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Ramone Moore knows he still has next year.
That’s why the South Philadelphia High junior is using Saturday’s Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAAA state tournament game as a learning experience. Yes, his team lost 72-58 to Cheltenham High, but this was the Rams first trip to states.
"I can just learn from this," said Moore, who finished with a team-high 24 points. "It’s motivated me to get better so we can go to the next round next year."
Southern trailed by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, but never quit, trimming the deficit to 36-31 at halftime. At the 4:38 mark of the third quarter, the team got within two points, 39-37, but that would be as close as they would get. Missed shots at key moments ended up costing the win.
"The fact that we lost today was disappointing because I know we can beat this team," coach George Anderson said. "Our shots just weren’t falling."
With Moore coming back next season, Anderson has a bright outlook.
"This was a breakout game for him," Anderson said. "It established him as one of the outstanding seniors for next year. He was slighted on the All-Public scene, but people weren’t aware of how good he was."
Senior Jason Saab finished with 22 points. Southern finished the year 19-9.
THE PREP CHARTER boys’ basketball team entered the week as the only South Philadelphia squad still alive in postseason play. They advanced to last night’s PIAA AA second-round game against Southern Columbia of District 4.
Dan Brinkley and his coaching staff spent Monday night analyzing game film in preparation for Tuesday’s practice. The match-up was held at Allentown’s William Allen High School.
The Huskies advanced by defeating Reading Central Catholic, 49-44, in Saturday’s tournament-opener, which was played in Shillington. The squad had a 31-18 lead at halftime, but this was a state tournament game, meaning no lead was safe. An 11-point lead with 1:32 remaining dwindled to 45-32, but junior Markieff Morris sealed the victory by hitting a pair of free throws with 12.8 seconds on the clock. Senior Rodney Green led all scorers with 17 points.
Junior Josh Martin, who tallied eight points, also played a key role.
"I think Josh did a great job of controlling the tempo of the game," Brinkley said. "Everyone played a key role in the victory."
For the second straight season, St. Pius X eliminated the Prep Charter Lady Huskies from the first round of the PIAA AA girls’ basketball tournament, with a score of 66-17. Prep Charter had just three players score, with junior Emerald Robinson leading the way with 10 points. Prep Charter finished the season 17-6 overall.
