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Harrisburg SPBP Classic Preview (Jan. 18)

01/17/2016, 2:00pm EST
By Michael Bullock & Josh Verlin

Rome Boyer (above) and Coatesville are off to a 12-1 start this season. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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The Scholastic Play-By-Play event series moves out to District 3 with a set of four games on Monday, Jan. 18, bringing out some schools from the eastern part of the state to do battle with a few from the Harrisburg area.

Here’s a look at each of the four games, and some standout players to keep an eye on:

Game 1: Coatesville vs. West Catholic (1:00 PM)
Under the direction of Chuck Moore, the Coatesville Red Raiders (12-1) have been one of the top teams in District 1 AAAA this season, beating Lower Merion, Reading, Pennsbury and York; their only loss has come thus far to Downingtown West, their Ches-Mont rival and one of the few other favorites for the district tournament next month.

Moore, a former standout at Plymouth-Whitemarsh who played collegiately at Seton Hall and Vanderbilt, is in his third year as head coach, and has the Raiders playing an uptempo, aggressive style that’s worked well in their favor with a senior-laden squad.

Big man Justus Martinez, a load inside at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, could be a problem for a guard-heavy West Catholic squad, but he's not the only problem the Burrs have to handle. Rome Boyer, a 6-0 guard, has as quick a trigger from 3-point range around, and only needs an instant to drain several bombs and change the complexion of a game.

West Catholic (4-9, 2-3 PCL) is led by 5-11 senior John Herndon (15.6 ppg) and 5-9 freshman Imere Harris (10.0 ppg), who dropped 21 points in a win over Catholic League rival Bishop McDevitt earlier this month. The team's only size comes in the form of 6-5 freshman Patrick Obogo and 6-3 sophomore Cyrie Coates, the team's third-leading scorer (9.5 ppg).

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Game 2: Cedar Cliff vs. George Washington (2:30 PM)
Having claimed five of their last six, Jim Rowe’s Cedar Cliff Colts are putting themselves in position for a District 3-AAAA playoff spot as they head into Friday night’s showdown with Mid-Penn Keystone Division co-leader Bishop McDevitt. First, they’ll have to get through a Washington squad that plays as tough as its Northeast Philadelphia roots would imply.

The Colts (9-4) trimmed Susquehanna Twp. on Tuesday night, getting 26 points from 6-5 senior Derek Ford in a 58-47 triumph.

The Eagles (5-9) are a developing program under first-year head coach Kyle Sample, making the adjustment to the top level of Philly’s Public League as well as the loss of a huge senior class from a year ago.

They're powered up front by 6-5 Elijah Kiah-El and 6-3 Quadere Allen, as 6-1 and 6-0 guard Danelle Holly do much of the ball-handling.

Not all that big — Ford is the Colts’ tallest regular — Ford and fellow seniors Mark Shultz (6-2) and Jesse Deaner (6-1) were among the frontliners last season when Cedar Cliff (24-5) collared the Mid-Penn’s postseason championship, finished fourth in the District 3-AAAA playoffs and advanced to the state tournament.

Ford averages 19 points per game, Shultz scores at a 10.2 ppg clip, while Deaner checks in at 5.6 ppg.

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Game 3: Abington Heights vs. Lower Merion (4:15 PM)
Receiving a combined 33 points from its twin towers up front — 6-8 senior Tim Toro pocketed 19 and 6-11 junior Seth Maxwell tacked on 14 — Abington Heights continued its unbeaten ways Wednesday by thumping North Pocono 53-29.

Toro averages a team-high 14.5 ppg for Ken Bianchi’s Comets (12-0). Maxwell checks in at 9.2 ppg, while 6-4 sophomore Jackson Danzig checks in at 10.2 ppg.

Seniors Jordan Hollander (6.4) and Colin Klingman (6.1) round out a physically imposing starting lineup that delivered Bianchi his 700th career victory in the Comets’ season-opening conquest of Holy Cross. Bianchi, who began his career at Line Mountain in 1967 and enjoyed lengthy runs at Scranton Tech and West Scranton before arriving at Abington Heights, is 711-344.

Lower Merion isn't lacking for size of its own, as head coach Gregg Downer -- who recently won No. 500 -- has 6-8 senior Jeremy Horn to rely on to plug up the middle; Horn recorded his first double-double of the season earlier this week against Harriton. They also have 6-6 junior forward Dion Harris up front.

The Aces, who have won seven of their last eight overall, including wins over District 3 powers York and J.P. McCaskey during Christmas, are led in the backcourt by junior guard Terrell Jones and senior K.J. Helton.

