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Friarside Chats V Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Mike Higgins is a sophomore at Malvern and has been the basketball manager for two years. I’m a huge Philly sports fan, and I love following Malvern and other high school sports teams. I love watching and writing about all sports, especially my beloved Friars. You can reach me at mhiggins40@malvernprep.org. Thanks for resurrecting Friarside Chats, Mike! |
After a two year hiatus Friarside Chats are back. Last year Malvern BBall had an outstanding season highlighted by a whirlwind of transfers out, an outright Inter-Ac Championship (first since 1981), the ANC game, enough said (click here), and a second place finish in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Tournament. Led by seniors Kevin Rafferty (Tufts) and Sean Gordon (Gettysburg) and junior wing guard Brendan Kilpatrick, the Friars finished with a 24-7 overall record and 8-2 mark in Inter-Ac play. Emerging stars Tom Pitt and Steve Perpiglia contributed on both ends of the court to Malvern’s success. With Kilpatrick (who committed to Vermont in September), Pitt, and Perpiglia returning to the starting lineup, the Friars are poised to make another run at the Inter-Ac title. That quest to repeat started on January 6 at Cabrini College.
FEB. 11
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 55, Germantown Academy 52
Following Malvern’s victory over Penn Charter on Tuesday, the Friars
were atop the Inter-Ac League and had already clinched at least a share of the
Inter-Ac title after the GA loss to SCH Academy. Malvern’s league record was 7-2
and GA’s was 6-3 entering the contest. If GA won, the teams would have split the
championship, but with a Friars’ victory, Malvern would win their second
straight outright title. In the previous meeting at Germantown Academy, the
Friars won 47-46 in a tight game highlighted by 18 points from Steve
Perpiglia and 17 points scored by Brendan Kilpatrick. The Friars
needed to stop junior guard Nick Lindner and junior forward Greg
Dotson to be successful. The game between the Inter-Ac’s two best teams had
been hyped up for the entire week, and it was sure to be an instant classic.
About a minute into the game, Tom Pitt was fouled going up for a shot and
made 1 out of 2 giving the Friars the 1-0 lead. Lindner drove the lane on the
next Patriots’ possession to help GA to the 2-1 advantage. Following a missed
Malvern shot, Kilpatrick, while hanging in the air, grabbed the rebound with one
hand and slammed it home over GA’s 6’9” Julian Moore to help the Friars
regain the lead at 3-2. On the ensuing possession for GA, Lindner hit a three
pointer to give the Patriots the 5-3 advantage. Malvern, led by Perpiglia, then
went on a 13-0 run. Perpiglia started off the run with a fadeaway jumper and
then a driving layup on the next possession giving Malvern the 7-5 lead. After a
Patriots’ turnover, Kilpatrick came off a screen and hit a trey from the wing.
Dennis Gabert stole a GA pass and took it the length of the court for a layup to
make the score 12-5. Pitt and Perpiglia closed out the run both with baskets to
extend the lead to 16-5. With under a minute left in the quarter, Lindner hit a
layup to make the score 16-7 at the end of the first period. Greg Dotson started
off the scoring in the second quarter after making two foul shots and cutting
the lead to 16-9. Perpiglia made a three point play when he was fouled on a
driving layup making the lead 19-9. Julian Moore cut the lead by two following a
pair of free throws. Perpiglia reestablished the ten point lead for the Friars
on a floater from the right side of the basket. Lindner picked up his third foul
of the game with 4:40 remaining in the half and had to sit for the rest of the
quarter. On a fast break, Gabert found Ryan Ammerman open underneath the
basket for a layup and a 23-11 Malvern lead. Dotson made a three on the next GA
possession making the score 23-14 in favor of the Friars. Gabert went 1-2 from
the line before Dotson added two free throws for Germantown. Gabert scored
another transition basket and was fouled on the play. He made the foul shot
completing the three point play and giving Malvern the 27-16 advantage. GA’s
Cameron Retif made his only basket of the day slashing the lead to 27-18.
After a timeout with close to 40 seconds left in the half, Alex Dentinger
threw a baseball pass to Kilpatrick who was wide open going to the basket.
Brendan caught the ball and went up for a monstrous two handed slam. Justin
Bullock hit a basket for GA to make the score 29-20. Following a missed
Malvern shot, the ball went off of a GA player with 0.2 seconds left. The Friars
were looking for some sort of tip play but before the ball was inbounded Bullock
was called for a foul, and Kilpatrick was sent to the line for a 1 and 1. He
made 1 out of 2, so Malvern led 30-20 at the half. Dotson again started off the
quarter with a basket slicing the lead to 30-22. Perpiglia came down on the next
Malvern possession and hit a three to put the Friars up by 11 at 33-22. Dotson
made another basket before Perpiglia answered again with a basket of his own.
James Drury hit his first three pointer of the game to make the score 35-28.
Kilpatrick responded with two free throws, and Ammerman slipped behind the
defense for another layup pushing the Malvern lead to 39-28. Drury hit another
basket down the other end of the court to cut the lead back to single digits at
39-30. Following the GA basket, Kilpatrick made a remarkable pass to Gabert who
laid the ball in for an easy two points. Kilpatrick was outside the three point
line and was looking at the top of the key when he whipped a no-look pass to
Gabert who had slid beneath the GA defense to the low block. The basket gave the
Friars the 41-30 lead with one quarter left to play. Drury scored a basket for
the Patriots to start the final frame while cutting the lead to 41-32. Dotson
then went 1-2 from the free throw line making the score 41-33 with the Friars in
the lead. Two foul shots from Kilpatrick pushed the Friars’ lead back to ten
points at 43-33. Gabert scored another basket to extend the advantage to 45-33.
