Imhotep wins record sixth straight Public League title thanks to late flurry against West Philadelphia

With less than a minute remaining in Sunday’s boys Public League championship game, West Philadelphia High School’s Tamir Lett drilled a three-pointer to give the Speedboys a one-point edge.

While the fans at La Salle’s John E. Glaser Arena were sent into a frenzy, Imhotep head coach Andre Noble stayed calm and composed on the sideline.

He and the Panthers had been in this position before. In fact, they entered the game as the five-time defending champions and showed why to close out the game. Imhotep forced two turnovers as forward Zaahir Muhammad-Gray and guard Ian Smith’s late-game free throws polished off a 39-35 win.

» READ MORE: How Andre Noble, a Boston native, became an all-time Philadelphia high school coach: ‘He got immersed into it’

“If everyone is rattled and nervous, then we’re not going to be able to execute,” Noble said. “But credit to our guys for just getting our best player the ball and him making plays to get us where we need.”

Noble’s Panthers (20-6, 9-1) have now won six consecutive Public League championships, etching themselves into history in Philadelphia high school basketball lore. Muhammad-Gray won MVP honors after scoring 15 points, while West Philadelphia (21-6, 7-3) guard Khabir Washington had 17.

The first few minutes of Sunday’s matchup began slowly, with both teams attempting to establish control. The Panthers initially got that control behind Muhammad-Gray’s efforts, especially on the glass. The junior, who missed last year’s championship due to a torn ACL, flew in for rebounds time and time again as Imhotep mounted an early 5-1 lead.

But then, West Philadelphia stormed back behind its hustle. Guard Jayden Mckie forced multiple steals while forward Isaiah Smith established control in the paint to spur a 9-0 run and give the Speedboys a 10-5 lead after forward Souleymane Bagaga knocked down a three to end the quarter.

The momentum quickly flipped back to the Panther side after the Speedboys went into halftime up by one. Muhammad-Gray poured in seven straight points to tie the game before forward Daouda Niare hammered down a dunk to give the Panthers a 21-18 lead and put West Philadelphia on its heels.

After briefly losing the lead, Imhotep rattled off an 8-0 run, which Muhammad-Gray punctuated with back-to-back steals, including one he turned into a fastbreak layup to give the Panthers a five-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

“Proud of Zaahir,” Noble said. “[He] worked really hard on his recovery, worked really hard as a young man, so really proud that he gets to have this moment.”

Washington led a Speedboy surge to help West Philadelphia creep back into the game during the fourth quarter. He had West Philadelphia’s first eight points in the quarter before Lett drilled his go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute remaining. Mckie poked away two steals in the frame to stifle the Panthers’ offense as the Speedboys generated momentum.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t enough as Imhotep eventually retook the lead and pulled out a win.

“You have to show more character than the blowouts,” Noble said. “So that this game was tight and we were able to still pull it out. Even got down with under a minute to go and for us to pull it out and win the game, [that] showed a lot of character and poise from our squad.”

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Noble’s team is now etched in history after recording a sixth consecutive Public League championship and his 13th overall as Panthers coach. For him, it speaks to the players and also the legacy of the program in a league and tradition that spans beyond them.

“​​Proud of the legacy of this program,” Noble said. “These guys and the five teams before them. This league is over 100 years old and the Imhotep Panthers are the first to win six in a row. So that speaks a lot.”