Deuce Turner finds other ways to lead Malvern Prep to victory

What does the best scorer in Malvern Prep history do when he’s not scoring?

He rebounds. He passes. He draws so much attention that his teammates feast on a banquet of open looks and clear lanes to the rim.

“One time they had two guys on him and we got a layup,” Malvern Prep coach John Harmatuk said of senior guard Deuce Turner, the focus of Penn Charter’s defense during Tuesday afternoon’s Inter-Ac League opener in the Quakers’ Dooney Fieldhouse.

In some ways, it was a frustrating game for Turner, a slick, 6-foot-1 guard and Bucknell recruit. In others ways, it was business as usual and a positive sign for the future, as Malvern Prep placed five guys in double figures and rolled to an 88-61 victory.

“They came out, trying to take me out of the game,” Turner said. “My teammates were able to score early and push the lead out.

“They didn’t need me to score. I made an effort to really rebound and when the double team was coming to find the open guys.”

Turner, who recently passed the 2,000-point mark for his career and earlier this year overtook Charlie Floyd’s 45-year-old mark for the top spot on the Friars’ all-time scoring list, finished with 13 points. That’s about half of his average.

But he also grabbed eight rebounds, lifted two steals and dished four assists. Several other sharp passes led to free throws for his teammates or clean looks that kicked off the rim.

Junior guard Rahdir Hicks led the Friars with 17 points, while junior swingman Lonnie White bounced off the bench to score 14. Senior guard Spencer Cochran added 11 points while junior center Fran Oschell collected 13 points and 10 rebounds.

”He’s a scorer, and when scorers don’t get shots early, it’s a natural frustration,” Harmatuk said. “We scored [88] points not really shooting that well, and it’s all because the lanes are open because his guy is not helping."

Turner, a four-year starter, said he is used to dealing with the defensive attention.

“I’ve seen it for four years,” Turner said “It does get frustrating. It always does. I’ve learned how to deal with it. My teammates have learned how to deal with it and pull through.”

Malvern Prep (10-4, 1-0) was ahead 12-2 before Turner took a shot. But he had two assists in that early run, including a slick feed to Oschell for a layup that forced a timeout for Penn Charter (5-8, 0-1).

“That’s the most underrated part of his game,” Harmatuk said. “He’s an unbelievable passer.”

Harmatuk said Turner is a special scorer because of his ability to generate points from all three levels — behind the three-point line, at the rim, and in the mid-range area. Turner is a master of the pull-up jumper from 15 feet, the spin and fadeaway from 12 feet.

“He can score naturally because of how hard he’s worked,” Harmatuk said. “He is 90 percent on free throws. He shoots threes. He can finish around the rim.

“The whole mid-range game is dead and I’m an analytics guy so I’m not in love with the mid-range game, but he can take them whenever he wants because he’s awesome at it.”

Turner has Malvern Prep’s record for career points. He has passed 2,000.

For the Coatesville native, there’s just one empty line on his resume: An Inter-Ac title.

That’s why Tuesday’s game was frustrating and encouraging at the same time. Turner is a scorer who didn’t score as much as usual.

But he got his teammates involved, and they made some plays, and the Friars took a strong first step in their quest for the first Inter-Ac title in Turner’s career.

“This is the year we got to get it done,” Turner said. “Winning the Inter-Ac is the most important thing. Not scoring. I’m on pace for lot of records, but the most important thing is bringing home the Inter-Ac.”

Malvern Prep 27 16 25 20 – 88

Penn Charter 11 18 11 21 – 61

MP: Deuce Turner 13, Lonnie White 14, Spencer Cochran 11, Jahdir Hicks 17, Keith Carra 7, Fran Oschell 13, Joe McElwee 4, Brock Dudek 7, John Baran 2.

PC: Mark Butler 12, Keith Gee 7, Colin Schumm 8, Trey Shinholster 7, Aaron Reisman 9, Anthony Ciarrocchi 5, Eli Ragland 3, Ryan Holmes 10.