FINAL REPORT CARD FOR WOOD

Matt Spadafora- (Spadafora won the dunk contest with a nasty 360 Tuesday beating Charron Fisher) Spadafora started the season slow but came on in the third game as he was moved to the point.   After Spadafora made the move to the point he was a different player scoring more and rebounding better.  He also became a better team player and will probably be the best player in the North next year  B+
Brian Klumpp- Klumpp was the emotional leader on this team, which ran on emotion.   Klumpp is a very good shooter (probably the best pure shooter in the North with Welsh), and he can also put the ball on the floor and was the best passer on the team. A-     Tim Walters- Walters was the most consistent player on the team and one of the most consistent in the league.  It seemed as though Tim would always find a way to score 10 points whether the shots were short or long range. A
Mike Piselli- Piselli was a very small power forward but was very tough.   Piselli was one of Wood’s best defenders and scored when he needed to.   Look for Piselli to be a big contributor next year. B-
Rob Pearson- Pearson is a big 6’9, but was inconsistent.  In games against North (away) and Dougherty (playoff) Pearson was incredible scoring from inside, and outside (Pearson has a great mid-range J).  However there were some games when it seemed as Rob wasn’t even there.  Next year Rob should be very successful and hopefully more dominant and punishing. C+
Corey Filer- Corey was a very versatile player this year being able to play any of three positions.  What ever needed to be done Corey would do it.   Corey could score, rebound pass, handle, and was a great defensive player.   Next year should be a breakout year for Filer. B
John Gwiazdowski- John was a little uncoordinated at times but was a pretty good shooter for a big man.  Gwiz was a fan favorite who provided a lot of emotion along with Klumpp. C

MARCH 7
CATHOLIC LEAGUE FINAL
SJ Prep 84, Dougherty 61
   Although I didn’t think Prep would win by a lot I knew this was coming just by the way Dougherty was playing.  It seemed that Dougherty thought they could breeze through the playoffs.  However they seemed to get a little lucky (but still very talented) winning their first two games by a combined score of seven points.  Hell, if a team stayed within seven during one game the team had to be pretty darn good.   However, this time Dougherty was just outhustled and outcoached and it showed big time.  Prep coach Speedy Morris and his match up zone totally shut down Dougherty.  Sr PG Chris Clark had the best game I have seen out of any PG this year.  Clark scored 25 points and 5 assists, but the most impressive stat was how he held Kyle Lowry to 9 points.   I thought that Dougherty would approach this game a lot differently than they did.  If I were coaching Dougherty I would have done two different things.  The first would be to get the ball into MVP DeSean White’s hands on almost every possession.  Not only could White score at will against anyone from the Prep (he was taller than everyone by about 3 or 4 inches), and even if the Prep collapsed on him he is very skilled in passing out of the post.  These passes would find an open guard such as Lowry or Tim Smith.  Even if those passing lanes are cut down you still have Shane Clark who is just as tall and can shoot from anywhere.   The second thing I would change would be the defensive matchups.   I don’t know why Dougherty had Lowry on G John Griffin when Lowry gets into foul trouble.  Instead why not put Lowry on a player such as G Jared Black, a standstill shooter, where it would be hard to get into foul trouble.  It would also allow Lowry to get into the lane get some steals with his speed, which would also help him recover on a standstill shooter.
            In the first quarter it seemed that this game was going to be very close between Dougherty and Prep.  Prep made up for its lack of talent with hustle and playing as a team.   The Prep had a two point lead after one led by Clark’s 7 and Mike Kearney’s 6 points.  The Prep extended their lead with good shooting and awesome defense.  By the time halftime rolled around they were up by 8 as Griffin scored six in the quarter with two treys.  As the second half started the Prep never did look back, but it was a more exciting half of basketball.  Down eight at the half it seemed as though Dougherty had woken up as they started to have a slight advantage.  A put back by Lowry and one got Dougherty pumped.  However that was as close as it would get as Lowry missed the foul shot.  Minutes later as Dougherty scored 4 straight Smith was given a technical foul for screaming at a ref claiming a Prep player was holding him.  After the two free throws by Griffin and another basket right after by the Prep they were right back in control.  Prep’s dominance was exemplified when Chris Clark crossed over G Kyle Sample.  The crossover was so sick that Sample looked like he had no clue what was going on as he fouled Clark trying to recover.  The Prep had a 13-point lead going into the fourth, but they didn’t let up, knowing Dougherty had too much talent to be ruled out.  The Prep just kept on adding on to their lead, sealing the deal with a Kearney dunk.