Game 4: Harrisburg vs. Penn Wood
Might be the capper on an entertaining day of basketball at Harrisburg’s Kimber Gymnasium, but it’s also been 13-plus months since Clyde Jones’ Penn Wood bunch left Pennsylvania’s Capital City with a 65-59 victory over Harrisburg in the championship game of the Cougars’ Tip-Off tournament.

And while a number of the primary protagonists have moved on to the next level or other schools — Malik Jackson (Penn Wood) is starting at West Chester, Josh Scott (Penn Wood) is starting at Arcadia and Jahaad Proctor (Harrisburg) is part of an Iona rotation that has won five straight — there’s a few players on hand such as Penn Wood’s Calvin Melton and Harrisburg’s Chris Whitaker who may recall last season’s scrap.

The 5-10 Melton (10.2 ppg) is one of three Penn Wood players who carried double-digit scoring averages into Thursday’s 68-47 win over Interboro. Juniors Kairi Jones and Vincent Smalls, both of whom checked in at 12.3 ppg, were the others.

Jay Fitzgerald netted 18 points in Thursday’s win as Penn Wood improved to 7-5. Jones’ Patriots will entertain state-ranked Downingtown West on Saturday.

Harrisburg (9-1) has not played since dropping a 60-58 verdict Saturday at Chester — the Cougars were to play at Cumberland Valley Friday night — despite 20 points from Anthony “Big Ten” Johnson and 17 more from Whitaker.

Whitaker (24.1 ppg), Johnson (18.2 ppg) and 6-4 senior wing Christian Ray (11.2 ppg) are averaging in double digits for Smallwood’s Cougars, who hold the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division lead at the midway point with a perfect 7-0 mark.

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Non-Philly Players to Watch

Derek Ford (Sr., Cedar Cliff)
A 6-5 senior and the primary go-to player for Jim Rowe’s Cedar Cliff Colts, the remarkably smooth Ford can beat opponents from the perimeter with his jumper or get inside and cause plenty of damage around the tin with his length.

Averaging 19.0 points per outing for the 9-4 Colts — Cedar Cliff played Mid-Penn Keystone Division co-leader Bishop McDevitt on Friday night at home — Ford has reached double digits in 12 of 13 outings. He’s scored 20 points or more six times and hit 30 in the Cliff’s season-opening victory over New Oxford.

An array of Division II and III schools are chasing the four-year regular, including Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, nationally ranked Susquehanna of the Landmark Conference (former Cedar Cliff star Tyler Hoagland plays there) and Centennial Conference entry Ursinus.

Anthony Johnson (Sr./Harrisburg)
Back in his native following two years at Glen Mills, Johnson is a senior big who can dominate inside with his post play and float to the perimeter to hoist a dependable jump shot that he can knock down from the arc and beyond.

Johnson (18.2 ppg) reached double figures in nine of Harrisburg’s 10 outings entering the weekend, collecting 20 points or more four times while decking Central Dauphin with a 33-point burst. At 6-7, he’s also capable of dominating the glass.

Holding scholarship offers from Rider and Wagner, Johnson also is receiving plenty of interest from Morgan State, Temple and Pittsburgh. D-II West Chester also would like to lure the 17-year-old Johnson back to suburban Philly.

Tim Toro (Sr., Abington Heights)
A card-carrying member of Abington Heights’ varsity rotation since his freshman season — among his teammates were three-time all-state guard J.C. Show (Binghamton) and Evan Maxwell (Liberty) — the 6-8, 230-pound Toro is averaging a team-best 14.5 points per game for Ken Bianchi’s undefeated Comets (12-0 going into Friday’s date with West Scranton).

Strongly considering a scholarship opportunity from Division II Pace (N.Y.), Toro also holds offers from D-I entries Bucknell and Columbia.

Chris Whitaker (Sr., Harrisburg)
Off to a ridiculously torrid start, the 6-3 junior is averaging 24.1 points per outing in his third season as a varsity starter. A slasher with the ability to get to the hoop in half-court sets or transition, Whitaker also can beat adversaries with his jumper.

In nine starts for Kirk Smallwood’s Cougars, Whitaker has reached double digits eight times. He’s gone for 20 points or more six times, 30 points or more three times and matched Harrisburg’s single-game record by scorching State College for 42 points in an 87-80 triumph in State College.

That single-game mark, by the way, was set just last season by three-time all-state selection Jahaad Proctor. Proctor is a freshman at Iona.

Whitaker is hearing from a variety of Division I and Division II programs. And if he continues to rack up big numbers, he’ll be hearing from even more.


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