ELCO guard Kaden Shultz-Tillison
Kaden Shultz-Tillison and his ELCO teammates got an early Christmas gift. Thanks to athletic director Tommy Mealy, the Raiders were able to play at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. "When Mr. Mealy told us, everyone's face was in shock. Everyone was excited," Shultz-Tillison told Paul Roberts of SV Sports. The 6'2 sophomore wasn't intimidated by the big arena and bright lights. He came off the bench and scored a game-high 20 points as ELCO beat Wyomissing 60-47. "It was a really amazing experience, getting to play on the same court as some of the greatest players in the world," said Shultz-Tillison. He had seven points in the opening quarter and seven more in the second period. The (4-2) Raiders were in front 17-10 after eight minutes and 32-21 at halftime. The Spartans were playing just their second game after another long football season. They reached the Class 3A state semifinals. Sophomore guard Justice Hardy led Wyomissing with 15 points. ELCO used a 7-0 run in the third quarter to pull away. Josiah Hayes, another sophomore, provided eleven points off the pine. Micah Gray added nine points and Camden Marquette chipped in with eight. Shultz-Tillison made three of the Raiders' five treys. "I didn't even know I had that range in my game to be honest with you," he admitted. The NBA three-point line is 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the key. The Spartans won the girls game against ELCO 43-27. All of the players got to stick around to watch the 76ers take on the Bulls. "It was really enjoyable. Being able to come out and get a win was definitely like a cherry on top," said Shultz-Tillison.