Jack in the Box Return to TedSilary.com Home Page   Jack Crouse is a La Salle High football player with an interest in writing. He will file reports about the Explorers and has promised to have fun. the Explorers' student rooters have been known to come up with clever remarks, so if Jack pays attention, this could be quite entertaining (smile).   You may contact Jack at WeezerMJ@aol.com.

Jack’s Catholic League North All-Hustle Team
   This is my tribute to the role player.  All throughout the season, I always offered a hustle play of the game.  This was never a spin move, monstrous dunk, bounce it off some guy’s dome and then through his legs, and such.  It was usually a simple play where a kid dug in and said yeah I’m gonna save this ball from going out of bounds, I’m gonna dive for that loose ball, I’m gonna let this fat kid run me over and take a charge (Tom Edger).  Just a little extra effort and determination set these guys apart from the rest.  None of the guys you will see on this list were honored as an All-Catholic, none of them averaged double digits or were looked upon to score, but each took whatever playing time they got (whether they were a starter, came off the bench, or enjoyed the last 40 seconds when their team was up by 30 points) and made the most of their allotted minutes and tried to do something positive for their team.  Making the All-Catholic team is about scoring and making a name for yourself.  Making Jack’s All-Hustle Team is about good defense, strong rebounding, aggressive, blue collar, hard work, baby!

First Team:
Sean Thomson              North Catholic
Damien Palantino           Father Judge
Corey Filer                    Wood
Mike Stanton                  La Salle
Joe Sanford                    Father Judge
Second Team:
Paul Chladek                 North Catholic
Kevin Moll                    La Salle
Ryan Davis                    North Catholic
Kevin Ihlein                    La Salle
Mike Piselli                   Wood
Third Team:
Joe Sobocinski             La Salle
Tim McCauley               Father Judge
Joe Swoyer                    McDevitt
Tom Manes                    Ryan
Steve Altobelli                Father Judge
12 Honorable Mention: Ryan O’Hara, Egan; Bob Yost, Dougherty; Brian Hogan, La Salle; John Little, Egan; Kyle Sample, Dougherty; Arthur Livingston, Judge; Keith Adams, Ryan; Jamie Stitt, Dougherty; Tom Lyons, La Salle; Chris McNicholas, Dougherty; Tom Edger, La Salle; Alton "Sapp" Williams, Dougherty.

MARCH 3
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINAL
SJ Prep 59, La Salle 52
  I walked through the school parking lot on Wednesday morning with high hopes and great anticipation of the game that night.  As soon as I entered the building, my emotions changed drastically.  I proceeded through the cafeteria entrance, and not a second after I crossed the threshold was I greeted by Sr. SF Kevin Moll sitting at a table by the door who said, “You better start writing now, Crouse.”   I was initially confused, but then I looked down and noticed a foot on the table thickly wrapped in a bandage and crutches leaning on a chair nearby.  I traced the foot to the face of its owner, Sr. First-team All Catholic F Nick Shattuck.  Judging by the waggish and mischievous nature of these two characters, I assumed it was a joke.  I mean come on; nothing is ever serious if Moll is around. Anyway, after it had been affirmed that Shattuck had actually injured his ankle in a drill during Tuesday’s practice, a chunk of optimism faded from the Explorer faithful around school.  However, once we were all assembled in Tom Gola Arena, our buoyancy rejuvenated and Shattuck or no Shattuck, we were looking to win this ball game.  The start looked promising as the Explorers surged to a 7-0 lead thanks to Sr. G Ryan Kirk doing the dirty to a Hawklet’s ankles, pulling back and shooting the J in your face Charlie Murphy.   After a Speedy “I look like Mr. Rogers with this baby-blue sweater on” Morris timeout, Prep came out firing on a 9-0 run and closed the half with the advantage 13-9.   La Salle was down 17-15 when Jr. PF Joe “Bird Man” Sobocinski decided to get big.   He muscled his way to five straight points.   Yet, hustle by Prep Sr. PF Mike “Justin Timberlake in 1999” Kearney and a clutch three point shot in the final seconds of the half by Sr. G John “Peewee Herman/Eddie Munster” Griffin put Prep ahead 26-22.  To start the second half, the Hawklets went on a 12 to 4 run during which Griffin and Sr. G Jared Black popped treys.  This run ended when Sr. Explorer Kevin Ihlein made a strong move inside and converted an AND-1.  The Hawklets stayed ahead by about 10-12 through most of the second half.    Soph F Reggie Redding made two threes from way far out to keep the lead out of reach.   The Prep held the ball throughout much of the fourth. They shot 10-15 from the line in the final quarter as well, which isn’t great, but enough to seal the deal.  At the final buzzer, Jr. Explorer G Kevin Miller nailed a 3 pt. bank shot to at least make the game look like it was closer.  Redding ended up with 16 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds, and a steal.  Kearney made his presence known inside by capturing 15 points.  Kirk led the Explorers in scoring with 17 points including 3 treys.  Sr. G Colin Fitzgerald finished with 11 points and 4 assists.   Sr. F Mike Stanton earned a scrappy 7 points and did some good things on defense.   Moll played nicely on D as well and grabbed 8 rebounds.  Ihlein did the little things and earned 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks.  Sobocinski finished with 9 points.
Jacknotes:
-Congratulations on a successful year for the La Salle seniors: Nick Shattuck, Ryan Kirk, Colin Fitzgerald, Kevin Moll, Mike Stanton, Kevin Ihlein, Brian Hogan who missed most of the year due to injury, and trusty manager Pat Brett.
-Thank you Sobo’s Aunt Mary for all of your support.
-Thanks Mike Grant for keeping my some of my stats even though they weren’t right some of the time.
-La Salle had a handful of fans that showed up all the time and were very loyal. Each contributed to basketball environment in their own way: starting chants, being loud and obnoxious, making fun of the star player on the other team’s bad haircut, inviting the other teams’ student section for a friendly chat in the parking lot, and just plain being supportive.  Here’s the La Salle All-Fan team:
First Team: John Trainer, Matt Malloy, Mike Glaccum, Chris Glover, Mike Whalen
Second Team: Eric Calvitti, Jim Slover, Tim Adams, Joe Winning, Angelo Garofalo, Paul Lanzilotta, Tom O’Donnell, Eddie Graham, Sean Adams, Drew Medwid, Miles Miller, Kyle Bidus, Jeremy Butt, Courtney Hogan, Rob Szostak, Brian Heenan, and Adam "Chip" Douglas.
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- The hard work of everyone all year…Nah, do you really think I’d go out like that?  In the second quarter a shot was fired up from the wing.  It was secured by a Prep played but Sobocinski hit it out of his grasp to Moll at the top of the key.  Moll dumped it back into Sobo who made a strong move, banged into the defender’s body and banked it in for two.  Look for “Jack’s Catholic League North All-Hustle Team” to come out sometime next week.

