Westtown tops ANC to extend Friends League title streak to seven
PHILADELPHIA – Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
For the seventh consecutive season, the Westtown boys’ basketball program is taking home the Friends School League crown, this time by outlasting upset minded Academy of the New Church, 69-66, on Friday at La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena.
“This win is incredibly rewarding because of how hard our kids had to fight,” said head coach Seth Berger.
Berger has another long, deep and talented basketball squad, and the Moose nearly led from wire-to-wire. But ANC scored 10 points in a row in the fourth quarter to briefly take its only lead of the evening, 60-58 with 2:26 on the clock.
That’s when Berger called a timeout, the team regrouped and went out and scored 11 of the final 17 points, including 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
“We were able to re-gather, talk it over with the coaches and go out and do it,” said 6-foot-8 senior Noah Collier, who had 13 points.
“They had to make free throws and we’ve struggled all season with that,” Berger admitted. “In the last two weeks our kids have been in the gym putting up hundreds of free throws.
“If Noah (Collier), Franck (Kepnang) and T.J. (Berger) don’t shoot free throws like that, we don’t win this game.”
Overall, Westtown has now reigned over the FCS in eight of the last nine years. But the Moose needed a determined mindset to finish the comeback. It started with a drive and bucket by T.J. Berger, and continued with two foul shots by Collier to give Westtown the lead for good at 62-60 with 2:04 to go.
A 6-foot-11 center, Kepnang delivered a critical 3-point play, and then T.J. Berger and Quin Berger combined to make 4-4 from the line to close it out.
“We made a lot of free throws down the stretch,” said T.J. Berger, who finished with 10 points.
“The last four minutes, our kids did what they really needed to do,” Seth Berger said. “They came together and executed.”
The top-seeded Moose got a team-high 14 points and seven assists from junior guard Jalen Warley. Kepnang chipped in 11 points.
“Jalen is a future NBA basketball player,” Seth Berger said. “I don’t know who is the most improved player in the country, but Jalen has to be in contention. He is capable of taking the game over at any time and he did that at key times for us today.”
The Moose got off to a good start, scoring the game’s first seven points, and dropped four 3-pointers in the first quarter to lead 20-13.
The Lions fought back by beginning the second quarter with a 9-2 rally to pull within two. But Seyon Kpan and Quin Berger hit late 3-pointers to give Westtown a 33-27 lead at the intermission.
Another big 3-pointer by Kpan put Westtown in command, 58-50, with 5:40 left to play, and that set up the finish.
“Every game against ANC is a complete war,” Seth Berger said. “So anytime we beat ANC and win a Friends League championship it’s amazing.”
After the trophy ceremony was concluded, the 6-8 Collier talked about the pressure of keeping the title streak alive.
“I didn’t know it was seven in a row, but we knew it was a lot in a row and we wanted to keep the streak alive,” he said.
T.J. Berger added: “I didn’t think about the streak at all heading into this game but I know the history. I know the meaning of this game, so I had to bring my best just like all of my teammates.”
Westtown 69, Academy of the New Church 66
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH – Bryant 7 1-2 21; McCall 2 1-2 6; Allen 2 0-0 4; Sabb 4-0-2 8; Dawkins 2 3-4 7; Marshall 6 1-2 14; Muhammad 1 2-2 4. Totals 24 8-14 66.
WESTTOWN – Kpan 2 0-0 6; Collier 4 5-7 13; Warley 6 0-0 14; Q. Berger 2 2-2 6; T. Berger 3 2-2 10; Kepnang 4 3-5 11; Lively 2 1-3 7. Totals 24 13-19 69.
Academy of the New Church 13 14 17 20 — 66
Westtown 20 13 19 17 — 69
Three-point goals: Bryant 6, McCall, Dawkins, Marshall, Kpan 2, Warley 2, Q. Berger 2, T. Berger 2.
