Victory over unbeaten puts Florence in top 10

Florence was a nice Group 1 team off to a strong start before Saturday's showdown with undefeated Cinnaminson.

Now the Flashes are more than that.

Florence improved its record to 6-1 and rose to No. 9 in South Jersey in The Inquirer boys' basketball Top 10, thanks to an impressive 42-34 victory over then-No. 5 Cinnaminson.

"We've been playing really good defense," Florence coach Cesar Pereda said. "Cinnaminson has two great players, and we were able to keep them under control."

Pereda credited juniors D'Andre Davis and Kevin Allison with strong defensive efforts against Cinnaminson seniors Napolean Blamon and Max DiLeo, who were held to a combined 23 points.

Florence also has been getting great work from seniors Adam Schmidt, Manon Desai, and Dahon Taylor, and a boost off the bench from sophomore Quintin Harris.

The Flashes also have wins over Burlington Township and Haddonfield. Their only loss was to New Egypt.

"We have a lot of experience and maturity," Pereda said. "But it's still important to get some wins and gain some confidence. Some of the games we've won have let the kids know they can do it."

New-look Overbrook. Some things haven't changed for Overbrook.

"We have an abundance of 5-9 guards," Overbrook coach Chuck Marciano said. "We go play these other teams and I see a 6-3 kid sitting on the bench and I say, 'I'll trade you two of my 5-9s for one of your 6-3s.' "

But some things have changed for the Rams: They have won six of seven to improve to 6-2. Overbrook won just seven games last season.

The Rams have been led by 5-foot-9 junior guards James Bullock and Tynir Gale. Bullock scored 34 in a 94-92 overtime victory over Cumberland on Friday, and Gale had 24 in a 71-66 victory over Haddon Heights on Tuesday.

Senior Dan Wilson, who has 939 career points, has been a mainstay for the Rams, and the team also has received a lift from juniors Mike Diaz, Dom Mapp, and Ray Cross.

"Those three barely got off the freshman bench two years ago," Marciano said of Diaz, Mapp, and Cross. "Last year, they were so-so JV players. But all of a sudden, they've stepped up and made a big difference for us at the varsity level."

Familiar face. Undefeated Middle Township has gotten a big boost from senior Garret Kerr, a transfer from Moorestown.

The 6-3 Kerr is averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He has been playing the point for the Panthers (5-0).

"That's a tremendous transition for a kid who grew up playing on the block," Middle Township coach Tom Feraco said. "He's helped us so much with his toughness, and he fills up the boxscore."

Kerr, son of former Flyers star Tim Kerr, is no stranger to Feraco and Middle Township's players. Kerr grew up in Avalon and has been friendly with a lot of the Panthers for years.

"He grew up with our kids," Feraco said.

On the prowl. Led by seniors Luke Dickson and Dylan Colgate, Pitman has risen from unranked to No. 8 in the Top 10.

But Panthers coach Kevin Crawford knows his 7-0 team will be tested over the next few weeks.

"We have Kingsway, Penns Grove, and Lenape before the [tournament] cutoff," Crawford said, referring to three teams with a combined record of 20-1.

Pitman also has February games against Williamstown, Willingboro, Holy Spirit, and Haddon Heights.

"We've got a good team, and we're just trying to get better one day at a time," Crawford said. "With our schedule, we're going to have a chance to find out how good we are."

Dickson, a 5-8 guard, and Colgate, a 6-4, forward, each have scored 166 points, a 23.7 average.

Top sophomore. Gloucester has a talented sophomore in 6-0 guard Stefano Okoro, who has averaged 19 points in the Lions' first seven games. Okoro has not scored fewer than 14 in any game.

"He's an Olympic Conference-type player," said Pitman's Crawford, who played at Camden Catholic. "He's so explosive. His first basket against us was a baseline dunk. You don't see that a lot out of a Group 1 team in the Tri-County. He's got to be one of the best sophomores around."

Dickson also had high praise for Okoro.

"The sky's the limit for him," Dickson said.

Anything goes. Good luck sorting out the top squads in Burlington County.

Rancocas Valley (5-3) beat Willingboro but lost to Cinnaminson and Burlington Township.

Willingboro (5-2) beat Burlington Township and Medford Tech, but lost to RV. Burlington Township (6-3) beat RV but lost to Florence and Willingboro.

Medford Tech (6-2) lost to Cinnaminson in overtime and to Willingboro by four points. Cinnaminson (7-1) beat RV and Medford Tech but lost to Florence.

Showdown. The big game of the week features No. 3 Paul VI at No. 2 Shawnee at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Paul VI (6-0) has been led by senior swingman Rob Poole as well as juniors Ron Curry and Roosevelt Cubbage. Curry, who committed last week to James Madison University, is averaging 21.2 points in his last four games.

Shawnee (8-1) is led by seniors Joe Bodnar and Matt Chiusano. Bodnar is averaging 21.2 points, and Chiusano has been hot lately, with 52 points in the last two games.

This and that. Salem senior guard Woodrow Furbush has South Jersey's single-game scoring high this season with 35 Thursday night in an 84-66 victory over Wildwood. Furbush is averaging 24.8. . . . Audubon's T.J. Tassi has scored 26, 32, and 28 points in the Green Wave's last three games.

Kingsway's Rondell Gilmore has 990 career points, and Bridgeton's Frank Nock has 977. . . . Camden Catholic (5-3) has nice wins over Timber Creek and Bishop Eustace. The Irish have been led by sophomore swingman Kyle Green, who has scored in double figures in every game and is averaging 18.6 points.