FEB. 27
CATHOLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Dougherty 66, Wood 63 (2OT)
   Just before the tip, Wood’s crowd chanted “Overrated!” Dougherty Sr. Dennis Cummisky replied, “Hey Wood! You’ve never been rated!” That was the last noise that the Dougherty crowd made for quite sometime as Wood jumped ahead 17-12 thanks to the play of Jr. PG Matt Spadafora and Jr. man-child Rob Pearson.   Dougherty was able to attain its first lead when Jr. Kyle Sample nailed a jumper on a breakaway, giving the Cardinals a 20-19 advantage.  Yet Spadafora came right back with a baby J to swing the game in the Vikings hands.  This see-saw would continue through to the fourth.  With 6:40 left in the game, down 49-47, Wood tried to hold the ball for as long as possible and managed to run the clock down to 4:55 before turning the ball over. As Dougherty came down the floor, surprisingly, they too held the rock.  This created an intellectual ghetto of strategical debate in my area of the stands.  La Salle Sr. Angelo Garofalo agreed in Dougherty’s decision, believing that if CD turned the ball over, it would just result in Wood killing more clock and possibly getting the last shot.  Sean Adams disagreed, believing that Dougherty had to too much talent to be playing games with Wood and that they should try to seal the game.  Whatever the case, the ensuing action will not be forgotten. Wood was up 3, 52-49, when I asked Adams what he thought was going to happen.  He said “Before the night is over, [Wood’s] Tim Walters will be a legend.”  Wouldn’t you know it? On the following possession, Walters was fouled and sunk both.   With Wood up 5 and just :27 seconds remaining, the place buzzed with excitement.  As this almighty upset was on the brink of being a reality, myself and La Salle player Joe Sobocinski belted out Dick Vitale impersonations to add to the insanity: “Pigs can fly, baby! This is history in the making! Hell just froze over, baby!”  Garofalo exclaimed, “This team lost to Judge and they’re about to beat Dougherty!” But hold your horses everyone, the show ain’t over.  A follow from PF Shane Clark cut the lead to 3.  On the inbound, CD Sr. G Tim Smith tied up a Viking, a jump ball was called, and Dougherty got possession. The ball was thrown around for a lil’, but when Sr. C DeSean White caught the pill on the wing, some +20 feet from the basket, he just couldn’t help himself and heaved up a prayer.  The initial thought from anyone rooting for Dougherty must have been, “Hey I need some toilet paper,” but as the sweet swoosh sounded, that thought jumped right out of their noggins, flew across Tom Gola Arena, and settled into the minds of the Viking fans. The Wood faithful picked their jaws up off the ground, and the epic struggle surged onward.   Both sides were on their feet for overtime, but only four points were scored each way as both armies unsuccessfully tried to hold the ball in hopes that a crevice would emerge in the enemy’s defense.  At the horn, the score read 58-58. The saga continues.  In double overtime, Cardinal Sr. Darrien Graham popped a trey that gave CD the early advantage, 61-58.  Spadafora returned the favor with an aggressive run and gun that trimmed the lead to 1.  A Clark follow now put Dougherty ahead, 63-60.  Would this be the final nail in the coffin? Of course not.  Sr. SF Brian Klumpp nailed a three with 20 seconds left, and once again the ropes were knotted, 63-63.  Smith controlled the stone for Dougherty at the point, and made his move to the basket with about 5 seconds left.  He dished out to Sample who caught the ball, fearlessly eyed the rim, jumped, released, and struck cotton with :02 seconds left, converting the winning shot of the ball game.  Sample will likely never forget this night, as he was swarmed by his blissful teammates after the shot.   Smith played a great role in this impressive chronicle as he was the leading scorer with 17 points and played tenacious D.  I can’t believe I am saying these words but I must: (sigh) I have the utmost respect for the Wood basketball team.  There! I said it, ok?  Spadafora is ridiculous and scored whenever he wanted to.  The sometimes oafy Pearson has nice touch for a big fella.  These two will own the North next year. Their team as a whole really dug in and I admire their enthusiasm.  The Vikings almost did the impossible.  Dougherty was outcoached as usual, and Joe Sette’s team was very well prepared.  This game was the best I have ever witnessed at any level as many would agree.  Sean Adams had one regret, “I wish I saved my ticket stub.”
Jacknotes:
-When Dougherty was holding the ball at the top of the key, DeSean White stood inactive in the corner.  Some of the guys I was sitting with, (located around the fourth row) hollered at him, “Hey DeSean! Remember the time you missed the dunk when you played La Salle?”  We were not far away and it was definitely audible.  In fact, White turned his head completely around to see who was jeering him while the game was still going on!  Come on big fella, keep your head in the game.
-Pres CYO High School Coach Jim Knell was up at the game.  I hollered as I saw him walk down the aisle.  “Hey Knelly bring me a soda!”  He waved at me like he understood, but I never saw that soda.  Mr. Knell’s son Jeremy played on this year’s CD freshman team.
-One of Dougherty’s most loyal fans Gerry Abernathy, along with two others, painted “CD!” on their chests: each guy with one letter one his torso.  Gerry was the “!” which was a disgrace because that kid deserved to be a letter.  Plus it was painted green. What’s up with that?
-On one occasion, when me and the guys around me cheered after a Wood basket (only because they were the underdog and were playing so hard), a woman from Dougherty at the end of the row began to holler at us.  Therefore, we made a point to be especially loud whenever Wood did something good.  On the next Dougherty score, she ran down the row screaming and began grinding on my boy Mike Grant.  Dougherty folk are crazy.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- In double overtime, a loose ball was going out of bonds.   Walters ran over, saved it, and tossed it to teammate Corey Filer.   This was a crucial possession because it led to Klumpp’s trey which tied the game.

FEB. 27
CATHOLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS BABY!
(A QUARTERFINAL, ACTUALLY)
La Salle 45, Ryan 43
   The initial 16 minutes of this game looked terrible.  The stale score at intermission read Ryan 19, La Salle 13.   The half was so ugly, in fact, it was Ug-lay.   La Salle put up just six second quarter points, (all foul shots, no FG’s), and the only stellar play so far was a converted reverse lay-up from Ryan Sr. G Jim Welsh.  Ryan shot a handsome 34% from the floor and La Salle shot an even prettier 14% in the first half.  In the third quarter, the ugliness shifted from La Salle to Ryan, as the Raiders were only able to put up eight points.  The Explorers picked up the pace as Sr. C Nick Shattuck threw in a few nice lay-ups and Sr. F Kevin Ihlein took two charges.  As we moved into the fourth, the action was all knotted up at 29.  Ryan got its groove back and Sr. SF L.B. Rebstock chucked up a hideous three that almost put a hole through the backboard, but fell nonetheless. Soph G Joe Zeglinski also converted on an athletic inside basket to make the score 34-31, Ryan.   However, Shattuck danced around defenders in the lane on back to back possessions to give the Explorers a 1 pt, 41-40 lead over the Raiders.  The suspense rose when the score was tied, 43-43, and Ryan had the ball with 2:00 left. They looked as if they were going to hold the ball for the last shot (or last turnover, as Ted often says.)  Ted’s theory proved true and a misguided pass was thrown to Welsh.  The ball sailed out of bounds, and thus it was La Salle’s rock with :43 to go.  If Kanye West were there, he would have agreed that this game was going right down to the wire, even through the fire.  After a bit of passing and such, La Salle wound up inbounding the pill under their net, with :07.8 remaining.  Sr. G Colin Fitzgerald received the ball from the referee, looked, looked some more, found Shattuck posting up Zeglinski, (who gives up about 5 inches to Shattuck), and holy moly Shattuck banked it home to put the Explorers up two, 45-43, and that was all she wrote.  Shattuck dominated throughout, earning a game high 21 points and 10 rebounds, stepping it up just when he needed to.  What a clutch player he is.  The defense and spark by Sr. SF Mike Stanton was a big help as well.  He worked hard for 7 points that were scored in crucial moments of the game.  Fitzgerald contributed also, doing the little things right, especially on the inbound pass to Shattuck. He finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Ryan used a balanced scoring effort of Welsh (13), Sr. F Joe Mullin (11) and Zeglinski (9).  Zeglinski also hustled for 7 rebs, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.  Mullin shared the rock and earned 6 assists.  This game was absolute craziness as both crowds were into it from start to finish.   La Salle Sr. Matt Malloy said it best, “My throat hurts, my stomach hurts, but it was all worth it.”
