Communications Tech beats Imhotep

MAYBE THE bus that picks up Communications Tech's basketball team should be late more often.

After waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting yesterday, not only did the Phoenix post a 66-61 victory in a Public League round-of-16 playoff that was also a Class AA semifinal, their victim was the three-time defending Pub champion, Imhotep Charter.

Before Tuesday, the Panthers were 66-3 against Pub opposition - counting the regular season (49-3) and playoffs (17-0) - over the last four seasons. They won state titles in '09 and '11.

Terrence Brown, for one, was not amazed at the result.

"Yeah, we knew we were the underdog," said the 6-3, 190-pound Brown, a junior small forward, who contributed 22 points and seven rebounds. "But we also knew we were prepared and that we'd play hard. Do that and you always have a chance."

Though game time was set for 3:15, tipoff didn't occur until 3:44.

"We were all ready to play," Brown said, "then we had to just wait. We were just talking to kill time and we made sure to stay in front of the school so the principal wouldn't get mad at us.

"We were getting no updates [on the bus]. Just when we were ready to hop into cars and go up there, that's when the bus showed right up. After the ride we had a good amount of time to get dressed and warm up. They didn't rush us."

The referees certainly draaaagged things out, however. Fifty-six personals were whistled and the game almost wound up damaging spectators' eyes as the teams combined to commit 41 turnovers and shoot 38-for-77 at the line.

In the third quarter, four Phoenix owned that many personals. Only Terrell Parker fouled out.

"As soon as you touched somebody, they called a foul," Brown said. "I saw what was happening early and I wasn't putting my hands on anybody. I was trying to tell the other guys, but . . .

"It wasn't easy. At one point in the third quarter, after Khyree Wooten dunked, we were down by 12 and the crowd was going crazy. I didn't pay that no mind.

"I told myself, 'Just keep scoring.' I was tired. Just had to suck it up and keep playing hard. We kept coming back and I wound up telling everybody, 'Look at the scoreboard! We're only down five! We can win this!' . . . Yup, I'm a talkative guy."

Brown was quite the anti-brickster, going 5-for-6 from the floor and 12-for-15 at the line.

He said great foul shooting "used to be common" for him, but that he'd struggled lately.

"I've been working on it," he noted. "Any time I have an extra moment in practice, I'm right there at the line, practicing my free throws."

A layup by Kevin Brown (no relation) pulled CT into a 58-58 tie with 1:51 left. A rebound and coast-to-coast sequence by Tony Parker, Terrell's identical twin, made it 60-58 at 1:02. T. Brown, who does have former/current teammate brothers in Chris and Jordan Burney, converted a double-bonus at 7.1 to seal the deal.

Tony Parker and sub Briheam Anthony (three treys) halved 22 points. Tony topped Terrell, 9-7, in the Parker rebound battle.

For Imhotep, which still will compete in the down-the-road state playoffs, Wooten scored 19 points and Brandon Austin, a junior guard who recently committed to Penn State, had 14. Shakur Nesmith, a Temple football signee, had 10 rebounds.

Saturday's quarterfinals

Class A final: MC&S vs. Constitution, at Southern 3; Class AA final: Vaux vs. Comm Tech, at Ben Franklin, 1; Class AAA final: Boys' Latin vs. Phila. Electrical, at Franklin, 3; Class AAAA final: Bartram vs. Fels, at Southern, 1.