City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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CHESTER — Gabe Moore would not change anything. Even though, for about nine months, he washed his own clothes for the first time and cooked for himself. He did enjoy the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sun as opposed to the bone-biting Northeastern winter, a byproduct of transferring for a school year to Calvary Christian.

In May, Moore came back home to Haverford, Delaware County, and returned to Friends Central, yearning to be back with the people he loved, his older brother and his mom.

When he did return, he came back as the new and improved Gabe Moore. The 6-foot-1 junior guard was instilled with a new level of confidence. This Gabe Moore wanted the heat of making big plays in big games.

On Saturday, at the 20th Jameer Nelson Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic at Widener University, Moore did things he never achieved on a basketball court, scoring a career-best 23 points and nailing a buzzer-beating shot in the Phoenix’ 50-47 victory over Chambersburg.

Moore transferred his sophomore year down to Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He moved down with his father into a small apartment with the idea of staying for a year and seeing what would happen after that.

“Yea, you can say I’m very happy to be home,” said Moore, who is averaging 15 points a game. “There were a lot of sacrifices. I missed my mom and my brother (Isaac Moore, now playing for McGill University). I couldn’t see my friends, a lot of people I love. It was school, basketball, eat, sleep, repeat everything everyday.

“It is what I signed up for. I wouldn’t change anything. I gained from it. I learned some independence. I washed clothes for the first time, and I had to cook for the first time for myself. But I did get to go to the beach a lot, which I never got to do before.”

Like scoring 23 points in a high school game and canning the winning shot in the waning seconds.

Against Chambersburg, Friends Central had a 46-39 lead with 1:14 left to play. But the Trojans (6-2) scratched back to get within three, and Colton Cornwell nailed a trey from the corner with 11 ticks left to tie it at 47-47.

That opened the stage for Moore, who had been solid all game, especially since the Phoenix were without injured starters Nigel Pierman, gone for the season with a broken foot, and Su-Meer Alleyne, out possibly for the season with a broken wrist.

“We have learned a lot since the start of the season,” said Phoenix coach Devin Coleman, who has seen this team rebound from a 0-6 start. “Gabe was going to be a big part of our team, and he has more weight on him. Gabe wants that. He’s a fighter, he gets fired up. He has come back to us a better leader, and he is much more vocal.

“I’m ecstatic Gabe is back. I saw that passion in Gabe his freshman year. He has taken a lot of steps in maturity on and off the court.”

With 2.3 seconds left, Moore raised up from the right corner and nailed a three-pointer to give the Phoenix a 50-47 lead and eventually the victory. There was no hesitation. There was no doubt once the ball left his fingertips.

“I wanted that chance,” Moore said. “I wanted to show people what I can do. I thought it was going in when I let the shot go.”

Friends Central 50, Chambersburg 47

By Quarter
Chambersburg (6-2): 9 | 11 | 9 | 18 ||  47
Friends Central (6-9):  9 | 13  |  9  | 19 ||  50

Scoring
Chambersburg: JJ Kelly 17, Colton Cornwell 12, Landon Buhrman 9, Eli McDonald 4, Benn Etter 3, Joshua Rudy 2.

Friends Central: Gabe Moore 23, Oben Mokonchu 13, Evan Boyer 6, Patrese Feamster 5, Pierce Blackwell 2, Ari Jograj 1.

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Devin Booker explodes for a career high in Cristo Rey’s win over Buchtel

Cristo Rey’s Devin Booker wants to make a point: He’s the best high school player in the basketball-rich city of Philadelphia. The 6-foot-5 senior guard put an exclamation point on that point on Saturday against Buchtel High School, from Akron, Ohio.

Booker exploded for a 25-point first half on his way to a career-best 37 in Cristo Rey’s 71-64 victory at the 20th Jameer Nelson Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic at Widener University.

Anything Booker wanted to do, he did. The George Mason commit was simply electric. He shot 8-for-10 in the first half, before he cooled off in the second half for 12 points.

“Devin can easily play for anyone in the country,” said Cristo Rey head coach Kyle Sample. “We believe in sending our guys to places where they fit the best and where they want them the most. George Mason had been on Devin more than anyone else. (George Mason head coach) Tony Skinn is a great coach and runs five out, like we do.

“A lot of times local guys don’t look local until late. Devin is wasting no time. He’s going to George Mason the first week of June. The good thing about the adidas circuit we play on is they let NBA GMs and scouts come in. In July, I spoke to five to six teams about him. They see him as an elite defender and someone who can shoot the ball.”

In the offseason, Booker wanted to add strength to his slender frame. He’s put on about 10 pounds. He just began playing organized basketball his freshman year of high school, for Imhotep Charter before transferring to Cristo Rey.

Against Buchtel, which two years ago won the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II state championship, Booker made his presence known quickly with an emphatic baseline slam and scoring seven of the Blue Pride’s first 14 points.       

In fact, it was a Booker three-pointer that gave Cristo Rey the lead for good, 14-11, with 2:55 left in the first quarter. At one point early in the third quarter, Buchtel had 31 points and Booker alone had 28.

Buchtel head coach Rayshon Dent should know special talent when he sees it. Dent is the cousin of NFL Hall of Famer and former Chicago Bears’ great Richard Dent, who ended his amazing career here in Philadelphia with the Eagles.

“I watched film of Devin and my guys really recognized he was having an on night, and he got off on all spots on the floor,” Rayshon Dent said. “We noticed him in the second half. I wish my guys opened up better from the start. This was great exposure for us. Devin has a great temperament and he constantly moves. I was really impressed. I really look forward to watching his future.”

Booker’s main priority is to maintain his focus. He stressed a big key was not to force anything, let the game flow to him.

“The game felt like practice,” he said. “There are a lot of people that doubt me. I set a goal for being the best player in the city.”  

On Saturday afternoon, at Widener University, there was no speculation needed: At that time, in that place, there was no Philadelphia-area high school player better than Devin Booker.

Cristo Rey 71, Buchtel 64

By Quarter
Buchtel (6-3): 13 | 15 | 19 | 17 ||  64
Cristo Rey (7-3):  23 | 20  |  16  | 12 ||  71

Scoring
Buchtel: Isaiah McCray 16, Greg Bodine III 14, Chris Powell 10, Stevie Diamond 8, K Mack 7, Demetrice Coates 6, Tayshawn Thomas 3.

Cristo Rey: Devin Booker 37, Amir Nelson 11, Nile Kemp 8, Saige Henderson 8, Caleb Jackson 3, Tyler Tolbert 2, Carlos Monroe 2.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on BlueSky here.