Kehler on Hoops: Imhotep 66 Archbishop Ryan 57
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 3, 2022
IMHOTEP CHARTER DEFEATS ARCHBISHOP RYAN 66-57
Imhotep Charter captured the PIAA District 12 Class 5A championship on Thursday night defeating Archbishop Ryan, 66-57, before a packed house at LaSalle College in a game that was closer than the final score suggests. Imhotep’s smothering and aggressive man-to-man defense was the key to the victory.
The game was close in the first half. There were four lead changes in the first quarter. The biggest margin in the first frame was five points, as a spin move by Archbishop Ryan 6′ 9″ sophomore Thomas Sorber put his team up 12-7, and Ryan took another five point lead, 16-11, on two free throws by 5′ 11″ junior Michael Paris in the waning seconds of the first quarter.
Imhotep responded with a 13-0 run at the beginning of the second period on a jumper by junior Rahmir Barno, a drive by Barno, a three pointer by Barno, another drive by Barno, a hoop inside by senior Chad Anglin, and another drive by Barno. That gave Imhotep a 24-16 lead. That would have knocked out a lesser team, but Ryan, frequently switching defenses, came back with a 7-0 run to take a 26-24 lead on a three pointer by Paris, two free throws by Sorber, and a three point play by 6′ 4″ sophomore Darren Williams. Ryan, accustomed to coming from behind, led by two points at halftime.
In a fast paced third period, the teams exchanged leads five times, with Imhotep taking the lead for good at 40-38 on a dunk by junior Justin Edwards. Imhotep closed out the third quarter scoring on a layup by Edwards on a three-on-one fast break, a hoop by Barno, and a drive by senior Ronny Raphael. Imhotep led 46-38 at the end of the third quarter. Three times in the fourth quarter, Ryan trimmed Imhotep’s lead to five points, but every time that they did, Imhotep responded.
In this contest, Imhotep was determined not to be defeated by outside shooting. They generally succeeded in this objective. Imhotep senior Mo Abdullah was a particularly effective defender on the perimeter. Imhotep forced more than a score of turnovers, and Ryan had 13 turnovers in the second half of the game. Imhotep’s offense was spurred by a superb game by Barno, who scored 13 of his team’s 15 second quarter points and was effective both driving to the hoop and shooting from behind the arc. Barno scored 29 points in the game, 15 in the first half and 14 in the second half. Imhotep is cohesive and unselfish when they have the ball and relentless when the opponent has possession. To give a sense of the balance of Imhotep’s offense, sophomore Makye Taylor was their top scorer in the Philadelphia Public League championship game on Saturday afternoon. Taylor barely played in this game against Ryan, and he did not score. For Ryan, Sorber, once again, had a terrific performance. Villanova coach Jay Wright attended the game.
Both of these teams have qualified for the PIAA Class 5A state championship tournament and both are top contenders to win the title.
Ryan out rebounded Imhotep 25 to 23. Imhotep committed 16 turnovers, 10 of them in the first half. Ryan committed 21 turnovers. Imhotep was nine of 13 from the stripe, while Ryan was 12 of 15 from the line. Each team made five three pointers. There were two ties and 12 lead changes.
Imhotep Charter scoring: Rahmir Barno 29, Justin Edwards 15, Ronny Raphael 10, Ahmad Nowell 8, Mo Abdullah 2, and Chad Anglin 2.
Archbishop Ryan scoring: Thomas Sorber 21, Darren Williams 15, Luke Boyd 12, Michael Paris 5, and Jalen Snead 4.
Imhotep Charter 11 15 20 20-66
Archbishop Ryan 16 12 10 19-57
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