By Peter Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
PHILADELPHIA - The PrimeTime Shootout Tour hit the campus of Villanova University Friday night, showcasing top teams and players from the Philadelphia area, as well as Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Louisville-bound Samardo Samuels pumped in 27 points and grabbed 17 points in the night's most eagerly-anticipated game, leading St. Benedict's (N.J.) past Tyreke Evans and American Christian (Pa.), 77-70. The victorious Gray Bees entered the contest ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps.com
Not to be outdone, 5-foot-9 Chester (Pa.) point guard Karon Burton torched Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette (Pa.) for 32 points in an 80-70 victory.
Here is a complete rundown of Friday night's four-game slate in Philly;
The Hotchkiss School (Conn.) 72, Our Savior New American (N.Y) 58
Derrick Wilson got off to a hot start, leading The Hotchkiss School of Connecticut to a 72-58 win over Our Savior New American of Centereach, N.Y.
The freshman guard scored the Bearcats’ first seven points, helping his team jump to a 12-2 lead just three minutes into the game. Game MVP Jason Morris also added to the early action scoring seven points in the first quarter.
The highlight of the game came in the second stanza, when Morris converted a monstrous one-handed slam through traffic. Our Savior New American had no answer for Morris in the second quarter. The Pioneers couldn’t muster much on the offense, either; Hotchkiss’ 2-3 zone gave Our Savior serious trouble in the second—holding them to just 13 points in the frame.
Ishaq Pitt performed well after being asked to guard the red-hot Morris. Morris was held to just three points in the third, and the Pioneers were able to get back into the game—climbing back from a 15-point deficit to cut it to seven. But that’s as close as the Pioneers would get. Gerardo Suero provided a spark for Our Savior in the third, scoring nine points.
The Bearcats pulled away in the fourth, and cruised to a 14-point victory.
Morris, a 6-6 sophomore guard, shined throughout the game and showed tremendous potential with the Villanova coaching watching him closely.
Big man Gary Robinson contributed 10 points and five rebounds for The Hotchkiss School. Ronn Screufer had nine rebounds for the Bearcats.
Suero had a strong performance for the Pioneers, posting 21 points and four rebounds. Senior Rayner Moquete added 12 points in the defeat.
Timber Creek (N.J.) 55, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Pa.) 52
Anthony Scott’s three pointer at the buzzer fell just short and Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s comeback hopes were dashed. The Colonials were able to come back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to two points with 12.3 seconds left, but in the end PW was unable to overcome a sloppy first half, and Timber Creek (N.J.) pulled out a close 55-52 victory.
Timber Creek led 17-12 after the first quarter, but Plymouth-Whitemarsh struggled against the Chargers’ defensive pressure, and the Colonials only managed to score their first basket in the second quarter with less than three minutes remaining. Timber Creek started the second quarter on an 11-0 run.
The Chargers controlled the game throughout the first three and a half quarters. Led by Collin Johnson, who poured in 18 points, Timber Creek held a 49-36 with under four minutes to go in the game.
But the defiant Colonials would not give up. Behind Allen Williams, who filled up the stat sheet with 22 points five boards and three steals, Plymouth-Whitemarsh fought its way back into the game.
Scott was sharp from the outside—scoring nine of his sixteen points from behind the arch, but his last-second jumper to the tie the game was just short.
Chester (Pa.) 80, Jeannette (Pa.) 70
Once again, it was the Nasir Robinson and Karon Burton show in a Chester victory. The speedy Burton couldn't be contained, while the 6-5 Robinson owned the paint to help the Clippers advance to 22-1 on the season with an 80-70 victory over two-sport superstar Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette.
Chester jumped out to a 24-17 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
Burton's first-half effort included 14 points and three assists. He got the crowd out of its seats with an alley-oop to forward Rahlir Jefferson and a spinning lay-up. Despite his 5-9 stature, Burton did what he has all season - take over games.
Burton’s 32 points led the way for the Clippers, and the University of Pittsburgh-bound Robinson had another huge game—scoring 18 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Senior Mark Burrell and the 6-5 Jefferson combined for 15 points, and were strong defensively and on the boards.
There were plenty of spectators on hand to see Pryor and his Jayhawks, as well. Pryor, regarded as the nation’s top quarterback prospect, had 21 points and nine rebounds.
Chester opened up a 15-point lead at halftime thanks to a Kevin Green-Germany three-pointer right before the clock expired. However, Jeannette would not go away. Chester needed a strong second half from Burton to keep Jeannette from getting any closer than an eight-point deficit.
Brandon Robinson provided a spark off the bench for coach Fred Pickett's squad. He had six points and six rebounds.
For the Jayhawks, Moziah Harris added 18 points, Shaw Sunder finished with 14 and point guard Jordan Hall rounded out the double-digit efforts with 13.
Chester is back at Villanova for the Kobe Bryant Classic Saturday, taking on Maalik Wayns and the Roman Catholic Cahillites.
St. Benedict’s (N.J) 77, American Christian (Pa.) 70
American Christian superstar Tyreke Evans started off cold, but junior Lamont Jones and Jeremiah Kelly picked up the slack early on. Jones and Kelly combined for the first three baskets of the game—all three pointers, and gave American Christian a 9-0 lead.
The Eagles led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, using a fast-paced attack that kept St. Benedict’s from establishing a low post game with star posts Samardo Samuels and Greg Echenique.
American Christian led most of the way against St. Benedict’s, which came into the game with only one loss. Eventually, Samuels made his presence felt and led the Gray Bees to a 77-70 victory. Samuels posted 27 points and 17 rebounds, joining Burton as the top individual performers of the night.
It took St. Benedict’s almost three quarters to take the momentum from the Eagles. Tamir “Pop” Jackson hit a three-pointer as time expired at the end of the third quarter, giving the Gray Bees a 54-50 lead headed into the final frame. Jackson’s shot deflated American Christian, and Echenique and Samuels were able to control the final period, keeping the Eagles from making a comeback.
Jones notched 15 of his 21 points from three-point land. Kelly suffered an injury with one minute to go in the game, but had a strong showing—scoring all 12 of his points on three-pointers.
Evans was an ugly 1-for-12 from three-point land, but still managed to score an effortless 33 points in the losing effort.
Echenique added 15 points as the Gray Bees improved to 18-1. Jackson finished with 18 points.
