Freaky Friday

27128057

Shocked. Disappointed. Stunned. The words fittingly describe the reaction of the Prep Charter players, coaches and fans following Friday’s 72-69 Public League quarterfinal loss to Southwest Philadelphia’s Communications Tech. The Huskies players and coaches took the loss so hard that they remained behind closed doors for a good 20 minutes following the game.

"I think it was disbelief," Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley said. "You could see the kids were physically drained because it was such an emotional game."

It was a game where the home team trailed by 16 points in the second quarter, but kept fighting, and tied the score 57-57 with less than five minutes remaining. With three minutes left, the score was 61-61. With just over 20 seconds, the score deadlocked at 69-69.

One thing Brinkley knew about Communications Tech heading into the game is that the Phoenix never quit. When the Huskies watched the game films, Brinkley emphasized to his players how hard Communications Tech plays.

Friday, was no exception.

"I think that’s what pulled them through in the last 20 to 30 seconds of the game," Brinkley said of the opposition.

The Huskies had victory within reach, trailing 70-69 with 21.4 seconds remaining. They stayed in the game, even with starters Markeiff Morris and Josh Martin, who both fouled out, watching from the bench. Following a timeout, Prep Charter’s Parrish Grant fired off a three-pointer, but missed. Communications Tech’s Ben Whitt sealed the victory by hitting two foul shots.

Jernardo Lucas came up big for the visitors, leading all scorers with 25 points.

Prep Charter’s season is far from finished, as they’re still considered a top contender for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AA state title. The Harrisburg-Patriot News has the Huskies ranked No. 1 in the state.

The South Philly squad has two weeks to prepare, as first round games will take place Mar. 11. They plan to schedule a scrimmage or two during the layoff.

"The toughest thing will be to get these kids back emotionally," Brinkley said. "Once we get past that first game, I think we’ll have them back in it emotionally."

PREP CHARTER’S GIRLS’ basketball team arrived at Engineering and Science last Friday afternoon believing they had a legitimate shot at winning the Public League District 12 AA title. The Lady Huskies were on a nine-game winning streak, and Coach Paul Rieser said his team shot very well in those games.

One more win, and the Lady Huskies were heading to the Public League semifinals for the first time in school history.

Maybe next year.

Prep Charter shot 9-for-51 from the floor, leading to a 68-32 defeat. The South Philly squad trailed by 14 at halftime, 32-18.

"If we had made a quarter of our shots, it would’ve been a two to three point game," Rieser. "We were getting open looks at jump shots, they just weren’t going in."

The coach noted that it was a good learning experienced for his young team, which features three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. Like the boys, the Lady Huskies are still alive in the PIAA AA state bracket. They will open the state tournament Mar. 10 against the top-seed from District 1, which includes teams from Bucks, Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties. Rieser said his kids have been calling everyday to make sure they’re practicing.

"Any learning experience that we go through this year will make us stronger," the coach said.

FRIDAY’S GAME AGAINST Simon Gratz is one the Southern Rams would like to quickly forget.

A Public League playoff quarterfinal game that was within reach at halftime, 31-26, ended in a blowout, 73-44. What did the Rams in?

Southern boys’ basketball coach George Anderson said mental lapses in the second half ended up costing his team.

"Teams try to stop what you’re strong at, and we try to force the issue instead of taking what’s given to us," he said. "When crunch time comes, certain guys try to force it, and it plays right into the opponent’s hand."

Southern battled early and even took a first-quarter lead. Anderson said things began unraveling in the third quarter when Southern committed turnovers on four consecutive plays.

"We were still only losing by nine, but from that point the guys started having doubts and doing things themselves," he said. "The mental edge was gone. Gratz never changed their mentality. They stayed focused and stayed consistent."

"If we can find a way to stay cool and calm under pressure, we’ll be fine," Anderson said.

Jason Saab led the Rams with 14 points.

The Rams now have a couple weeks to prepare for the upcoming PIAA AAAA state tournament. They will open on the road against a District 1 team. Southern has just one game scheduled until then, Tuesday at Edison, to determine the third and fourth seeds for District 12.

"The first round of states is going to be a very difficult game," Anderson said. "Had we fared better in the Gratz game, we would have a more friendly climate for the first game of states."

Southern is looking to schedule some scrimmages to prepare for states.

"I intend to add a couple wrinkles," Anderson said.