In December, the Peddie Varsity Boys Basketball Team hosted the annual Peddie School Invitational Tournament (PSIT), which was celebrating its 50th anniversary. In keeping with tradition, the PSIT kicked off the basketball season by featuring eight highly competitive independent school teams from the Mid-Atlantic region. After an exciting weekend of matchups, and with the help of a loud fan section comprised of faculty, students and alumni, the Falcons were able to capture their first tournament win since 2016.
In Peddie’s first game of the tournament, they played the Solebury School in a matchup that was never very close as Peddie secured a win of 90-55. Ten players were able to get on the scoresheet, with five of them managing to put up double-digit figures as Noah Payne ’24 led the team with 19 points, followed by Ebrahim Kaba ’24 with 15, L.J. Katz ’25 with 14 and Zack Davis ’23 and Zander Baptiste ’23 who each had 13. The other five players to record points were Braelen Crump ’23, Devin Dzwolak ’27, Ryan Mahoney ’27, Ming Wang ’23 and Raffy Thompson ’26. This emphatic win set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
In Peddie’s next game against The Phelps School, the enthusiastic Peddie fans were delighted to watch their team win again, this time with a score of 80-73. Senior Noah Payne, who just recently scored his 2,000th point, led the team in scoring once again; Payne put up 29 points, followed by teammates Zack Davis with 16 and L.J. Katz scored 14. The win over The Phelps School was huge as it placed Peddie in the finals of the tournament, allowing them to pursue victory for the first time in seven years. This would be no easy task though, as they needed to face off against MAPL longtime rival, Mercersburg Academy.
The final game of the tournament turned out to be a buzzer beater, with Peddie and Mercersburg battling it out down to the final minute. Ultimately, Ebrahim Kaba threw down a dunk with 30 seconds left that gave Peddie a 66-61 lead. Peddie held on to this lead, winning the game by a final score of 66-63. In the championship game, Payne once again led the team in scoring with 27, followed by teammate Ebrahim Kaba, who had 22 points. Both Payne and Kaba finished the tournament with awards, as Payne was announced as tournament Most Valuable Player, and Kaba was named to the all tournament team.
The PSIT was a perfect way for the Falcons to start the basketball season. The team was now undefeated with a 6-0 record, and they also hadn’t lost at home yet. The Peddie Flock was also able to organize themes for each game, such as a USA theme, Hawaiian theme and a jersey theme. These themes allowed the Peddie community to come together as one and cheer on their classmates all the way to the finals.