Lindner scored his first points since late in the opening quarter on a trey to
slice the lead to 45-36. Kilpatrick hit another basket on a driving layup to
regain a double digit lead at 47-36. Lindner scored again on GA’s next trip up
the floor to slash the lead to 47-38. Gabert then hit another basket to give the
Friars the 49-38 lead. Drury then made his second three of the game to make the
score 49-41. Following a Malvern turnover, Lindner made another shot to cut the
lead to 49-43. Reentering the game following some foul trouble, Pitt nailed two
free throws to help the Friars to a 51-43 advantage. Drury made his third trey
of the game to reduce the Malvern lead to 51-46. Kilpatrick hit another driving
basket to widen the lead to 53-46. Moore hit two free throws to diminish the
Malvern lead to 53-48. With under 1:30 remaining, Lindner fouled out to leave GA
without arguably their best scorer. Fouling with under a minute to go, Perpiglia
and Dentinger were both sent to the line, and they both made 1 for 2 to give
Malvern the 55-48 lead. Instructed not to foul, Dotson and Moore scored on
consecutive possessions to make the final score 55-52. As the buzzer sounded,
FriarNation emptied out onto the court around the players, and Malvern was the
2012 Inter-Ac Champs!
Steve Perpiglia scored 17 points, had 8 rebounds, and dished out 6
assists. Brendan Kilpatrick had 16 points and 4 blocks. Dennis Gabert scored 12
points and had 7 rebounds and 5 steals. For GA, Nick Lindner had 14 points, and
Greg Dotson added 15 points. Malvern played swarming defense and got almost
every loose 50-50 ball on the floor. The title was Malvern’s first set of back
to back championships since the 1976-77 seasons. The Friars’ record now stands
at 23-2 and 8-2 in the Inter-Ac. Helped by Coach Rullo, the Friars have
worked extemely hard this season to become one of the best teams in the
Philadelphia area. Malvern plays Perkiomen in the quarterfinals of the PA
Independent Schools Tournament on Tuesday at home after receiving a first round
bye because they are the top ranked team.
FEB. 7
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 52, Penn Charter 37
With a record of 6-2 in the Inter-Ac, Malvern was tied for first
place in the league with Germantown Academy. If the Friars won and the Patriots
defeated Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, the stage would be set for a
winner-take-all Saturday night showdown for the Inter-Ac championship at
Malvern. Penn Charter handed the Friars their first loss of the season in their
first matchup on January 20 with the Quakers prevailing 56-44. Senior guard
John Moderski scored 24 points for the Quakers in the victory, and Penn
Charter held Brendan Kilpatrick to only 10 points on a poor shooting performance
by the Vermont signee. The keys for the Friars in the rematch were to get all
the 50-50 loose balls, keep Moderski off the free throw line, and get Kilpatrick
as many open looks for shots as possible. If Malvern accomplished these goals
and played with their usual toughness, the Friars would put themselves in good
position to win an Inter-Ac championship on Saturday. Kilpatrick started the
game on fire for Malvern. After missing his first shot, the senior made a great
move to the basket to lay in the ball while being fouled. He then calmly stepped
to the line and drained the free throw to give Malvern the 3-0 lead. Point guard
Steve Perpiglia hit a jumper on the next Friars’ possession to extend the
lead to 5-0. Coming off a screen, Kilpatrick then hit his first trey of the
afternoon to make the score 8-0 in favor of Malvern. Moderski and Mike
McGlinchey made baskets on consecutive trips down the court cutting the lead
in half. Kilpatrick continued his hot streak following a Tom Pitt free
throw that pushed the lead to 9-4. After the foul shot, Kilpatrick hit a deep
three, got an and-1 layup (he missed the free throw), and made another trey from
the corner to give the Friars the 17-4 advantage. Moderski made a three pointer
of his own with less than 40 seconds remaining to make the score 17-7 at the end
of the first quarter. Alex Dentinger and Perpiglia both added two points
in the beginning of the next frame to extend the lead to 21-7. Quaker sophomore
Sean O’Brien made a layup before 6’8” big man McGlinchey banked in a
three from the top of the key making the score 21-12. Perpiglia added two more
points to help the Friars to a 23-12 advantage. Moderski cut the lead to 23-17
following a three point play and two free throws from the senior. Pitt went 1-2
from the charity stripe for Malvern before Dave Huber hit two foul shots
for the Quakers to make the score 24-19 at the half. Nick Lamb cut the
lead to three on Penn Charter’s first possession in the third period. Kilpatrick
hit two free throws to push the lead back to five at 26-21. McGlinchey made
another three following the free throws to shave the lead down to two at 26-24.
Kilpatrick pushed the lead to 28-24 on a driving layup. This started a 9-0
Malvern run that included a basket from Dennis Gabert, a free throw from
Kilpatrick, and four points from Pitt. The score was 35-24 following the Friars’
run in the middle of the quarter. Moderski scored 7 points in the final few
minutes to make the score 37-31 after three quarters. Pitt started off the frame
for the Friars with a basket to help Malvern to the 39-31 advantage. McGlinchey
scored a put back to cut into the lead. Perpiglia from the top of the key found
Ryan Ammerman wide open underneath the basket for a layup, and Kilpatrick
then had another three point play to give Malvern a 44-33 lead. After a few more
baskets by both teams, Perpiglia added four more points at the end of the game
from the foul line. The Friars won the game 52-37 to make their record 22-2 and
7-2 in the Inter-Ac. Brendan Kilpatrick led the way for the Friars with 22
points and 14 of them coming in the first quarter. Tom Pitt added 10 points and
8 rebounds, and Steve Perpiglia also scored 10 points and dished out 7 assists.
John Moderski was the leading scorer for the Quakers with 17 points, and Mike
McGlinchey had 10 points on two treys. Germantown Academy was beaten by
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 46-41, so Malvern clinched at least a share of
the Inter-Ac title. The championship is the second in as many years for a team
that had not won an outright title since 1981 before last season. The Friars can
win the outright championship with a victory against GA at 7:30 this Saturday at
Malvern.
FEB. 3
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 51, Springside Chestnut Hill 24
The Friars had a huge game against Germantown Academy on January 31,
but it was postponed to February 11 due to an illness with the Patriots’ coach
Jim Fenerty. Following a long week of preparation because of the
postponed game, Malvern was ready to take on an SCH squad they had already
beaten 44-28 a few weeks earlier. In the previous contest, Brendan Kilpatrick
scored 20 points and had one of his best shooting performances of the season.
