Kiski School junior Dante Lombardi (23) and the Cougars are looking to take home their first PAISAA title. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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For all but one of the 16 teams in the PAISAA Tournament this year, the last two games at Malvern Prep are a short drive away. And then there’s the Kiski School, from Saltsburg, Pa.–a good four hours west of the rest of their competition for the top independent school in the state.
Last year, that drive home felt even longer after the Cougars’ 53-47 loss to Germantown Academy in the final left the school still in search of its first state title. This year, Kiski’s determined not to come home empty-handed.
“Basically since the bus ride back from Philadelphia last year, they’ve all said the same thing, we’re coming back here next year to win,'” Kiski coach Daryn Freedman said. “They’re all focused.”
Kiski returns the majority of its rotation from last year, but the one player who’s not back with them is certainly a big loss.
Current Drexel freshman Major Canady, the Cougars’ point guard, had the game-winning layup in the 2013 semifinal win over Penn Charter, the last of his 19 points in that game. So the onus will be on players like Dante Lombardi and others who were involved last year to get Kiski into the final on Saturday night.
“We understand what it’s going to take and we’re going to try our best. We know it’s not going to be easy,” Freedman said.
The marquee matchup will most certainly be in the post. Only two high school programs in the state can boast that they start a true seven-footer down low, and they’ll be facing off in this game.
The Kiski School’s Marquette-bound senior Satchel Pierce will be going up head-to-head against Westtown junior Georgios Papagiannis, widely seen as a potential lottery pick in the NBA Draft in a few years.
“I’m excited to watch it, I can’t say enough for people to come watch that matchup,” Freedman said. “People who don’t even care about high school basketball but just like basketball, this is two guys who could be playing professionally at pretty high levels in the future.”
Whichever center plays better is certainly going to give his team a huge boost, but Kiski has more depth than Westtown in that department. Freedman has the luxury of not one but two 7-footers on the team with Pierce and junior Kevin Kcehowski.
Westtown has the better backcourt, however, including senior Jared Nickens. Nickens, a 6-foot-6 wing headed to Maryland in the fall, is a plus shooter from the outside, though he’s expanded his game and can create his own shot from time to time.
The main ball-handlers for the Moose are sophomore Jair Bolden and senior Habib N’Garnim, a pair of high-level athletes in the backcourt. Bolden, who transferred from St. Anthony (N.J.) last summer, is a potential Division I prospect who’s at his best in the open court.
Kiski is led by junior guard Hunter Shelton at 17.7 ppg. Shelton’s been playing well during the PAISAA tournament, dropping 21 points in the quarterfinal win over Germantown Academy and 25 against Malvern Prep in their opening-round victory.
Game Two: 2) Phelps School vs. 3) Hill School
The opening game isn’t the only one to feature some future potential pros. The Phelps School is led by senior wing Terry Larrier, a matchup nightmare headed to Virginia Commonwealth next season.
The future Ram is an incredibly lanky 6-foot-8 wing, with the ability to create his own shot from the perimeter or post up whatever defender the Hill School can throw at him. If he’s on his game–and he usually is–then he can score from every level and make it look effortless.
Phelps also has some state championship experience, in the form of one of the Lions’ post-grads. Raheem Hall, a 6-foot-3 wing, was a senior at Lower Merion last season, when he helped the Aces win the school’s first PIAA Class AAAA championship since 2006.
The 2014 Mid-Atlantic Prep League champion, Hill has put together an impressive season of its own, taking out a talented Haverford School squad in the quarterfinals after dispatching Germantown Friends in the first round. Junior James Fives and senior John Carroll are both fringe Division I prospects with interest from a number of schools in the Ivy/Patriot range, with both possessing good size and shooting ability from the perimeter.
Sophomore guards Bryce Aiken and Seth Stankiewicz both play older than their years, both relying more on their basketball IQ and shooting abilities more than raw athleticism to get things done on the court.
If this game turns into a track meet, Phelps has the advantage. If Hill can force the Lions into half-court sets and limit second-chance opportunities, the Blues could certainly move on.