George defeats Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 63-41: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 29, 2022
George defeats Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 63-41
George looks to be the most outstanding non-PIAA team in Pennsylvania this season, and the many strengths of the squad were on abundant display on Wednesday afternoon at Widener U. in a comprehensive 63 to 41 win in a showcase game over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. The game was one of six contests in the 17th annual Pete & Jameer Nelson Scholastic Play-by-Play Network Classic, the promotional arm of Jeremy Treatman. George, located in Newtown, is a member of the Friends Schools League. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, of Philadelphia, is a member of the country’s oldest scholastic sports loop, the Inter-Academic League.
This was a close game until late in the second quarter. In the early going, there were five ties and six lead changes. The pace was uptempo, and some effective outside shooting enabled SCHA to keep abreast of George in the first quarter, in spite of the latter’s 10 to five rebounding advantage. By halftime, George’s rebounding strength, superior shot selection, and outstanding ball movement in half court sets enabled them to forge a six point lead after 16 minutes of play.
George had a decided height advantage over SCHA, and, in the third quarter, this knocked SCHA out of contention. In the third frame, George made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to 6’ 11” Luke Bevilacqua, who scored eight points in the third quarter on three field goals and two free throws. Bevilacqua, who also had several slick assists from his post position, is new to the team. He was at Neumann-Goretti last season, where he got into 21 games for the Saints, averaging six minutes per game. He played well in tandem with 6’ 10” George senior Kachi Nzeh, who will play basketball at Xavier next season. SCHA had great difficulty trying to contain the duo of Nzeh and Bevilacqua.
It is rare for a high school team to win an important game while playing a 1-3-1 zone defense, but George was often in a 1-3-1 in this game. High school players usually have difficulty in executing the slides necessary to make the 1-3-1 work, but the George players had little trouble in moving into the proper defensive positions. The 1-3-1 zone was developed in the 1930s (long before the 3-point shot) by then Long Island U. Coach Clair Bee and is not used much by high school teams these days, as its main points of vulnerability are 3-pointers from the corners and from the elbows extended. SCHA was unable to exploit the weak spots inherent in the 1-3-1 defensive concept in this game vs. George.
The view from here is that George is as well-coached as any team in the Philadelphia region. George Coach Ben Luber’s squad is fundamentally sound, disciplined, poised, selfless, and talented. Their mastery of a difficult defense to play—the 1-3-1 zone—is impressive. Their offensive structure is evident in the half court, and their transitions flowed without hitches. A particular achievement in this game was George holding Marquette U. commit 6’ 9” senior Al Amadou scoreless from the field. However, the team could improve its ball security.
George had a tremendous advantage on the boards, 37 to 23. George had 14 turnovers to 12 miscues for SCHA, although each team had five turnovers in the fourth quarter, when reserves were deployed by both squads. George was 11 of 12 from the free throw line, and SCHA was five of six. George made two 3-pointers, and SCHA sank four from long range.
George’s record is now 8-1, while SCHCA fell to 8-2 on the season.
George scoring: Kachi Nzeh 16, Christian Bliss 13, Luke Bevilacqua 13, Carson Maston 12, Dante Weise 7, and Ivan Ryabov 2.
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy scoring: Patrese Feamster 10, Cam Burns 9, Ron Brown III 7, Jaren Morton 7, Kent Williams 4, Al Amadou 2 (plus three sensational blocked shots), and Caleb Alston-Nelson 2.
George 17 14 15 17-63
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 17 8 4 12-41
A postscript: prior to becoming basketball coach at then-national power Long Island U., Clair Bee, the inventor of the 1-3-1 zone defense and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was both basketball and football coach at Rider U. Prior to taking the helm of George’s basketball team, Ben Luber had been an assistant coach at Rider. What a coincidence!
Results from the other five games at Wednesday’s Scholastic Play-by-Play Network showcase at Widener U.: Plymouth-Whitemarsh defeated Salesianum (Wilmington, DE) 60 to 48, Lower Merion crushed Germantown Academy in a mercy rule game 81 to 34, St. Joseph’s Prep bested Malvern Prep 73 to 64, Cardinal O’Hara swamped Rutgers Prep (Somerset, NJ) 73 to 53 in a game not as close as the final score suggests, and Chester topped Coatesville Area 69 to 64.
The 17th annual Pete & Jameer Nelson Scholastic Play-by-Play Network Classic will conclude on Friday at Widener U., beginning at noon with a six game slate featuring some of the most outstanding teams in the Philadelphia area.
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