JAN. 22
INTER-AC LEAGUE
2-2 Malvern 54, 4-0 Germantown Academy 50
  Just as the first matchup promised, this was quite a game. It was a great win for the Friars who are on a 5-0 streak. The game started off fast with an easy 2 for GA’s Jeff Holton. Malvern started off with a 3 by Fr. Lamon Church. Just as the game played earlier in the month, it was physical and scrappy basketball. After GA went up 6-3 on the Friars, Matty “lil smoo boy” McManus drained a three to tie it up. The game went back and forth as post play began to play a bigger role. Senior captains Ryan Nassib and Chris Cowell, as always, went to work. The two battled for every ball in sight, and GA didn’t get one easy board the whole game.
 Malvern’s defense was strong as GA struggled to find open shots. The highlight of the afternoon came as GA’s Cameron Ayers went to the hole with a seemingly open lane – he was wrong. Church stuffed him not once, not twice but three times in a row and topped it off with the steal. His lockdown D held Ayers to 3 points (one FG). The Friars were down one with the clock ticking down. McManus drove hard to the paint, went up and slipped it to Daqaun “Bootsie” Walker for 2 to take the lead going into the locker room.
  The game got rougher into the third quarter as the refs ignored the rough play. The paint was a battleground, and the Friars won. Cowell came down with more than his share of boards both offensive and defensive. Nassib continued to bang away, dropping 8 in the third. Kevin Corbett “LikeSorbet” entered the game defending Malvern’s favorite baller Joe Hill. Hill couldn’t get anything in the first half and became obviously frustrated in the second. Corbett played him hard and didn’t give up an inch. Kev also nailed a three and took Hill baseline for a sweet layin.
  As promised Hill didn’t disappoint the fans, with another fine tackle on Brendan McNulty. If he doesn’t sign with anyone for basketball we here at the Friarside would suggest he try football in college. Malvern kept it close late into the third and went into the fourth quarter with a four point lead. The fourth quarter was questionable at times as GA pulled within 2 but was immediately shut down by a Nassib baby-hook. Then with the Patriots creeping up again, McNulty dropped his first points of the game from the stripe. Brendan has been the go-to man from the foulline throughout the year. Up 55 to 49, Sr. Holton hit a deep, Roy Hibbertesqe three to cut the score within two. However with no timeouts for either team the clock ticked out with a final of 55 to 52.
Team Leaders
Malvern             GA
Nassib 18           Holton 13
Cowell 14          Tim McCarty 12
McManus 10
Notable appearances: Malvern squash captain Colin McGeehin
                                  All-City Tackle Nick “Josh” Busillo
                                  St. Denis legend Phil Congialdi
Other Notes: Malvernplays CHA on Friday the 25^th looking to go 4 – 2 overall to tie CHAfor second.

JAN. 20
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 55, Coatesville 52
  This was a great win for Malvern as they traveled out of league play. It was a much needed change of pace from the Inter-Ac. The Friars went up against a big and scrappy Coatesville squad. It was a hard fought game on both ends as bodies flew everywhere. The Friars struggled for the first few minutes after having to adjust themselves to the play of the Red Raiders.
  Coach Rullo called for the 2-3 zone, which was played perfectly. The Raiders couldn’t create a shot and had to resort to one-on-one plays. It didn’t seem that Coatesville even had an offense; if there was an open shot it was taken. There was little or no ball movement, which allowed the Friars to gain the upper hand. After realizing that their shots weren’t falling, Matty “Lil Smoo Boy” McManus went to the post with the ball. He set up Chris “Simon” Cowell and Ryan Nassib perfectly. Both played  all around outstanding basketball. Cowell took over midway through the first quarter, dropping six points and grabbing every board in sight. He played ferociously under the basket.
