Slawter, Brockington lift Ryan past Judge
Since his older brothers played multiple sports at Archbishop Ryan, Austin Slawter knows the intensity and emotion involved with games against Northeast Philly neighbor Father Judge.
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Since his older brothers played multiple sports at Archbishop Ryan, Austin Slawter knows the intensity and emotion involved with games against Northeast Philly neighbor Father Judge.
The Raiders and Crusaders resumed their rivalry on the hardwood Friday night before an overflow crowd in Mayfair, and Slawter's strong efforts in the early going helped pave the way for a 62-48 road triumph.
The 6-foot, 150-pound senior point guard buried his first four field-goal tries, including three from beyond the arc, as the visitors sprinted to an 11-4 advantage.
"I didn't want to come out too pumped," Slawter said. "But this game meant a lot to me. Not only because it was Judge, but because it was important for our Catholic League playoff hopes."
Slawter produced 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out two assists. Overall, he shot 5 for 8 from the floor (4 for 5 on treys) and 5 for 6 from the line.
Even with his hoops talents, the 18-year-old from Chalfont plans to concentrate on lacrosse at Widener. "I tried to talk him into playing basketball," Ryan's first-year boss, Joe Zeglinski, said. "He's just a real gutsy kid, gets up for the big games."
Slawter's eldest brother, Russ, 24, played football and basketball at Ryan. Kyle, 21, focused on basketball and baseball.
The Raiders (13-6 overall, 6-4 league) broke open a close game against Judge with a 12-5 spurt at the end of the third quarter. Slawter banked home a trey from up top to give the visitors a 45-36 lead going into the fourth.
Ryan's Izaiah Brockington, a junior wing, scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. He also notched five boards, three assists, and three steals.
The Crusaders (11-8, 4-6) shot only 6 for 25 from three-point land. "We were trying to pressure them the whole time, making sure to get out on their shooters," Slawter said.
Justin Fleming netted 14 of his 18 points before the break to keep Judge close behind at 27-24. Teammate Marc Rodriguez hit three treys on the way to 13 points.
Arch. Ryan 14 13 18 17 - 62
Home 13 11 12 12 - 48
AR: Austin Slawter 19, Izaiah Brockington 20, Austin Chabot 8, Matiss Kulackovskis 6, Amin Bryan 4, Chris Palantino 5.
FJ: Quincy Reed 7, Mike Power 4, Quinn DeNofa 1, Justin Fleming 18, Marc Rodriguez 13, Matt O'Connor 2, Brandon Peters 3.
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