Jacknotes:
-Sr. Mike Glaccum was the main cheer initiator in the La Salle crowd.  On one instance he tried to get the Explorer crowd to yell a quick one after the Ryan cheerleaders left the floor.  However, he did it while the Raider crowd was in midst of a chant, the buzzer was going off for a time-out, and the announcer was speaking.  I yelled down to him, “Glaccum, that was so inopportune!” He hollered back, “I’m sorry Crouse! I’m doing my best; give me a break!”
-On Thursday morning during spirit week at La Salle, Shattuck stole Sr. SF Kevin Moll’s right shoe in the early part of the day.   Moll was forced to walk around school and go to class for the first 4 periods with only one shoe on.  He commented to me in the hallway, “I don’t trust anyone anymore, Crouse.”
-La Salle graduate and current La Salle University football player Joe Cosella chilled in the Explorer crowd, and at times, really got into the action.  He commented, “This was more entertaining than any La Salle U. game I’ve ever been to.”
-Greg Teufel is an animal.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”-The third quarter play of Kevin Ihlein, in which he took two charges.

FEB. 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS
Frankford 65, Germantown 54
   The Pioneers obviously had something to prove against 8-5 Germantown.  About a month ago, the G-Men had embarrassed Frankford in league play by 23 points.  The action went back and forth until the fourth quarter when Frankford just ran away with it, besting the Boys in Green 24-11.   Frankford was actually down throughout most of the game, but held their poise together.  They were guided by Coach Bernie Handler.  Handler handled Germantown in the fourth quarter by incorporating a 2-2-1 three quarter court press.  Jr. Maurice Miller grabbed two steals in a row at halfcourt that led to big baskets. He stepped up big-time to fill the shoes of Sr. PG Ryan Smith, who was injured in Tuesday’s win over Ben Franklin.  All in all, Miller ended the day’s business with 17 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals.  He got aid from flashy Malik Dickerson who added 18 points, and furnished the backboard for 13.   Jr. Alfred Thomas threw up 14 and took someone’s cookies twice down the stretch.  I liked the hustle of Lamont Brown, too.  He played good D and contributed good minutes. Germantown was led by Corey Bethea.  He garnered 15 pts., 10 rebounds, 7 assists.  That kid’s fun to watch and tosses some sick wit it passes.  Mustafa Smalls threw in 8 points and ripped down 9 boards.  He was booed by the Frankford crowd when he fouled a Pioneer hard late in the game, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do.  Ivan Evans helped out by dropping 11 and plucking 9 off the boards.  Frankford advances to the semi-finals where they will challenge aggressive University City.

FEB. 13
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 54, North Catholic 33
This was the most important game remaining on both teams’ schedules.  The loser will probably end up playing Cardinal Dougherty in the first round of the playoffs while the winner will play a more manageable Archbishop Ryan squad.  A fierce struggle was expected but as it turned out, La Salle controlled the whole game.  Sr. C Nick Shattuck, the Explorers’ best scorer, saw limited minutes tonight because he was puking all day in school and was struggling just to make it through the day so he could play in the evening.  He was visibly exhausted.  He did not fail to disappoint however. He stole the ball on a breakaway during the second quarter and boomshakala threw it down like whoa.  The La Salle fans went into a frenzy and the bleachers turned into a mosh pit.  La Salle Sr. John Trainer boasted, “Shattuck is sick when he’s sick!”  Picking up for Shattuck’s lost minutes were Sr. Kevin Ihlein and Sr. Mike Stanton.   Stanton did the little things right, earning 3 a piece in the rebound, assist, and steal categories. Ihlein arguably had the best game overall, contributing 10 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks.  He along with Shattuck (8 pts.), Sr. G’s Colin Fitzgerald and Ryan Kirk (10 each), and Jr. PF Joe Sobocinski (9 pts.) completed a five man perfectly balanced scoring effort.  Despite the limited minutes, Shattuck also managed to mix 7 boards, 3 assists, 3 thefts, and 3 blocks.  Kirk rotated the rock well, gaining 6 assists.  North just didn’t seem to bring the intensity necessary for such a crucial game in the second half of the season.  Sr. PG Sean Thomson is a great hustle player and seemed like the only Falcon who came ready to work.  He led the team with 10 points, (yeah, 10 was the top scorer) 5 assists, and 4 steals.  That kid shows great hustle and passion.  He hit the floor a number of times and was scraping for every loose ball.  This was a crucial win for the Explorers, and I was happy with that, though I would have liked to see a better effort from the Falcons.
Jacknotes
-The La Salle fans were energized by our weight room moderator Jeremy who came to watch.  This guy in his mid-twenties is an animal and started some chants with the La Salle student section.
-Two signs were made of blown up pictures of Colin Fitzgerald making a hideous face and sticking his tongue out.  The signs read, “This kid has a girlfriend, so can you”
-The remarks of Adam “Chip” Douglas were greatly appreciated throughout.  Before the game he yelled to some North fans, “Hey Red team you’re gonna get blown-out,...Who we playing? Oh…Hey North you’re gonna get blown-out!”  Sr. Mike Glaccum tried to help limit Chip’s miscues, “Look, when you wanna yell something, tell me first and I’ll tell you if you can say it.”  On one occasion, Douglas didn’t listen and made a fool of himself.  Glaccum scolded him, “I told you not to say that!” Douglas replied, “Yeah, you said I could!”  Glaccum: “I said nix it, you idiot!”
-Sr.’s Tom “Tito” O’Donnell and Matt Malloy randomly hollered quotes from this week’s Chappelle show incessantly.  I’d look over and Malloy would yell, “What’d the five fingers say to the face!?”  O’Donnell would answer, “Slap! I’m Rick James!”
