Prep Charter 66 Harrisburg 52 Hmmm !!!!
Posted: January 30th, 2007, 1:51 pm
PREP CHARTER 66, HARRISBURG 52
First defeat for Cougars....
SPRINGFIELD - Although Prep Charter's skyscraper-sized Morris twins draw most of the attention -- and rightfully so -- those observing the Huskies from near or far should remember the name Jesse Morgan.
Harrisburg certainly will.
Morgan's triple at the end of the third quarter knocked the life out of the Cougars in Game #2 of the Frankford Hospitals' eighth annual Scholastic Classic, a hectic basketball game yesterday at Cardinal O'Hara High School that wound up with the defending PIAA Class (AA) champs claiming a decisive 66-52 victory.
Meanwhile, Harrisburg suffered its first setback.
The 6-2 Morgan, a terrific spot-up shooter who was tagged Prep Charter's most valuable player afterward, buried three other treys and finished with 17 points. In addition, the Memphis-bound Morrises, 6-9 Marcus and 6-10 Markieff, combined for 29 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks.
Quincy Roberts, Harrisburg's MVP, led the Cougars (16-1) with 15 points.
"I think this will help me get their attention," Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood said.
Typically able to bully most of their opponents by passionately attacking the offensive glass, the Cougars uncharacteristically played tentatively with the ball throughout the first half. Rather than kick it inside and challenge, Harrisburg probed the perimeter against Prep Charter's extended 2-3.
Thing is, when those shots didn't fall, few second chances were available. Either the Morrises gobbled, or long caroms bounced to the Huskies' guards. Offensively, Prep Charter (14-3) put Markieff Morris in the low blocks and stationed Marcus Morris at the foul line.
That primary set that helped Prep Charter construct a 35-25 advantage at halftime. When the Huskies encountered resistance, which they did after the break, Morgan, Kevin Radford and Parrish Grant found space near the arc. Deliveries eventually arrived.
When the Cougars stepped back on the floor in the third, Smallwood's club cranked up the pressure defensively in an effort to force Prep Charter's guards to make plays. Plus, Harrisburg began slashing into the paint and going right at the Huskies bigs.
Sandwiching two Cameron Artis drives around stickbacks from Ricardo Brown and Jhordan Royal, the Cougars crept to within five (45-40) with 46.7 seconds left in the third. And, when Royal caressed a Radford misfire, Harrisburg had a chance to pull even closer.
When Brown's quick trey from the right wing didn't fall, Grant grabbed the long rebound on the opposite side of the floor and outletted to Radford. When the Harrisburg defense converged, Radford whipped a cross-court pass to the spotting Morgan. Morgan, with just two-plus ticks to go, connected.
Immediately, Harrisburg heads dropped.
"When he made that 3-pointer, that took momentum over to our side," said Marcus Morris, who led Prep Charter with 21 points and 12 boards. "Going into the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead really helped us out."
Still in range at 50-42 when Roberts finished a minute into the fourth quarter, another Morgan dart from deep off another Marcus Morris kickout decked Harrisburg. Again.
"They probably have the best high-low offense in the state," Smallwood said. "We took that away and what they did was kick it out to their shooters. [Morgan] had pot shots all game. "
===============================================
Prep Charter: No typical (AA) team.........
SPRINGFIELD - Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley thought Chester gave his Huskies their best game of the season.
"Well, Chester beat us," Brinkley said. "I'm more familiar with Chester."
Marcus Morris, one of the Huskies' twin stars, thought the better big school was Harrisburg.
"Harrisburg played us a lot harder," Morris said. "They were good."
But after Prep Charter handed Harrisburg its first loss of the season, 66-52 yesterday at the eighth annual Scholastic Classic at Cardinal O'Hara High School, a larger question looms.
The Huskies (14-3), the defending PIAA-(AA) champs, toppled Harrisburg (16-1), just days after Imhotep (14-5) blasted Frankford (17-3).
That's two ranked (AA) teams beating two ranked (AAAA) teams convincingly.
Of course it begs the question: how would this new breed of small school do against the big boys come tournament time?
"They're not a double-(A) team," Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood said of Prep Charter. "That's a Philadelphia all-star team ... It's nice to be in the situation they're in."
Harrisburg had a good plan yesterday to use its pressure defense to rattle the Huskies' guards and deny the ball to the 6-9/6-10 Morris twins.
