City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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CHESTER, Pa. -- Here are the standouts (in alphabetical order) from day one of the 11th Annual Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University:

Nick Alikakos (G/Episcopal Academy)
When Nick Alikakos scored the first seven points for the Episcopal Academy Churchmen and had nine after the first quarter, it was clear he was poised to have a nice afternoon for EA. He ended the first half with fourteen, thanks to both his strong driving ability and a smooth jumpshot. His final total of 19 points earned him player of the game honors for Episcopal following their 47-45 loss against Downingtown West. Alikakos, who has developed interest from Hartford and Lafayette as a junior, made key free throws down the stretch to keep his team in the game, but his efforts weren’t enough to notch the win.

Ryan Betley (G/Downingtown West)
Betley, who’s been leading the Whippets' successful season, opened the game against Episcopal with a slam right off the tip and never looked back, as the senior guard led the way with 20 points in West’s 47-45 win. Nine of his points came in the final quarter, as West went from being down by as many as six to take the lead with under four minutes remaining. Betley not only displayed his usual dagger jumpshot, but an ability to score around the rim and create for his teammates. While he was credited as having made the game-winning put-back off of his own missed jumper, it was actually his teammate Josh Warren who tipped in the final bucket with less than five seconds on the clock.

Rome Boyer (G/Coatesville)
As one of Coatesville’s most influential leaders, Rome Boyer made a nice contribution to his team’s 52-44 win over Pennsbury in the day’s first game. Boyer, who finished with a game-high thirteen points, started off cold, going the first ten minutes of the game without a point while fellow senior Justus Martinez scored nine of Coatesville’s thirteen first quarter points. Despite the meek start, the 6-3 boyer was able to find his shot in the second quarter, hitting two key three-pointers to open up a 19-15 lead for the undefeated Red Raiders. He hit a third three-pointer right out of the half, to once again regain Coatesville’s lead. Boyer did a great job finding teammates as well, as two of his nicer assists on the day came as part of a 15-1 third quarter run. As a result of his impressive shooting and dishing, he was named player of the game for Coatesville following the victory.

DeAndre Hunter (F/Friends’ Central)

Hunter ultimately came up short as he and Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s Xzavier Malone exchanged baskets down the stretch of a close game, but the Virginia commit put on one of the best performances of the day. Hunter finished with a game-high 28 points in the loss to the Colonials, including his team’s last eight points, which all came in the last 2:10. Hunter had a few strong finishes while being fouled and two emphatic one-handed slams on breakaways, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer, a heave which came after FCS forced a turnover, clanked off the backboard.

Koby Thomas (F/Imhotep)
The Panthers offense generally revolves around their backcourt duo of Daron Russell and Jaekwon Carlyle. But on Tuesday, it was Thomas who was the leading scorer for Imhotep, which downed Chester by 13. Thomas had a team-best 13 points, and he also grabbed 11 rebounds and made his presence felt on the defensive end. The 6-foot-6 junior had eight of his points in the first half, and made a steal which led in an and-1 finish at the other end near the start of the second quarter.

Lamar Thomas (G/Atlantic City)
Thomas was a force to be reckoned with in Atlantic City’s 61-48 win over Martin Luther King, leading his team with 24 points. The 6-1 guard had three 3-pointers in the first half but then used his aggressiveness to his advantage in the second, slashing his way through the Cougar defense for a number of tough finishes with both hands around the rim; 13 of his points were scored over the final 16 minutes. Thomas, who’s hearing from D-II and D-III schools like Nyack (N.Y.), William Paterson (N.J.) and Rutgers-Newark, is a three-year starter for head coach Gene Allen and the Vikings.

Kyle Thompson (G/St. Joe’s Prep)
Whenever St. Joe’s Prep needed a bucket against Abington, Thompson was the guy to deliver. He had a game-high 19 points in a 40-38 loss to Abington. Thirteen of those points came in the second half, including a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter which tied the game at 31-31. The 5-foot-10 sophomore hit a total of three 3-pointers, and he evenly split 18 points with teammates Temi Aiyegbusi and Pete Gayhardt in the first half.

Others of Note…
--Atlantic City senior Ahmad Biggins added 14 points for the Vikings, including a big 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter. The 5-9 guard got to the line eight times in the third quarter alone, and was 8-10 from the stripe for the game.

--Pennsbury junior Tyler Sessa-Reeves had a solid game with 10 points in a losing effort to Coatesville. The Falcons need someone in the backcourt to step up and hit some shots, and Sessa-Reeves is one of a few candidates; he’s willing to attack the basket and utilizes a nifty floater when challenged.

--Coatesville senior Justus Martinez, a bulky 6-6 center, scored nine points in the first quarter, going toe-to-toe with equally sizable Isaiah Carpenter of Pennsbury. He only had twelve on the game, largely due to his foul issues, but still showed why lower-level D-I schools like Hampton and Delaware State, as well as D-II Albright and St. Thomas Aquinas, have been expressing interest in the senior big man.

--Abington guard Robbie Heath had a team-best 15 points in a win against St. Joe’s Prep. Heath got a majority of his buckets in the second half and at one point scored or assisted on 10 consecutive of the Ghosts’ points.

--Chester senior forward Jamar Sudan had 15 points in a loss to Imhotep. Sudan also notched four rebounds and a few of his buckets kept the Clippers within striking distance in the second half. He and Kahleeq Campbell (13 points) were the only Chester players in double-figures.

--Plymouth-Whitemarsh guard Xzavier Malone had 20 points in his team’s victory over Friends’ Central. Malone had a nifty up-and-under that he scored while receiving a foul from DeAndre Hunter which gave the Colonials a seven-point lead with just more than two minutes to go.