City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich) &
Issac Pitkow (@isaacpitkow)
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Here’s the report from the JTBL on Tuesday, June 7; for the full league standings, schedule and leading scorers, click here:

Game Scores

Neumann-Goretti 78, Abington 51
Holy Ghost 49, Cristo Rey 46
CB East 51, Council Rock South 46
MCS 57, Father Judge 54

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Ings preparing for next step at Neumann-Goretti

Christian Ings knows how he’s going to get on the floor at Neumann-Goretti.

“Coah Carl (Arrigale) told me the only way I’m going to get a lot of playing time is if I’m great on the defensive end,” said Ings, a rising sophomore guard. “I’ve been really focusing on that side of the ball.”

Ings has been doing a good job of that. On Friday, he scored nine points during the 2019 game in the All-City Classic. But more impressively, he was named the defensive player of the game.

The 6-foot-1 guard locked down his Public team opponents on the perimeter and came away with a few steals. So how has Ings grown defensively? Guarding one of the best senior guards in the country on the practice court certainly doesn’t hurt.

Ings is often matched up with Quade Green when the Saints practice, a matchup the younger guard tries to take advantage of.

“It’s a challenge,” Ings said. “He has a lot of great hesitation moves and his handles are unbelievable. But I know I’m not going to face anyone like that who is my age on the circuit. It’s great to go up against him.”

Ings, who plays on the AAU circuit with the New Jersey Playaz, has also flashed his offensive side during JTBL play. He scored 10 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers on Tuesday as the Saints remained undefeated in the league with a win over Abington. The left-handed shooter also scored 13 points in Neumann-Goretti’s JTBL opener.

As the Saints head into next season after losing three seniors, there will be some playing time up for grabs – time Ings is vying for.

“I’m looking forward to being able to prove myself more next season,” Ings said. “But I know I’m going to have to work for it.”

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Quick Notes

-- Council Rock South’s Kevin Newbert is starting to gain interest from some D-III colleges. He noted he’s been in contact with Swarthmore, Penn State Harrisburg, Arcadia and a few others. Newbert, a 6-3 guard who scored six points in CR South’s Tuesday night loss to CB East, said most of the interest has come in recent weeks and he’s hoping to grow it through the summer and into his senior season.

-- Coming off an Impressive spring AAU circuit so far, Quade Green is playing some of the best basketball we’ve seen from him. After spending this past weekend at the Pangos All-American Camp in Los Angeles California, and seeing his national rank rise to #22 on ESPN, Quade showcased just how good he can be in Neumann’s 78-51 win over Abington tonight. He had 22 points and was 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half, two of which were from alarmingly deep (at least NBA range). He then found his passing groove in the second half and linked up with fellow classmate Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree on multiple occasions, throwing up a few no-look lobs that the Villanova commit finished with some monster two-handed slams. Cosby-Roundtree didn’t have a bad night either, leading Neumann in scoring with 25 points and tallying a few blocks as well.

-- Despite a loss, Abington still had a few bright spots particularly in the form of rising sophomore Eric Dixon. Dixon, a wide-bodied 6-6 forward, had 22 points of his own going up against Cosby-Roundtree, showcasing his very polished post game. With a performance like this against the Villanova bound rim protector, he showed that he’s going to have no problem doing the same thing next year in the SOL for the Ghosts after an impressive freshman season.

-- MCS rallied to an impressive 57-54 win over Father Judge with Ed Croswell and Malik Archer leading the way. Archer lead MCS in scoring with 24 points. Going up against a tough defender in Marc Rodriguez, he was able drive the lane and either get to the foul line or finish at the rim numerous times. Croswell was a beast in the paint. He grabbed a ton of rebounds and finished with 11 points, most of which coming from put backs and crafty finishes. He also was a menace on the defensive end protecting the MCS basket, and notched a couple blocks on the night including two monstrous pins against the backboard. Despite the loss, Judge put up a great fight, and were led by Rodriguez who had a solid 21 points.