Game Recap: Bonner-Prendergast 71, St. Joe's Prep 53

Visting Bonner-Prendergast moved to 2-0 in Catholic League play with a wire-to-wire win over a young St. Joe's Prep group coming off an OT win in its PCL opener. The Friars were led by their dynamic junior backcourt as [player_tooltip player_id='2398422' first='Korey' last='Francis'], [player_tooltip player_id='2419608' first='Kam' last='Jackson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2838352' first='Jakeem' last='Carroll'] all surpassed 15 points on the night. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='3302391' first='Jayden' last='Howlett'] came off the bench to lead SJP, which also got an impressive showing from star sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2563334' first='Julian' last='McKie'].    Coming off a 36-point performance in Bonner's league opener on Friday, Francis wasn't counted on as much in the scoring column but turned in a workmanlike effort to help steer the win. Francis delivered 17 points, coming mostly by way of his customary bruising drives to the bucket. The junior guard stuffed the stat sheet with a versatile and consistent floor presence, making crisp reads to record a handful of assists setting up his shooters, crashing the glass for at least a half-dozen boards, and playing tough-nosed on-ball defense to help ignite transition going the other way. Francis was rewarded for his efforts with a mid-major offer from La Salle, whose head coach was in attendance to see him along with an assistant from Temple.     In hindsight, it was a sign of things to come when Jackson had recorded two points before a single second ran off the clock, taking advantage of a procedural technical against Prep to get the Friars out to a lead from which they would never look back. Jackson would score 9 of his team's first 12 points in a first quarter run that proved to be the difference in the game, on his way to a game-high 18 overall. The dynamic lead guard spent time both on and off the ball, showing off his shifty change-of-pace handle to get into the lane and make plays for himself or others, while also keeping things honest with a pair of first-half 3s. Jackson's ability to run a team with hard-nosed two-way play while also scoring himself when necessary should be appealing for schools up to the low D1 level in the coming year-plus.     The third piece of a dynamic three-headed junior backcourt, Carroll recorded his second straight double-figure performance to start the PCL season with a crucial 15-point effort. With his backcourt mates focused on knifing downhill to make plays off the bounce, Carroll took advantage of the space on the perimeter to cash in for 5 3s, most coming via catch-and-shoot opportunities. Carroll consistently relocated to open space both out of designed actions and in the run of play, showing off a polished quick-release stroke. He also showed some skill and quickness in the dribble-drive game when run off the line. We'd like to get a chance to see him in more of an on-ball role at some point, as Bonner's multi-guard lineup relegates him mostly to a complementary role, but Carroll's shooting ability coupled with experience in the rigors of PCL play should put him at least on scholarship radars by this time next year.     While St. Joe's Prep is in a bit of a rebuilding year with a new head coach and the graduation of an accomplished 2025 class, the growth shown by McKie in the early portion of the year has nonetheless been one of the bigger developments across the PCL. Stepping up from an energy-based auxiliary role to a go-to scoring option, McKie has hit the ground running, improving by leaps and bounds in both his skill level and confidence as a shot-creator from the perimeter. The lanky swingman scored an efficient 12 points on Monday, showing natural touch as a finisher near the rim and vastly improved ball skills to work to his spots and convert over or around his defender. McKie hasn't lost his role-player spirit, as he's still relentless in pursuit of the ball with natural instincts for flowing toward the action. Still far from a finished product, his blend of current production and long-term room for growth make for a mighty interesting prospect who should be monitored by high-major programs moving forward.     A pleasant surprise on the evening, Howlett popped off the bench to provide an immediate spark for the Hawks on his way to a team-high 14 points. Stepping up from the JV ranks after focusing more on football as an underclassman, Howlett has a clear future on the hardwood if his play on Monday was any indication. He showed a crisp skillset as an aggressive downhill attacker off the bounce, consistently creating advantages with his handle and finishing off two feet with both strength and craft once he got into the lane. The poise and confidence he showed with the ball in his hands were particularly noteworthy given his lack of varsity experience. We'll look to see more from him as a perimeter shooter and facilitator in future evaluations, but Howlett is on the radar moving forward with the potential to develop into a nice small-college prospect as he adds reps while shifting his focus full-time to the hardwood.

Visting Bonner-Prendergast moved to 2-0 in Catholic League play with a wire-to-wire win over a young St. Joe's Prep group coming off an OT win in its PCL opener. The Friars were led by their dynamic junior backcourt as Korey Francis Korey Francis 6'3" | CG Bonner-Prendie | 2027 State PA , Kam Jackson Kam Jackson 5'9" | PG Bonner-Prendie | 2027 State PA , and Jakeem Carroll Jakeem Carroll 6'1" | PG/SG Bonner-Prendie | 2027 State PA all surpassed 15 points on the night. Junior guard Jayden Howlett Jayden Howlett 5'11" | PG St. Joseph's Prep | 2027 PA came off the bench to lead SJP, which also got an impressive showing from star sophomore Julian McKie Julian McKie 6'4" | SF St. Joseph's Prep | 2028 State PA .