A win for the new guard

Spotting a wide-open layup, Prep Charter senior Jason Dogan drives to the basket and goes in for the easy shot.

The ball rolls right off the rim – a scenario so unlikely that the player can’t help but bust out laughing, even though just three minutes remain in the Public League quarterfinal game.

"It feels like I went up to the rim and it moved," said Dogan, who, as it turned out, had room to laugh.

The Prep Charter Huskies defeated local rival Bok Tech, 81-65, in Tuesday’s playoff contest at Community College of Philadelphia.

The Huskies will play Engineering & Science in the semifinal game at 2 p.m. Sunday at Saint Joseph’s University. Prep Charter won the December regular-season meeting between the teams.

Making the final four is a huge accomplishment for a fourth-year program that is playing in the postseason for the first time.

"I am happy to be here," said Dogan, whose team won one game his sophomore year. "It’s a good honor."

On the Bok Wildcats’ sidelines, senior Cory Moultrie was feeling the frustration.

"We wanted to win this game so we could advance in the Public League playoffs," the athlete said.

Bok’s chances seemed strong after defeating formidable Strawberry Mansion in overtime last Thursday.

Against Prep Charter, the Wildcats were within reach until the end. Heading into the fourth quarter, Bok was only trailing 55-50.

But Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley redirected the Huskies’ defense toward Bok senior Marquise Salley, who had scored nine points in the third quarter on the way to a game high 25 points..

"Salley is a great player," Brinkley said. "He was going on a great run and I told my players to attend to the middle a little more where he was going and to turn the tempo up."

Moultrie said his team made too many mistakes late in the game.

"We started to turn the ball over and it killed us," he said.

Both local squads can consider the season a success after winning their respective class championships last Thursday afternoon.

Bok defeated Strawberry Mansion 58-57 to win the Public League District XII AAA title, while Prep Charter picked up the A crown with an 86-62 victory over Freire Charter.

The wins qualified the teams for next month’s Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament. Prep Charter will play up to the AA level in states.

IF BOK’S MOULTRIE felt down after Tuesday’s game, he only had to think back to last Thursday, when he was the team hero.

When Moultrie banked a 25-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a one-point win, coach Lloyd Jenkins wasn’t sure how to react.

"I started to run, but I didn’t know where to run to," said Jenkins, a 1969 Bok grad. "I just went back to the bench, put my head in my hands and said, ‘What have we done?’

"I really let go. I had tears going down my face." After Strawberry Mansion’s John Brooks missed the back end of a one-and-one, the Wildcats dribbled the ball to half-court and called a timeout to set up the winning play. With four seconds on the clock and Bok trailing 57-55, there was no room for error. The plan was for Salley to take the shot, but when he wasn’t open, the coach yelled to Moultrie to fire away.

"He took a good shot," Jenkins said. "I knew it was going to be close. It hit the backboard and went right in the basket."

Moultrie finished the game with 20 points and seven assists, a close second to Lamont Butler’s team-high 21 points.

Bok athletic squads are prospering under the new PIAA system. Last fall, the Wildcats football team became the first city squad to qualify for states. Next month, the basketball team will have its turn against a yet-to-be- determined District I representative.

After upsetting Strawberry Mansion, the Wildcats are ready to take on all comers.

"My kids never back down from anybody," Jenkins said. "They are ready to take on lions, tigers and bears."

Prep Charter also is feeling fierce on the strength of its 14-2 season.

The team’s progress is especially sweet for junior Rodney Green, who was the top scorer in last week’s game against Freire Charter.

Green’s Huskies experienced growing pains in their first three seasons in the Public League, but the 6-foot-5 player believed his team just needed time to jell.

"We always had a good team, but we were always young," said Green, of Southwest Philly. "We just had to work hard."

Heading into the game against Freire Charter, the Huskies aimed to avenge last month’s 56-53 home loss to the opponent. In that contest, Prep Charter squandered a 15-point third-quarter lead.

"Everybody was focused on coming in and getting the victory," Green said.

The player displayed his focus by converting 17 of 19 field-goal attempts for a game-high 36 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Unfortunately, his classmates weren’t there to see it, as the Freire gymnasium – a former YMCA building at 2027 Chestnut St. – was way too small to accommodate fans.

"The first game we had, everybody from the school was there," said Green, who is drawing early Division I interest from Rider, La Salle, St. Joe’s, Virginia Tech and Central Connecticut State.

The Huskies’ fan base will have another chance Sunday at St. Joe’s. If Prep Charter wins there, the next stop is the Public League championship game at Temple on Feb. 25.

First-year coach Brinkley said he shares the credit for this season’s strides with former coach Jonathan Groom.

"I knew the talent was there, but he could’ve just as easily taken this team to the final four," Brinkley said. "I just put a sprinkle on it. John Groom did all the work."