-Congratulations to La Salle graduate Dennis Stanton, LS grad and brother of Mike Stanton, who earlier in the week, scored 55 points for Ursinus in a D-III game against one the top 25 D-III teams in the country.  Stanton leads the nation in D-III scoring and his 55 point game is a conference record.  Stanton is teammates with La Salle grad Will Furey, Carroll grad Ted Piotrowicz, and Penn Charter grad Mike McGarvey.
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- The overall effort of Sean Thomson.  Particularly on one play where he dove and stole the ball away from a La Salle player, sacrificing his body and laying out completely.

FEB. 6
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 64, Judge 48
   In recent years, this Northeast rivalry has become a “must see”.   However, this one turned out to be a “should have skipped”.  If you’re not following the CL North this season, Ryan is its usual competitive self, while the Crusaders, on the other hand, are uncharacteristically limping their way through the year.   With that being said, Ryan unsurprisingly took control from the very beginning, sprouting to a 10-3 lead thanks to 3’s from Sr. Raiders Joe Mullin and Jim Welsh.  Off a Judge timeout, Sr. Crusader Steve Wolf attempted to throw down but pulled the rim too hard, causing the rock to spring out.  A Ryan kid in front of me commented, “Who misses a dunk?”  Judge crawled back into it however, and cut the lead to one, 14-13.  The Crusaders had to call a timeout however, as Ryan went on an 8-0 run from that point, closing the half with the lead 29-19.  Judge Sr. F John King hit two straight 3’s in the opening of the third to fuel a 12-3 run and cut the Raider lead to just 1, 32-31, causing a Ryan timeout.  Yet, once again Ryan countered, scoring the next 12 points.  The Raiders cruised into the fourth with a 44-31 lead that would not be threatened.   Ryan had a good balance on offense among Welsh who ran up 18 pts, Mullin and Soph C Keith Hudgeons who had 13 apiece, and Soph Joe Zeglinski who garnered 12.  All of Welsh’s FG’s were from beyond the arc (5 3’s).  He also contributed 7 boards and 3 assists. Zeglinski mixed in 5 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and 2 blocks.  Hudgeons grabbed 8 off the glass and earned 2 blocks in key situations.  Sr. Tom Dolan came in during the fourth and hit a 3 on his first and only attempt.  For Judge, Wolf was the top scorer with 15 points and he ripped down 10.  No other Judge player earned double digits.  This is what I think is the problem with the Crusaders this year.  Aside from Wolf, their team is filled with sixth men. Just look at their lines on CL North Team pages; it’s littered with single digits.  These kids hustle and play defense, but earn their points the hard way on offense.  Wolf is their go-to guy and is definitely a good player but isn’t good enough to be the focal point of the offense.  This causes incessant and unending ball movement because nobody feels it’s their role to shoot.  Wolf winds up getting the ball and tries to manufacture a basket somehow or the ball is turned over.  The answer is that somebody steps up and drives to the whole or shoots the open jumper, instead of everyone looking for somebody else to do it.  Anyway, that’s my rant.  Nonetheless, I still love the hustle the Crusaders exert.  Sr. PG Joe Sanford contributed 7 points and 3 assists.  He works real hard on D, too.   Sr. G John Geiger contributed 8 points, all in the fourth. Jrs. Damien Palantino and Tim McCauley are pure hustlers and were good sparks off the bench, each adding 5 pts.  Palantino earned 5 rebounds and 2 steals while McCauley mixed 2 rebs, 3 dimes, and a steal.  Ryan is going to need two good days of practice this weekend if they want to stay close with Dougherty on Monday. Judge needs to figure things out before they get their second chance against North.
Jacknotes:
-Welsh led all in scoring with 18 pts.  One kid in the Ryan student section gave him his praises as he held a sign that read, “Welsh is god”.
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- Wolf ran down the lane and attempted a jumper.  Zeglinski, who gives up about 5 inches to Wolf, sprinted up from the baseline to block the shot.  He then provided a strong box out on Wolf so that a teammate could recover the loose ball.

JAN. 30
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 66, Ryan 57
   The Explorers wanted redemption from Ryan.   La Salle blew a 5 point fourth quarter lead to the Raiders the first time around, but this time it was a different story.  Ryan did not have the lead at any point in the game, despite closing the gap at various points.   The first quarter was all about long range shooting, particularly by La Salle’s C Nick Shattuck and Ryan’s Wingmen So. Joe Zeglinski and Sr. Jim Welsh.  At the end of the first quarter, La Salle’s advantage was 9, 22-13.  The second went the same way, especially for Welsh and Zeglinski, who kept bombing away.  La Salle SF Mike Stanton came off the bench to contribute a solid 3 and a tough drive and lay in.  The climax of the quarter came when Jr. PF Joe Sobocinski picked off a pass at half court and was headed the other way all by his lonesome.  The student section, knowing that “Sobo” has some air (and that he’s a crowd pleaser), was on the edge of their seats awaiting a throw down.  However, we were all disappointed as 6’7’’ Soph monster Keith Hudgeons soared in from behind to goal tend.  Hudgeons was lucky he got there, because Sobo had the height and would have ba-donka-dunked it big time.  Nevertheless, La Salle entered the half with a 38-24 lead.  Take Zeglinski and Welsh out of the equation, and Ryan had just 2 first half points.   Ryan’s Sr. F Joe Mullin scored his first points of the game on a base line drive in the beginning of the third quarter.   However, La Salle Sr. G Ryan Kirk answered right back with a 3 to push the lead up to 15, 41-26.  Later in the third, Welsh attempted a shot from the wing, but Sr. F Kevin Ihlein just said no and spanked the puppy right back at him.   La Salle maintained their 15 point lead and went into the final eight with the score 53-38.  The first few minutes looked like déjà vu for La Salle, as Ryan scored the first 5 points of the quarter.  La Salle scored its first points with a little over four minutes left when Kirk sunk a pair of foul shots.   Kirk hit a big 3 with 2:31 left to put La Salle ahead 58-48 to ice the game, as most of the points after that came from drawn out foul shooting.  Shattuck had a solid game.  He finished with 17 points (15 in the first) and sprayed “Windex” for 6.  Kirk played well.  He closed shop with 11 points (3 3’s) and 5 assists.  Stanton is becoming a key asset of the bench; he collected 9 total points.  Sr. PG Colin Fitzgerald earned 12 points off two 3’s and some clutch foul shooting (4/5 in the fourth quarter, 6/7 total).  The real show for the Explorers was my boy, the young gunna, Joe “a.k.a. Tommy Bricks” Sobocinski.  Check out these numbers across the board: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 dimes, 4 thefts, and 2 blocks.  He was fearless in his drives to the hole.  This breakout performance was probably due to the advice I gave him before the game.   For Ryan, Zeglinski and Welsh were anything and everything.   Zeglinkski had 25 points (9/14) from the line and 8 boards, and Welsh compiled 22 (5 3’s).  I like both these players. The two are hard-nosed defenders and look to make tough drives inside on offense, but at the same time they each can snipe from the perimeter.  All Ryan players whose last names begin with letters “A” through “V” combined for just 10 total points.  La Salle is now tied with Ryan for second place and hope their steam into next Friday’s game against Wood, while Ryan will look recover Sunday against the CL shocker 4-2 North Catholic Falcons.
