Boys Basketball Sweeps League Repeats as Inter-Ac Champions

ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON PHILADELPHIASPORTSDIGEST.COM ON FEB. 13, 2025 | BY JEREMY GOODE

(Photos by Zamani Feelings)

PHILA.-- With Malvern Prep’s 60-35 loss at the Haverford School, William Penn Charter repeated as Inter-Ac Champion on Tuesday, Feb. 4th. 

But with their Feb. 7th's 65-47 win over Malvern Prep and this past Tuesday night's 67-55 victory over Germantown Academy, the Quakers swept the Inter-Ac by completing a 10-0 undefeated season for the first time in 21 years and took sole ownership of the 2024-25 Inter-Ac Title.

“Last year we were feeling each other out as the season went along, so we weren't as locked in on enjoying being around one another, and competing together and for one another,” Penn Charter head coach Brandon Williams said. “This year, you could see our chemistry was dramatically different from the second school started in September.  We were a family from day one, and it made practices, the bus rides, the overnight trips, the close games, and off the court team bonding, a lot more fun.” 

While Malvern Prep’s loss made it official, Penn Charter would have to do its part earlier in the evening. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy traveled to Penn Charter in second place in the Inter-Ac, two games behind Penn Charter for the top spot. 

Penn Charter had squeaked out a 62-60 overtime win at Springside Chestnut Hill earlier in the season. 

They made adjustments. 

After running with Penn Charter for three quarters, SCH just could not keep up with the Quakers, as a seven-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter turned into a 67-47 Penn Charter win. 

However, it would not come easy for Penn Charter. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy has a deep squad, led by their senior point guard and East Stroudsburg University commit, Keni Williams. And the first quarter would illustrate the tightness between both teams, with Penn Charter edging SCHA 14-11 after eight minutes. Penn Charter never trailed but only was able to get nine shots off. 

Kai Shinholser, Penn Charter’s 6-foot-5 guard, who finished the game with 15 points, picked up the scoring in the second quarter, leading the team with seven points and extending Penn Charter’s lead to a more comfortable 30-23 advantage at halftime. 

“My coach just told me to stay confident, stay aggressive,” Shinholster said. “The way our team is set up… everyone is able to shine at different moments, I just happened to be the one to get the shot going. I just kept my foot on the gas and kept being aggressive.”

Penn Charter certainly has a lot of options to turn to during games. Matt Gilhool, an LSU commit at 6-foot-11, provides scoring and defense around the basket. Jake West, a senior point guard committed to play at Northwestern next year, can score at will from anywhere on the court, like he did from 30 feet away from the rim to close out SCHA in the fourth quarter. Shinholster, a Minnesota commit, also has the ability to take over games by scoring both inside and away from the basket.

Jamal Hicks, playing ball next year at St. Thomas Aquinas College, is a tough guard who can bully his way to the basket but also shoot from long distance. TJ Bryson mops up second chances for the Quakers while Carter Smith is a freshman who is a nice scoring option after the seniors, as well as someone who will lock down defensively. 

There is a reason why Penn Charter has not lost in the Inter-Ac and was able to claim the sole conference championship eight games into their 10-game conference schedule. 

The formula works for Penn Charter, because in the third quarter Hicks took over, cashing in on eight points, six of which came on three-pointers. Hicks’ shots were timely and maintained Penn Charter’s seven-point lead heading into the final frame. 

Penn Charter locked down on defense in the fourth, allowing only 6 points. They ran the rest of the way, putting up 19 of their own, solidifying the 20-point win. 

Williams did all he could, finishing with 25 of SCHA’s 47 points. Owen Kelly also added eight points off the bench. 

“We still want to go 10-0,” Hicks said. “We still have to win every game.”

Penn Charter locked down on defense in the fourth, allowing only 6 points. They ran the rest of the way, putting up 19 of their own, solidifying the 20-point win. 

Williams did all he could, finishing with 25 of SCHA’s 47 points. Owen Kelly also added eight points off the bench. 

“We still want to go 10-0,” Hicks said. “We still have to win every game.”

It is not that the Inter-Ac is not challenging; there are a lot of strong teams. While it was a mission to repeat as sole Inter-Ac champions, Penn Charter wanted to push the narrative and the goal: to go undefeated in the conference. They had two more games to go. 

But for Penn Charter, it is still sweet to repeat as sole Inter-Ac champions. 

“Last season, we had high expectations, but nothing really to back it up,” Williams said. “This season we returned the starting five from a championship team, with three of those five committed to Power 4 programs.  So, there was that much more pressure to perform, but every time we've been tested, we've risen to the occasion.”

After sharing the Inter-Ac title in 2022 and 2023 with Malvern Prep, Williams in his second year at Penn Charter has captured two league championships in a row that he does not have to share with another Inter-Ac school. 

Williams also shares the same thinking as Hicks and the team. The next challenge is finishing the league undefeated. Nonetheless, Williams is still proud to win the conference in only eight games and acknowledges it is all about the players. 

“This game is about players; you get the right ones to buy into the right things and success will follow,” Williams said. “And while getting them on the same page was hard work, it was fun at the same time, because everything you want, is on the other side of hard.”