Mostardi goes long in Marple’s win over Upper Darby
Nikki Mostardi had her long-distance shot falling early in No. 5 Marple Newtown’s 70-35 win over 12thseeded Upper Darby Saturday in the opening round of the Central League tournament.
Mostardi banked four of her five 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to a game-high 17 points. Haley
Levy added 12 points and Mary O’Brien, who buried three triples, tossed in 11 points for the Tigers, who face No. 4 Haverford Sunday at 1.
Aubrey Ennis led the Royals with seven points.
In other Central League tournament games: RADNOR 44, STRATH HAVEN 37 » Sally Austen shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor on the way to a career-high 13 points for No. 7 Radnor. Austen netted four points during a 13-4 third-quarter run that put Radnor ahead for good after trailing by a point at halftime.
Ellie Rinehart managed 10 points and five rebounds, while Cierra Hopson chipped in six points for
Radnor, which plays at No.
2 Ridley Sunday at 3.
Rose Henry had nine points and Danielle McNeely added eight for the
10th-seeded Panthers. GARNET VALLEY 47, PENNCREST 16 » The No. 7 Jaguars had 11 players enter the scoring column led by Mary Rose Berry, who registered 11 points, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and five rebounds.
Mikayla Anderson had seven points, while Ava Possenti and Julianna Keller contributed six apiece. Jess Brewer paired four points with seven rebounds for the Jags, who travel to No. 3 Harriton for a 1 o’clock tipoff Sunday.
In the Inter-Ac League:
NOTRE DAME 68, GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 37 » AllDelco junior guard Maeve McErlane erupted for 33 points on six 3-point field goals and shot 4-for-6 from the foul line, leading the Irish to a blowout of the Patriots.
Izzy Cassale added 10 points and Katie Halligan pitched in eight.
The attention on the court gravitates toward Jameel Brown. How could it not, given all that the Haverford School junior can do?
Surprisingly, in the Fords’ season finale Saturday against archrival Episcopal Academy, Brown was a point-scoring bystander when his team went on a decisive run. He did just about everything else, though.
Brown ended up with 10 points in a 57-49 victory. But he didn’t attempt a field goal in the third, as the Fords accumulated a 21-0 edge in the frame to overturn an early deficit.
“We have a well-balanced team,” Brown said. “Coach has us focus on that in practice, sharing the ball. And trusting my teammates. I’ve been with these guys since I was a freshman and they were sophomores, so I definitely trust these guys.”
The Purdue commit had eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. The mere threat of him, particularly against EA’s swarming half-court defense, opens space for others.
Christian Clover was the main beneficiary, with 10 of his 19 points in the fourth. Zach Genther added 12 points and six assists, the Fords (7-2) moving the ball superbly … when they weren’t committing 18 turnovers. A dozen came in the first half. There was only one in the third quarter and voila, presenting a 24-0 run.
It was a very 2020-type game for Episcopal Academy. The Churchmen scored 16 points in the first six minutes, thanks to three 3-pointers from Will Delaney. They then scored eight points in the next 18 minutes, including the third-quarter goose egg.
Then, Delaney channeled Reggie Miller with eight points in 31 seconds to start the fourth and get the spread back to single digits.
“I just thought to myself, if this is
the way I’m going to go out, it’s got to be with a spark,” Delaney said. “I just said, hey, we’ve got to hit shots. We didn’t score in the third quarter; it’s on me. I’m a senior leader, I’ve got to knock down shots.”
Episcopal (1-8) led 16-5, but the Fords steadily reeled them in. A Genther drive and dish to Ethan Pollack early in the third put them up for good. It’s Haverford’s fourth win this week to cap the season.
Delaney led all scorers with 23 points, including a 6-for-8 outing from 3-point range. Kevin McCarthy added 15 points.
In the Central League playoffs: MARPLE NEWTOWN 53, SPRINGFIELD 39 » Ryan Straub scored 16 points, Owen Mathes added 10 and the No. 6 Tigers were 10-for-12 at the line in the fourth to close out the game. Mike Tansey (10 points, five rebounds, five assists) contributed a 7-for-8 day at the stripe.
The Tigers will visit No. 3 Lower Merion Sunday.
Terrence Cobb led Springfield with 10 points, and Cole Rhodes added nine.
PENNCREST 48, RIDLEY 41 » Saahir Lee went off for 20 points as the seventh-seeded Lions prevailed. Denzel Atkinson-Boyer added nine points for Penncrest, which will travel to No. 2 Garnet Valley Sunday for the quarterfinals.
Tahir Mills led Ridley with 18 points.
In nonleague action:
CHESTER 63, MATH, CIVICS AND SCIENCE 60 » Karell Watkins celebrated senior day with 23 points as the Clippers (8-1) picked up a big nonleague win. Jameel Burton added 14 points, and Fareed Burton had 13.
MARTIN LUTHER KING 68, DELCO CHRISTIAN 53 » Josh Parks scored 22 points, but the Knights hit just eight 2-pointers on the day in the nonleague loss. Josh Dell’Arciprete (10 points) and Jace Kees (nine) hit three 3s each for the Knights (8-4).
Luka Doncic scored 27 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 18 in his return from injury and the Dallas Mavericks snapped the Brooklyn Nets’ eight-game winning streak with a 11598 victory Saturday night.
James Harden had 29 points for the Nets, but only four after halftime while playing as Brooklyn’s solo superstar. Kevin Durant missed his seventh straight game with a left hamstring strain and Kyrie Irving rested his surgically repaired right shoulder.
That took more than 56 points per game away from the NBA’s highest-scoring team and Brooklyn couldn’t keep up with a Dallas club that shot 52% from the field.
Porzingis missed last three games with lower back tightness and shook off his rust after halftime to help Dallas break open the game.
Villanova’s Jalen Brunson scored 14 points for the Mavericks, who split games against the East’s top teams after losing atthe Sixers on Thursday, when they committed a season-high 22 turnovers. They had only nine Saturday.
JAZZ 124, MAGIC 109 » Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Joe Ingles filled in well again at point guard in place of Mike Conley to help Utah beat Orlando.
Utah bounced back from a loss a night earlier in Miami, improving to 6-1 following a defeat.