BRANDYWINE HUNDRED – Archmere’s boys basketball team turned to a familiar face whenever it needed a spark during the Auks’ game at Brandywine on Jan. 8. Charlie Malloy scored 18 points, several when his team needed them the most, as Archmere remained undefeated with a 53-48 win over the Bulldogs.
The Auks took an early 10-4 lead, only to see the Bulldogs tie the score by the end of the first quarter, then open the second with a Sincere Miller free throw and a steal and transition layup for Dadrien Howell to push the run to nine points and the lead to 13-10.
Archmere’s John Orsini (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa.) stopped the run with a driving layup, but Brandywine led, 17-12, when Malloy returned to the floor after sitting for some time after picking up two first-quarter fouls. First, the senior from St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Chadds Ford, Pa., banked in a wing three-point shot to cut the deficit to two, and he followed that up with a reverse layup in traffic to tie the score. The Bulldogs, however, took a 21-19 lead into intermission.
Malloy began the second half where he left off in the first, absorbing some contact as he made a short field goal to tie the game at 21. After Zion Charles made two free throws for Brandywine and Orsini made one for the Auks, Malloy scored after a steal to put Archmere on top, 24-23, starting a 9-0 run for the Auks that also included a three-pointer for Ryan Hagenberg (St. Thomas the Apostle, Glen Mills, Pa.) and two transition buckets for Malloy. The Bulldogs fought back, and Howell scored twice in the final seconds of the quarter to cut the Archmere lead to 34-32 heading into the fourth.
Mohamed Sankoh tied the score with a drive along the baseline, but those were the only points of the fourth for more than three minutes. Finally, Riley Schultz (St. John Neumann Parish, Bryn Mawr, Pa.) hit a critical three-point shot from the corner with 4:45 remaining, and Orsini followed with another triple to extend the lead to six.
The Bulldogs had wreaked havoc in the first half, causing several Auks turnovers with a relentless pressure defense, but the Auks displayed impressive ball control while holding on to a small lead. Their final six points came from the free-throw line, and at the other end, the Auks’ defense prevented the Bulldogs from mounting a comeback.
Along with Malloy, Orsini (14) and Hagenberg (10) were in double figures. The Auks (4-0) travel to Indian River on Friday for a 6 p.m. tip.
Howell led the Bulldogs with 13, while Miller added 11. Brandywine (2-5) welcomes Howard on Friday at 5 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
