PHILADELPHIA Twice in a row Saturday night, Daron Russell dribbled up the left side, across halfcourt and settled a couple feet outside the three-point line. Both times he flicked a two-handed pass up to the rim where a rising Donta Scott caught it and slammed it down.

Bishop McDevitt had challenged Imhotep Charter early in the PIAA Class 4A first-round playoff matchup Saturday night at Lincoln. But the Panthers have been a well-oiled machine for most of the season, and soon enough, they were hitting on all cylinders in a 74-41 rout.

Russell and Scotts alley-oops in the second quarter marked a turning point in the game, where the momentum swung behind Imhotep and the Panthers were able to get some separation on the Crusaders. But those plays also showed Imhoteps chemistry, which was a work-in-progress in the early stages of the season and has helped the Panthers take off down the stretch.

Before we all came, we'd never played with each other before, but as the season went along, we all just talked, like we got to do this and we got to live up to our potential and that's what we did, guard David Beatty said. We lived up to our name.

RELATED:Imhotep ends McDevitts season in Class 4A first round with 74-41 romp

The Panthers returned one of the citys top players this season in Russell, who was the Public League MVP and is the schools all-time leader in points, assists and steals. But they were adding plenty of newer faces to the mix. Beatty transferred back to Philadelphia from St. Benedicts in New Jersey, while sophomores Scott, Chereef Knox, Jamil Riggins and Dahmir Bishop were all moving into contributing roles.

There were plenty of moving parts for coach Andre Noble to sort out, and the season didnt get off to the smoothest start after an 87-73 loss to Neumann-Goretti in December.

But Imhotep played a national schedule and tested itself against some of the nations best. And over the course of that grueling slate, the Panthers started to come together. Imhotep won the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in December, and a month later, the Panthers took down national powerhouse Montverde Academy in the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament in Florida.

We just needed chemistry and know what each other do and how they do it, where they want to be at and how they want to be, Beatty said. That was me and Daron, that's our part and our role to know where everybody's supposed to be at. As soon as we got that down pat, we was just on a roll.

Beatty, a South Carolina signee, has been a significant boost to the backcourt alongside Russell, a Rhode Island signee. The 6-foot-3 Beatty has the size and strength to bully into the lane and to the basket and the touch to shoot from the outside. Late in the win over McDevitt, Beatty knifed through the Crusaders defense for a coast-to-coast layup, and he beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to close the third quarter as part of his game-high 20 points.

Despite his accolades hes ranked as the No. 7 combo guard in the country and a four-star recruit by 247Sports Beatty has slid seamlessly into the Imhotep lineup.

Once he came here, he was just like, whatever you need me to do, Noble said. He hasn't demanded anything. Some days he scores four or five points, and he's still happy and excited about winning games He's just been a good teammate.

Beatty and Russell have helped the teams younger players grow into their roles. Scott has blossomed into a rising star this season with some of his performances on the national stage, like his 17 points against Montverde in the tournament final in January. Against McDevitt, he was an early force with 10 of his 16 points in the first half. His combination of athleticism was apparent with his big dunks and a resounding chase-down block of Chris Briner in the first quarter.

He's talented but now he's being aggressive with what he's doing out there, so that's the key, Noble said. He knows to be aggressive, and we're demanding that he goes after it. Sometimes he's too tentative because there's seniors on this team that are good. but this year he's really stepped up, like, No, I'm a really good player and asserting himself. That's been a big part of it.

Imhoteps next task will be Scranton Prep, which dismantled Salisbury, 99-46, in its first-round matchup. Noble said he expects it to be a tough task the teams are scheduled to meet Wednesday night at Easton Area Middle School but Imhotep remains one of the favorites to cut down the nets in Hershey later this month.

The Panthers have one of the most impressive collections of skill, athleticism and depth in the state and possibly the country. Theyre up to No. 6 in USA Todays rankings and No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.

Some of the blocks that they made and some of the plays that they made athletically were plays that not only we can't match, but the rest of the state's not going to match, McDevitt coach Mike Gaffey said. We just played in our state championship today because we just played the state champion.

RELATED:Jody Morales toughness leads McDevitt in season-ending loss to Imhotep in Class 4A playoffs

Noble remains impressed by his teams ability to stay balanced and ride the hot hand. In addition to Beatty and Scott, junior Bernard Lightsey hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, while Russell had nine.

The road trips to Florida and South Carolina the team took earlier this season helped bring the Panthers together, Noble said. Its a close-knit group, and the longtime coach thinks that helps carry the team through its tough stretches. And that can make a difference when the calendar flips to March and the games are win or go home.

We preach to be selfless on our team because a lot of our guys can score more points, but we're just trying to be a great team, Noble said. Sometimes you got to sacrifice those things.

RELATED:Daron Russell secures his legacy in Imhotep Charters Public League title game victory

--@danieljtgallen

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Chemistry helps carry Imhotep deeper into postseason after rout of McDevitt - PennLive.com