  Into the second quarter it was obvious that Coatesville just didn’t feel like playing transition D, which the Friar guards picked apart. Pushing the ball upcourt they scored continuously before all 5 Raiders even crossed half court. Although there was no set offense for Coatesville, No. 20 for the Raiders was impressive. He had 3 threes in the first half along with 2 more buckets. The Raiders were up at halftime by 2 after Fr G Lamon Church picked a steal and took it in for the strong finish. Nassib continued to bang away, dropping 6 points in the first half. Cowell ended up with 11 points going into the locker room. 
  The third quarter opened up with the Friars shooting stone cold. They couldn’t buy a bucket as the Raiders took advantage of the momentum swing. Throw in Kevin Corbett “Like Sorbet”. He was the spark off the bench that Malvern needed as he slashed through the lane finishing strong. Play picked up and rather than settle for jumpers Malvern went back to Cowell who seemed to have all the answers. His game was on as he unloaded his arsenal of weapons in the post. He owned the paint, no one could stop him.
  Down 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Malvern kept the Raiders at bay and limited their shot opportunities. It became a one on five offense as No. 20 took the game upon his shoulders. He had a couple of sweet drives to the basket but their lack of defense and lazy passes killed them. Malvern picked up on the Raiders offensive plan and shut it down. There was nothing left for the Friars to do except to hit a few shots which they did. Nassib and Cowell continued to work the paint and Corbett had his say with a few layins. He finished with 11 on the night alongside McNulty who also put up 11. Cowell finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds, a dominant night for the big guy. Nassib finished with 8 and McManus who got in early foul trouble (questionable) dropped 7.
  The 10-point deficit seemed like nothing to the Friars, who kept trucking the whole game and in the end came out on top. It was a well fought game and both teams deserve credit. The Friars are now 13 -7 (2-2) overall and are beginning to play some hard nosed Malvern ball.
  Player of the Game: Chris “Simon” Cowell 22 points and 18 boards.

JAN. 11
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 58, Penn Charter 55
  Coming off an embarrassing loss to Chestnut Hill, the Friars at 0-2 in the league and 10-7 overall were desperate for a win to get their season going in the right direction.  Both teams came out hot, Matt “Lil Smoo Boy” McManus got the Friars started with two early threes, but unfortunately was plagued with fouls and Coach Rullo had to use him sparingly from then on out.  Penn Charter quickly countered with a three of their own by Travis “Danny Almonte” Robinson and a couple layups by their big men.  For the rest of the first quarter both teams shot well. Brendan McNulty for Malvern shot the ball well from beyond the arc (4-5) all night and had a team- high 14 pts.  After the first, Coach Rullo decided to go to a 2-3 zone to better match against Penn Charter’s big men.  Due to the Friars' big guys -- Chris “Simon” Cowell, Ryan Nassib, Tracey Peale,  Lamon Church and Kevin “ex” Corbett - the zone worked for Malvern and PC’s post play struggled for the rest of the night.  Mark Rhine, who had two threes in the first, despite many open looks couldn’t buy a bucket for PC and he finished off the night with 6.  Malvern went into halftime with a 33-27 lead.  The Friars came out in the same 2-3 zone as before and PC struggled to get any offense going.  They ran 2 plays for the whole second half, give the ball to Robinson and let him shoot or give the ball to one of their big men flashing to the foul line and have the offense run through one of them. Corbett started to heat up in the second half for Malvern, finishing with 11 pts.  Cowell got to the line in the second half and shot 7/8 from the stripe; he also finished with 11.  Penn Charter’s big men played well in the third and they cut the lead to 48-43.  Church started off the 4th for Malvern with a couple strong drives to the hole against Robinson.  Malvern continued to play strong defense and PC continued their meaningless dribbling. Penn Charter cut Malvern’s lead to 1 with little time reaming and Sr. Bob Rafferty, who is primarily a defensive player, found himself on the line shooting a 1 and 1.   After making both he sealed the deal with a steal on the inbound.  Giving Malvern their first win in the league and possibly turning their season around. Final- 58-55.
