Math, Civics and Sciences wins state title

Math, Civics and Sciences Charter coach Danny Jackson said this season, in part, was about gaining redemption and putting a new face on the school and its boys' basketball program.

That's because last year's campaign ended in controversy. After the Mighty Elephants were hit for numerous technical fouls in a second-round state loss to Reading Central Catholic, Jackson said the officiating was unfair, and school founder Veronica Joyner alleged racial discrimination.

"We wanted to redeem ourselves from the embarrassment that happened," Jackson said. "We wanted to show people around the state that we're not the team that was depicted on television and in the papers."

This time, MC&S did all of its talking on the court.

Friday, the Elephants downed Lincoln Park Charter, 70-55, at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center to earn the PIAA Class A state championship.

"This is huge," said senior point guard Warren Dogan, who produced 18 points. "It's the school's first state title. We knew all year that we had the pieces to win. Our coaches did a good job of keeping us levelheaded and on the right path."

Rising sophomore Jeremiah Worthem, a 6-foot-6 swingman, led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds. In the last week, Temple, St. Joseph's, and Drexel joined Rice in offering him a scholarship.

"He's going to be a real force when he puts it all together," senior combination guard Thomas "Boob" Moore said.

Moore, who spent his first two years of high school at Martin Luther King, chipped in eight points, six assists, and five steals. Senior wing Tyreek Riddick (11 points) drained two of his three three-pointers in the game's opening four minutes.

Moore arrived needing 22 points to reach the 1,000 mark for his career.

"That doesn't matter to me," he said. "I'd rather have a championship than any scoring milestone."

Ahead by 33-29 at intermission, MC&S (26-5) increased its lead to 10 when Worthem and Dogan buried back-to-back treys early in the second half. District 12's No. 2 seed moved in front, 46-33, on Worthem's steal and breakaway layup.

In the fourth quarter, Lincoln Park, the District 7 runner-up, closed the gap to 54-51 on Chaquille Pratt's jumper.

"There was some worry," Moore said. "Coach Jackson called a timeout, brought us together, and told us to finish them off. He said, 'The season is on the line.' We were giving the game away by taking dumb shots."

From there, a 7-0 spurt sealed the outcome. It included Dogan's layin, Riddick's transition bucket off a feed from Moore, and Dogan's half-court theft and three-point play.

"Basketball is a game of runs," Dogan said. "You just have to keep playing hard and everything will work out."

Pratt, a 6-3 swingman for the Leopards, posted a game-high 27 points. Devontae Watson, a 6-10 junior center who was watched by Temple coach Fran Dunphy and St. Joe's boss Phil Martelli, managed 13 points, 13 boards, and 6 blocks.

Lincoln Park (21-8) shot 1 for 11 from beyond the arc and was 12 for 23 from the foul line.

Math, Civics & Sciences   17 16 19 18 – 70

Lincoln Park Charter   12 17 14 12 – 55

MCS: Warren Dogan 18, Thomas Moore 8, Muhammad Amin 3, Jeremiah Worthem 22, Tyreek Riddick 11, Chris Stokes 3, Quadir Welton 1, Jeffon Powell 2, Maurice Stevens 2.

LPC: Shannon Moreland-Jones 2, Kyle Taylor 9, Devontae Watson 13, Chaquille Pratt 27, Jevar Smith 2, B.J. Lipke 2.