Math, Civics & Sciences vs Imhotep: Game Recap

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tuesday, January 11th marked a highly anticipated match-up between the two top programs in the Philadelphia Public League. The Imhotep Panthers took down the MCS Elephants 55-48. With talent on both sides, several players made huge contributions in the game.</span></p> <p><b>Imhotep</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="991341" first="Justin" last="Edwards"] (6’7 W 2023) started the game hot for Imhotep with 2 catch-and-shoot threes and 9 of his total 18 points in the 1st quarter. He also got to his spots in the mid-range and didn’t try to force anything. The effort he showed on the glass (8 rebounds) created second-chance opportunities for his team which made the difference in the game.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="1281786" first="Ahmad" last="Nowell"] (6’0 G 2024) is built like someone who should be playing defensive back on Saturdays. Yet, used his strength to get the shots he wanted in the paint. From there, Ahmad countered with a couple threes, at least one of which was off-the-dribble. He chipped in 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals too.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="1287322" first="Mo" last="Abdullah"] (6’4 G/W 2022) isn’t completely slept on because he’s signed to D1 ball at Rider, but he’s definitely underrated. Mo knocked down 3 triples as he finished with 10 points. As always, he played defense on and off the ball and grabbed 9 boards.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="991339" first="Rahmir" last="Barno"] (5’11 G 2023) also contributed 9 points in the Panthers victory.</span></p> <p><b>Math, Civics &amp; Sciences</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="991322" first="Trent" last="Middleton"] Jr (6’3 G 2022) was all over the place defensively. It felt like he played bigger than the height he’s listed at because had 3 blocks, 6 rebounds, and a number of deflections. Additionally, Trent played a significant role in slowing down Edwards once they went man. On offense, Middleton Jr scored 17 points with 3 makes from behind the arc. His team didn’t win, but Trent was clearly the most outstanding player.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="991197" first="Jaheim" last="Bethea"] (6’2 G 2022) came and went to the paint as he pleased. Jah’s emphasis on getting to the rim collapsed the defense and created passing windows for him to distribute. He found a lot of success on grab-and-go opportunities on fastbreaks, finishing the game with 4 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="991199" first="Khalif" last="Crawley"] Jr (6’8 C 2022) scored 9 points in the post - a couple of which came on nice jumpers - and pulled in 7 rebounds, but his biggest impact came on defense. Deuce blocked 3 shots and altered several others. He wasn’t the tallest or most athletic big on the court but his timing was impeccable.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="1187956" first="Aasim" last="Burton"] (6’2 G 2024) added 8 points and 2 steals in MCS’s first league loss of the season. With his shot-making and game off-the-bounce, “Flash” created easy buckets in a game where points came at a premium.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more coverage of Pennsylvania basketball, follow me on Twitter CGraham_Sports.</span></p>