  Notes: Penn Charter’s lack of a true point guard and zone offense is going to cause them to lose a lot of games this year to teams they should probably beat.  After beating a weak Haverford team on Friday Malvern has the leagues 1 and 2 teams next week; Germantown and Chestnut Hill.
Players of the Game:
  Bob Rafferty for the defensive clinic he put on in the last few minutes.Brendan McNulty – Brendan shot 4 for 5 from behind the arc.
  Notables in attendance: Paul “The Big Guy” Ostick and Mrs. Ostick who led the Malvern cheering section of three.

JAN. 5
INTER-AC TRIPLHEADER
Gtn. Academy 36, Malvern 35
  Welcome back to the Friarside, ladies and gents. We here at Friarside would like to wish you all a happy new year but more importantly we’re here to talk about the start of the Inter-Ac. Malvern played Germantown Academy at Arcadia today to kick off the start of league play. It was the game to watch today after CHA smoked EA and PC beat up on Haverford. Well, it was quite a game.
  The first quarter started off with a nice little fadeaway jumper by Sr. Ryan Nassib. So far this year he has proven to be the offensive rock for Malvern after averaging 16 points in the last 4 games. Chris Cowell played his usual power game, going up strong for the AND 1 for the 3 point play. Aside from offense, let’s discuss the Friars' defensive effort today. They played outstanding, gutsy defense all day. Led by Kevin Corbett “Like Sorbet”, GA had nowhere to go. Corbett played like a man possessed. Kev grabbed everything, boards, loose balls and even plucked a few steals to spark the Friars. The 1st qtr was highlighted by Fr Lamon (Lance Armslong) Church. After just getting in the game Lamon blocked a shot from a good 10 feet away, got the ball back and tossed upcourt to Matty “Light” McManus for the quick layup. I almost feel bad for guys who think they can get a jumper off with Lamon on the court.
  At the end of the first it was all tied up 9-9 and was looking to be the game that was promised. The 2nd qtr started off strong. There was no more dancing around, as the game got physical. The refs didn’t seem to notice – they didn’t seem to notice anything all day long but hey who am I to judge? I’m sure they lost their glasses or something. Anyway, both teams started working the paint. Jeff Holton of GA started to get his touches after pleading for the whole 1st qtr, but didn’t do much. He actually helped out Malvern with more than his share of turnovers. Cowell, on the other end, kept taking it to the hole, drawing fouls and getting to the line.
  Brendan McNulty showed his toughness after a strong drive to the rim, finishing with the tough foul. Corbett had another block which kept GA from scoring – again. Nassib had a pretty inbounds pass to Church who took it in for 2 which finished off the scoring for the quarter. At the end of the half we had a nice foul from GA PG Joe Hill. All the Malvern guys were waiting for it, I mean with his rep and all, and he didn’t disappoint. In a rush for the ball, the man himself threw down a Friar and to no one’s surprise the ref happened to not see it. Man, he is good at that. The half closed with a score of 16-15 in favor of GA.
  After the Hill foul (or lack thereof), the Friars realized they weren’t going to a get a call. GA never realized that as both players and coaches continuously cried to the ref. At one point (Soph Man) Pat “Flannels” Flannigan reached for tissues to give to the Germantown bench. Both teams were in for the long haul as the game got rougher.
  GA Struck first in the 3rd but was immediately quieted as McManus dropped a 3. Corbett grabbed another steal and tossed it up court for another score. The 3rd was just sloppy basketball. It was a mixture of bad shots and stupid decisions, for both teams. Towards the end with about 3 minutes left, play picked up thanks to Cowell. He continued tormenting GA on the boards and scored twice more. Nassib kept it up with a sweet little baby hook and another fade away.
  Corbett continued the onslaught with a strong layup followed by an and 1, scoring 5 point in a few seconds. The refs started to wake up a little bit after realizing what was going on. Tracy “Gillete” Peal came in the game, taking a charge from Holton. GA didn’t like the call too much and once again Joe Hill was right up in the referee's ear, along with Coach Fenerty. As GA was a tad preoccupied, Malvern stayed on their mission. With time running out, a few passes were made ending in Corbett’s hands, who drove and dropped a 2 at the buzzer. Malvern was up with the biggest lead of the game at 31-26.