Jacknotes:
-Stat boy Mike Grant attempted to get on-camera interviews of people before the game for a religion project.  He got a few from La Salle fans, but decided he needed some female interviews.   With camera in hand, he went up to a group of girls in the La Salle stands and asked them to help out, but they declined, making him feel like an idiot.
-After the game, I approached Sr. All-Catholic football player and well-known goofball John Trainer for a quote.  He responded, “Uhh … Jeez…you caught me off guard…ummm…aww man…uhh…Sweet tat Mullin.  How bout that?” in reference to Joe Mullin’s tattoo on his calf.
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- In the third, a La Salle player had full control of a rebound and looked for an outlet.  Zeglinski rushed in from the wing and ripped the ball out of the player’s hands, struggled for possession, and banked in the lay-up amidst a plethora of Explorers.

JAN. 25
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 81, La Salle 70
   I just don’t know what to say.  After the first four minutes, I was questioning if La Salle would put up any points at all.  Dougherty took a commanding 14-0 lead before you could bat an eye.  This run was highlighted by Sr. PG Tim Smith throwing an oop to teammate Shane Clark.  La Salle Jr. Mike McCoy, who was in the La Salle stands and on the phone at the time, gave the play-by-play to whoever he was talking to, “Shane just dunked it…wow I think I might just leave right now.”  The Explorers finally got on the board when Sr. SG Ryan Kirk hit a 3.  La Salle had opportunities in the first, put they seemed nervous and too tense.  A lot of their shots were rushed and they didn’t take time to look at the basket.  The Cardinals on the other hand, particularly Sr. C DeSean White, could not miss.  They all just ran up and down the floor and it made me dizzy.  The officials also didn’t help La Salle at all.  They got booed numerous times throughout.  After one call, Jr. Tim Marcinek hollered, “Go back to Footlocker ref!” The first quarter ended with CD up 26-8.  The crowd began to get into it a little bit, as La Salle made the first 3 baskets of the second quarter.  However, this run would end abruptly as White nailed a foul line jumper.  Things kept on rolling for CD, as they entered the half with a big-time 40-19 lead.  The third quarter was the most entertaining of all.  It started out with La Salle Jr. PF Joe Sobocinski banking in an ugly jumper from beyond the foul line.  From there out, everything was pretty.  White had a pair of monster blocks.  McCoy commented, “He didn’t block that…He just caught it and threw it.”  Sr. G Kyle Lowry drove down the lane and was raped by a La Salle player on the way up.  However, with an Explorer hanging from his wrist, he still managed to throw down the one hand jam.  Amidst the show CD was putting on, the Explorers almost unnoticeably crept back into the game.  Two foul shots by Sr. G Colin Fitzgerald and the once 20-something lead was cut down to 14, 55-41.   However, a two hand jam from Shane Clark crushed the Explorers' momentum to put Dougherty back up 60-41.  Nothing very exciting went down in the fourth, save White running down the lane and bricking a dunk!  He got jeered the rest of the game by the La Salle crowd and a “You Can’t Dunk!” chant sounded.  He looked as if this really bothered him.  White had nothing to be ashamed of however, as he finished with 27 pts., and ripped 12 off the glass.  Lowry was himself, gathering a game high 28 points.  Tim Smith threw the ball around, earning 6 assists.  For La Salle, Sr. C Nick Shattuck led the scoring with 19 pts and also earned 10 boards.  Fitzgerald ran the offense contributing 8 assists.  Sobocinski and Mike Stanton always come ready to play.  They gained 9 and 13 points respectively.  Jr. Joe Winning shared his thoughts on today’s game, “The game was over during the introductions.” Dougherty probably has a game coming up and they’re going to blow them out.  But look for La Salle vs. Ryan on Friday night to be a decider for second place in the CL North.
Jacknotes:
-One La Salle student in the front wouldn’t stop heckling Timmy Smith.  He kept shouting, “Smith I beat you in grade school…Smith you weren’t good for Pres and you’re not good now,” However, I have to disagree: Smith was pretty good at Pres, but he never passed me the ball.
-Dougherty Jr. Bob Yost ended his 3 game scoring streak today.  With 2 minutes remaining I began to call for him, “Mark! Put in Yost!” and other La Salle fans joined in.  However, sadly he didn’t get the call from coach.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- In the fourth quarter, Bob Yost was comfortably positioned on the CD bench when he decided he needed a sip of Gatorade.  He saw that a teammate was reaching for the bottle but aggressively snatched it away, unscrewed the cap with authority, and chugged it like it was his job.

JAN. 18
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 57, Father Judge 50
   It seemed like everybody and their brother was in Mayfair for this event: Ted, Puck, myself, stat boy Mike Grant after a leave of absence, and La Salle graduate Rob Sullivan, who is currently playing for the undefeated Saint Joe’s University.  The first quarter, as is any quarter that involves Judge’s offense, was slow.   The first eight were highlighted by an athletic spin and hook shot in the paint by Judge Sr. F Steve Altobelli.  The leading scorer for La Salle in the first quarter was of course…Mike Stanton??? Stanton, primarily a tough defense aggressor and spark off the bench, had a strong put back, a jumper and a foul shot for 5 points in about 4 mins.  Angelo Garofalo remarked, “Stanton is a scoring machine!” and Grant added, “When did Stanton become an offensive threat?  I miss two games and look what happens.”  The end of the first concluded with the Explorers up 3, 12-9.  The pace picked up in the second and some keen agility was exhibited.  Sr. F John King started things off by drilling a 3 from the left wing to tie the score at 12-12.   La Salle Sr. G Colin Fitzgerald came right back by shooting a jumper from the elbow.  A little later, Judge Sr. John Geiger wrapped around a smooth reverse layup. A slash down the middle and one hand throw-in from Sr. G Ryan Kirk, plus a hard drive from the corner and touch up-and-under move from PF Joe Sobocinski put La Salle ahead 24-16 with 1:05 left to go.  After some foul shooting, the Explorers ended up coasting into the half with a 9 point (27-18) lead over the Crusaders.  The second half opened up with Fitzgerald completing a mid-air follow up after a missed Sobocinski put back.  From that point, slowly but surely, Judge began to inch their way back into the game.  The Crusaders went on an 8-0 run to cut the Explorer advantage and make the score 34-29 with 2:20 left in the 3rd.  The La Salle drought ended when Fitzgerald knocked down an inside jumper.   However, Sr. F Steve Wolf stepped it up by hitting 2 3’s to narrow the La Salle lead to just 1, 36-35.  Sobocinski scored on the low block off a mid-air dish from Fitzgerald and Wolf threw in an awkward jumper with two Explorers all over him in the waning moments.  Thanks to Wolf’s 12 third quarter points (2 3’s), Judge found themselves down by just one with the momentum on their side to begin the fourth.  King nailed a J from the wing with 7:27 left in the game to give the Crusaders their first lead, 39-38, since early in the first quarter.  However, on the next Explorer possession, Sr. SF Kevin Moll had a nice put back to swing the lead back over to La Salle.  