For the SCH, Malik Garner had only 8 points while Malvern played
excellent defense in the contest. Because SCH usually is a great defensive team,
the Friars’ offense really needed to click after a few off games. Malvern needed
to win to stay tied atop the Inter-Ac standings and move closer to their goal of
repeating as Inter-Ac champs.
Dennis Gabert started off the scoring for Malvern with a lay-up
underneath the basket to give the Friars the early 2-0 lead. Garner responded
for the Blue Devils on the next possession with a great inside move tying the
game at 2 a side. Later in the frame, Steve Perpiglia started a big run
for Malvern with a three pointer from the top of the key. Gabert followed up the
trey with a nice three point play to make the score 8-2 for the Friars.
Perpiglia added two foul shots to extend the lead to 10-2 before Kilpatrick came
up with a huge block of a Blue Devil guard with about 30 seconds remaining in
the period. On the ensuing possession, Kilpatrick joined the scoring giving the
Friars the 12-2 advantage. With less than three seconds left, the ball was
inbounded to Blue Devil guard Billy Dooley who heaved a shot a few steps
from his own foul line as time expired. The practically full court shot soared
through the air, banged off the backboard, and dropped through the hoop. I think
it was the longest full court shot I have seen scored in a game in person. Even
after the lucky shot, the Friars still led 12-5 after the first quarter. The
second quarter was much of the same for the Friars as their offense continued to
thrive. A Malik Garner basket made the score 12-7 to start the frame, but
Kilpatrick responded with a three ball to give the Friars the 15-7 lead. Tom
Pitt added his first two points of the game on two foul shots, and Perpiglia hit
a driving lay-up pushing the score to 19-7 in favor of the home team. Perpiglia
and Jimmy Gordon each made two free throws to make the score 23-7 before
Ryan Smith hit a basket ending the 11-0 run for Malvern. Perpiglia hit another
three with less than two minutes to play to give the Friars the 26-9 halftime
lead. Perpiglia continued on a tear in the third period hitting a jumper to
start the quarter, assisting on a Tom Pitt dunk, and finally hitting yet another
trey to make the score 33-11. Garner added two more points before Kilpatrick
went 1-2 from the stripe and Perpiglia added his fourth three pointer of the
game to extend the lead to 37-11. SCH sophomore Frank Jackson came off
the bench to hit a three prior to a thunderous dunk from Kilpatrick. Malvern
took a commanding 39-15 lead entering the final quarter of play. The scoring was
fairly even in the last quarter as Dennis Gabert added five more points and
Malik Garner scored four points for the Blue Devils. With the game in hand for
Malvern, Friarnation began chanting for Coach Rullo to put fan favorite
reserve guard Gus Carlin in the game. With around three minutes left in
the contest, the fans got their wish as Carlin entered the game. After missing a
few shots, Carlin drove the baseline and put up a shot that rattled around the
rim before dropping through to hoop causing the student section to erupt into
vociferous cheers. Carlin even had a nice assist to big man Jeff Hagen,
when Gus found the sophomore open down court on a fastbreak. The game ended as a
51-24 triumph for the Friars, and they improved their record to 21-2 and 6-2 in
the Inter-Ac.
Steve Perpiglia scored a game high 20 points and dished out 6 assists. Dennis
Gabert had 10 points for the Friars, and Tom Pitt added 6 points and 9 rebounds.
Kilpatrick scored 9 points but was more of a factor on the defensive end with 4
blocks. Malik Garner had 10 points for the Blue Devils, and Billy Dooley was a
non-factor scoring only 3 points on the full court shot at the end of the first
quarter. Because Germantown Academy beat Haverford School 60-59 also on Friday
night, GA and Malvern are tied for the division lead. If both teams win their
games on Tuesday, the stage will be set for a game to decide the Inter-Ac
championship at 7:30 next Saturday night at Malvern.
JAN. 29
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 67, Morris Catholic 36
Following the close loss to Haverford School on Friday night, the
Friars looked to rebound with a win on Senior Day. The Friar seniors are
Brendan Kilpatrick, Steve Perpiglia, Tom Pitt, Dennis Gabert, Gus Carlin,
and Ryan Bonner. Kilpatrick has been a 4 year varsity player, an Inter-Ac
MVP, and the most recent addition to Malvern’s 1,000-point scorer list. He is
going to the University of Vermont next year to play basketball for the
Catamounts. Perpiglia is the heart and soul of the Friars team while running the
point and giving 110% every day. He is Malvern’s “Mr. Clutch” as he has hit many
big shots like buzzer beaters to bring down ANC last year and La Salle on this
New Year’s Eve. Pitt has been a two year starter for the Friars and is also a
tireless worker in practice. He is going to the University of Penn next year to
be a member of their track team. Gabert has been great in his first year
starting for Malvern this season. He plays shutdown defense and often comes up
huge in big games for the Friars. Carlin has been a 4 year member of the
basketball team and is a fan favorite among the Friarnation student section.
Bonner didn’t play basketball last year to focus on soccer, but he has come back
his senior season to make a significant contribution in many games.
Congratulations to all our seniors for their years of hard work and
dedication!!! Carlin got the scoring started with a jumper early in the first to
give the Friars the 2-0 lead. Morris Catholic guard Darius Osorio-Vega
hit a deep three from the top of the key to give the Crusaders the 3-2
advantage. Kilpatrick helped the Friars regain the lead on a jumper from the
wing. Osorio-Vega made another three to make the score 6-4 in favor of the
visitors. Kilpatrick tied the game at 6 on the next possession. Another
Crusaders’ guard Andre Spruell made a three to give the Crusaders a 9-6
advantage. The Friars then went on an 8-0 run with baskets from Perpiglia, two
from Pitt, and another from Gabert to help the Friars to a 14-9 lead.
Osorio-Vega scored his third three of the quarter to cut the lead to 14-12. Pitt
scored two more baskets to give Malvern the 18-12 lead at the end of the first
quarter. Dan Jacome started the frame off for the Crusaders before the
Friars went on a 15-0 run to make the score 33-14. During the run Alex
Dentinger, Jimmy Gordon, Kilpatrick, Bonner, and Gabert all scored.