  The fourth quarter started out with an inbounds pass from GERMANTOWN ACADEMY, cough cough. Which would then give the possession arrow to Malvern. Thanks, coach Fenerty. Any who, Malvern played lockdown D. GA had nothing going and for the first minute of the qtr, Malvern dominated not giving an inch. Finally a timeout was called. The Friars came out on their next possession leading 31-29 and McNulty put them up again with another fierce drive finishing for the And 1. At 4:31 the score was 33-30 and the refs went back to sleep. After a little jumper from the paint, GA was down 1 with 3 minutes to go.
  The pushing in the paint was ridiculous. We here at Friarside can’t understand how a referee could possibly ignore it but again, we’re not here to judge anyone. McManus drove and finished with a sweet kiss off the glass. The scoring finished out for the day on a fast break layup to put the game away at 36-35 for GA. Malvern had the ball for the last 12 seconds and was fouled a good 28 times with no whistle. It was a strong effort by both teams and was a great game. However, the next meeting will be at Malvern, I wish GA luck because the CORNER will have no mercy.
Player(s) of the game: Kevin Corbett for his outstanding defensive effort.
                                     Ryan Nassib – the jumper is killing.
Notable appearances: Mike “Overalls” Francisco
                                    Dan “DD” Dolente

DEC. 18
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 54, Shipley 30
   Decent win for the Friars in a 54-30 triumph over Shipley. The game started out real slow. Both teams played sloppy with lazy passes and stupid mistakes. The first qtr ended with a 9-8 Malvern lead. Don’t let the score fool you, Malvern controlled this game. Chris Cowell and Ryan Nassib raked in the boards and played tight defense. Matty “Ice” McManus was running the O perfectly, the ball just wouldn’t go in.
  Freshman Tracy Peal came in to give Nassib a breather and battled with Shipley’s Leaks. Just as Nassib did, Peal ate up the rebounds and controlled the paint. I actually felt bad for Leaks, the kid never had a chance to get open between Cowell and Peal, he wasn’t even a factor. Like we said, the game was sloppy but I have never seen such handles in my life. I mean these Shipley kids had mad skillz, they only walked 4 or 5 times with just 1 or 2 carries.
  The second qtr was not much better. The ball movement was superb with 6 or 7 passes each time always ending in an open shot. Malvern struggled to hit on these looks but stepped up their D. Jr. Brendan McNulty swiped the ball off of McCann and took it down the court, taking the hard foul. He hit both foul shots and a few possessions later dropped a 3. Will “For 3” Lee came in sparking the Friars by taking a rough charge. By now the game plan was obvious, get in the paint. Cowell continued his dominance dropping another 4 and grabbing 5 boards. At the half, Malvern led 18-12.
  The Friars played down the first half but after a few wise words from Coach Rullo, they came out on fire. Cowell started off with another offensive board and put it in for 2. On the inbounds Lamon “My arms are longer than yours” Church stole the ball and got it to Nassib for the easy 2. McManus played his usual defense causing turnovers left and right. He started pressing causing havoc in the back court. Church was lurking and grabbed another steal. Corbett who had a quiet game continued the onslaught by draining a 3. McManus had another steal and tossed it up court for the pretty give n go to Peal who passed right back to McManus for the easy lay up.
  Bob Rafferty came in late in the third and played his constant hustle game. Just as McManus did, Raff wouldn’t leave McCann alone, the kid couldn’t get a shot. Raff had 2 steals and hit the deck once or twice to keep the play alive. He played another stellar defensive game, I think it’s the hair. McNulty closed out the third qtr with a hard drive and pretty finish. The Friars were finally there and outscored their opponent 17 to 6 in the 3rd. It was now 35-18.
