All-Delco Boys Basketball: Repeat season just as good as the first for Bonner’s Wong
In addition to Player of the Year Christian Ray of Haverford School, the rest of the All-Delco first team includes:
Isaiah Wong, Bonner & Prendergast: The reigning Daily Times Player of the Year was just about as good in his senior season, leading the Friars to the PIAA Class 4A championship game. His scoring numbers were slightly lower, but only because he did more work getting his teammates involved. Wong still averaged 21.9 points per game, hitting 198 field goals and 33 3-pointers on a team where seven Friars averaged at least five points per game. Wong shot 84.3 percent from the free-throw line. He also led the Friars in rebounds (7.5), assists (2.5) and steals (1.7) and was second to Tariq Ingraham in blocks with 17. He shot 55.5 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3-point range. Wong scored in double-figures in all but one game. He topped 30 points on four occasions, including a season-high 44 in a loss to Neumann-Goretti. He went off for 37 points and 10 rebounds in a double-overtime win over Patterson in December, flirted with a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against West Philadelphia and scored a game-high 29 points in the state final setback to Imhotep Charter. Wong, who transferred to Bonner & Prendergast after two years at Notre Dame (N.J.), scored 2,119 points in his four years of high school. His 1,279 points at Bonner & Prendergast are good for third in school history. The two-time Catholic League player of the year will continue his career at Miami.
Vinny DeAngelo, Sun Valley: Before DeAngelo and his cohort of accomplished seniors came long, Sun Valley had gone 28 years without making a state tournament. Thanks to DeAngelo, they’ve made it in two straight seasons, adding a District 1 Class 5A title to the heap of accomplishments. DeAngelo was at the heart of the Vanguards’ dream season that led to the PIAA quarterfinals. He averaged 22.8 points per game, second in the county only to Ray (though his 662 total points were the most). He led the Vanguards in rebounding, assists and steals for the second straight season, and his 38.0 percent share of his team’s points was the largest scoring burden in the county. He started the season with a 39-point outing in a double-overtime win over Harriton, one of seven 30-point outbursts. He added 30 points in consecutive games against Garnet Valley and Lower Moreland in February. He scored 31 and 34 points in the first two districts games, then went 12-for-12 from the field in the semifinal win over Pottsgrove. He averaged 25 points in Sun Valley’s two states wins. DeAngelo’s 1,707 points is third in school history and 12th in Delco history. He’s still weighing offers from several Division III schools.
READ: The full list of All-Delco Boys Basketball honorees
Michael Smith, Chester: The two-time All-Delco point guard directed the Clippers to another Del Val League title and the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament. Smith averaged 14.7 points per game, second on the Clippers, to go with 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 steals and a team-high 4.1 assists. His 33 made 3-pointers was a team best, and he shot 79.2 percent from the free-throw line. Smith scored 21 points in a December victory over Reading and tallied in double figures each of the Clippers’ final 21 games of the season, a stretch in which they went 17-4 on the way to a 21-win campaign. He scored 29 points to down Penn Hills, 23 in a win over Interboro and 25 in the state quarterfinal loss to Coatesville. Smith scored 1,065 career points, the first Clipper to top the 1,000-point barrier since Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He’s still considering options to play collegiately.
Tariq Ingraham, Bonner & Prendergast: The Wake Forest commit blossomed in his second season at Bonner. He was the team’s second-leading scorer to Wong, providing 11.4 points per game from the low post. He added 7.1 rebounds per game. Ingraham scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the second game of the season against Sanford (Del.), an overtime victory as part of a 10-0 start to the season. He tallied 20 points in a loss to Immaculate Conception in January and 16 in a setback to Bishop McDevitt. He scored 10 points to go with nine rebounds in the states win over Nanticoke and added a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards in downing Archbishop Carroll in states. The All-Catholic second-teamer scored 1,126 points in his career, split between Salesianum (Del.) and Bonner.
Malcolm Williams, Penncrest: The senior guard/forward leaves Penncrest with the most wins in school history at 86, having been part of three states trips and two District 1 Class 5A crowns. This year, the Lions fell short of a third straight district crown but still won 22 games and advanced to the second round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament. Williams was the most stable cog of a rotation that lost three key players for extended stretches. He averaged 18.0 points per game, the only double-figure scorer on the Lions and responsible for 35.4 percent of their points, the third-highest share in Delco. He shot 55 percent from the field, contributing 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game while also assuming the defensive responsibility of matching up with the opponents’ best player, both guards and forwards. Williams scored 34 points in the second game of the season and 30 in the District 1 third-place game against Pottsgrove. He topped 20 points in 13 outings for a team that averaged a shade over 50 points per game. A first-team All-Central pick, he’ll continue his career at Arcadia.