THE CHOPS....
First defeat for Cougars....
SPRINGFIELD - Although Prep Charter's skyscraper-sized Morris twins draw most of the attention -- and rightfully so -- those observing the Huskies from near or far should remember the name Jesse Morgan.
Harrisburg certainly will.
Morgan's triple at the end of the third quarter knocked the life out of the Cougars in Game #2 of the Frankford Hospitals' eighth annual Scholastic Classic, a hectic basketball game yesterday at Cardinal O'Hara High School that wound up with the defending PIAA Class (AA) champs claiming a decisive 66-52 victory.
Meanwhile, Harrisburg suffered its first setback.
The 6-2 Morgan, a terrific spot-up shooter who was tagged Prep Charter's most valuable player afterward, buried three other treys and finished with 17 points. In addition, the Memphis-bound Morrises, 6-9 Marcus and 6-10 Markieff, combined for 29 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks.
Quincy Roberts, Harrisburg's MVP, led the Cougars (16-1) with 15 points.
"I think this will help me get their attention," Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood said.
Typically able to bully most of their opponents by passionately attacking the offensive glass, the Cougars uncharacteristically played tentatively with the ball throughout the first half. Rather than kick it inside and challenge, Harrisburg probed the perimeter against Prep Charter's extended 2-3.
Thing is, when those shots didn't fall, few second chances were available. Either the Morrises gobbled, or long caroms bounced to the Huskies' guards. Offensively, Prep Charter (14-3) put Markieff Morris in the low blocks and stationed Marcus Morris at the foul line.
That primary set that helped Prep Charter construct a 35-25 advantage at halftime. When the Huskies encountered resistance, which they did after the break, Morgan, Kevin Radford and Parrish Grant found space near the arc. Deliveries eventually arrived.
When the Cougars stepped back on the floor in the third, Smallwood's club cranked up the pressure defensively in an effort to force Prep Charter's guards to make plays. Plus, Harrisburg began slashing into the paint and going right at the Huskies bigs.
Sandwiching two Cameron Artis drives around stickbacks from Ricardo Brown and Jhordan Royal, the Cougars crept to within five (45-40) with 46.7 seconds left in the third. And, when Royal caressed a Radford misfire, Harrisburg had a chance to pull even closer.
When Brown's quick trey from the right wing didn't fall, Grant grabbed the long rebound on the opposite side of the floor and outletted to Radford. When the Harrisburg defense converged, Radford whipped a cross-court pass to the spotting Morgan. Morgan, with just two-plus ticks to go, connected.
Immediately, Harrisburg heads dropped.
"When he made that 3-pointer, that took momentum over to our side," said Marcus Morris, who led Prep Charter with 21 points and 12 boards. "Going into the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead really helped us out."
Still in range at 50-42 when Roberts finished a minute into the fourth quarter, another Morgan dart from deep off another Marcus Morris kickout decked Harrisburg. Again.
"They probably have the best high-low offense in the state," Smallwood said. "We took that away and what they did was kick it out to their shooters. [Morgan] had pot shots all game. "
===============================================
Prep Charter: No typical (AA) team.........
SPRINGFIELD - Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley thought Chester gave his Huskies their best game of the season.
"Well, Chester beat us," Brinkley said. "I'm more familiar with Chester."
Marcus Morris, one of the Huskies' twin stars, thought the better big school was Harrisburg.
"Harrisburg played us a lot harder," Morris said. "They were good."
But after Prep Charter handed Harrisburg its first loss of the season, 66-52 yesterday at the eighth annual Scholastic Classic at Cardinal O'Hara High School, a larger question looms.
The Huskies (14-3), the defending PIAA-(AA) champs, toppled Harrisburg (16-1), just days after Imhotep (14-5) blasted Frankford (17-3).
That's two ranked (AA) teams beating two ranked (AAAA) teams convincingly.
Of course it begs the question: how would this new breed of small school do against the big boys come tournament time?
"They're not a double-(A) team," Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood said of Prep Charter. "That's a Philadelphia all-star team ... It's nice to be in the situation they're in."
Harrisburg had a good plan yesterday to use its pressure defense to rattle the Huskies' guards and deny the ball to the 6-9/6-10 Morris twins.
THE CHOPS....