Moorestown Friends boys basketball hosted Westtown School in an entertaining game on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. The game attracted the MFS community, and the stands were filled with excited fans. 

The MFS team currently stands at 1-4, having lost to George School, Westtown, and Leap Academy.

MFS has a 10-man roster that was eager for a win. Colby Wiener ’22 leads the team in points (43) and steals (5). Andrew Elmore ’22, a starter since his ninth grade year, leads in rebounds (9). Also, Chase Barnes ’26 and Jacob Tom ’25 are both making an impact on the scoreboard. 

Westtown, a Friends School that is allowed to recruit athletes, boasts the number two college basketball prospect in the country: Derek Lively ’22. This year, Lively committed to play at Duke University, a top basketball school in the country. Against MFS, Lively had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. This led Westtown to a 75-44 win over the Foxes. 

Kendall Borbi ’22 said, “It was very exciting to watch Westtown play at such a high skill level. I did think the MFS boys hung in there as best they could for the first quarter.”

Nia Hipps ’22, the boys basketball manager said, “After the fifth dunk [by Westtown] it was tiring and repetitive.” 

The members of the boys basketball team also had thoughts on the game. 

Wiener said, “Westtown is always extremely tall and talented. Although the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, we competed until the final buzzer. Our execution of plays and hustle on defense are two key things we need to improve on.”  

The MFS boys basketball team is five games into their regular season, and although early, thoughts of the Friends League playoffs are on the players’ minds.

On January 21, MFS will face off against Abington Friends, which should be a closer game than Westtown. After that, the team plays back-to-back games against Shipley, Friends Central, and Friends Select. MFS will have to beat all three teams for a chance at the Friends League trophy. 

Westtown was a tough competitor for MFS, but Peter Tummarello ’22 said, “I was proud of the effort and heart the entire team showed on and off the court. Regardless of the outcome of the game, we came closer to our goal as a team of becoming 1% better everyday.”