Abington beats Prep, keeps Morris from milestone

History will have to wait at least one more day for St. Joseph's Prep coach William "Speedy" Morris after the Hawks fell, 40-38, to Abington on Tuesday night in a thriller at the Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University.

The loss kept Morris, in his 15th season at the Prep, at 299 wins at the school.

Morris already owns 347 wins at Roman Catholic, where he coached 14 seasons. His next victory will make him the first high school coach in state history to own 300 wins at two schools.

Brian Close's three-pointer gave Abington (6-2) the lead for good with 4.5 seconds left in regulation.

Sophomore guard Robbie Heath finished with 14 points, four steals, and a game MVP award for the Ghosts.

Kyle Thompson led the Prep (4-3) with 19 points, but the team's 5-for-14 effort from the foul line foiled the Hawks' chances. Thompson, a sophomore guard, was named game MVP for the Hawks.

"We prepared a lot for this game," Thompson said. "We missed a lot of free throws, so that played a part. We should have won this game, but we have to forget it and get it back next game."

The Prep will play Salesianum at Widener on Wednesday at noon. Abington will face Friends' Central at 6 p.m. at Chestnut Hill College.

"Not many people actual knew it would be his 300th win, so we were just playing our game," Thompson said. "Yeah, it's not really a big deal to him, but it would be a great accomplishment for the team and for Speedy."

Thompson's critical three-pointer tied the score at 37 with about 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining. Close's three-pointer gave Abington the final edge after the Ghosts filibustered before their final shot.

Abington fouled Hawks sophomore Darius Kinnel on the ensuing possession with 1.8 seconds left to prevent a game-tying attempt from three. Kinnel made the first and the Ghosts rebounded his deliberate miss on attempt No. 2.

Morris was 347-82 in 14 seasons at Roman and is 299-94 at the Prep. Morris also owns eight Catholic League championships (six at Roman, two at the Prep).

Abington 6 11 14 9 - 40

St. Joseph's Prep 14 4 13 7 - 38

A: Robbie Heath 14, Eric Dougherty 3, Brian Close 5, Lucas Monroe 4, Joe O'Brien 7, Eric Dixon 7.

SJP: Kyle Thompson 19, Darius Kinnel 3, Chris Montie 1, Pete Gayhardt 8, Temi Aiyegbusi 7.