 30-plus points, including a 58-21 win over ANC on Jan. 10.

Coach Vinny SImpson helped the Phoenix back break a six-year absence from the league title game last season. Junior 6-3 wing/forward Logyn Greer is a nationally ranked recruit who changes games on both sides of the floor. Her frontcourt partner Kaiya Rain Tucker and junior sharpshooter Nal’la Bennet, who recently eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone, Division I recruits as well. Junior guard Saniyah Washington is the table setter and another talented scorer as well. Juniors Jordyn Adderly and Sydney Williams add even more depth with some young pieces also working their way into the fold throughout the season.

The Lions were the No. 5 seed in the FSL a season ago, falling in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game to miss out on the semifinals. Reaching the league semis and earning the No. 3 seed is a big deal for a program that’s one massive upset away from reaching its first ever FSL title game. Academy New Church senior 5-6 guard Xola Wade, another recent 1,000-point scorer, is the centerpiece for the Lions. Senior 5-8 guard Arianna Frank, senior 5-5 guard Te’a Richards and sophomore 5-6 guard Jayda Mayo are all other returners from last year’s team that helped ANC climb up the league ladder, most notably with a win over George School.