Sun Valley Spring League Notebook: Tuesday May 11

Marple Newtown and Garnet Valley were among the winners Tuesday night. Beating Chichester and Kennett Respectively.

The Sun Valley spring league is now in its second week of play. Tuesday night featured several close contests with some stellar team performances. Here's a notebook from the night.

Marple's rejuvenated second half helps edge Chichester

In the night's opener which featured a rematch of two teams that met each other in the first round of districts, Marple Newtown got past Chichester 43-40 thanks to a stellar second half offensively. Early on, the Tiger struggled to hit shots and find the bottom of the basket enduring a nine minute scoring drought to close out the first half. However as the old adage says, shooters will eventually get going. Incoming freshman Chris Gardler was the spark plug the Tigers needed, hitting two treys and scoring eight of the Tigers first ten points to start the second half. Rising senior guard Jordan Bochanski also hit three treys to build on the second half run the Tigers went on, finishing with 11. For Chichester, rising senior forward Isaiah Diggs and rising junior guard Ahkir Keyes finished with nine a piece.

Sun Valley's defense continues to show when it matters most

The host Vanguards beat Penncrest 52-50 in the night's closest battle. After an 11-0 run by the Lions in the middle of the second half put them behind, Coach Steve Maloney called timeout to settle his group down and get them refocused approaching the home stretch. The Vanguards responded by forcing two turnovers in three possessions and forced Penncrest into some tough shots. In the final two minutes, the Vanguard defense did a good job of closing out and securing defensive rebounds. However, an inbound turnover gave the Lions the ball back with one last chance, but they came up short with a missed three. The Vanguards also took advantage of second chances, with eight points off of put backs.

Coming off of his 25 point performance against Penn Wood, Saahir Lee led the Lions with 17, and rising senior wing Ben Stanton chipped in with 11. For Sun Valley, Chris Kwadeah led the way on offense with 13 points and rising sophomore Noah Griffin added nine to help secure the win.

Penn Wood and Chester Charter scrap it out

Penn Wood won this one 54-46, but this game was a tough, physical battle that showed improvement for both squads. For Penn Wood, slashing guard Naeem Purnell led the offense with 15 points, and Mehki Shillingsford anchored the defense, having a double figures night on the glass with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Patriots full court trap turned out to be the difference in the second half, forcing eight Chester Charter turnovers. For being one of the younger groups in the league, Dan Spangler's Sabres walked away with their best performance yet. Rising junior guard Kevin Miller led CCSA with 15 points, all from downtown. Standing only at about 5"6, Miller displayed his ability to hit shots from well beyond the arc and also facilitate the offense with several dump off passes to bigs waiting in the dunker's spots for layups, tallying several assists. While Miller has range he will have to develop a better feel for when his shots come in, as there were times he got a little too shot happy from beyond the arc throughout the game. The Sabres also brought energy and smarts on the defensive end, winning several loose balls and taking seven charges to keep them in the fight.

Garnet Valley continues on the dominant track.

In the nightcap, Garnet Valley beat Kennett in the nightcap 84-26; with the Jags playing a dominant game in all facets. For the Jaguars; Logan McKee, Ryan Wooten, and a returning Max Koehler are showing that the defending Central League champs won't have much of a drop off come next year.All three finished in double figures, and made solid contributions on the defensive end. The Jags have stuck to their identity of ball movement and being able to deploy a long range attack on offense, but in their first two games have also out hustled their opponents and have taken advantage of the offensive glass, giving them second chance points and putting guys at the free throw line.