Boys Hoops: Suber, PE&T edge MC&S in OT

PHILA. ELECTRICAL 64, MATH, CIVICS & SCIENCES 53 (OT)

Philadelphia Electrical and Technology's James Suber was well prepared for Thursday evening's Public League Division A matchup against Math, Civics and Sciences.

In particular, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior forward was ready to square off with former Bartram teammate Mike Watkins, a 6-9, 220-pound junior and Penn State commit.

"He's my brother, a close friend," Suber said. "Having played with him at Bartram, I kind of knew his game. I wanted to keep him off the block, make him use his left hand."

Suber fared well against Watkins and overall. His 24 points and 13 rebounds helped the visiting Chargers, who went 9 for 11 from the foul line in overtime, knock off the Mighty Elephants, 64-53, at the Berean Institute.

"We had been struggling a bit lately, so it's good to get a win here," Suber said. "Everybody contributed and we made our free throws down the stretch."

Suber, who transferred to PE&T after a year at Bartram, shot 11 for 15 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line. Five of his 13 boards came on the offensive end. He added a block, assist, and steal.

"He plays extremely hard, gives us everything he has," Chargers coach James Lewis said. "He's our leader."

Junior guard Devante Truitt also played a key role in the road triumph, registering 16 points, 10 boards, three steals, and two assists. He converted 7 of 8 freebies in the extra session.

"We've been preaching to him about rebounding and defending," Lewis said. "I think he did a pretty good job in those categories. And he was unselfish, too."

PE&T, which was 5 for 9 from the charity stripe in regulation, improved to 9-5 overall and 2-4 in Public League action.

Of an up-and-down start to the season, Suber said, "The competition was good, but our discipline was lacking. A lot of times, instead of listening to all the coaches had to say, we were doing our own thing."

Junior guard Samir Doughty paced MC&S (5-9, 2-4) with 17 points and four assists. Watkins posted 14 points, five blocks, and two assists.

Down by 45-38 in the fourth quarter, the Mighty Elephants rallied. Doughty, fouled by Suber on a left-side shot, hit two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining to force OT. "I thought my hands were straight up," Suber said of the call.

Suber, who lives in West Philly, has a scholarship offer from Maryland-Eastern Shore. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Campbell are also keeping tabs on him.

Junior guard Jihad Barnes aided PE&T, which trailed by 38-33 late in the third stanza, with 12 points, five assists, and two steals.

Philadelphia Electrical 14 13 12 10 15-64

Math, Civics and Sciences 18 12 8 11 4-53

PET: Larenz Thurman 2, Jihad Barnes 12, James Suber 24, Nysir Marshburn 8, Devante Truitt 16, Sophaun Brown 2,

MCS: Tyrese Hester 5, Keith Griffin 4, Mike Watkins 11, Samir Doughty 17, Terquin Mott 8, Donovan Barnes 3, Louis Myers 3, Nazeer Bostick 2.