Kilpatrick scored four more points at the end of the half giving Malvern the
37-15 lead at half. Perpiglia had a great third quarter hitting a three and two
jumpers for 7 points in the period. In the second half, sophomore guard Andy
Pancoast and junior guard Sam Ramagano both scored six points which
are season highs for them. Ramagano reached his personal goal of 10 points for
the season and asked if he could hand out Ramo 1 – 0 signs similar to BK1K for
Kilpatrick’s 1000 point. The Friars coasted to a 67-36 victory improving their
record to 20-2.
Tom Pitt led the Friars with 14 points in three quarters of play. Kilpatrick
added 10 points, and Perpiglia scored 9. Eleven different Friars scored in the
game in a dominating four quarter performance. Darius Osorio-Vega led the
Crusaders with 12 points on three treys. The Friars still find themselves tied
for first place in the Inter-Ac league. They still play Germantown Academy,
Springside Chestnut Hill, and Penn Charter to determine if they can accomplish
their season long goal of winning back-to-back championships.
JAN. 27
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Haverford School 53, Malvern 50
Malvern went into Haverford on Friday night with the lead in the
Inter-Ac League followed by Haverford and Germantown Academy one game behind.
The first game between these teams at Malvern ended in a 61-53 win for the
Friars in double overtime. The Fords played the Friars tough the entire game,
but Brendan Kilpatrick and Steve Perpiglia helped Malvern pull out
the victory in the second extra period. Malvern looked to contain the Fords’ 7
foot center Tao Xu and the speedy freshman Sam Foreman in the
rematch. The Fords’ student section (called Tao’s Zoo) and the Friars traveling
Friarnation group were both very loud and set the scene for a great matchup
between two of the best teams in the Inter-Ac. About a minute into the game,
Zach Thomas started the scoring for the Fords giving them the early 2-0
lead. Malvern took the lead following two baskets from Perpiglia to make the
score 4-2 Friars. Xu used his position down low on the next possession to make a
layup to tie the contest at 4 a piece. This basket was part of a 6-0 run for
Haverford which included another bucket from Thomas and two free throws from
6’6” forward Semaj Reed to give the Fords the 8-4 lead. The Friars
regained the control in the end of the quarter after a basket by Dennis
Gabert and a trey at the buzzer from Perpiglia to put the Friars up 9-8
after one period of play. The Fords took control early in the second as Ray
Hollman and Eric Anderson both made threes, and Levan Alston
added two points of his own. Down by six with 4:15 remaining in the frame,
Kilpatrick (who started the game 0-8 from the field) got hot making three treys
within a span of roughly three minutes to make the score 19-18 Malvern going
into the half. Sam Foreman who was very quiet in the first half came alive in
the third quarter scoring 8 points in the frame. Three times in the period the
Friars let the Fords extend their lead to 5 points, but the Friars’ Tom Pitt
scored 6 points in the quarter to help keep the game from slipping away. The
score was 34-31 going to the final quarter of play. The game went back and forth
for the first few minutes of the period with baskets for Haverford by Foreman
and Xu and by Perpiglia and Gabert for the Friars. Malvern cut the lead to two
following a put back by Pitt before Foreman hit another three pushing the lead
to 45-40. A few minutes later, Perpiglia slashed the advantage to one after a
three of his own. Hollman made a jumper with about two minutes left in the game
to go up 49-46 until Perpiglia made his signature drive and scoop under Tao Xu
for the basket while being fouled on the play. Perpiglia calmly sunk his foul
shot to tie the score at 49 with 1:28 left in the game. Malvern regained
possession with under a minute remaining after a missed shot by the Fords, but
Foreman stole the ball from Malvern’s Gabert and took it the length of the court
for a layup. Perpiglia was fouled on the next Friars possession in the double
bonus and made 1-2 to make the score 51-50 in favor of the Fords. On the next
trip down the court, Malvern intentionally fouled Thomas who subsequently missed
the free throw. Pitt grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Xu sending him to the
line with the chance to tie the game. He missed the foul shots, but the Friars
regained possession following a missed free throw by Foreman down the other end
of the court. Perpiglia took a three for the win with about 10 seconds left that
missed and went out of bounds. The Fords’ Hollman caught a long inbounds pass at
half court behind the defense and took it in for the clinching layup. Perpiglia
threw up a desperation three at the buzzer that found the side of the rim giving
the Fords the 53-50 victory. Steve Perpiglia scored a game high 20 points for
Malvern compounded with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Dennis Gabert and
Tom Pitt scored 9 and 8 points respectively and both played pretty well on the
defensive end of the floor. Brendan Kilpatrick had 11 points on three treys, but
he was held to only 2 points in the second half. Sam Foreman had all 17 of his
points in the second half, and Zach Thomas added his 14 points while playing
good defense. The Friars held Tao Xu to only 4 points, but his presence was
certainly felt on the defensive end as he made it difficult for Malvern to score
inside baskets. The Inter-Ac now has a three way tie for the top spot with
Haverford, GA, and Malvern all with two losses.
JAN. 24
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 43, Episcopal 26
With a record of 4-1 in the Inter-Ac, Malvern entered the game in
first place in the league in front of Haverford and Germantown Academy. The
Friars beat Episcopal in their first matchup 60-43 at the Daniel Dougherty
Basketball Tripleheader and looked to beat the Churchmen for the second time on
Tuesday. Malvern needed to stop Brian Metzler and contain the Churchmen’s
two young guards, Chris McNeal and Mike Jolaoso, to win. In the
first contest, Metzler only scored 4 points and for Malvern Brendan
Kilpatrick had 20 points and Tom Pitt had 13 of his own. Getting
Kilpatrick open shots and working the ball down low to Pitt were two offensive
keys to victory for the Friars. Episcopal’s Metzler started off the scoring with
a bucket to give the Churchmen an early 2-0 lead. Over the next few possessions,
the Friars stuck to the game plan and found Pitt on the block for six easy
points giving Malvern the 6-2 lead. Dennis Gabert then went 1-2 from the
line extending the lead to 7-2. Metzler hit two foul shots and Markuan Stutts
went 1-2 from the stripe cutting the lead to 7-5. The Friars went on a 5-0 run
to close out the frame on a 3 pointer by point guard Steve Perpiglia and
a bucket by Kilpatrick to make the score 12-5. In the second quarter, Pitt added
another basket for the Friars bolstering the lead to 14-5. Stutts scored to make
the score 14-7 before Perpiglia responded on the next possession to regain the
nine point lead of 16-7. After an Alex Dentinger foul shot for Malvern,
Jolaoso hit two threes for the Churchmen to cut the lead to 17-13. Perpiglia hit
another bucket before McNeal hit a three for Episcopal to close the gap to
19-16. Pitt made another basket in the paint to make the score at the half
21-16. Malvern came out storming in the third quarter on both ends of the court.
