Nolan helps Hun hoops topple Big Red

First-year Raider’s quick start leads to key MAPL win

By: Bob Nuse
   Leo Nolan had played in his share of big basketball games while he was at The Delbarton School, but nothing that quite prepared him for life in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League.
   "At Delbarton we would get good crowds, but nothing like that this," said Nolan, who has played in front of packed houses at home as well as on the road at Blair and other MAPL schools. "When I came to Hun I heard about what it was like and I saw it the first time we played Blair. It was great."
   The biggest of those games came last Thursday, when the Raiders topped MAPL leader Lawrenceville, 71-63. Hun then came back a day later to beat Life Center Academy, 58-47. The two wins began a stretch that will see the Raiders play one big game after another.
   "I had no idea what the rivalry was like," said Nolan of the Lawrenceville game, in which he scored 13 of his 16 points in the first quarter. "But I’ve play AAU with Noah (Savage) the last three years and he had told me what it was like. I’m also friends with David Whitehurst and some other guys who play for Lawrenceville, so I knew what to expect. It was great playing a game in front of a crowd like that with so many people."
   And Nolan responded with a first quarter that showed just what the junior is capable of on the offensive end of the floor. With the Big Red’s Joakim Noah playing off of him to prevent the drive to the basket, Nolan responded by scoring from the outside and getting the Raiders off to a good start.
   "Leo had a great start," said Hun coach Jon Stone, whose team will take a 13-4 record into Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m. game at St. Anthony. "He had 13 points in the first quarter, which is more than his average for a game. But he’s capable of that. He was hitting his shots and he’s a good enough player that he can do that.
   "He got us off to a good start, then Noah and Mingus (Murray) made their foul shots down the stretch. Mingus was 6-for-6 and Noah was 8-for-8."
   As if the wins over Lawrenceville and Life Center weren’t enough of a test, the Raiders now face a stretch that gets even tougher. After playing at St. Anthony tonight, the Raiders will face Willingboro on Friday in the Prime Time Shootout, then host Hill in their MAPL finale on Saturday.
   After that, Hun will play in the state Prep A and MAPL tournaments.
   "We’ve got St. Anthony and then Willingboro and then right after that on Saturday we play Hill," said Nolan, who is averaging 7.6 points a game this year. "So it’s going to be another intense week. Then we go into the MAPL tournament and the states. We’re looking forward to those tournaments."
   It’s a tough stretch, but one Nolan and his teammates are looking forward to. In fact, it’s difficult stretches like this that helped draw Nolan to Hun in the first place.
   "The competition was a big factor," Nolan said. "And Coach Stone knows everything about basketball. He has so much that he is able to teach us. It’s been a great experience. I’ve improved so much as a player since this season started.
   "It’s great to play against the teams we play like Blair and St. Benedict’s. Every game you play you know you’re going to be playing against great teams and you have to play hard."
   That hard play has helped Hun go 13-4 against a very tough schedule, including eight wins in its last nine games.
   "Any time you win two games in one week it’s good, especially when you’re playing teams like Lawrenceville and Life Center," Stone said. "It certainly helps us in the MAPL. We’re 3-1 now with one to go and we have a chance for a good seed. There’s no question that every game on our schedule we feel like we can win. But we also know that we could lose every game on our schedule."
   So far there hasn’t been much of that. And the Raiders hope that continues for another couple of weeks.