Malvern Prep's Cowell helps top Penn Charter

You could pretty much line up every member of Malvern Prep's basketball team and say, "OK, I know basketball is not your primary sport, so which one is?"

Chris Cowell would shoot back "baseball" and the 6-4, 195-pound junior hopes to spend this spring as a prominent catcher. But walk away from basketball? He'd rather take five exams for 15 consecutive days.

"As much as I like baseball, to get out on the court in environments like this . . . it's just a great, great thing," Cowell said. "It can get so intense. You can just feel everything."

Exhibit A: last night at Penn Charter.

With a just-short-of-capacity crowd emoting throughout, Cowell contributed 10 points and six rebounds to help the the Friars pull off a 52-47 Inter-Ac League victory.

The Friars remain atop the loop at 4-1 while Germantown Academy and Haverford School are a half-game back at 4-2. PC is 3-3. Rare Saturday night action finds Chestnut Hill Academy at Malvern and GA at Episcopal.

Though Cowell had no direct involvement in the waning moments' two most notable plays, that doesn't mean he didn't grimace then grin. That also doesn't mean we can't ask him his thoughts.

With 18.2 seconds left and Malvern trying to preserve a 50-47 lead, Mike Francisco made a crosscourt pass while jumping and whipped the ball into the stands.

"Right as he did that, I knew what our coach [Jim Rullo] was thinking," Cowell said. "We've done that a couple times this year. He's always saying, 'Be strong with the ball and try not to make the long passes.' I was going, 'Oh, nooooo.'

"I was a little nervous at that point, but I also felt Mike would come back and make a big play."

Baseball, basketball, fortune telling. Chris Cowell does it all.

As PC prepared to inbound, Francisco was still agonizing, big-time. He had to refocus, though, because the Quakers were coming. Star Virginia-bound guard Sammy Zeglinski (22 points, five steals) moved right to left across the arc and tried to give to Leland O'Connor. Francisco made a steal! And tossed ahead to the Friars' own franchise guard, Joe Hoban (22 points, eight rebounds) for a layup! Ballgame!

"It was great to see Mike redeem himself," Cowell said. "As pitcher and catcher, we've had a pretty long relationship, good and bad. Why good and bad? Well, pitchers and catchers sometimes butt heads on the baseball field. But we're really good friends."

Cowell describes his positions for the undersized Friars as small and power forward "and occasionally center." He's modest about his skills.

"We have other stars," he said. "I mostly get points on putbacks. That seems like where I'm most effective.

"I didn't play much varsity last year. But things went well on our summer team and the hopes I had for this season have been fulfilled."

That was especially true the last two Fridays as the Friars posted road wins over two of the Inter-Ac's traditional toughies, Germantown Academy and PC.

"I think I like road games better," said Cowell, who lives in Devon.

"To take one away from a team, in their place, when their fans are going crazy, gives you a lot of satisfaction. Pretty sweet." *