  The 4th qtr continued the onslaught. Shipley had the ball for a second before Raff snagged a steal throwing it up court to Cowell who tossed it to Fr. Daquan “Bootsy” Walker. The ball movement continued and the tired Shipley D could barely hold on. With Ryan “RC” Creighton running the O, McNulty and Corbett both went for 2 along with Bootsy who had another 2 points. The offensive boards were plentiful, I don’t think Shipley ever got the lesson on boxing out because Cowell and Peal got to the boards all night.
  Jrs John Rawlings and Joe Miele saw some good time along with Fr Sean “Bones” Mooney who got himself 2 points. The game finished with a final of 54-30 Malvern. After taking a half to warm up the Friars looked good today and may very well be a force to be reckoned with this year.
  Player of the game: Chris “Topher” Cowell: 16 points and 21 rebounds.
  Celebrity appearances: Jay Dumas – former Malvern great
                                    John CHEECHAPALOOZA Alberici
                                    And Friarside / Friar Nation legend – Kevin Newby

DEC.
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 47, St. Joe's Prep 45
  Ladies and gentlemen, this one was wild. The 2-3 Friars were taking on a power of the Catholic League. After disappointing losses to Bonner, Carroll and La Salle, the Friars came out hopeful against St. Joe’s. Chris Cowell won the tip and we were off. After Malvern scored a quick 2, Williams and Meehan took over for Prep. With an array of shots from behind the arc, St. Joes jumped out to a quick start, immediately silencing the home crowd.
  At one point, Malvern was down 20-6 and it was looking to get ugly. The Friars couldn’t find the basket. Sr. Guard Matty (Ice) McManus jump-started the Friars in the second quarter. With strong D he kept Meehan out of the lane which caused the Prep to stop penetrating. On the inside, Chris Cowell went to work. With a few blocked shots and quite a few rebounds, he was a force to be reckoned with. Nassib fought hard underneath and got to the line a few times. Despite the big play of the big men, the Prep was on fire. They only missed 2 shots (I think) in the first half.
  Freshmen Lamon Church and Tracy Peal took the floor and got Malvern going. Lamon snagged a pass from McManus and drilled a three, then down on defense Peal blocked a shot, got the board and passed up to Church who hit the layup. Peal played phenomenal defense against Prep’s Bradley and he kept him off the boards. At the end of the half Malvern was down 2, a 14-point comeback. The crowd was now in the game. Everything and everyone was a victim to the corner. With chants of “Rogaine” at a certain ref to the everyday “DEFENSE” chants, the place was wild.
  Malvern came out in the third and dominated. They owned the 3rd quarter and the struggling Prep continued to miss shots. The tables had turned, Prep wasn’t hitting a thing and Malvern was on fire. Kevin “The Prince” Corbett drove the lane a few times challenging Prep’s big guys. Brendan McNulty did his thing from the corner hitting a few shots and it was capped off with a beautiful 3 by McManus. Speedy had had enough, he was fuming and the crowd found it hilarious. Yes, even the legendary Speedy Morris was taunted, led by James Connelly.
  The fourth qtr was intense and a few close calls (Rogaine) kept the game heated. Lamon Church led the 4th qtr with four points. He stepped it up big time on defense keeping Williams from touching the ball. Bradley fouled out which opened the lane for Malvern to drive on. Bob Rafferty came in to play a little defense and once again showed up big time. He had 2 steals taking one to the hole, hitting one of two. Malvern now up 4 couldn’t have a let down.The game got within 2 due to stupid fouls. But thanks to McNulty the game stayed just out of reach for the Prep, he hit 3 foul shots in the last seconds to secure the win for the Friars.
  Player(s) of the Game: Lamon Church – he sparked the start of the huge comeback with a crazy block and a 3 pointer. Brendan McNulty was the go-to guy on the day, finishing with 11 points.
Notable appearances: Ben “68” Levy and all of Corbett’s corner,
                                  Pat “In the VIP” Welde and
                                  Matt Parsons (former Malvern b-ball star)