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Del-Val upsets Imhotep Charter in 3A; King defeats Gratz in 4A

Semaj Motley was relentless in Del-Val Charter's stunning upset of defending Public League champion Imhotep, 62-58, in the 3A final at Southern on Saturday night.

Semaj Motley was relentless in Del-Val Charter's stunning upset of defending Public League champion Imhotep, 62-58, in the 3A final at Southern on Saturday night.

The win means the Warriors will face Mastery Charter North on Tuesday in a return trip to Southern in the Public League semifinals. In Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, Martin Luther King beat Simon Gratz, 56-55, in the 4A final. King will face Constitution on Tuesday.

Motley scored 18 of his game-high 30 points in the second half against an Imhotep squad that dominated the Warriors twice in the regular season.

Perhaps most impressive, however, was his indefatigable willingness to shoot from the perimeter despite early struggles.

"I just wanted to win so bad," said Motley, who finished 3 of 13 from behind the three-point line. "I just wanted to win, that's all."

Motley missed several long, wild, and forced jumpers in the first half.

While other players may have lost confidence, Motley continued to fire, spurred on by teammates and coaches. The 5-foot-9 senior point guard finished 11 of 26 from the field and 5 of 9 from the foul line.

"Semaj is going to take some of those shots, and he's made some of those shots," said Del-Val coach Jason Harrigan. "They're not the best shots, and he knows they're not the best shots. . . . We just believe in him. And if he's going to work hard on defense and be a great teammate . . ."

Motley's crew certainly had his back, holding Imhotep to just 35 percent shooting and 3 of 13 from three. Del-Val (21-4, 7-3), which has now won 14 consecutive games, also finished with 13 steals. Mahki Morris led the team with four steals.

"It's an upset for the city, but in our minds we already knew we could beat them," Motley said. "Everybody just had to bring their heart. This is the first time we played with [heart] against them, and that's why we got the win."

Senior guard Waheem Lowman was the only other Warrior in double figures, with 10 points. Lowman's twin, Wade, finished with four points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.

The Panthers (21-4, 10-0), who hadn't scored fewer than 65 points in league play this season, fell behind, 55-45, in the third quarter before an onslaught on the offensive glass got them within 59-58 late in the fourth.

Wade Lowman countered with a layup after a feed from Waheem to push Del-Val's lead to three. Imhotep finished with 13 offensive rebounds while Del-Val mustered just three.

Junior point guard Daron Russell led the Panthers with 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and 1 of 6 from three. Senior wing Jaekwon Carlyle added 19 points.

Imhotep finished just 17 of 30 from the foul line (56 percent) while Del-Val shot 10 of 18 (56 percent).

King (14-10, 4-6) was led by Nasir Bell's 15 points, while Tyriek Meridith and Johnny Eden had 16 apiece for Gratz.

King 15 7 17 17 - 56

Gratz 19 8 12 16 - 55

K: Jabri McCall 14, Nahim Lee 5, Nasir Bell 15, Kahssian Kay 13, Ishum Horn 6, Qadir Burgess 3.

G: Rashon Johnson 3, Jamal Goode 5, Tyriek Meridith 16, Johnny Eden 16, Nasir Campbell 15.

Del-Val 10 16 21 15 - 62

Imhotep 13 9 19 17 - 58

D: Semaj Motley 30, Antwuan Butler 8, Wade Lowman 4, Mahki Morris 8, Waheem Lowman 10, Rashae Nixon 2.

I: Daron Russell 20, Jaekwon Carlyle 19, Josh Townsend 3, Koby Thomas 5, Jaquan Arrington 3, Chereef Knox 2, Khatib Counsins 4, Bernard Lightsey 2.

cartera@phillynews.com

@AceCarterINQ