PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | January, 2019

NEWTOWN TWP. — Haverford High wanted to get back on the floor as soon as possible following the result of last Friday’s home game.

The Fords went down to the wire against Garnet Valley. A seven-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter fell by the wayside and Haverford dropped a tough one to Garnet, one of two remaining unbeatens in the conference.

Notwithstanding that game, the Fords are off to a good start, posting wins in eight of their first 11 contests, including Tuesday’s 45-21 rout of Marple Newtown.

Under the guidance of second-year head coach Lauren Pellicane, the Fords are a senior-laden team built to win right now.

Guards Erin Kelly and Erin Doherty combined for five 3-pointers. Senior forwards Sara Walsh and Lindsey Lane are twin towers in the low post, and both can dribble and shoot from the outside. They were a factor Tuesday.

“I think we have improved on a lot from last year as a team, collectively,” said Doherty, who scored a game-high 13 points to go with two assists and two steals. “We’re playing more together this year.”

“We’re doing a better job of moving the ball around and getting better shots,” added Walsh, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Tuesday allowed the Fords to correct anything that went wrong in the Garnet Valley game. Haverford was in control from the opening tip against Marple Newtown, which is in rebuilding mode after the graduation of every starter from a season ago.

“We were talking at halftime about keeping things simple,” Walsh said. “We had to go through all of our plays, not force anything, and take the right shots.”

Haverford jumped out to a 16-8 advantage in the first quarter, then scored 17 straight points over the course of the first and second periods. They led by as many as 25 points before the Tigers’ Katie Scali made a basket 1:25 left before halftime to end the run.

By that point, the Fords were well on their way to a bounce-back win.

Walsh and Doherty are averaging more than 10 points per game. Doherty has been an effective scorer since her freshman year, while Walsh has gradually worked on becoming a more consistent offensive player.

“I’ve just been focusing more on posting up and asking for the ball more,” Walsh said. “I know if I don’t have a shot, I can kick it to the outside so that our guards can make the shots.”

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The 6-foot senior guard, sidelined last season with a foot injury, has returned with a vengeance this winter, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 16 points in the Aces’ 65-62 win against Conestoga; tallying 19 points (4-for-5 in three-point attempts) in a 59-55 win against Chester; and grabbing 10 rebounds and converting six straight free throws in overtime in a win against Garnet Valley. Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer said, ““Theo’s comeback is a great story of determination and hard work. He is one of the finest examples of student-athlete in the history of our program – a joy to coach.”

Fun facts – Theo Henry

Favorite book: The Lightning Thief.

Favorite author: Rick Riordan.

Favorite TV show: Seinfeld.

Favorite movie: James Bond – You Only Live Twice.

Family members: parents Gordon and Debbie, older brothers Oliver and Spencer.

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SPRINGFIELD — Jordan D’Ambrosio didn’t want to be in another state when she scored her 1,000th point.

“I didn’t want to get it in Virginia,” said the Springfield High senior forward.

The Cougars dominated on their holiday trip in Williamsburg, Va., sweeping the Colonial Invitational, of which D’Ambrosio was selected tournament MVP.

To become just the fifth player in Springfield girls basketball history to reach the milestone, D’Ambrosio hoped it would happen somewhere in Pennsylvania, preferably in Delaware County … and especially within the cozy confines of Springfield’s Cougar Gymnasium.

“It’s nice to get it on your home court,” she said.

When D’Ambrosio drove to the basket and scored her eighth and ninth points of a 58-33 victory over Penncrest, her teammates stormed the floor. There was lots of hugging. D’Ambrosio became the first Springfield girls basketball player to score 1,000 since All-Delco Myneshia McKenzie during the 2009-10 season. The program record of 1,194 points, held by Erin Stiteler, now becomes an achievable goal for D’Ambrosio.

“When you think about it, it’s pretty cool,” D’Ambrosio said. “It’s something to be proud of. I guess it’s better to get it over with earlier (in the season), so that there’s not a ton of pressure on me to do it.”

There’s a chance D’Ambrosio will watch teammate Belle Mastropietro score her 1,000th point later in the season.

“Especially since we have been playing together for so long and we’re so close, it was great to see her score her 1,000th point and to run over and hug her,” Mastropietro said.

D’Ambrosio was happy to hear that her former AAU Comets teammate also scored her 1,000th point Friday. Mandy McGurk accomplished the feat in Academy of Notre Dame’s win over Baldwin School earlier in the day.

“I heard she was close,” D’Ambrosio said. “That’s good for her.”

D’Ambrosio, who recently committed to Widener, scored a game-high 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field. She added three steals and an assist and was 3-for-3 at the free-throw line.

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TREDYFFRIN >> Bob Andres of Berwyn is proudly spreading the word about the goaltender dynasty currently in place at Conestoga High School.

But it’s entirely understandable because Andres’ is talking about his grandsons Will Smith, Luke Smith and Charlie Smith. Will starred in goal for the Pioneers from 2013-2015, then Luke took over for the last three years, and Charlie will be a sophomore next fall with a chance to keep the position in the family for three more years.   