Malvern shut out the Churchmen in the quarter while the Friars scored eleven
points of their own. In the quarter, Perpiglia made two baskets including one
where he drove the lane and performed his signature scoop move under the
outstretched arm of an Episcopal defender. Kilpatrick also scored three points
in the quarter to give Malvern the 32-16 lead heading into the final quarter. In
the fourth period, Stutts made a three point play to end Episcopal’s scoreless
drought. Later in the fourth, the Churchmen went on a 5-0 run to close the gap
to 33-24. Kilpatrick scored 6 points in the quarter and Gabert also added 4.
Malvern ended up winning 43-26 and improved their record to 19-1 and 5-1 in the
Inter-Ac. Steve Perpiglia and Tom Pitt both led the way for the Friars with 12
points. Brendan Kilpatrick scored 11 points, but he could not get many of his
outside shots to fall. Dennis Gabert also added 7 points for Malvern. Mike
Jolaoso had 7 points for the Churchmen, and the Friars held Brian Metzler to
only 4 points all in the first quarter. The Friars didn’t play their best
offensive basketball, but their defense was stellar. Although Episcopal is
winless in the Inter-Ac this season, they are a very young squad who will be a
back to their winning ways in a few years. The Friars still control their own
destiny in their quest for another Inter-Ac championship, but they have a huge
matchup Friday night against the Haverford School, which they defeated in their
first contest, 61-53, in double overtime.
JAN. 22
SHOWCASE EVENT
Malvern 60, Conestoga 44
After Malvern’s first loss of the season on Friday night, the Friars
looked to rebound against a solid Conestoga team at the philly.com/Kobe Bryant
Classic. The showcase was held at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, and the Malvern-Conestoga
game was the fourth game of the day. Conestoga came into the contest with a
record of 11-4 after beating Ridley on Friday 45-40. The Pioneers have beaten
some good teams this season, and two of their losses have come to Upper Darby
and Lower Merion. Malvern looked to get back on track with a victory in a game
that shaped up to be a good matchup. Junior Jimmy Gordon started off the
game for the Friars with a three pointer from the top of the key. Conestoga’s
John Grib responded on the next possession with a trey of his own to tie the
game at 3. The were many lead changes over the next few minutes as Malvern’s
Alex Dentinger hit a basket, but the Pioneers’ Sam Bevan came back
with a three from the corner. Tom Pitt then scored on back to back
possessions giving Malvern a 9-6 lead. Conestoga went on a 7-0 run aided by a
three pointer from Brandon Thompson and baskets from guard Zach Yonda
and big man Jared Seltzer. Dentinger then hit a basket at the buzzer for
Malvern to cut Conestoga’s lead to 13-11. Brendan Kilpatrick came alive in the
second quarter when he started off the frame with a three pointer making the
score 14-13 Malvern. The lead changes continued in the period with Conestoga
taking back the lead until Malvern’s Gordon sliced his way to the basket for two
points giving the Friars the 16-15 advantage. A few minutes later Bevan hit
another trey to make the score 20-18 before a 7-0 run by the Friars. Gordon
started off the run with another three, and Kilpatrick capped the run with 4 of
his 9 second quarter points helping Malvern to a 25-20 lead at the half.
Conestoga’s offense started to click in the third, but the Friars always found
an answer usually on the next possession. Dennis Gabert scored 4 points
in the quarter, and Steve Perpiglia contributed 4 points on a trey and a
foul shot. Malvern led 38-31 going into the forth quarter. Early in the fourth,
Kilpatrick threw down a monster dunk following a missed Friars’ shot to expand
the lead to 40-31. Perpiglia and Gabert each added two more points pushing the
lead to 44-31 before the Pioneers mounted a small comeback of their own. Joe
Viviano and Bevan made shots for Conestoga to slice the lead to 44-36. Another
three from Thompson was sandwiched between a Perpiglia jumper and a dunk from
Kilpatrick, so the scoreboard read 48-39 with a little over three minutes
remaining. The Pioneers were not surrendering yet as Yonda made two free throws,
and Grib hit a three making it a four point game at 48-44. Kilpatrick carried
the Friars here on out as he had a dunk and then stole the ball and completed a
three point play after being fouled on his lay-up. The final few Malvern points
came off of free throws from Perpiglia, Dentinger, and Gabert. The final score
was a 60-44 victory for the Friars.
Kilpatrick was named game MVP as he had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3
blocks. Perpiglia added 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Jimmy Gordon scored 11
points on three treys. For the Pioneers, Brandon Thompson scored 9 points all on
three pointers, and Sam Bevan also had 9 points on treys. The Pioneers made 8
threes and shot very well from the outside throughout the entire contest.
Malvern played quite well for stretches in the game, and they really turned it
on in the fourth quarter something they could not do on Friday night against
Penn Charter. The game was a good showing following the tough loss to the
Quakers. The victory moved Malvern’s overall record to 18-1. The Friars play on
Tuesday at 3:45 against the Churchmen of Episcopal Academy. The Friars won the
first matchup between these two teams 60-43 in the Inter-Ac League opener.
