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Executive Education and Parkland boys basketball struggle in the Hoop Group Showcase – The Morning Call
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Since 1996, the Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase has brought top teams and top players to the area, giving fans a chance to see scholastic basketball played at a higher level.
It also gives local teams a chance to challenge themselves and an opportunity to experience playing teams usually better than what they face on their regular schedules.
From that standpoint, both Executive Education and Parkland were winners Sunday during the 26th annual Hoop Group event at Parkland, even though neither the Raptors nor the Trojans came close to winning on the scoreboard.
Both were competitive for a half, but couldn’t keep up after halftime.
Executive had a 14-game win streak snapped with a 67-38 loss to perennial New Jersey power The Patrick School.
Parkland lost for the sixth straight time in the Hoop Group event, falling to Philadelphia Catholic League stalwart Archbishop Wood 68-49.
Despite the losses, both Raptors coach Ray Barbosa and Trojans mentor Andy Stephens didn’t regret their participation in what has always been one of the most-anticipated dates of the season.
“We knew coming into this game that we’d have our hands full,” Barbosa said. “We competed well in the first half … . We were just one or two possessions away from being tied or even in the lead. So, I’ll take the positives from that.”
Executive was down 27-17 late in the second quarter but got three straight baskets from Gabe Hornberger to close the half down only 27-23.
However, the Shamrocks, which feature three high-profile players who didn’t play — Northern Illinois commit Seck Zongo, University of Alabama-Birmingham commit KJ Satterfield and a high-ranked junior in Jaiden Glover — pulled away in the second half.
The Patrick School scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and Executive didn’t have a field goal in the second half until Hornberger scored with just 1:30 left in the third.
Barbosa was increasingly frustrated and drew a technical as the Shamrocks pulled away.
Hornberger finished with 13 points and Rylan Muniz added 14, including eight in the fourth quarter. Trent Lincoln and Brandon Lee scored 19 and 16 respectively for The Patrick School, which plays a national schedule that has included games against Roselle Catholic and Camden, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in New Jersey. Freshman Ikeena Alozie, who had 12 points and several rebounds, was chosen his team’s MVP.
Barbosa said his team played the Shamrocks in a fall showcase event and led at halftime before getting blown out in the second half. It was a similar story Sunday.
“It’s a nationally recognized program,” Barbosa said. “We’re just going to continue to work and stayed focused and positive. This was our first loss since Dec. 10. We won 14 in a row. We play a really good Chester Charter School on Wednesday and we’re going to focus on winning another [district] championship.”
Executive has won four straight district trophies but is expected to be challenged by Notre Dame-Green Pond, Saucon Valley, Palmerton and others in the upcoming District 11 3A tournament.
Barbosa likes his backcourt of Hornberger and Muniz.
“Those guys played well and our bigs played as well as they could, but again, The Patrick School had just a little more,” Barbosa said.
Just like Executive, Parkland was able to stay with Archbishop Wood for most of the first half and trailed only 30-24 at halftime.
But the Vikings, who are battle-tested from the Philly Catholic League, took over immediately in the second half with an 11-2 run.
Trojans star Nick Coval kept his team in it with 15 points in the first half but managed just five after intermission. He was still selected as his team’s MVP.
“My fear coming into the game was that we’d come out flat,” Stephens said. “I think early on we were going through the motions even though we were shooting pretty well. As the game went on I thought we competed at a higher level. But they’re a really good team. We certainly didn’t cave or anything like it. I don’t think we took a step back. We showed we can hang in there for the most part.”
Jalil Bethea, a top-ranked junior guard, and Carson Howard, an East Stroudsburg University recruit, both scored 18 for Wood, which improved to 12-6 overall. Howard also had numerous rebounds.
For Parkland, it’s a matter of regrouping to play rival Whitehall on Monday night in the regular-season finale. With a win, the Trojans would likely get a home quarterfinal-round game Friday night.
The Trojans have now lost six straight Hoop Group games, with their last win in the event coming over Susquehanna Township in 2015. The 2016 and ’21 Hoop Group events were wiped out by a snowstorm and COVID-19, respectively.
