GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. – Gwynedd-Mercy closed the regular season with their seventh win in a row, defeating Philadelphia Biblical, 89-58, Wednesday evening on Senior Night.
The Griffins (17-8, 12-6 CSAC) are the #3 seed in the CSAC Tournament and will host a first-round game on Saturday against #6 Immaculata at 3 p.m.
Junior
Brendan Stanton (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) led GM with 19 points, draining five of the team's nine three-pointers. Sophomore
Brandyn Wims (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty) added 13 while senior
Brian Reid (Philadelphia, Pa./Mastery Charter) chipped in 12.
Both teams shot over 50% in the first half, but Gwynedd-Mercy took advantage of 20 PBU turnovers. Stanton's trey capped an 18-4 run turning a four-point edge into a 33-15 lead with six minutes in the stanza. GM would lead 51-28 after 20 minutes.
The Griffins kept the hot hand in the second, shooting 48.5% and holding the Crimson Eagles to under 28% in keeping a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the contest.
Adam Derus led PBU with a game-high 22 points. Charles Kennedy netted 18 points while Charles Hopkins scored 11 and grabbed a team-best six boards.
Philadelphia Biblical closes the season at 4-21 and 2-16 in conference play.
Saturday's other first-round playoff game pits #5 Neumann at #4 Rosemont. #1 Cabrini and #2 Keystone receive first-round byes.
Before the game, the team honored its four seniors: Reid,
Dan DelConte (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon),
Brandon Sharp (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) and
Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Electrical).