JAN. 20
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 56, Malvern 44
A perfect season in basketball is a phenomena practically never
achieved. In a schedule that can be up to 30 games, playing good enough
basketball to win in every contest is almost impossible. There was something
about the Friday night matchup against Penn Charter that just didn’t seem right
for the Friars. Maybe it was playing in a hostile Penn Charter environment with
the Quaker Crew (PC’s student section) breathing down their necks. Whatever it
was, Malvern’s shooting was ice cold throughout the game. The players were
slipping all over the court and running into each other. Finally the Friars
committed stupid turnovers like passes and rebounds that bounced off of players’
hands and out of bounds on key possessions when Malvern needed a basket. For
whatever reason, Malvern just couldn’t get the usual magic going that has helped
them to 17 straight wins to start the season.
Penn Charter’s junior center Mike McGlinchey started off the game
with a 3 pointer giving the Quakers an early 3-0 lead. Following a basket from
Malvern’s Dennis Gabert and two free throws from Steve Perpiglia,
the Friars took a 4-3 advantage. Later in the quarter, Gabert converted a 3
point play after being fouled on a lay-up to push the Malvern lead to 9-5.
Nearing the end of the first quarter, sophomore guard Sean O’Brien and
senior guard John Moderski added four and five points respectively to
help the Quakers regain a 12-9 lead. Early in the second period, Moderski and
O’Brien both scored again on back to back possessions extending the Penn Charter
lead to 17-9. With Malvern down 18-12 later in the quarter, the Friars went on a
6-0 run helped by 4 points by Tom Pitt. Right after Malvern tied the game
at 18, PC’s Nick Lamb and Grant Shaffer led the Quakers to a 6-0
run of their own making the score 24-18. The Friars’ Perpiglia hit 2 free throws
to make the score 24-20 going into halftime. The teams traded baskets to start
the third quarter but with 5:10 left McGlinchey hit his second trey of the game
giving Penn Charter the 32-24 lead. On the next possession, Brendan
Kilpatrick made his first field goal of the game on a three pointer from the
corner cutting the lead to 5 points. Malvern slashed the lead to one, but a foul
shot and a NBA range three by Moderski quickly gave the Quakers another 5 point
advantage. Late in the quarter Kilpatrick made one out of two from the line
making the score 35-32. After a missed Quaker shot, the Friars’ Perpiglia hit a
fadeaway three ball from the corner tying the score at the buzzer. The Friars
jumped out to an early fourth quarter lead on a shot from Perpiglia with 6:50
remaining. Moderski tied the game at 37 following his two free throws. Two foul
shots from Pitt helped Malvern regain another two point lead, but PC’s
McGlinchey tied the game at 39 on the next possession. Then, Moderski hit
another deep three pointer to give Penn Charter the 42-39 lead. Kilpatrick’s
second field goal of the game brought the Friars back within one to a 42-41
score. The Quakers then went on an 8-0 run, and the game was pretty much over.
Malvern started to foul putting Moderski on the line who was 9-10 from the
charity stripe in the fourth quarter alone. Kilpatrick and Perpiglia hit foul
shots late making the final score a 56-44 Penn Charter victory.
Malvern has been a team that found a way to win every close game so far
this season. From coming back from 7 points down with :40 seconds remaining
against LaSalle to pulling out a win versus Haverford in 2OTs to finally beating
Germantown Academy by one with great defense in crunch time, Malvern was due for
a letdown. I think everyone on Malvern was waiting for someone to step up and
bring the team back, but it just didn’t happen. None of Malvern’s usual stars
played all that well although Malvern’s 20-26 from the free throw line was a
bright spot to a team that has struggled from the line this season. The foul
shooting actually helped keep the Friars in the game during the first half as it
could have easily gotten out of hand earlier. I just remember turning to my
fellow manager Nick Flowers with 1:00 left and down by 12 saying, “We
might actually not pull this one out.” The shooting was atrocious by Malvern,
and the overall play was very sloppy coming from a team that usually plays sound
fundamental basketball. Steve Perpiglia led the Friars with 12 points and 3
assists. Tom Pitt had 11 points and 7 rebounds and probably played the best of
any Friar. Brendan Kilpatrick coming off his best shooting performance of the
season at SCH couldn’t get any of his shots to fall. The majority of his 10
points came off of foul shots. For the Quakers, John Moderski scored 14 of 24
points in the fourth quarter, and 6’8” Mike McGlinchey hit 3 treys on his way to
14 points. Although the Friars missed a golden opportunity to take a 2 game lead
in the league after a GA loss, Malvern is still in first place half way through
the conference schedule. The Friars’ record now stands at 17-1 and 4-1 in the
Inter-Ac. Even though it was a stinging loss, the defeat is only a minor blip in
the road in a season that still has many games remaining. The Friars next take
on a skilled Conestoga squad in the Kobe Bryant Classic on 1/22 at Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
JAN. 17
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 44, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 28
Following another thrilling one point victory against Germantown
Academy, the first place Friars went into SCH trying to preserve their
undefeated record of 16-0. With a record of 8-8, the Blue Devils are led by
seniors Malik Garner (UMBC) and Billy Dooley (American U). Luke
Mulvaney, one of SCH’s best shooters, is out for the season with an injury.
Malvern tried to not have a “let down game” as Coach Rullo said, “Championships
are won on Tuesday afternoons.” The Friars took this to heart and looked to take
care of business in the matchup.
After another slow start to the game, Tom Pitt gave Malvern the
early 2-0 lead on a lay-up with 5:39 remaining in the first quarter. Brendan
Kilpatrick made two free throws, and Alex Dentinger put back a missed
shot to give the Friars the 6-0 advantage. SCH’s Ryan Smith scored the
Blue Devils’ first basket before Malvern really opened the flood gates. After
two Kilpatrick three pointers and another basket from Pitt, Malvern led 14-2 and
forced the Blue Devils' coach, Bill Dooley, to call timeout. Following
another basket apiece from Pitt and Dentinger, the Friars led 18-4 at the end of
the first quarter. In the beginning of the second frame, Kilpatrick added
another two to his 10 first half points extending the lead to 20-4. The Blue
Devils then went on an 8-0 run closing the gap to 20-12. During the stretch,
Garner added three baskets and Pat Costello also made a two. Friars point
guard Steve Perpiglia scored on his famous scoop off the glass giving
Malvern a 22-12 lead going into the break. Malvern played lock down defense in
the third quarter holding SCH to only three points on a Dooley trey. Kilpatrick
scored eight more points in the period on a dunk following a Perpiglia miss and
two more three pointers, one a corner three as time expired in the quarter. In
the last period of play, the Blue Devils outscored Malvern 13-10 helped by six
points from junior guard Michael Hayes. Malvern won the game 44-28 and
maintained its undefeated record which now stands at 17-0 and 4-0 in the
Inter-Ac.
