Goodman, GA hold off Haverford School

Devon Goodman might still be in the process of finding his voice on the basketball court. But Friday night against rival Haverford School, his play did the talking.

The 5-foot-11 junior scored 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting, added four assists, pilfered a steal and blocked a shot in Germantown Academy's thrilling 65-58 home victory.

However, Goodman understands a bashful point guard just won't do.

"I'm a quiet guy," he said. "I think I show more of myself on the court, but I don't really talk that much. That's one of the things I had to overcome in basketball. To become a floor general I had to talk more."

The Cheltenham resident said he's always been the silent type, but the game itself has forced him to open up.

"It's helped me a lot," he said. "Basketball is a social sport, making friends, having rivals and going at them, so it's just a great way to have fun and socialize."

However, last night was hardly a social gathering.

The Patriots (15-4, 4-1) sought redemption after losing to Episcopal Academy last week, while the Fords - previously undefeated in league play - looked to seize championship momentum.

Sam Lindgren finished with a feisty 19 points and eight rebounds for GA. Tim Guers supplemented with 15 more points and eight more rebounds.

For Haverford School, Derek Mountain (14 points overall) led the way early, but Levan "Shawn" Alston and Lamar Stevens nearly willed the Fords (11-8, 4-1) to victory late.

The Patriots exploded to a 21-9 advantage after the first quarter and carried a 33-22 advantage into intermission.

They may have seemed in control, but Goodman and Co. had seen this movie before.

"We were up late," he said of the Episcopal loss. "They kept it close the whole game and with about two minutes left, we made crucial mistakes, crucial turnovers and they broke away at the end."

Alston (21 points) and Stevens (20 points, eight rebounds) certainly conjured déjà vu. The pair led the Fords to a 11-2 run in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 56-52 late.

After Stevens fouled out with 1:19 left, an Alston layup cut the Patriots' lead to 59-58 with 37.2 remaining.

Guers eventually nailed a free throw and then Goodman found himself with the ball again for an under-the-basket inbounds play with 31 seconds left.

In the end, a nifty Goodman pass hit Lindgren, who burst for a quick layup plus the foul.

Given that Goodman has been searching for his voice, he was asked who called the inbounds play.

A sly smile slid across his face before he answered.

"Coach called it," he said. "And that was a great cut by Sam."

Haverford School 9 13 11 25 - 58

Germantown Acad. 21 12 11 21 - 65

HS: Levan Alston 21, Derek Mountain 14, Cameron Reddish 3, Lamar Stevens 20.

GA: Devon Goodman 17, Tim Guers 15, Sam Lindgren 19, Evan-Eric Longino 4, Kyle McCloskey 6, Joe Stinson 2, Bailey Whitman 2.