Hill School three-peats as Mercer tournament champions

POTTSTOWN >> After winning the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) title last season, The Hill School’s boys basketball team struggled to find its footing in early-season play this year despite ample returning talent.

Early victories against MacDuffie and Knox were offset by tough losses against Shipley and Episcopal Academy, leaving the Blues with an unfulfilling 3-4 record in the early going.

If the Blues are able to repeat this year, this past weekend may ultimately be seen as a turning point.

The Dorsey brothers, Gabe and Caleb, combined for 27 points and hit seven of the Blues’ 10 three-pointers as Hill nipped Canterbury (Conn.) 69-67 Sunday, topping off a weekend of dominance in the school’s own Mercer Tournament and claiming their third consecutive tournament title.

“We pride ourselves on our shooting,” said Gabe Dorsey, standing alongside his brother after the game. “Whether we’re out here on the court or in the backyard with our dad, we work on shooting quite a bit.”

The Blues, now 6-4, claimed the tournament title with three wins in consecutive days over Western Reserve (OH), Kiski Prep, and finally the tournament championship game Sunday afternoon over Canterbury. Before Sunday’s narrow victory, the Blues were largely unchallenged, winning Friday’s and Saturday’s games by an average of 29 points.

“This weekend is always special because of the opportunity to host all weekend,” said Hill coach Seth Eilberg. “Our kids really get up for it, and on the court we’re able to establish some rhythm.”

The Dorseys (Caleb 15 points, Gabe 12) were joined in double figures by Xavier Mayo (12), Daniel Nixon (14), and Tournament outstanding player Ryan Moffatt with 13 points.

“We’ve been on Ryan to be more aggressive and score the ball like he can,” said Eilberg. “He really broke through — that’s what we need him to be. He’s a Division 1 player (Colgate commit) and a great leader.”

Hill never trailed in Sunday’s title-winning effort, jumping to a 16-5 lead in the first quarter behind threes from Caleb Dorsey, Moffatt, and Nixon. Nixon ran off seven consecutive points to build the lead to double figures.

Canterbury closed to within five early in the second stanza, before Hill captain Mayo and Moffatt each went on individual six-point runs to grow the Blues’ lead back to double digits by the break.

Canterbury’s final possession of the half was indicative of the Blues’ early stifling defense. With 31.4 seconds remaining before the break, Canterbury’s Tray Alexander found himself trapped by the sideline with the 30-second shot clock running down, and called a timeout with 5.4 seconds remaining. With a foul to give, Hill trapped again near the baseline and took the foul with the clock down to 1.7 seconds. Canterbury had no choice but to force an off-balance 25-footer that missed everything, and sent the Blues to the break with a 35-25 advantage.

“We were really able to tighten up on defense,” said Caleb Dorsey. “Efforts like today will help us get going in the right direction.”

“I thought the defense was good in the first half, but we needed to work on our attention to detail late,” said Eilberg.

The Saints’ hot shooting also contributed to the tale of two halves, as Canterbury moved to a more inside-out style of play after the break, putting up 23 points in the third quarter and moving within three. Bryan Powell led the visitors with nine in the third quarter. Gabe Dorsey would nail a pair of threes to keep the Blues on top, but Canterbury made their strongest run to that point of the contest, an 11-4 spurt to send the game into the final quarter with only a three-point margin.

“They were making some tough shots, a few drives down the lane… I thought we may have been a little worn down from the weekend, which we shouldn’t be—but you’ve got to credit them for making the plays.”

More sharpshooting from the Dorseys extended the Hill lead to 69-60 before Canterbury closed within two in the final seconds. Gabe Dorsey would knock away the Saints’ final effort, preserving the Blues’ victory and clinching the third straight crown.

“We need to improve our ball security in the end of the game, but we were able to get it done defensively,” said Gabe.

Marlon Short paced Canterbury (6-2) with 16 points. Both teams shot exceptionally well from the foul line (Canterbury 14-15; Hill 13-15).

The Blues take on Inter-Ac contender Haverford School in a rematch of last year’s PAISAA final on Thursday before heading out on holiday break — a vacation that will be all the more enjoyable after Sunday’s three-peat.

Notes >> This year marked the 49th annual Mercer Tournament, which was renamed from the Hill Invitational in 1990 to honor David Mercer, Hill School’s athletic director of 30 years who oversaw the first 20 years of the tournament. … Hill’s victory made them the first squad to three-peat in the event since New Hampton School (NH) did so from 2009–2011.