Harriton Basketball Handles Haverford, Moves to 3-0

Harriton managed only 10 points in the first period of Thursday night's home opener against Haverford Township. Fortunately for the Rams, their opponent had only four.

Thanks to suffocating defense and a career-high 21-point effort from sophomore point guard Matt Sherman, the Rams topped the Haverford Fords 54-39 to move to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in Central League play.

Senior Mike Allen chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for the Rams.

After a plodding, slow-paced first half--during which a total of 35 points were scored and merely sound defense was made to look outstanding by arhythmic offensive play--things opened up considerably in the second frame.

Three minutes into the third, after the Rams saw their 20-15 halftime lead pared to a single point by a few uncharacteristic defensive lapses that led to Ford buckets, they returned fire.

After chasing down a Haverford missed jumper that had somehow cleared the mass of bodies around the hoop and scooted past the three-point line, a Harriton guard dribbled his way into a two-on-one with Allen and gifted the forward an easy layup with an on-the-money bounce pass.

And so the floodgates opened. The Rams, who had scored 22 points in the game's first 20 minutes, would put up 32 in its final 12.

On their next jaunt down the court, senior captain Marquis Baker muscled his way to the hoop for a layup and one. Then, in succession, the Rams got a foul shot from Allen and a pair of jumpers from the indomitable Sherman. Just like that, a one-point lead was 10.

Just the way they drew it up.

"We started slow, but we got it going," said Sherman after the game. "I think we all feel good about where we're headed."

Even during their offensive resurgence, they continued to play stout defense. They pressed, relaxed, pressed, relaxed, then pressed some more. This mix of blitzkrieg double-teaming and generic zone play kept the Fords off-balance and turnover-prone.

It was an impressive performance. Most impressive was that it didn't hinge on athleticism--though the Rams aren't wanting for athletes--as much as it did synchronized, organized effort. Harriton, in the most exacting sense of the word, played team defense.

Which isn't to say they didn't give great individual performances.

In addition to Sherman's heroics, senior Samir Muhammad used a serviceable pump-fake and smooth handle to score eight for the Rams.

"We were good tonight. Our defense was good, and we got some offense in the second half," said Muhammad.

And Allen, while playing a solid game, showed great potential. Potential being the operative word.

Case in point: As the third period wound to a close, the Rams, apparently having lost track of time, were running a slow-developing offensive play when the sidelines and the stands emphatically reminded them of the expiring clock. "Five, four, three..." they shouted in unison.

Sherman, having no shot or lane himself, passed it to Allen who, with astonishing ease, dribbled by two defenders and positioned himself for an easy layup just before the buzzer sounded. And he missed it. Badly.

"This is his first year playing basketball," reminded Rams coach Jesse Rappaport after the game. "He could be great though. He got 12, 13 rebounds his first game. He's an athlete."

Like most of the Rams, though, he's an unfinished product.

And the unfinished product is 3-0 right now. Memo to the Central League: When these guys are finished, watch out.