GFS lays foundation in rebuilding year

Posted 1/14/19

GFS freshman Matt Johnson (pictured) helmed the offense on Saturday and will be counted on for the next generation of Tiger teams. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt) by Jonathan Vander Lugt Germantown …

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GFS lays foundation in rebuilding year

Posted

GFS freshman Matt Johnson (pictured) helmed the offense on Saturday and will be counted on for the next generation of Tiger teams. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

by Jonathan Vander Lugt

Germantown Friends head coach Shawn Werdt knows his team is in a rebuild. So, when his young Tigers lose like they did Friday night – 59-42 at the hands of Abington Friends School – he looks for positives.

“We did a lot of good things,” Werdt said. “The kids are competing, and they’re really doing anything that we ask of them.”

GFS led after one quarter, 9-7 and went into the half down just 25-20. They had the lead trimmed to four at one point in the third – 27-23 – but the Kangaroos’ athleticism eventually got the better of them.

“They have a couple of pogo sticks,” Werdt said, referring primarily to AFS senior Taalib Holloman and junior Collin Brown. “When we were able to take care of the basketball and make our shots, we made them play in a half-court offense, which is when it was a five-point game for a while.”

By the end of the frame, the Kangaroos stretched the lead to 12, built it out a bit further in the fourth and treaded water through the game’s end.

“We ran into a pretty athletic team,” Werdt said. “We defended the perimeter well in the first half, but eventually they were able to get a lead on us.”

Freshman Matt Johnson is the centerpiece of the GFS offense, but sophomore guard Ben Istvan was the catalyst that helped it function early Friday night. He led the Tigers with 12 – all from deep – and forced AFS to account for his presence along the perimeter.

“Ben is a fantastic shooter,” Werdt said. “We need him to grow a little bit for us so that he can play on the other end, but we’re really excited about him. He’s got some moxie to him – he knows he can shoot, and we expect him to.”

His effectiveness was limited in the second half, as AFS blocked a handful of shots that led to transition buckets on the other end. Regardless, the sophomore figures to be a weapon for Werdt as he grows into his role.

“The only time I really take him out, besides a defensive mistake, is when he doesn’t shoot it,” Werdt said. “He’s had a really nice stretch of basketball for us.”

Elsewhere, Nolan Grady also reached double figures with 11, while Johnson scored six.

“Matt’s been great,” Werdt said. “He’s a terrific driver, and is averaging about 14 or 15 points per game as a freshman.”

“He’s continuing to learn where to pick his spots,” he went on. “Sometimes he still thinks he’s in eighth-grade basketball where he can drive through five guys, but that comes with more seasoning and experience.”

Both Johnson and Istvan played a bit banged up Friday – something Werdt also attributes to the youth of his team.

Istvan went down briefly in the second quarter with an ankle injury before returning shortly after, and Johnson went down with what looked like a more serious ankle sprain just before the end of the first half. He had it taped during the break and cleared all of the team’s injury protocols before playing nearly all of the third and fourth quarters.

“These kids are 14, 15 years old playing against 18-year old men,” Werdt said. “We’ve just got young players. With that, these big, strong, athletic teams can wear on us by the fourth quarter.”

The Tigers (9-9, 1-3) beat the Girard Academic Music Program (located off Passayunk Avenue, west of Broad Street in South Philly) on Saturday to reach .500 on the year. This week, they’ll take on Moorestown Friends Tuesday before playing another non-league game against the Academy at Palumbo (near Queen Village in South Philly).

“We’re doing the best we can, and we have had a few hard-fought wins,” Werdt said. “The kids are competing all the way through, from start to finish.”

When you have a young and rebuilding team, that’s all you can really ask for.

“The culture of this group is really strong,” Werdt said. “There’s not much quit in the kids. Every time we take the floor, it’s another opportunity to get better and they’ve taken that to heart.”

“Even in the last 45 seconds where we knew we weren’t going to win the game, they’re continuing to follow the game plan, scrap, dive on the floor for loose balls,” he went on. “That’s going to pay off in the end.”

GFS: 9 6 10 17: 42

AFS: 7 13 17 22: 59

Germantown Friends: Ben Istvan 4 0-0 12; Nolan Grady 2 5-5 11; Noah Davidson 2 3-4 7; Matt Johnson 2 2-2 6; Tyson Maddox 3 0-0 6.

Abington Friends: Taalib Holloman 10 1-2 21; David Jordan 3 2-2 10; Mikael Green 2 5-5 9; Collin Brown 3 1-2 7; Luke Russ 3 0-0 7; Noah Shanken 1 0-0 3; Will Steinberg 1 0-0 2.

Around the Area:

Save for La Salle College High School’s continued Philadelphia Catholic League dominance, it was a mixed week for each of the area’s other schools.

The Explorers (13-0, 6-0) remained perfect and are shaping up to be a league force. They routed Conwell-Egan Catholic last Sunday 73-28, before handily beating Lansdale Catholic Friday 63-42. Konrad Kiszka led against the Eagles with 20 points, while Allen Powell notched another 20 to lead the Explorers against LC. La Salle will match up Monday against Devon Prep (a new member of the PCL) and Father Judge on Friday before starting a season-defining stretch against all six teams (presumptively the best in the conference) that sit immediately below it in the standings.

Penn Charter split its week with a 60-56 win over the Episcopal Academy Tuesday before being blown out by Malvern Prep 83-50 Friday night. Ryan Holmes led each time with 20 over the Churchmen and 12 against the Friars, respectively. PC (9-6, 1-2) has games against Germantown Academy and Springside Chestnut Hill this week.

Speaking of the Blue Devils (9-9, 1-2), they also split with a 69-60 loss to Malvern Prep Tuesday before beating GA 76-69 Friday night. Junior David Robinson continues to impress, with double figures in 12 of his last 13, including a team-leading 21 against the Friars and 19 over the Pats. SCH will head to the Haverford School Tuesday before hosting PC Friday.

Germantown Academy (7-7, 0-3), has lost each of its first three conference games but has shown marked improvement over its last two. Following a 92-68 loss to Malvern Prep to start the year, GA came within an inch of beating the Haverford school in a 54-53 loss to the Fords Tuesday before falling again by single digits to the Blue Devils Friday. Jordan Longino remains the focus on offense for the Pats – his 22 against HS and 16 against SCH led the team each time – but has found support in Brian Basile (who registered 15 points in each game), Diego Carrasco (eight against Haverford, 13 against SCH) and Luke Traina (12 against SCH). GA hosts both Penn Charter on Tuesday and the Episcopal Academy Friday.

Information from TedSilary.com was used in this article.

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