Alikakos, EA catch fire in burning Haverford School

HAVERFORD >> Any disappointment in Nick Alikakos’ face vanished with a shrug at the sight of the scoreboard Tuesday afternoon.

As Alikakos’ Episcopal Academy team dribbled out the final seconds of a 57-40 Inter-Ac win over Haverford School, the junior forward got word from the scorers’ table about the other stat worth watching: Alikakos tallied 30 points, leaving him two shy of 1,000 for his career, an accolade merely postponed until the next outing Friday.

But on the strength of a stirring second half that was a stark departure from a ragged first 16 minutes, any disappointment evaporated quickly.

“It was in my mind, but I wasn’t counting my points or anything,” he said. “After the game, they told me I was two away. I knew I had a good amount, but I didn’t know how close I was.”

The first half betrayed no indication that history was imminent, not for the frigid start EA (10-5, 1-1) endured. That pivoted at halftime, however, and so did Alikakos’ chance at hitting the 32-point plateau.

EA still led at the break, 18-17, in spite of their offensive shortcomings. They hit just five first-half field goals, including 2-for-9 for Alikakos, who had nine points. The only bright spot salvaging the half was a pair of vital treys drained by Jack O’Connell off the bench on consecutive possessions to knot the game at 15.

After halftime, though, EA resembled a different team. They were 13-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-5 in the fourth quarter (all the makes courtesy of Alikakos). They matched their first-half basket total in six minutes, keying a 17-5 spurt that placed the game out of reach.

Part of the transformation simply involved shots falling, but the improvement in ball movement was marked. EA dished eight second-half assists, led by five from Kyle Sacchetta. Alikakos chipped in three, including a couple of textbook back cuts to Jermaine Rhoden that the forward laid in off the glass.

Alikakos to the hole and 1. after 3, EA leads Haverford School 41-26 https://t.co/bwRvqxC9Zy

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 12, 2016

“Our movement tonight offensively was much better than it was Friday night,” said EA coach Craig Conlin, referencing the Inter-Ac opening loss to Penn Charter. “Friday, we just seemed to pass and then everybody just stood around. Way too stagnant. I think there was much more cutting (Tuesday), much more movement, much better ball movement and passing than just dribbling.”

“I think we were just more confident,” said Rhoden, who scored nine points. “Our shots weren’t falling and we were up at half, so that gave us a little confidence booster. Having Nick on the court is really good, because he’s a great passer.”

EA also experienced an adjustment phase to the Fords defense. Haverford School (5-8, 0-2) essentially started five guards, with Jack Marshall sitting the first quarter and Asim Richards missing out with an illness. The lineup had shock value, and it took EA a half to decipher the weak spots in an approach that forced shooting guard Kharon Randolph to front Alikakos, nine inches taller, in the post.

“We just tried the best we can to keep it tight and try to make it uncomfortable and double (Alikakos) at times,” Haverford coach Bernie Rogers said. “Try to throw him different looks, try to stay tight in the lane.

“I think when the game was close, we did a good job of that. When they got up 10, they did a good job of spreading us out and getting good shots.”

For a while, it worked, aided by 19 points from Randolph and some clutch shot-making, like five first-quarter points from Tommy McNamara and big third-quarter 3s by Micah Sims and Gavin Burke. But eventually, EA’s half-court sets found open looks as the Churchmen shored up the cringe-worthy shooting near the hoop that afflicted them in the first half.

Once the roll started, there was little the Fords could do to shunt it.

“There’s so much adrenaline going, you feel like everything is falling,” Rhoden said. “And your shooters, that’s great when they are hitting everything. It makes everything easier.”

That applied for Alikakos, too. Fourteen of the Division I recruit’s points came in the fourth quarter, the product of a 14-for-17 day at the free throw line that iced the game.

“I think we all just calmed down,” he said. “… Once we figured it out, we started clicking.”

Milestone or not, that was reason to smile.