Report Card
Chris Clark- Had the best game I have ever seen as he scored 25 points to go along with 5 assists and hardly any turnovers. A+
John Griffin- Griffin was just as good as Clark tonight mixing 27 points with 3 assists. A
Reggie Redding- Redding was awesome again getting another 16 points (14 came in the second half) and 10 boards (just like he did against La Salle) but added two blocks this game, but what was really impressive was containing Shane Clark. A                  Mike Kearney- Kearney was solid again tonight scoring 8 of his 10 points in the first half but was in early foul trouble which resulted in a little lack in playing time  B+
Jared Black/Corey O’Rourke- Black and O’Rourke combined for only one point but they also combined for 5 boards, 3 assists and outstanding defense.                                     B
Tim Smith- Smith was the leading scorer for Dougherty for the second time in the playoffs this year with 16 points as he also recorded 2 blocks and 2 assists        B
Sample/Magnum- they combined for three points and were given the job of covering a much better Chris Clark. D
Kyle Lowry- Just like against Wood Lowry didn’t have a great game and got into foul trouble trying to cover Griffin.  Lowry scored 9 to go along with 3 boards 2 assists and a steal. C+
Shane Clark- Clark might have been the best player on the floor tonight for Dougherty scoring 14 points with 3 blocks and 6 boards, which is normal for Clark, but Clark needed to be better than normal tonight. B+
DeSean White- White had a pretty decent game with 14 points and 10 boards with a block, but didn’t seem to be his dominant self, but then again he never got too many opportunities. B-

MARCH 3
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINAL
SJ Prep 59, La Salle 52
            As I walked into the gym I just happened to notice La Salle’s best player sr. Nick Shattuck limping around with an unhappy look on his face.  Of course this could mean one thing and one thing only, Shattuck was not going to be playing tonight.  The first thing I thought is where is this kids heart, but then I heard that he had torn a ligament in his ankle.  Then another thought rushed into my head; how was La Salle going to compete with the Prep when they couldn’t compete with the Prep earlier in the year with Shattuck.  Of course the answer was somebody had to step up BIG time.  This is exactly what sr. Ryan Kirk did.   Kirk had two of La Salle’s first four points and then made the move of the night. Kirk got the ball on the wing and made a great behind the back move that had sr. G John Griffin completely lost and the La Salle fans going crazy.  As Griffin recovered Kirk drilled a three right in is eye.  The three capped a 7-0 run by the Explorers and forced Prep coach Speedy Morris to call time out.  The time out seemed to wake up the Prep as they came back with their own 9-0 run that was completed by a Mike Kearney.  With this Prep run LaSalle coach Marty Jackson.  The quarter ended in a 13-9 Prep lead, but the highlight of the quarter was the La Salle chant “Pee Wee Herman” which was great because Griffin does look a good deal like Pee Wee.   The second quarter was more balanced than the streaks of scoring in the first.  La Salle did a great job of holding Griffin scoreless but everyone knew that would end soon.  Griffin wound up dropping 5 in the quarter and soph F Reggie Redding distributed 3 of his 4 assists this quarter.   Leading La Salle in this quarter was jr. Joe Sobocinski who scored 7 of his 9 points in the quarter.  A three pointer by Griffin gave the Prep a 26-22 lead at the half.  At the half both Kevin Moll and Mike Stanton had 2 points but four boards while Kirk and Sobocinski each had seven and PG Colin Fitzgerald had 4 points and the team’s only two assists.  As for the Prep it seemed that the only two guys that came to play were Redding and Kearney, as Redding had 6 points 5 boards and 3 assists while Kearney had 11 points and two boards while playing great defense despite getting into early foul trouble.  Although the second half remained close on the scoreboard you could tell the Prep was in complete control.  The 5 treys that Prep hit by Griffin, sr WG Jared Black, PG Chris Clark, and two by Redding demonstrated this.  The biggest one was by Black, who has one of the best shots in the league (maybe the best pure shooter), as this sparked the Prep in the second half. La Salle kept it close but it was evident that the Prep was just too talented as they rolled in the second half to earn a spot in the title game.