“We’ll see what happens, but if Charlie plays well, there will be the potential of having a nine-year run from the same family,” said ’Stoga head coach Dave Zimmerman.

“And they are all perfectly spaced. I don’t know if that was intentional,” he laughed.

A multi-year starter and all-conference performer at Lehigh, Will was the Daily Local News Player of the Year as a senior. And now, three years later, Luke is the 2018 recipient.

“I became a goalkeeper because of Will,” said Luke, a senior who has committed to play collegiately at Bucknell. “But I don’t model my game after his because we are polar opposites. He’s 6-foot-5 and I’m 5-11, so we play a different style of game.”

Luke Smith’s final high school season featured statistics that stretch credulity: 0.18 goals against average; 17 shutouts in 22 contests; a total of four goals allowed. He was an easy first-team All-Central League selection as ’Stoga cruised to the title, blanking 10 of 11 opponents.

“Luke was, ultimately, the anchor of our defense,” Zimmerman said. “There was something reassuring about having him back there. It makes the guys in front of him more confident and more willing to play more aggressively because they know that even if something goes wrong, we’ve got him back there to bail us out.

“I call Luke our ace in the hole. We had a couple down cards and one of them is Luke, and he’s an ace. When push comes to shove, if there is one position you want to have a great player it’s in goal.”

The Devon resident has been playing soccer for as long as he can remember. But being a goaltender wasn’t on his radar until about five years in.

“When I was about nine, I saw my older brother playing goalkeeper and that’s when I started playing that position,” he recalled.

By the time he got to Conestoga, Will was already entrenched as the Pioneers’ starter. But after a year backing up his brother, Luke beat out two seniors for the job in 2016 and never looked back. In each of his first two seasons as the starter, the Pioneers won the PIAA 4A State Championship.

“You play to win a championship and those two seasons were so much fun,” Luke said.

“Where he stands out is his quickness,” Zimmerman pointed out. “He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s an unbelievable shot-stopper. He has lightning reflexes, is very athletic and has very good feet.”

“I’ve never seen a keeper that is as good as he is at distributing the ball. His kicks and throws are unbelievable. He can throw a ball on the line perfectly and hit a player in stride.”

Smith’s career milestones are also eye-popping: in three seasons with him in goal, ’Stoga lost just three times; he never dropped a match against a Central League foe (33-0); and he was a big part of continuing the Pioneers’ run of eight league titles in nine years and five in a row.   

“I knew heading into this season that our defense was really strong, but I never expected only giving up four goals, to be honest,” Smith said. “A lot of the credit goes to me, but my defense was just as important as I was keeping those goals out.”

The only Central League team to score a goal against Smith in 2018 was Strath Haven, and even tough Conestoga won easily, he says: “I’ll never forget it. It was my fault and it still haunts me.” And then there was the amazing performance in a 2-0 win over rival Radnor.

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CHESTER — The options for Penncrest on the final possession of a one-score game have become streamlined in recent weeks. It’s one of the few benefits of three starters sitting out injured.

The plan, down two points with 30 seconds to play Sunday against Chester, wasn’t to have Isiah Rice dribble into a crowd and lose the ball. Nor was it to have leading scorer Malcolm Williams standing flat-footed 38 feet from the basket, more ready to foul if a Clipper emerged with the ball than to shoot if a Lion recovered it.

But like so much else in the Lions’ holiday break, when things haven’t gone to plan, they’ve found a way.

Marquis Tomlin buried a long 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds to play, sending Penncrest to a 47-46 win over Chester in the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University.

After falling to the court under pressure from Chester guard Rahmee Gilbert, Rice had the presence of mind to shovel the ball to Tomlin, standing two strides behind the arc. Tomlin’s triple splashed home, giving him a career-high 16 points and about as easy of a decision for game MVP honors as the three-day showcase has had.

“When (Rice) dove on the floor, I was going to call timeout,” Tomlin said. “But when passed me the ball, I had an open lane so I shot it. I just hoped for the best, and I made it.”

With Matt Arbogast (back) and Dylan Bittle (wrist) recently joining Gee Antonelli (foot) on the injured list, Penncrest’s players knew someone would have to step up to fill the void. And Tomlin was one of many volunteers Sunday.

Rice ran the point adeptly with six points. Aidan Carroll hit two triples, plus he knocked down three free throws in the final minute after being fouled behind the arc, tallying 11 points. Denzel Boyer grabbed nine rebounds.

All of that eased the pressure on Williams, the Lions’ leading scorer who provided 12 points within the flow of a team that was coming off a 54-28 humbling at the hands of West Chester East two days prior.

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Penncrest guard Marquis Tomlin poses with the game MVP trophy after leading the Lions to a 47-46 win over Chester at the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic Sunday. Tomlin scored 16 points, including the decisive 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left.

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