Public League Playoffs: Unsung Heros

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Philadelphia Public League may not be what it use to be in the golden age, but it still has some talent. For this article, I wanted to highlight a few guys who played well in either the semifinals or title game and don't normally get much publicity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1888747' first='Latief' last='Lorenzano-White'] | 6'4 W 2026 Imhotep</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though he wasn't the MVP of the semifinals or championship game, Lorenzano-White made plays that helped take the Panthers over the top. Versus Lincoln, he forced turnovers and scored in transition, highlighted by three dunks. His defensive activity played a big role in Tep going up big in the second quarter. Then, in the lower scoring matchup against MCS, it was his rebounding. Lorenzano-White came up with a clutch and-one putback in response to the surging Elephants. In total, he had 11 points, 3 boards, and 3 steals, then 9 points and 5 boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malachi Montgomery | 6'0 G 2024 Lincoln&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though the Railsplitters came up short versus Imhotep, Montgomery made some impressive plays to help keep them in it. Converting speed to power, he initiated the contact as he drove to the cup for some nice finishes. And when another Lincoln player dropped it off to him in transition, Montgomery rose up above the defender and threw it down with two hands. His 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists didn't go unnoticed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2383342' first='Azeem' last='Murphy'] | 6'4 2024 MCS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite contributing just 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the win against Constitution, the box score doesn't tell the full story for Murphy. A below-the-rim finisher, Murphy used his upper body strength to move defenders out of his way and get the looks he wanted. The strength was crucial when boxing out to clean up missed shots. And because he's comfortable facing up, Murphy was able to show off his vision by making plays for others.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1123887' first='Amir' last='Speights'] | 6'5 F 2024 Constitution&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speights epitomized what it means to be a stretch forward versus MCS. He drilled five treys off-the-catch. It didn't matter if he was behind the college line. If Speights saw daylight, he was pulling the trigger. He also scored on a quick post move, totaling 17 points to go along with 6 rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1173985' first='Jeremiah' last='White'] | 6'6 F 2024 Imhotep&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White is normally the guy making teammates better so they can shine, but, in the semifinals game versus Lincoln, he had some highlights of his own. The unsigned senior forward filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 12 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. His hustle on the glass generated second-chance opportunities for the Panthers. His teammates rewarded him with touches in the post. Meanwhile, White's defensive activity wouldn't allow the Railsplitters to get into a rhythm offensively. He followed that up with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals in the title game against MCS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->