Malvern keeps rolling atop IVC North standings

One of the most quoted — and misquoted — sayings in American history was uttered by Mark Twain, who upon hearing news of his demise, said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Teams in the Inter-Valley Conference Northern Division may have thought this was their year to end Malvern’s reign after six consecutive seasons atop the league.

As the race gets underway, however, the Hornets continue to prove otherwise.

Malvern added two more wins to its total last week, earning a road victory over Strasburg-Franklin on Dec. 16 and a home win against East Canton Dec. 19.

Against Strasburg, Malvern fell behind early as the Tigers took a 14-10 lead after the first quarter. That would be the extent of Strasburg’s offense. The Hornets clamped down defensively, holding the Tigers to single-digit scoring in each of the final three quarters.

Malvern’s offense found its rhythm, highlighted by a 21-point fourth quarter. The Hornets outscored Strasburg 45-24 over the final three periods to secure a 55-34 win.

Balanced scoring again fueled Malvern, with Grady Barkley scoring 14 points and Luke Thomas and Delonte Simmons adding 13 points apiece. Gage Moore led Strasburg (3-4, 2-1) with 17 points.

Three days later, Malvern hosted East Canton in a matchup of undefeated IVC North teams. Like Strasburg, East Canton entered unbeaten in conference play — and left with its first loss.

Rayshawn Heard and Jordy Harris paced East Canton with 20 and 24 points, respectively, but the rest of the Wizards combined for just four points. Malvern controlled the game throughout, opening a 31-23 halftime lead and erupting for 24 points in the third quarter to take a commanding 55-37 advantage en route to a 67-48 win.

Barkley led Malvern with 22 points, including five 3-pointers. Brennan Mitchell added 11 points, and Simmons scored 10 for the Hornets (6-1, 4-0), who extended their conference winning streak to 61 games. Harris also connected on five 3s for East Canton (2-2, 2-1).

Girls basketball

Malvern’s girls team also enjoyed a perfect week, going 2-0 in IVC North play.

The Lady Hornets opened the week with a road win at East Canton Dec. 17. Trailing 25-20 entering the fourth quarter, Malvern outscored the Wizards 11-4 over the final eight minutes. Addy Mitchell sealed the 31-29 victory with two free throws with four-tenths of a second remaining.

Ella Debo led Malvern with 13 points. Whitney Smith added nine points on three 3-pointers, and Mitchell scored eight. Chelsea Barnett paced East Canton (4-3, 1-1) with 12 points.

After a brief break, Malvern returned home to face Conotton Valley in another conference matchup. This time, there was no suspense. The Hornets built a 39-19 halftime lead and cruised to a 74-34 victory.

Debo scored 32 points — nearly matching Conotton Valley’s team total — while Mitchell added 14 for Malvern (4-4, 2-3). Bella Higgins led the Rockets (0-7, 0-5) with 16 points.