The West Philadelphia Speedboys waltzed into their game on Wednesday with six straight wins but they left with seven. They snuck past Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech with a 52-48 victory. Given West Philadelphia's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech is ranked 391st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Philadelphia was led to victory by Mouye Tall and Kashay Ryder. Tall scored 14 points along with seven rebounds, while Ryder scored 13 points along with five rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ryder has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech lost, one person who can't be blamed is Elnora Span. Despite the final result, she scored 26 points along with three steals. That was a full 54.2% of Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech's points, marking the eighth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Synii McClain, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Even though they lost, Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Philadelphia only pulled down nine offensive rebounds.
West Philadelphia's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. West Philadelphia will square off against Martin Luther King at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. As for Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech, they will head out on the road to face off against Roxborough at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. Roxborough is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