Yet, another Wolf 3 bumped Judge ahead by 2, 42-40.  Then the Explorers took control.  3’s from Fitzgerald, Kirk, and Stanton helped seal the deal as the Explorers went on an 11-4 run.  Judge still had a chance when Jr. Damien Palantino hit a three with 2:23 left, making the score 53-49. However, La Salle controlled the ball well in the final two minutes and made their free throws at the end.  I said to Ted before the game as we watched La Salle warm up, “Look for…Fitzgerald to have a break out game today,”  I picked him out on a whim just because he made a jumper while I was mid-way through my sentence, but boy was I right.  He was the deciding factor.  Across the board he had 19 pts. 5 boards and 4 assists.  What else can you ask from your point guard? Sr. C Nick Shattuck was money from the line (5/6) but the usually dominant scorer had only one FG.  Nonetheless his 10 rebounds still made him a presence.  Moll’s D was there once again.  He had 8 boards and two important put backs in the fourth.  Sobocinski fulfilled his role with 8 pts. and 6 boards.  Sobo’s hustle has been picking up.  Stanton really came out of his shell for this game.  The hustler finished with 8 hard earned points. For Judge, Wolf done did it.  He finished with 24 points, 7 off the glass, and 4 dimes.  Altobelli is a pretty agile kid.  I was impressed by his moves down low.  He’s got good footwork.  He finished with 10 points.  King made two 3 pointers from his favorite spot on the left wing.  He shot from there 8 times.  He finished with 8 points, but his percentage could have been better.  I like the hustle of Sr. G Joe Sanford.  He doesn’t get a lot of points, but he does the little things right.  Things don’t look bright for Judge, as the now 1-4 Crusaders have Dougherty to worry about on Friday.  On the other hand, things are rolling right along for 4-1 La Salle as they will challenge Egan on Friday.
Jacknotes:
-La Salle Sr. John Trainer received criticism for wearing a plain baby blue shirt to a Judge game.  He put up an outstanding defense though: “I dunno man, I forgot,”
-During the first quarter, a 4 yr old kid ran down the sideline about 5 ft. inbounds during play at the offensive end.  Trainer exclaimed “Kid! No!” La Salle Coach Marty Jackson, without taking an eye off the action, scooped up the lil fella and placed him in the bleachers out of harm's way, and all while the game continued!  If there’s another coach that’s more multi-talented than Mr. Jackson, I don’t want to know about him.
-3 of Judge’s starters, John King, Joe Sanford, and Steve Altobelli, were grade school teammates at St. Cecilia’s.  I squared off against each of them numerous times in my grade school years.
-When Geiger and Junior Tim McCauley entered the game at the same time for Judge, a La Salle fan commented, “Here come the blowouts,” as they both probably get their cuts at Kim’s.
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”-At a crucial part of the fourth quarter, Judge had one of those possessions where everyone keeps trying to rebound and tip the ball in, but no one does and like 5 shots are taken in about two seconds.  Sobocinski reached up and picked the ball out of the air amongst a swarm of Crusaders.  Once he got the rebound, 3 Judge players wrestled him for the ball, yet he fought them off and maintained possession despite numerous swipes at the rock.

JAN. 16
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 48, North Catholic 45
   North came into this game with a full head of steam.  They had just captured a big 19 pt. win over Father Judge and were ready to put their talent to the test.  Is it possible that North could be successful in a sport that doesn’t involve kicking or pinning?  If you just saw the first quarter, the answer would be a big fat “NO!” as La Salle jumped ahead 14-0.  The Falcons shot 0-11 from the field in the opening eight.  La Salle played great D and spread the ball excellently as 7 different Explorers converted FGs to take them into the second quarter with a hefty 18-2 lead.  In the second however, La Salle began to get complacent in their offense and the Falcon D rose to the occasion. The Falcons scored the first 5 points of the quarter as Jr. John Adamski hit a 3 from the wing and Sr. Chalie Evans completed a nice drive, pump fake, and jumper in the lane.   La Salle Sr. PG Colin Fitzgerald came right back by firing down the lane.  He was hit and managed to toss in a bank shot with one hand as he fell to the floor.  He nailed the ensuing free throw to make the score 21-7.   On the next North possession, Sr. Ryan Davis snagged an O-board.  He dumped to Frosh Andrew Pomager who was open on the low block. Nice play.  This made the score 21-9, but Sr. G Ryan Kirk ran down and hit a jumper, putting the Explorers ahead 23-9 and forcing a Falcon timeout with 2:21 left in the half.  The closing two minutes featured a lot of back and forth action.  North’s Nate Edwards had a nice steal and transition bucket.  Fitzgerald had a nice run and dish to Sr. C Nick Shattuck for 2.  When time expired, the score was 29-13, La Salle.  Adamski started the scoring in the third with a 3 with 5:30 left.  La Salle Jr. Joe Sobocinski missed a jumper from the wing and his stylish blue band-aid flew off his index finger in the process.  He proved that he would not need his boo-boo covered, as on the next possession he converted on a strong move to the hole from the low block.  He was fouled in the process and he completed the And-1 to put La Salle ahead 34-16.  Adamski countered by popping another 3.  A few possessions later, Falcon Sr. PF Paul Chladek spun in the lane and threw in a silly fresh hook shot.  The guy behind me in the stands yelled out “Ok Kareem!”.  This fella behind me, who I am assuming is a La Salle parent, was a quote machine throughout the game.   I will refer to him later in the report, but since I don’t know his name, I’ll just call him Joe Schmo or Mr. Schmo.   Anyway, Chladek’s hook brought the Falcons within 12, 35-23.  Chladek ran down the court a made a huge block, and Adamski drilled yet another 3 to narrow the lead to 9.   Evans had a nice layin off a board with 1:02 left and Sobocinski ended the quarter with a hard drive to the hoop.  The score at the end of the third: La Salle 38, North 28.   Adamski’s sharpshooting ability cut the Explorer lead to 7 in the opening minutes.  La Salle couldn’t find an open man and turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound.  During North’s possession, the scoreboard began to go haywire.  It buzzed wildly and repeatedly during gameplay, and flashed all sorts of crazy numbers.  Some players were confused and didn’t realize what was going on.  A few guys started to walk around and weren’t sure if they should keep playing.  Amidst the perplexity, Evans threw in a jumper.  The basket counted.   On the next North possession, the PG Sean Thomson attempted to dump into Evans in the post.   An Explorer deflected the pass and the ball struck Evans in the noggin. Quotemaster Joe Schmo commented, “Ball done hit him right upside da head!”  A few possessions later, Adamski acquired a board, fell down, and still managed to convert the put back with 3:40 left.  This cut the Explorer lead to three, 40-37.  When the Explorers came down with the ball, a push off foul was called against La Salle.  Mr. Schmo remarked, “Ref, let ‘em play just a ‘LIL bit.”  La Salle got the ball back, and as Kirk hit a three from the corner, Schmo hollered, “Ba Yam!”   