Thursday, February 17, The Tatnall Hornets Boys Varsity Basketball team suffered another heartbreaking defeat at the buzzer, falling 47-45 to the Delcastle Cougars. The game was nip and tuck throughout, but Delcastle was able to convert a contested layup as the final seconds ticked away.
Things opened well for Tatnall, as they were still playing shorthanded due to injury and circumstance. Captain Caleb Sales '22, was able to play and made an immediate positive contribution. He opened the scoring with a long three, and captain Brody Clayton '22 drained one of his own, this time set up by captain Isaiah Sales '23. Tatnall found themselves down five at the end of the first, however, as Delcastle refused to miss from the floor. The Hornets got tough on defense and climbed back into the game, but it got worse before it got better. The Cougars extended to a 21-11 lead midway through the second, but then Tatnall got hot. Clayton splashed a pretty midrange jumper, and following a stop, Isaiah Sales cashed in a three of his own. Captain MarQuel Fitzgerald splashed a pair from the charity stripe before Clayton bottomed out another three, and Tatnall was rolling. Fitzgerald stole an errant pass and was able to convert a beautiful spinning layup on the break to give Tatnall a 24-23 lead. Fitzgerald stayed hot, taking a sweet feed from Clayton for an and one inside, and after he hit the free throw Tatnall was up 29-25 at the half.
It was a game of runs, however, and Delcastle would not go quietly. They opened the third on a 7-0 run before Fitzgerald quieted the crowd by battling for multiple offensive rebounds before laying it in. Clayton dimed Isaiah Sales for a long three to knot the score at 34, but Delcastle entered the final period up 36-35. The fourth featured more furious, back and forth action.
Jace Banks '25 found Isaiah Sales for a layup that gave Tatnall the lead, 37-36, but Delcastle recaptured the lead. Caleb Sales drained a huge three from the top on another sweet Banks setup, which gave the Hornets a 42-40 lead, but again the Cougars came back and held a three-point lead in the final moments. Off an inbounds play after a timeout, Caleb Sales again came through huge, knotting the game at 45 with another three from the top with only 12.9 seconds left. That proved to be just too much time for Tatnall, though, and Delcastle scored in the final seconds to secure the win.
This disappointing ending marked the second time the Hornets have lost at the buzzer and dropped the Hornets' season record to 9-9. Fitzgerald played one of the finest and most complete games in his varsity career, finishing with game-highs in points with fifteen and rebounds in sixteen. Isaiah Sales finished with fourteen and added nine rebounds of his own. Caleb Sales fought through his ankle issue and added nine points, all from the outside. Clayton added seven, with four boards and four assists.
Meanwhile, the Tatnall Hornets JV team had perhaps their finest effort of the season in what was their final road game under first-year head coach Matt Gallagher, stifling the Delcastle JV 37-22. The tough and experienced Cougar JV were routinely putting between forty to fifty points up a game, if not more, but the inspired Hornets were simply too tough. Tatnall trailed 15-11 at the half, but confidence was high and the defense strapped in. The swarming Hornet defense even held the Cougars scoreless in the decisive fourth quarter, where they turned a close game into a laugher. Balanced scoring was the story for Tatnall, who were led with nine points from Jimmy Diskin '25 and Jack Homer '25. Trevor Kimaiga '25 added seven, and Noah Conkey '25 added five of his own.
Hungry to end their season with a win, the Tatnall Hornets Boys Varsity Basketball team overcame an uneven first quarter to dominate the Odyssey Charter Owls 61-39 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd on Wednesday, February 23. Tatnall overcame a sluggish start on defense and held a three-point lead at the end of the first, 13-10. The Hornets turned up the intensity on the defensive end in the second quarter, and that created offense that gave Tatnall a 26-18 lead at the half.
The Hornets came out focused on both sides of the ball and turned a competitive game into composed dominance in the third quarter. Captain Isaiah Sales '23 exploded from the outside, splashing a trio of triples as Tatnall ran away with the victory. He punctuated the dominant period with a highlight-reel chase down block to end the third.
Tatnall had expanded their lead to 44-26 and only continued to pour it on as they went deeper into the bench. Captain MarQuel Fitzgerald '23 relentlessly attacked the basket off steals and dominated the glass, snaring a game-high seven boards. Eli Baffone '24, returning from an injury, showed off a versatile offensive game and deft passing skills. Jace Banks '25 confidently ran the show and showed off on both ends of the court, and Caleb Banks '25 played tough defense and added an inside bucket. As the clock ticked away and the lead expanded, Julian Rosetta '25 splashed a three, Jack Willard '23 and Brandon Yu '22 both showed grit and toughness inside, and Matt '23 and Jeff Homer '23 displayed their relentless motors in late-game minutes. The Hornets ran away with the win, 61-39, outscoring their opponents 35-21 in the dominant second half. The win would not have been possible without the contributions of the Tatnall's captains from the Class of 2022, Brody Clayton and Caleb Sales. Clayton again provided the glue to the great play on both ends, as he so frequently has. He rebounded, set up teammates, drew charges, and played dominant defense. Sales played through pain to run the offense, set up his teammates to the tune of a game-high five assists and shut down the opposition on defense.
Isaiah Sales led all scorers with 23 points and drained a game-high five three-pointers. He added six assists and four blocks to his dominant performance. Fitzgerald added fourteen points and a team-high seven rebounds and added a team-high five steals. Baffone chipped in fourteen.
Unfortunately, the Tatnall Hornets JV team never fully overcame a sluggish start and dropped a tough 35-33 decision to Odyssey JV. Jimmy Diskin '25 got hot late, finished with eleven points, and led a spirited Hornet comeback. Missed opportunities and turnovers ultimately doomed Tatnall. It was an unfortunate end to an exceedingly successful JV season, where the Hornets ended 8-9, winning four of their last six and showing immense improvement over the course of the season.
This Varsity win completed the Hornets' regular season with a 10-9 record, and now they await their postseason fate. With postseason state championship brackets to be released Friday, February 25, the Hornets hope to be dancing.