Brendan Kilpatrick had a sensational game with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2
steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 5 from three and made both of his attempts
from the free throw line. I think this game was Kilpatrick’s best shooting
performance of the season as he sunk many tough shots like two fadeaway treys
and multiple contested jumpers. Tom Pitt had 8 points and 6 rebounds and played
excellent defense on Malik Garner. Steve Perpiglia had 6 points and 4 assists
and was voted Main Line Athlete of the Week (Congrats Stevie!!!) SCH had a poor
shooting display, and the Friars held Billy Dooley to only 3 points. With the
win, Malvern kept first place in the Inter-Ac League. The Inter-Ac standings now
look like this: Malvern (4-0), Germantown Academy (3-1), Haverford School (2-2),
Penn Charter (1-2), Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (1-3), and Episcopal
Academy (0-3). Malvern takes on Penn Charter down in Philly on this Friday for
their first of two meetings this season.
JAN. 13
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 47, Gtn. Academy 46
After beating Haverford in a double overtime
thriller on Tuesday, Malvern looked to sustain their momentum going into their
Friday night battle with Germantown Academy. With their perfect record of 15-0
and first place in the Inter-Ac on the line, Malvern needed to run their offense
effectively to beat GA. Another key to the game was keeping junior guard Nick
Lindner contained and off the free throw line. Last year in the game at
Germantown, Malvern led by 22 at the half, but GA’s swarming press carried the
Patriots to an enormous comeback and the eventual victory in the game. As GA was
the only team to beat the Friars in the Inter-Ac last year, Malvern was
definitely out for some revenge in this contest.
The first quarter started out slowly for both teams with great
defense and a lot of missed shots. Following a bucket a piece by seniors
Steve Perpiglia and Tom Pitt, the Friars led 4-0. With 3:30 left in
the quarter, Nick Lindner hit a three pointer for GA cutting the lead to one.
Perpiglia hit a trey late in the frame giving Malvern the 11-7 lead. The next
series of events were kind of bizarre. Malvern was holding the ball for the last
shot with about 20 seconds left in the quarter. With about 10 seconds left,
Lindner stole a Friars’ pass and launched a shot from half court with about 5
seconds remaining. He was on a break away and could have easily taken the ball
in for an uncontested lay-up as there were no Friars in sight. The GA student
section was incorrectly counting the seconds left on the clock on purpose when
Malvern still had the ball (as many student sections do), but Lindner actually
believed that was the remaining time, making him launch the shot. (GA's gym only
has a scoreboard on one side, and Lindner was shooting on the basket opposite
from the scoreboard.) After Lindner took the shot, Tom Pitt grabbed the long
rebound and heaved his own shot from just beyond half court. The shot sailed
through the air, bounced off the backboard, dropped straight through the hoop
causing the Malvern bench to erupt into cheers. The refs then had a discussion
about if Pitt had released the shot in time. After about 30 seconds, the refs
ruled no basket, and Malvern led 11-7 going into the second quarter. After being
shut out in the first quarter, Brendan Kilpatrick came alive and helped
the Friars to an 8-0 run to start the quarter with dunks on consecutive
possessions. The Patriots cut the lead to four following two free throws from
Lindner because of a technical foul by Pitt which was also happened to be his
4th personal. Malvern was again bailed out by Perpiglia, who hit another trey to
help his team to a 27-19 lead at the break. Just as they had a year ago, GA came
out fighting in the beginning of the third with an 11-2 run to take a 30-29
lead. Julian Moore, a 6’9” junior, scored 8 points in the quarter to help
the Patriots. Kilpatrick’s 7 points in the period put Malvern back up 40-36
going to the final quarter. In the 4th, GA scored the first two baskets to tie
the game at 40 with 6:22 remaining. Pitt made a lay-up a minute later to regain
the lead for Malvern. With 2:10 left and Malvern having a 47-44 advantage,
senior guard Connor Crump hit a three to make it a one point game. After
a few changes of possession, GA’s Lindner had the ball last with close to 10
ticks left on the clock. As Lindner was driving the lane for the win, junior
Ryan Ammerman stepped in and took a charge with 3.5 seconds left. On the
ensuing inbounds play, Perpiglia’s pass was tipped at mid-court and was
corralled by Lindner whose pass went off a teammate’s hand sealing a 47-46
victory for the Friars.
Steve Perpiglia led the Friars to the win with 18 points, 8 assists, and
3 rebounds. Kilpatrick had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Malvern played
shut down defense on GA’s Lindner whose 7 points were way below his season
average of 20.5 per contest. Junior forward Alex Dentinger and Ryan
Ammerman held big man Julian Moore in check for most of the game. For the
Patriots, Greg Dotson led his team with 18 points and was 6-6 from the
free throw line. Overall GA shot 13-14 from the line, and their ability to make
free throws helped keep them in the game. The Friars took first place with the
win and pushed their record to 16-0 and 3-0 in the Inter-Ac. Malvern faces
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy next Tuesday afternoon at SCH, whose record
stands at 1-2 in the conference.
JAN. 10
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 61,
Haverford 53 (2OT)
After starting off the Inter-Ac campaign with a dominating 17 point win over
Episcopal last Friday at the Daniel Dougherty Basketball
Tripleheader, Malvern looked ready to do battle with the new look Haverford
squad. The Friars came into the game with a record of 14-0. With first year head
coach Henry Fairfax at the reins, the Fords entered the contest with a
10-3 record after defeating Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 45-39 last Friday
afternoon in their Inter-Ac opener. Haverford is led by senior guards Ray
Hollman and Zach Thomas. Two other newcomers are 7’0” junior center
Tao Xu (who transferred before the season from China) and freshman point
guard Sammy Foreman, who both looked to pose a challenge to the
undefeated Friars.