Report Card
Chris Clark- Statistically Clark had a quiet night with only six points and three assists while shooting 14% from the field but the impressive part was that he managed the game amazingly with no turnovers. B-
Jared Black- Black, one of the best pure shooters in the league hit only one three but played good defense and accepts his role on the team very well which just shows how mature he his. B
John Griffin- Griffin struggled a little bit tonight with his shot shooting 2 of 8 from beyond the arc but scored 12 while registering 3 steals. B+
Reggie Redding- Redding played great tonight with 16 points 10 boards 4 assists and a blocked shot (60% from downtown which is pretty good for a power forward) A
Mike Kearney- I was really impressed by Kearney who might have been the best defender for the Prep tonight (and that’s saying something because the Prep might be the best defensive team around) Kearney also dropped a season high 15 points and didn’t miss a foul shot. A-
Colin Fitzgerald- Fitz scored 11 points and had the only 3 assists for La Salle while being covered by star Chris Clark but I still believe he could have played better. C+
Ryan Kirk- Kirk scored a team high 16 points but didn’t stand out anywhere else in a losing effort. B-
Joe Sobocinski- Sobocinski played well down low mixing 9 points with 4 boards he is a powerful player who could be very good next year. B-
Mike Stanton- Stanton played well both offensively and defensively as he recorded 7 points and 4 boards. B
Kevin Ihlein- Ihlein only scored 3 points but played good defense while he was in grabbing 4 boards a block and La Salle’s only steal. C
Kevin Moll- Coming into the year I heard a lot about Moll and how good he was. But he didn't make many contributions, as he only posted two points and five boards; 3 of them coming early in the first quarter. D

FEB. 27
CATHOLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Cardinal Dougherty 66, Archbishop Wood 63 (2 OTs)
          If you missed this game you may have missed one of the best PCL games ever.  It was a game that had everything, and I mean everything.  It had defense, offense, good and bad calls (or non-calls), it had excitement, and boredom, and it had great coaching, it had its fair share of wacky players, and tons of emotion.  The game started with sr. G Tim Smith nailing an early three (this might have had some people thinking oh God here we go).  However Wood was determined, and an early three meant nothing to them as 6-9 jr. C Rob Pearson and sr. G Brian “Lights Out” Klumpp led Wood to a 17-12 first quarter lead.  Although most of Pearson’s points came in the first quarter he did an awesome job of containing MVP DeSean White and getting him into early foul trouble.   Because Dougherty was in early foul trouble some of their role players had to step up and lead.  And that’s exactly what Smith did dropping 17 points while recording 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds.  During the second quarter the two teams went back and forth trading baskets.  Jr. PG Matt Spadafora and sr. F Tim Walters (14 pts and 9 boards) made sure that Wood stayed in the game.  Spadafora who has been Wood’s go to guy all season, did an incredible job of handling the ball, and knocked down most of his trademark mid-range fade-aways.  Meanwhile Walters scored 14 points with long and short-range shots.  At the half the game was all knotted up at 32.  It was obvious that the triangle and two defense being played by Wood was effective in shutting down Dougherty’s big 3.  The tie also had the Warminster Whackies going nuts.  Now if you thought that Dougherty was gonna wake up after that half you were right.  However if you thought that this meant it was all over for Wood you were dead wrong.  On this night Wood was too pumped and playing way too good to just disappear.  At the start of the second half sr. G Kyle Lowry picked up three foolish fouls in the first two minutes of the half while being a little too aggressive.   Despite his pleading Lowry took a seat right next to the coaches just seconds later.  Although they lost Lowry, Dougherty began to look like its usual self, taking a 46-40 lead after a Shane Clark jumper (12 pts 7 boards and 5 huge blocks).  However like I’ve said before Wood is amazingly dangerous when all of their players are on.  Down 46- 40, Walters scored four straight points and Spadafora never quit finally tying the game on his third attempt on a put back.  Up to this point the game hadn’t had a boring moment, but you knew that had to end sometime.  Wood coach Joe Sette, who coached a flawless game, decided to waste as much time as possible before running a play (they wasted about 2 whole minutes).  After wasting all this time, jr. G/F Corey Filer took a couple of dribbles and took a shot that was partially blocked by Clark but still went in (Filer made an awesome pump fake while in mid-air).  I can’t imagine why, but Dougherty also attempted to run off as much clock possible.  