On the next Explorer possession, Fitzgerald pushed it up the floor and Adamski, while trying to steal the rock, took out Fitz’s legs and inadvertently drove him into the Explorer bench.  A brief scuffle occurred on the ground and the La Salle bench was charged with a tech with 2:01 left in the game.  Joe Schmo threw his two cents in, “Ref, he bout to kill him!  Man that was a nice sideline tackle right there.  That woulda been decent on Sunday.  He was like whayam!”  Sobocinski lightened up the mood by laughing to his teammates, “Man, this is mayhem.”  Adamski shot the techs while Schmo jeered him, “Young boul gonna miss this one.  Young boul, you gon miss!”  Adamski made both cutting the lead to 2, 43-41.  A Fitzgerald put back bumped the lead up to 4, but Pomager was fouled with :59.2 left.  He converted both and the lead was back to 2, 45-43.  Kirk ran the floor and dished to Sobocinski who was open on the low block.  He was fouled on the way up.  He came through really clutch by ignoring the insanity of the Falcon fans and nailing both free throws, putting La Salle back up 4 again, 47-43.   Pomager didn’t waste any time aggressively driving down the lane for a bucket.  North called timeout with :22.2 left, down 47-45.  However they failed to score again.  Shattuck was fouled and converted 1 of 2, and time ran out before North could put together a decent last shot.   Kirk, Shattuck, and Sobocinski led the scoring with a well balanced triple-threat effort.  They had 12 pts, 11, and 11 respectively.  I was particularly impressed with Sobocinski who showed great aggressiveness on his moves to the basket and showed good concentration, (a trait that is usually uncommon to him), on his foul shots (3/3).  Fitzgerald was aggressive throughout.  He had solid numbers across the board ( 7pts, 5 rebs, 5 assts, 3 steals).  LS SF Kevin Moll, deserves a lot for his hustle.  That kid plays sick D and can stick anyone.  He captured 5 rebounds and had 8 steals.  For North, Adamski was the show.  He was 5/7 from beyond and had a game high 21 points and also contributed 7 rebounds.  Davis is a good hustle player.  He ripped 8 boards.  Pomager and Evans had solid games.  They had 10 and 8 points.  North falls to .500, but will probably run over McDevitt on Monday.  La Salle looks to defeat the 1-3 Crusaders of Father Judge on Sunday.
Jacknotes:
-Sidenotes are now called Jacknotes, since they’re mine.
-I sat behind the Explorer bench with Sr. G Brian Hogan who injured his leg this week in practice.  It might be an ACL tear, which would end his high school career.  We’re all hoping that it’s just something minor.
-In my stat keeping, I missed 2 points for North in the fouth quarter.  I went to the score table to check the official book after the game.  That is where I met the legend.  Oh yes, Hockey Puck McKenna.   I just wanted to look over his shoulder and see the fourth quarter points.  This didn’t satisfy him, as he rattled off each and every player’s line score throughout the whole game at 100 mph.
-La Salle’s Chaplin Father Anthony Janton was in attendance.  When North’s student DJ played Joe Budden’s “Pump it up” during warm-ups, Fr. Janton began dancing in his seat.   It was quite a sight.  I was pretty surprised though: Father’s got some moves.
-The refs had a problem with the scoreboard after LS got the tech called against them.   During the period while the refs were at the score table, Adamski brought a ball out to the foul line in attempt to practice the techs he was about to shoot.  Is that kid serious?  I was happy to see all the La Salle parents yell at him.
-La Salle JV Jrs. Tom Edger and Ryan Gibbons have their own non-profit organization.  It’s called “Edger Fills Up the Cups, Gibbons Hands Them Out Inc.”
“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- North attempted to pass the ball into a player on the post.   Shattuck dove in front of the pass and batted it away.  He crawled over to the lose ball, covered it, and called timeout before any Falcons could try to get possession.

JAN. 9
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 59, Archbishop Wood 47
   Mayhem at La Salle for their Northern Division home opener against rival Archbishop Wood (one of the rivals at least, as La Salle has about 4).  Standing amidst the overflowing student section, I was elbow to elbow with guys and gals while trying to keep stats and notes.  More often than not, I was hit on the arm while writing something by crazy fans such as Matt Malloy , creating a bunch of erroneous markings on my pad.  La Salle was in full force cheering tonight and Wood did ok for the amount of people they had.  Multiple chanting battles erupted.  I don’t know how I managed to pay attention to the game.  Anyway, the contest started off with LS Sr. guard Ryan Kirk making a transition layup.  Later in the quarter, Kirk had a nice drive down the middle, running in between 3 guys and converting the layin.  However, neither teams’ offense could really get any fluidity.   The first quarter ended with a stale score of LS 11, Wood 4.  That’s not a typo either: 4 points for Wood in a quarter.  The second was prettier.  La Salle started to pull away, but both teams exhibited some athletic moves.   Explorer C Nick Shattuck as well as Wood big man JR. Rob Pearson showed off their skills in the post.  With a Shattuck score, the Explorers took an 18-8 lead with 4:32 left, but Jr. Matt Spadafora kept Wood in it with an aggressive drive cutting the lead to 8.  However, a Shattuck lay-up and a Kirk jumper bumped the La Salle lead to 12, 22-10.  Several minutes later, La Salle guard Colin Fitzgerald had a noteworthy drive to put the Explorers up 28-14.  He took a creative semicircular route to the basket, starting on the left wing, looping around to the right wing and curving back towards the basket.  It was nice. At the close of the half, Fitzgerald was fouled at the buzzer and made 1 of 2, making the score 29-14 at the half.  The third quarter was fast paced, yet sloppy.  There were plenty of turnovers, steals, breakaways, quick possessions, and offensive fouls (a combined 4 for the quarter).  The score remained Explorers 33, Vikings 18, for a bit more than 3 minutes.  Then some posts moves from Shattuck, and a shot from Wood’s Sr. Tim Walters, made the score LS 35, Wood 20. Soon after, Spadafora made a heads-up steal off an inbound pass and completed the bucket to cut the Explorer lead to 15, 37-22.  LS SF Kevin Moll converted nice tip in as time expired with the score 39-23.  Spadafora executed some crafty post moves in the opening minutes, but Wood remained behind by about 15 throughout the quarter.  Some foul shooting, a nice drive by Fitzgerald, and a Ryan Gibbons 3 helped seal the deal for La Salle.  Fitzgerald really stepped it up tonight.  His toughness showed on a number of occasions.   He attacked the basket hard and played good D.  He got the ball moving (5 assists) and led the Explorers in scoring with 18.  Shattuck owned the paint and was agile as always.  He had 16 points and ripped away 8 boards.  The defense of Kevin Moll is always there and often isn’t talked about.  He did a good job tonight with multiple steals and 9 boards.  For Wood, Spadafora played decent.  He only had 4 points in the first half, but stepped it up in the second and finished with 18.  He didn’t receive the help he needed, as no other Wood player exceeded 6 points. Waters did a fine job playing defense.  He’s a tough player.  He tore down 8 boards.  Wood moves to 0-2 but looks to capture their first win on Monday when they play 1-1 Conwell Egan.  La Salle looks forward to Sunday, when they will play the struggling 0-2 Lancers of McDevitt.
