Scotland Campus was showing the residual effects of a long, nearly month layoff during the first half of an 87-77 win over Perkiomen Prep at the 12th Annual Dunks For Drew at Chambersburg High School on Saturday.
They were mired in an early shooting funk and couldn’t seem to produce the type of offensive rhythm which has overwhelmed foes by an astounding 32PPG margin of victory this season.
Then, Austin Galuppo quickly caught fire. The newly minted Weber State commit, Galuppo fired in a pair of 3-pointers, drew a foul and hit both free throws, and bagged a deep 3-pointer plus the foul for a wild four-point play. He scored 12 first half points, finishing with 18 on the afternoon.
The reliable 3-point ace has made a habit of breaking open games and spearheading the offense with his consistency shooting the ball this season. On the rare occasion that Scotland Campus starts off stagnant, Galuppo has typically been the source to ignite them.
Such was the case during Scotland’s 79-59 defeat of Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) at the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, Conn., when Galuppo scored 19 second half points. It was a similar scene during SCS’ 90-72 victory over Our Savior Lutheran (NY) during the PSA Showcase, as Galuppo popped off the bench to score a game-best 31 points.
The 6-foot-5 off guard/wing sparks them by pioneering the perimeter game and reeling off points at a quickened pace. After a tumultuous start that included a number of irregular, wasted possessions, the Knights quickly awoke.
DeQuarius Nicholas knocked down a 3-pointer that gave them a 30-28 advantage and 6-foot-5 wing Akrum Ahemed scored on a drive. The Knights’ unheralded and late-evolving 6-foot-11 Center, Chris Maidoh got free for a putback that made it 34-29.
In the second half, it was the steady interior work of Jordon Jones (20 points) that kept Scotland ahead.
A Maryland native, Jones was able to permeate the frontline and get to the rim. After being saddled with early foul trouble, Karim Coulibaly began to operate in the post. His scalding in-traffic dunk gave the Knights a 51-42 lead.
Jones, who worked his way back from a nagging pre-season injury, has been an integral piece in the bully ball operation. His ability to get physical and embrace the contact has allowed him to play taller than his 6-foot-6 frame and also finish over bigger rim protectors.
“Once a couple guys made some plays it just snowballed into us scoring,” said Scotland Campus head coach Chris Chaney.
“We knew it was going to be a tough circumstance, being we were off for about three weeks for Christmas break. We expected a bit of sluggishness due to that, but it was a good game to get through. I thought Jordon’s performance was huge. He was able to make some plays and gain a lot of confidence.”
The Knights also got a boost from oft-attacking guard Clarence Nadolny, who bounced back after a quiet first half.
Nicholas said it was a matter of fending off the early jitters and rust and ramping up the tempo.
“We just had to lock in play together,” he explained.
“We started playing our basketball, which is fast paced. That means getting the ball up the court before the defense can even get set. We got better and easier shots. We also started to crash the boards more in the second half, which was huge for us. On the defensive end, we started to communicate with each other more and that slowed the other team down, which allowed us to get a big lead early in the second half.”
Perkiomen was paced by a sheer flamethrower in 6-foot-5 postgraduate guard Chris Arcidiacano.
The younger brother of Chicago Bulls guard Ryan Arcidiacano, Chris Arcidiacano poured in a game-best 33 points. He caught the hot hand at the start of the second half and never relinquished it, turning in a pair of four-point plays.
Originally courted by the likes of Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary’s, Rider, Eastern Kentucky, Arcidiacano took the post graduate route to broaden his Division-I opportunities. He said he’s been hearing from Delaware and LaSalle the most as of late.
While there was a unique subplot with the shooter’s duel between Galuppo and Arcidiacano, each of whom had 51-point scoring performances during their regular season high school careers, Scotland’s depth in layers was ultimately a critical component down the stretch.
Beyond contributing to a great cause, Scotland Campus was able to enhance its visibility to local area schools through the event. Playing a game of this magnitude at Chambersburg High School was a unique environment for them. The event certainly helps with exposure, as those entertaining the notion of a post graduate year have the option of staying close to home.
