Villa Classic brings out the best in Philadelphia and New York basketball

PHILADELPHIA — It starts on fissure-filled blacktop with netless rims, boiling crucibles of basketball that have forged a healthy amount of pride. These courts of kids going at each other are dotted everywhere around New York City and Philadelphia.

The 212 and 215 area codes have far more in common than they are dissimilar. One of the constants is the wealth of high school basketball talent born on those outdoor courts that both areas pump out every year.

The annual Villa Five Classic has been a great test of which city is better. Some of the best of each city appeared in a five-game tournament, played at two separate venues, that featured No. 8 ranked Chester (Pa.) against Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), Friends' Central (Wynnewoode, Pa.) opposing Wings Academy (Bronx, N.Y.), Constitution (Philadelphia) against Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.), Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) against South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Vaux (Philadelphia) versus Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

Philadelphia won the five-game tournament, 3-2, with the deciding game coming down to superpowers Chester and Christ The King in the final game of the day. The Clippers, behind 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals from Rondae Jefferson, prevailed over Christ The King, 65-53, and are up to No. 8 in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

"This was pretty big for us, because this was a really tough game," said Jefferson, who is getting major looks from a number of top programs in the country, including North Carolina. "This was a hump we had to get over. We've always played a tough schedule, and some teams get nervous over that. We haven't. We keep playing, and we know the history we're playing for this year [becoming the first Chester team to win consecutive state championships]. I knew we would have chemistry, but the way we're playing is unbelievable.

"No matter how many mistakes we make on offense, we'll make up for that on defense. We'll make you work your butt off on the defensive end."

The Clippers did just that with Christ The King's Omar Calhoun, a Connecticut commit who dropped an exhaustive 24 points against Chester.

"They're a very good team, and to beat a team like that, we had to play better than we did," Christ The King coach Joe Arbitello said.

Chester's Del Val League season is about to begin. And there doesn't seem to be anything standing in the Clippers' way of their ultimate goal until sometime in late-February or March, when the state tournament begins.

"This was a real nice shot in the arm for us," Clippers coach Larry Yarbray said. "What I like most about my team right now is how mentally tough they are. I don't get caught up in where we're ranked nationally, or locally. I call that barbershop talk. But what is challenging and what will continue to be a challenge is finding ways to keep us focused. We hold the toughest practices you'll ever see. We like to make our practices tougher than games. We'll continue that all the way through the season."

Constitution 80, Cardozo 72: Constitution's Savon Goodman scored a personal-best 46 points, which also established a school record for points scored in a single game. Goodman also grabbed 16 rebounds, while Omar Williams led Cardozo with 15 points.

"I wanted to make a statement," Goodman said. "Our team did, too, for our league and for Philadelphia. We lost three straight games at a tournament in Florida, and this was a great way to start the new year. We're really coming together. We needed this."

South Shore 58, Imhotep 52: South Shore won New York's first game, behind a game-high 21 points from Shamiek Sheppard. Imhotep, the defending Philadelphia Public League city champions, was led by 16 points from Khyree Wooten.

Boys & Girls 63, Vaux 38: Courtney Darnley and Joel Angus III each scored 14 for Boys & Girls, and put the clamps on Vaux's dangerous Rysheed Jordan, who finished with just three points. Corey Morris led Vaux with 15 points.

Friends' Central 57, Wings academy 53: This game tied the five-game series at 2-2, thanks to Amile Jefferson's 18-point, 10-rebound performance. Jefferson said he's nearing a decision as to a college choice, which could come down to Ohio State, North Carolina State, Villanova and Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 Jefferson has been playing out of position the last two years, playing center. "I'm willing to do anything I have to do for us to win," Jefferson said. "This was a nice win for us today. But we can get better. We have to bond more and get more chemistry."