City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith
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Ryann Jennings knows it; every game is a big game in the Central League. 

On the road through a deep conference that features three of the top six finishers from last year’s District 1 6A playoffs — including the defending champion — there’s bound to be some close finishes.

“With the teams in our league,” Jenning said, “Every win you get is a huge win in right now.” 

So, if now and then, she has to score 38 points to get it done, so be it. The Lehigh commit had everything going her way on the offensive end in a 54-49 win at Lower Merion.

“It’s a huge win,” she said. “We’re a pretty young team. We’re just going to do whatever it takes to win. I shot it pretty well, but my teammates definitely helped me get open and get me the ball. The shots were just going in tonight, which was nice.”

According to Jennings, it was quickly clear to her that she had the hot hand Thursday night. By the end of the first frame, she was already in double digits and counting, having logged all 11 of the Pioneers first-quarter points. By halftime, she had 17.  

She was able to find offensive production at all levels, connecting on three three-pointers and going 7-of-9 at the free-throw line as part of her 38 total points.

“They were picking me up in the fullcourt,” she said. “I’ve been working on my ballhandling, so being able to handle the ball, and get into our offense easily really helped my game.”

By the end of the strong defensive third quarter for Lower Merion, both teams were knotted at 34. Jennings dropped 13 in the last quarter — including six of her seven made foul shots — to help seal the deal for ‘Stoga. 

“We knew we had the ability to win,” she said. “We just needed to execute in the fourth quarter, and just lock down on defense.”

Lower Merion, which finished fifth in the league last season to Conestoga’s second, has plenty of returning talent this season, and it was on display in Thursday’s close loss. The Aces got four threes out of sophomore Natalia Kasmer, who led the way with 24 points while classmate Ella Liberatoscioli added 19. 

Both teams will go out of league next, participating in Saturday’s CoBL Girls’ Winter Showcase where they’ll each take on one of the two Downingtown High Schools — Lower Merion against host West, and Conestoga against East. 

Here are some more notable results from around the area Thursday night:

HS BOYS: Penncrest 45, Harriton 44

A free throw by Ryan McKee in the final seconds gave Penncrest a close victory over Harriton to move to 3-1 on the young season. Leading the way for the Lions was Sean Benson with 17, while Harriton got 15 from Billy Wurtzel and 12 from Cam Spence, on a combined nine three-pointers between the two. 

HS BOYS: Garnet Valley 75, Upper Darby 70

The Jaguars picked up a close win in league play Thursday night, with nearly two-thirds of their points coming from two players; senior leader Grayson Golek dropped 24, while Mason Koperna had the team-leading 25 in the win.

HS BOYS: Spring-Ford 71, Norristown 41

Spring-Ford (5-0) took care of business Thursday in its second league game of the season, taking down Norristown by 30 to continue a perfect December. 12 different Rams found their way into the scorebook, with seniors Ethan Ojakovo (12) and Blake Turner (11) leading the way. 

Spring-Ford dropped 43 — to Norristown’s 19 — in the first half and never looked back. Sophomore Amari Minor continued a strong start with a team-high 15 points.

HS GIRLS: Phoenixville 56, Methacton 49

After dropping 40 points in a weekend win over Souderton, senior Kayden Baratta’s red-hot start to the season continued Thursday, with 26 of her team’s 56 in a win at Methacton. The Phantoms got 13 from junior Allyson Turner, while Methacton’s Ava Wolf contributed a team-high 17. Methacton led by a few points after one, but a strong second frame from Phoenixville helped flip the game on its head.

HS GIRLS: Radnor 41, Marple-Newtown 40

A close finish in Central League play — one of many on the young season — saw Radnor eke out a one-point win on Sadie Boudlen’s game-winning triple. She had 12 points for the Raptors, while Nyah Yao added a team-high 17 to go with seven boards. 

HS GIRLS: Garnet Valley 41, Upper Darby 31

Elsewhere in Central League play, the defending league champions picked up another win in conference, riding 19 points, six rebounds and four steals from senior Addie Adamski to a 10-point road victory over Upper Darby. For the Royals, senior Janae Haye led the charge with 12 points.

HS BOYS: Methacton 74, Pope John Paul II 65

In a matchup of teams that dropped their league opener, Methacton earned a road win against the league’s defending champion, largely thanks to a strong first half that saw the Warriors open up a 37-28 lead. Methacton got a team-high 20 apiece from seniors Mason Conrad and Jahmir Carter. In defeat, PJP was led by Jason Green, who dropped an impressive 26 points. 

HS GIRLS: Upper Merion 42, Pope John Paul II 27

An impressive defensive first half helped propel Upper Merion to a win in league play, outscoring PJP 26-10 in the opening two quarters and sustaining that advantage to the finish line. The Vikings got 13 from senior Kennedy Coles and 10 from junior Gabriella Callison while PJP was led by Sophie Vigliotta’s 12 points.

HS GIRLS: Owen J. Roberts 54, Boyertown 33

OJR improved to 2-0 in conference play in resounding fashion, knocking off Boyertown by 20-plus behind 28 points from standout freshman Maggie Thompson. Of those 28, she had nine of the Wildcats’ 11 in the first quarter, and entered halftime with 17 while OJR led 21. Kira Sarzano added 12, while Boyertown got 21 points from sophomore Rhian Harper. 

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D-I MEN: Syracuse 71, St. Joseph’s 63

Riding a four-game win streak, the Hawks (6-4) went nearly wire-to-wire with a decent Syracuse squad; it was a three-point game with just five minutes left before a 9-2 run opened things up in favor of the Orange. Nonetheless, the Hawks continue to show promise, not backing down from a quality ACC opponent on the road.

It wasn’t the most efficient shooting night for any of St. Joe’s key players, but Deuce Jones II posted an impressive line, logging 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while Jordan Glover-Toscano added 14 points and nine boards. The Hawks dominated the glass, outrebounding Syracuse 44-34; in addition to Jones and Glover-Toscano’s contributions, sophomore Dasear Haskins added eight rebounds to go with his 10 points. 

Up next, St. Joe’s hosts a struggling Delaware State squad, Dec. 18.