JENKINTOWN >> A packed Hallowell Gymnasium was a little disappointed Friday afternoon.
Fans filled the seats to watch Abington Friends School host Westtown School and a big reason why was because everyone wanted to see Westtown’s two key seniors — Cam Reddish and Jake Forrester.
Reddish, a Norristown native and Duke University commit, did not play in Westtown’s 70-47 win over AFS. He sat out with a mild sprain to his right wrist.
“He’s been playing through pain and obviously he’s so great we can’t really tell,” Westtown coach Seth Berger said.
“It’s not a major injury but we’ll probably limit his practice time.”
Reddish is expected to return after the one-game absence against the Phelps School Saturday at home at 7:30 p.m.
Aaron Reddish
Cam’s younger brother, Aaron Reddish, is a freshman at Westtown. The Norristown native played significant minutes in Friday’s win and finished with three points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist. His one basket was a three-pointer.
“He’s just starting to work himself into the lineup,” Berger said. “I thought he did pretty well tonight. Aaron’s a really, really talented offensive player. We feel if we get him the ball in the right spots he’s going to make shots and make plays.
“I would say Aaron is a scorer and a shooter and I would say Aaron is hot the minute he walks on the floor.”
Aaron has appeared in three or four games so far this season.
“This one he played in minutes that mattered,” Berger said. “This was a game where I felt like we could get everybody some minutes in a game that mattered.”
AFS turnover problems
The Kangaroos faced a tall task against Westtown Friday even with Cam Reddish sidelined. They still had to deal with Forrester, an Indiana University commit, who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
What really hurt AFS was its turnovers. They turned the ball over 23 times to give Westtown easy transition baskets.
“That’s been hurting us,” AFS coach Steve Chadwin said. “(Westtown has) some length. Their half-court trap hurt us a little bit. They get in the passing lane sometimes and create some turnovers. That coupled with — in the first half — we couldn’t hit a shot. Our shooting was horrible. We also had trouble neutralizing them on the boards.”
AFS outlook
Abington Friends School falls to 8-5 overall and 0-3 in Friends’ Schools League play after losing to Westtown.
The Kangaroos sit in last place in the nine-team league but are hopeful they can get back on track and work their way into the five-team playoffs.
“We’re just trying to make the playoffs,” Chadwin said. “We’re 0-3 so we’re in trouble. You just have to try to play every game and try to get better. That’s what we’re trying to do as coaches — try to get them better each game. As far as where we wind up in the league, who knows. Maybe we’ll win our next ‘X’ number of games and we’ll get help from another team and we’ll slip into the playoffs.”
Joel Arteaga and Ace Bibbs are the Kangaroos leading returning players. They both earned all-league honorable mention as juniors last year and helped the team win five straight games before losing two of their last three.
Arteaga scored seven points against Westtown and grabbed five rebounds. Bibbs had seven points and seven rebounds.
“They help carry our team.” Chadwin said. “They’re a very integral part. They score, they play defense.”
Sophomore Collin Brown led AFS in scoring with 12 points and four rebounds. He hit three three-pointers and scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.
