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Collingswood's Destin says teammates are reason he's better

Isaac Destin credits his teammates with his improvement. "They inspire me," Destin said. The 6-foot-4 Destin led Collingswood to a 54-45 victory over Deptford on Sunday at the third annual Jimmy V Showcase at Schalick High School.

Isaac Destin
Isaac DestinRead more

Isaac Destin credits his teammates with his improvement.

"They inspire me," Destin said.

The 6-foot-4 Destin led Collingswood to a 54-45 victory over Deptford on Sunday at the third annual Jimmy V Showcase at Schalick High School.

Destin scored 17 points with eight rebounds as the Panthers (1-1) survived a foul-filled clash with the Spartans (1-1).

"Isaac is getting better every day," Collingswood coach Pat Dorney said. "He's improved by leaps and bounds from his sophomore year."

Collingswood, which was coming off a 53-47 loss to No. 3 Haddonfield on Friday night, got good work from senior guards Tyree Mann-Barnes (13 points) and Jordan Wallace (five rebounds, five assists) as well as senior forward Marcquon Lawrence (10 points, seven rebounds).

Destin scored Collingswood's only field goal of the fourth quarter and also made two free throws in the period. The Panthers were just 8 for 17 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes.

"I just have a lot more confidence than I did in the past," Destin said. "I've worked hard to improve. My teammate are always pushing me to get better."

Tough loss. Deptford coach Bill Hoskins was pleased with his team's effort in the loss to Collingswood, which looms as a contender in South Jersey Group 2.

The Spartans got 15 points and nine rebounds from senior forward Kevin Clark and 13 points from senior guard Glenn Abbott.

Deptford, which opened the season Friday night with a win at Wildwood, got a lift from senior guard Terron Hackley, who bounced off the bench to score eight points.

"The effort was excellent," Hoskins said. "We didn't shoot well from three [2 for 10], but we did some good things. We did a great job of sharing the ball."

Fast start. Kingsway is off to a 2-0 start, thanks in large part to the play of senior Marcus Robinson.

The 6-foot-1 Robinson scored 24 in a win over Pitman Friday and came back with 20 with five steals in a win over Millville at the Jimmy V Showcase on Saturday.

"Last year I was more of a shooter," Robinson said. "This year, I'm trying to play more of an all-around game."

Kingsway coach Drew Owens said Robinson's energy is a key to the Dragons' success.

"He goes as hard as he can every minute he's out there," Owens said. "He gets loose balls, offensive rebounds, and you're like: 'Where did he come from?'

"He's a scorer, but he doesn't look to score first. He does so many other things for us."

Rebuilding project. After losing seven seniors from a team that finished last season in the No. 1 spot in The Inquirer rankings, Paul VI is full of fresh faces.

"We're a work in progress," Paul VI coach Tony Devlin said.

Paul VI got some good play from junior guard Will Cabbler, who scored 13, and freshman forward Kiyon Johnson, who scored 10, in a loss to Cherry Hill East on Friday.

The Eagles started just one senior in guard Jeremiah Harris.

"As long as we keep working hard, we're going to improve as the year goes along," Devlin said. "It's a lot different [than past seasons], but it's going to be fun."

Well said. "Last year was last year," Lenape coach Chuck Guittar said after the Indians opened the new season with a 39-35 victory at then-No. 5 Bishop Eustace. "This is a fresh start. We're going forward."