However this didn’t really work as well as it did for Wood.  With less than 30 seconds left Dougherty found themselves in a huge hole, a five-point deficit.  It seemed that Wood was about to pull off the second greatest upset in the PCL playoffs.   However Shane Clark must have jumped from the foul line, because why else would he have nobody boxing him out right after a Dougherty miss.  Anyway Clark scored on a great put back to pull Dougherty within three.  Wood got the ball in to Filer who turned and knocked down Lowry, and then was knocked down by Smith, who forced a jump ball.  The ball went to Dougherty and time was called.  Wood played great defense for these last couple of seconds every three-point threat that Dougherty had was being smothered by a Wood defender.   This forced 6-8 center DeSean White to step a couple feet behind the arc and drill a line drive three even while being smothered by Rob Pearson. However there was enough time for Wood to get one more shot.  Matt Spadafora drove the lane letting the defense collapse on him then kicked it out to Filer who made a nice pump and dribble, but had his shot fall just short (I would still give that shot to Corey in the same situation every single time).  This set the stage for OT.   It seemed that the only Dougherty player that was on tonight was Smith as he scored all four of Dougherty’s OT points, however Filer and Walters each scored two. Now with the game tied there were still .9 ticks left.  The only chance Wood had was a catch and fire toward the basket.  However they never got the chance as DeSean White drilled Klumpp into the scorer’s table as he caught the ball.  No whistles had everybody in stands and the Wood bench going crazy looking for a foul (I could have sworn I saw White walking over to the bench with a look of disbelief on his face).  Wood found itself down 61-60 in the second OT and gave the ball to Klumpp on the wing, who had an open look and made me think again that Wood would advance, but the shot rattled out and Dougherty got the board and scored again.  Now it seemed definite that Dougherty wasn’t going to be upset.  Wood came down looking for a quick open look, but all they had were open looks from behind the arc.  The ball went right to Klumpp in the same exact spot that he had just shot from.  And he wasn’t about to let the rim deny him again as he got nothing but net that tied the game and sent the fans into a frenzy.  However the story of the night had to continue, as the role players from Dougherty were just too much.  Jr. G Kyle Sample drilled a three after receiving a pass from Smith.  With only 2.1 seconds left there was just about no chance for Wood to get down court and hit a three.  This was the dagger in the heart that had gotten the Wood team to this point.
REPORT CARD
Matt Spadafora- Matt played an awesome game especially handling the ball while finishing with 16 pts 14 boards and 4 blocks                   A
Brian Klumpp- On a team that was fueled by emotion Klumpp was the leader.   He couldn’t have played better and should be proud of his last game.   While many may be thinking why take a quick three when you’re down one, I say to them why not.  He was wide open and was on all night and showed that he wasn’t fazed by the miss by draining another three from the same spot just minutes later.          A
Corey Filer- Corey was a great player all year doing whatever was asked of him and played amazing D on star Kyle Lowry.                  A-
Tim Walters- Tim was Wood’s most consistent player all year and was even more consistent tonight.  No matter who was on or who was off Tim always managed at least 10 points and five boards every night.  Tonight he was even better with 14 and 9.                      A
Rob Pearson- Rob may have had his best game of the season tonight as he scored 15 points and pulled down 6 boards. And believe me he did it against the best big man in the league.
                 A-
DOUGHERTY
Kyle Lowry- although Lowry didn’t have his best game he was aggressive all night long.  Lowry also proved that he has grown up a lot this year and cares so much about this team.  After fouling out in the first OT Lowry sat right next to coaches and provided all the help he had to offer.
                 C+
Tim Smith- In a night that his team needed him the most Smith had the best game of anyone on the court. (MVP of the game)            A+
Kyle Sample- Another role player that stepped up in the big game when he needed to.  Sample played good D and hit the game winning shot.
        A-
Shane Clark- Just like Lowry Clark could have played better but I think of Clark having the best game of the big 3 tonight while scoring 12 points and making 5 amazing blocks  that may have been the difference if he had not swatted them away.
        B-
DeSean White- Like Lowry and Clark White played below his level but also played incredibly smart playing most of the game in foul trouble and knowing that his shot wasn’t going down.  However he may have hit the biggest shot of the night.
        C