Boys basketball: George School is two wins from first championship in 52 years

Tom Moore, Bucks County Courier Times
·5 min read

NEWTOWN — George School joined the Friends School League upon its formation in the 1981-82 season.

Tuesday's 79-39 home victory over Abington Friends allowed the Cougars to secure the top seed in the FSL playoffs for just the second time in 42 years. George School went undefeated in league play in 1993-94 by beating second-place AFS in the regular season, but Abington Friends prevailed in the title game 65-54 to secure the title.

A pair of wins in this year's postseason tournament would give George School its initial FSL championship and first title of any kind since 1970-71 in the Penn-Jersey League. That's 52 years ago.

George School guard Dante Weise drives to the basket.
George School guard Dante Weise drives to the basket.

The 17-5 Cougars' biggest victory was a 75-52 win over Academy of the New Church, which had been undefeated in league play, on January 24. Luke Bevilacqua, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, led George School with 17 points, while 6-9 senior forward Kachi Nzeh, who has committed to Xavier, and junior Christian Bliss added 16 apiece. Sophomore Luke Melniczak contributed 12 off the bench and senior point guard Dante Weise, who is headed to Division II's The College of Saint Rose, chipped in 7 points.

Nzeh was a non-PIAA first-team all-state selection a season ago while Bliss made the second team as a sophomore. Bliss leads this year's team with a 20.3-point average, with Nzeh at 17.3 and Bevilacqua, who had 20 points and 20 rebounds Tuesday, averaging 15.2 points.

George School picked up the head-to-head tiebreaker for the top seed by downing ANC since each ended with 7-1 league records. The Cougars would need to win their semifinal next Tuesday and then the championship game (Feb. 10, 8 p.m. at La Salle) to pick up the coveted title.

George School senior forward Kachi Nzeh, who has committed to Xavier, prepares to make his move.
George School senior forward Kachi Nzeh, who has committed to Xavier, prepares to make his move.

"It would mean a lot," Bliss said after Tuesday's victory. "We worked really hard for this … (Being the top seed) is a good accomplishment for us, but we got a lot more to prove and we're not satisfied, for sure."

Former Council Rock North and Penn State hoops standout Ben Luber, who took over as coach in 2019, has built the Cougars into a formidable program. He has some size, talent and is getting results.

"I tell them the truth," said Luber, the non-PIAA co-Coach of the Year in 2021-22. "I'm not a yeller or screamer — I'm a teacher. I'm going to hold you accountable. Showing up on time is important to me. … Our mantra since I got here is 'be all-in' (and these guys are)."

Luber, assistant Mike Vreeswyk, the former Temple and Morrisville star, and staff believe in playing a difficult schedule to prepare the Cougars for the postseason. George School has faced squads from five states and Washington.

George School, with roughly half of its students boarding at the private Newtown school, doesn't offer athletic scholarships but provides need-based financial aid. Luber can see a time in the relatively near future when scholarships are part of the equation.

In the meantime, the Cougars are well aware that they're two victories from their first title in 52 years, with the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Championships to follow.

"We're super-excited to attack that challenge," Weise said. "It's a huge goal for us. … As long as we take care of business, we should be Friends League champions."

"I think that'd be the icing on the cake," Luber said. "To play as a team and win a championship as a team is something they're very capable of doing. I'm looking forward to being a part of it."

George School coach Ben Luber talks to his team during a timeout.
George School coach Ben Luber talks to his team during a timeout.

Public school rankings (with record)

  1. CB East (18-2)

2. North Penn (16-4)

3. William Tennent (15-5)

Pennsbury senior Ty Kocak shoots over Central Bucks East's Nolan Jacob.
Pennsbury senior Ty Kocak shoots over Central Bucks East's Nolan Jacob.

4. Pennsbury (13-6)

5. Pennridge (13-7)

6. Neshaminy (13-7)

7. Upper Moreland (12-9)

8. Bensalem (10-9)

Council Rock South's Tim Rahill looks to pass as CR North's Adam Mahtat defends during CR South's 54-45 victory Tuesday night.
Council Rock South's Tim Rahill looks to pass as CR North's Adam Mahtat defends during CR South's 54-45 victory Tuesday night.

9. CR North (10-9)

10. (tie) Abington (9-10) and CB South (9-11)

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Private school rankings (with record)

  1. George School (17-5)

2. Archbishop Wood (9-6)

3. La Salle (9-9)

4. Dock Mennonite (18-2)

5. Holy Ghost Prep (10-9)

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Games to watch

Church Farm at Bristol, Monday (7 p.m.): Junior Morris Ivery (21-point average) leads the Warriors into the Bicentennial Athletic League game.

CR South at Truman, Tuesday (7 p.m.): The Tigers close out their SOL Patriot Division season by hosting the Golden Hawks.

CB East at North Penn, Tuesday (7 p.m.): The SOL Colonial Division-leading Patriots (18-2) visit the red-hot Knights (16-4), winners of 11 straight, in the teams' regular-season finale.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Boys basketball: George School 2 wins from 1st championship in 52 years