While every Inter-Ac team holds a bit of animosity towards each other, battles between Penn Charter and SCH have become something of a true rivalry. This Tuesday, another chapter was entered into the record-books.

“It’s great for the Inter Ac,” said SCH Head Coach Julian McFadden about the budding rivalry. “It’s great for SCH basketball and it’s great for PC basketball.”

SCH, who were 0-1 after losing a close game to the Haverford Fords the week prior, was looking for a bounce back against a Penn Charter team that just beat the Churchmen and were searching for back-to-back wins.

Despite Penn Charter graduating their entire starting five this season, this year’s team is still incredibly competitive. When asked about it, their coaches emphasized trust.

“Trust to the coaching staff, trusting the program and trusting each other,” said Head Coach Brandon Williams. “These dudes did a great job of just trusting, and that’s where everything else falls in place, because they’re talented.”

From the start of the game, it felt like the teams had been taken back to the 80’s. Both teams played phenomenal defense, to the point where scoring points seemed to be a near herculean feat. The referee’s kept a quiet whistle, and thanks to their physical play style, SCH led 29-23 at the half.

However, things took a turn when the game reached the second half. Penn Charter began to crawl back in the game, with sophomore Carter Smith leading the charge. SCH still held a lead, 40-37, but things were slipping.

The real issues reared their ugly head in the fourth quarter. SCH’s defense was still holding strong, but their offense was struggling to put points on the board. Even after senior forward Alex Ormond threw down a nasty steal and slam, the offense still stalled.

In fact, after Ormond’s fast break dunk, the Devils wouldn’t score for basically the rest of the game, falling to Penn Charter 55-49 to move to 0-2 in the Inter Ac. It was a frustrating loss, especially for an SCH team looking to gain momentum.

Following that game, SCH dropped another game, losing to GA on the road 62-54 after leading the Patriots 44-39 in the third quarter. The question now lingers for SCH: How can they right the ship?

The biggest issue seems to be in the fourth quarter, where the offense goes flat and the defense allows an explosion of points. Against PC, they let up 18 points while just scoring nine, and against GA they let up 23 points while just scoring ten.

Despite the slow start, the Devils have time to make adjustments. While an Inter-Ac title is somewhat out of reach, they could theoretically run the table to claim a championship. They’ll need outside help, but a win against EA on Tuesday might be enough to give them some much needed momentum.