Perhaps the timing could be better considering the Hoop Group event comes at the start of a big week, but Stephens still enjoys having his team involved.
“You have to grind through a game like this and make sure you stay healthy and don’t get too fatigued for the week ahead,” said Stephens, whose team was again without starter Joey Gerbasio, who is in concussion protocol. “The best thing is we came out healthy and we’ll be ready to go Monday night.”
Stephens said it’s important to compete against good teams.
“We scrimmaged Roman Catholic at the beginning of the year, but we needed to shoot a little bit better because they’re physically stronger and more powerful than us,” he said. “If we made some of the 3s we missed, it changes the game a little bit. But I don’t think it was for a lack of effort or desire.”
Stephens said it’s an honor to play in the showcase, which has featured numerous Division I college players and guys who went on to play in the NBA.
“As long as we’re hosting, we’ll be in it,” Stephens said. “I ask them to match us up with a really good team. Obviously, all of the good teams in this are good teams. You want to be tested and see where you stand. Hopefully, it gets us battle-tested and better. You never like to lose and now we have eight losses, but we lost to some really good teams. Hopefully, some of those losses will make us better in the playoffs.”
In the day’s final game, Blair Academy from Blairstown, New Jersey, got 29 points from Cornell recruit Ian Imegwu and 15 from Naval Academy commit Carnegie Johnson in holding off Phelps, from Malvern, Chester County. Will Riley, who is among the nation’s top-ranked sophomores, was his team’s MVP after scoring 18.
The Patrick School 13 – 14 – 22 – 18 — 67
Executive Education 9 – 14 – 3 – 12 — 38
THE PATRICK SCHOOL (67)
Laguerre 0 2-2 2, Lincoln 6 7-9 19, Kaba 2 2-2 7, Dopovic 1 0-0 2, Lee 7 1-1 16, Fawaz 2 0-0 4, Alozie 4 4-5 12, Coleman 2 1-2 5. Totals 24 17-21 67.
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION (38)
Hornberger 6 1-2 13, Muniz 5 1-2 14, M. Sanoh 2 1-2 5, L, Sanoh 1 0-2 2, Shipley 0 2-2 2, Manning 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 5-10 38.
Officials: Gregg Durrah, Dennis McWhite, Mike Peterson.
3-pointers: TPS (2) Kaba, Lee. Executive (3) Muniz 3.
Archbishop Wood 16 – 14 – 17 – 21 — 68
Parkland 11 – 13 – 9 – 16 — 49
ARCHBISHOP WOOD (68)
Bethea 6 2-2 18, Green 3 0-0 9, Dean 2 4-6 9, Reed 4 0-0 8, Dixon 0 1-2 1, Howell 1 0-0 2, Howard 8 2-2 18, Salem 0 1-4 1. Totals 25 10-16 68.
PARKLAND (49)
Coval 6 4-4 20, Ray 4 1-2 12, Escalona 1 0-0 2, Rodgers 0 1-2 1, Spang 1 0-0 3, Johns 1 0-0 2, Smaltz 2 0-0 4, Toth 0 2-2 2, Ruisch 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 8-10 49.
Officials: Andy Donatelli, Johnny Hymans, Jim Gross.
3-pointers: AW (8) Bethea 4, Green 3, Kelly. Parkland (9) Coval 4, Ray 3, Ruisch, Spang.
Executive Education’s Jayden Shipley looks to score against The Patrick School’s Ikeena Alozie and Assane Mbaye on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Executive’s Rylan Muniz looks to score against The Patrick School’s Daye Kaba on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call). Muniz scored 24 points in a summer-league win over Nazareth Thursday night.
Executive Education’s Moustapha Sanoh looks to score against The Patrick School on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Executive Education’s Josh Washington looks to block The Patrick School’s Ikeena Alozie on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. Alozie, a freshman, was voted his team’s MVP after scoring 12 points in a 67-38 win over Executive. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Executive Education’s Gabe Horneberger looks to score against The Patrick School’s Ikeena Alozie on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Executive Education’s Gabe Horneberger looks to score against The Patrick School’s Trent Lincoln on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Executive Education’s Jayden Shipley looks to score against The Patrick School’s Trent Lincoln on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, during Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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