Within the first few minutes of the game, Malvern led 8-0
following two three-pointers from Brendan Kilpatrick and a steal and
lay-up from Dennis Gabert. I started reminiscing of last year’s contest
against Haverford when Malvern shut out the Fords in the first quarter and led
22-0 a few minutes into the second frame before Haverford scored their first
basket. Helped by strong all-around play of their five starters, Haverford
stormed back to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the
second quarter, Kilpatrick hit another corner trey to add to his 11 first half
points, and Haverford’s Thomas led the Fords with 5 points in that quarter to
tie the score at 24 going into the half. The Fords led 39-36 going into the
final frame following a strong 3rd quarter from Foreman and junior Semaj Reed.
The Friars entered the quarter in foul trouble with starters Tom Pitt
having 4 fouls and Steve Perpiglia and Kilpatrick both possessing 3.
Haverford increased their lead early in the quarter, but the Friars were not
going to go away that easily. Pitt scored a key basket for Malvern before
fouling out with about 4 minutes remaining, but Ray Hollman hit two critical
threes on consecutive possessions pushing the Haverford lead up to seven with 3
minutes left. In a two-minute surge, Perpiglia went 1 out 2 from the line, and
Dennis Gabert scored 6 points after a fury of Haverford turnovers to tie the
game with about 1:30 left. After two changes of possession, Haverford’s Foreman
missed a runner as time expired sending the game into OT tied 50-50. Four
minutes and two points (yes combined) later, the game was headed to a second OT
with the score now 51 a piece. Malvern jumped out to the lead early in the
second extra period as Kilpatrick went 4-6 from the line. Haverford didn’t score
in the second overtime period until 10 seconds left when Malvern let the Fords’
Darren Watson stroll in for a lay-up when instructed by Coach Rullo
not to foul. The game ended as a 61-53 victory for Malvern pushing their
record to 15-0 and 2-0 in the Inter-Ac.
Kilpatrick led the Friars again in scoring with a double-double of 19
points and 10 rebounds. Malvern’s sparkplug point guard Steve Perpiglia, scored
all of his 11 points in the second half, dished out 7 assists, and came up with
2 crucial steals in the 4th quarter. Dennis Gabert scored a season high 16
points and added 8 reobunds. For Haverford, Foreman scored 10 points and had 7
assists. As a freshman, Foreman already handles the ball confidently and can
also create his own shot off the dribble. The Friars held Tao Xu to only five
points and no points in the paint. This game again showed the Friars’ resiliency
as 4 of their 15 wins this season have been 4th quarter come from behind
victories. The rematch of this game will take place on January 27 at the
Haverford School and is certain to be just as exciting as the first meeting.
Malvern plays at Germantown Academy on Friday night in a game for first place in
the Inter-Ac as both teams are 2-0.
JAN. 6
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 60, Episcopal 43
Entering the game at the Inter-Ac’s Daniel Dougherty Basketball
Tripleheader, Malvern had the perfect record of 13-0. The last two wins, numbers
12 and 13, were very different for the Friars. Number 12 took place on New
Year’s Eve against La Salle. In that game, Malvern trailed for by 7 with :38
seconds left and pulled off a miracle victory. Steve Perpiglia hit a
three-pointer with :03 seconds remaining to give the Friars their first lead
since early in the first quarter and the shocking victory. Victory number 13,
this past Tuesday, occurred at Salesianum (DE) and was definitely Malvern’s
worst of the campaign. The Friars won the game 37-34 behind Brendan
Kilpatrick’s 18 points. The officiating (or lack thereof) was even openly
stated by Salesianum’s manager, who remarked that the refs in Delaware are
atrocious. After holding on for the win (Sallies had an open three-pointer to
tie at the buzzer), Coach Jim Rullo said, “When you are undefeated,
everyone you play is out to get you because you have an X on your back.” Taking
these words to heart, Malvern was definitely ready to play in the contest
against Episcopal.
Executing their offense perfectly in the first quarter, Malvern jumped out to
an early lead with help from Kilpatrick’s 7 points in the frame. The Churchmen
cut the lead to 2 at the end of the quarter following 4 points from 5’7”
freshman Mike Jolaoso. In the second quarter, Malvern broke the game open
scoring 15 points while holding Episcopal to only 5 points. The Friars held a
28-16 lead going into the half. Last season in the Inter-Ac opener against
Haverford at Cabrini, Malvern trailed 29-14 at the half and came back to win by
7 points. Coach Rullo stressed that there will be no second half let-ups, and we
were not going to let them back into the game. There would be no repeat of
history as Malvern extended their lead to 17 points in the quarter. Following a
three-pointer from senior guard Ryan Bonner, Kilpatrick and Pitt threw
down two thunderous dunks that ignited Malvern’s Friarnation. Kilpatrick’s jam
came off of an alley-oop pass on a fast break from Perpiglia. On the following
Malvern possession, Perpiglia passed the ball to Pitt who dunked it with two
hands and was fouled on the play. In the final quarter, senior Dennis Gabert
scored 4 of his 6 points, and played excellent defense against Episcopal forward
Brian Metzler. Pitt added 6 of his 13 points to help Malvern to the 60-43
victory.
Kilpatrick finished with a game high 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Pitt added 14 rebounds to his 13 points, and Perpiglia 7 assists and 5 points.
For the Churchmen, Chris McNeal finished with a team high 10 points (two
three-pointers), and Jolaoso finished the game with 9 points. Win number 14 for
the Friars came a little easier than the prior two because of an executed game
plan aided by fundamental defense. More importantly, it was win number 1 in the
ten game Inter-Ac schedule. The Friars pursuit for 10-0 continues on Tuesday
afternoon at home against the Haverford School. Malvern will look to keep its
winning streak alive and get win number 2 in the Inter-Ac.