Sidenotes:
-The Explorer rooters creatively made about 25 8x11color copied pictures of Explorer coach Marty Jackson and Shattuck.  They glued the blown-up photos to opposite sides of pieces of cardboard.  Popsicle sticks were held from the bottom and the Explorer fans held them up whenever Jackson or Shattuck did something exciting.  It was crazy just seeing 20 or so Marty Jacksons and Schmeagles waving through the air.  They created quite a buzz and I give props to whoever had the idea.
-Sr. All-Catholic Explorer linebacker Miles Miller sat in front of me during the first half.  I wanted to apologize to him because I must have whacked him with my clipboard about 5 times during the excitement.  By the way, Miles, your girlfriend is smoking.
-Jr. Mike Grant took control of the stat keeping in the fourth quarter while I ate an ice cream sandwich.  While holding the clipboard, he managed to entangle the metal part in some girl’s hair.  Smoothe, buddy. Poor girl just wants to see a basketball game and she winds up with a clipboard stuck in her head.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”-In the first quarter, Sr. La Salle PG Brian Hogan hustled for the ball as it was about to go out of bounds.   He saved it by throwing it in the direction of Kirk.  Kirk shielded the defender with his one hand and recovered the ball with the other.

JAN. 5
CATHOLIC NORTH
Archbishop Ryan 50, La Salle 48
   The atmosphere on Academy Road was electrifying for this Monday night matchup.  La Salle G. Ryan Kirk started things off by popping a three in the opening minutes.  Ryan soph G Joe Zeglinski answered back with 2 3’s of his own.  The Raiders shot 4/5 from beyond the arc in the first (the other 2 coming from Sr. Joe Mullin and Sr. L.B. Rebstock).  Ryan’s sharpshooting led them to a 15-10 lead over La Salle at the end of the opening quarter.  After Ryan made a foul shot early in the second, Sr. Explorer C Nick Shattuck made a nice move in the lane, got fouled, and made the free throw, cutting the Raider lead to 3, 16-13.  Kirk nailed a jumper to bring the Explorers within 1, causing Ryan to call timeout.  From there La Salle went on a 12-3 run and the momentum of the game swung completely into the Explorers’ favor.  During this stint, Kirk dropped two 3’s, and Jr. PF Joe Sobocinski displayed his power in the paint on two inside baskets.  The contest became fast paced and very entertaining.  At the end of the half, La Salle had a 27-19 lead of the Raiders.  Zeglinski’s 8 straight points (2 3’s, 2 fouls) to begin the half brought Ryan right back, cutting the Explorer lead to 2, 28-26 and causing La Salle to call a timeout with 4:10 left in the quarter.  Off the timeout, Sr. Explorer SF Kevin Moll completed an aggressive drive to the hole, which was countered by drives from Mullin and Zeglinski to knot the score at 30.  When Mike Stanton received the ball beyond the arc in the corner, La Salle Sr. Angelo Garofalo yelled from the crowd, “Drop that Stanton, all you can do is shoot.”  Stanton obeyed, putting La Salle up 3.  Sick moves from Shattuck on the low block and a steal and bank shot from Moll put La Salle up 7, but the Raiders retaliated with a lay-in at the closing seconds to make the score 37-32 at the end of the third.  The fourth quarter was all Ryan.  They went on a 10-0 run. Sr. SG Jim Welsh converted his first points of the game in the fourth. Ryan then made two foul shots to narrow the lead to one.  Skillful post moves by massive soph C Keith Hudgeons put the Raiders ahead, 38-37.  La Salle scored its first points with just 3:20 left in the game on a Shattuck layup to bring the them within 3, 42-39.  Sobocinski made a foul shot and Shattuck hit an inside bucket to make the score 46-42 Ryan with :47 left and the Explorers called timeout.  On the inbound, La Salle Sr. PG Brian Hogan deflected the pass and Shattuck recovered.  He passed the ball into Kirk who made an inside bucket to trim the Raider lead to 2.  On the inbound, Mullin was fouled and made one of two.  Kirk pulled a three with about :20 left to try and tie it, but he airballed.  He held his wrist after the play, indicating that he may have been fouled, but from the stands looked as if he just blew it. Zeglinski went to the line and missed the first, but hit the second, bumping the Raiders up 48-44 to clinch it.  Some more fouling went on and Ryan went up 50-45 with :06 left.  Fitzgerald ran down and hit a meaningless three as the horn blew to end it the game.  The back and forth nature of the contest made it interesting, but some key players did not step up.  For La Salle, Fitzgerald got into foul trouble and his shots weren’t falling.  He was visibly frustrated.  This took away from his minutes and he was forced to play passively.  Kirk finished with 11 points, but took a few questionable shots and did not play his best game.  Shattuck came ready to play.  He led all scoring with 21 and tore away 12 rebounds.  His footwork was impressive inside.  Joe Sobocinski did his role collecting 6 points and 6 boards.  For Ryan, Zeglinski was the man.  He showed great poise throughout.  He finished with 18 points (4 3’s) and 6 rebounds.  The 6’8’’ Hudgeons is only a sophomore.  He has really nice touch for a guy of that size.  He ended up with 7 points.  Mullin and Welsh were disappointments.  Although Mullin attempts to display a demeanor that suggests he’s “the show” (chewing gum, tat on his calf), he only scored 8 points in the natural flow of the game (12 total, but 4 came on late foul shots) and just 3 rebs.  He was often shut down en route to the hole and had to back out.   He had an off night, but the lefty did show spurts of agility and finesse.  Welsh did not score until the fourth quarter, hitting just 2 jumpers for 4 points.  Next time around, if Fitzgerald, Kirk, Mullin, and Welsh bring their “A game”, both teams scores will likely be up in the 70s and it’ll be even more entertaining.
Sidenotes:
-I missed some things in the game because I was too busy looking at Ryan’s cheerleaders.   Man, I wish my school had girls.
-Mike Stanton played very well defensively and showed his aggression numerous times.   On one play he forcefully ripped the ball from a Ryan player.  Matt Malloy turned to the crowd and inquired, “Yo, when did Stanton get tough?”
-In the second quarter the La Salle crowd jeered Hudgeons while he attempted free throws.  After Kevin made his first, a smiling overweight Ryan cheerleader yelled something at us to quiet down.   Eric Calvitti politely responded, “Hey fat girl! Sit down!” -“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- In the second quarter, Fitzgerald drove in from the wing but his attempted lay-up was forcefully rejected and Fitzgerald fell to ground.  When the loose ball came his way, he reached out and smacked it from a sitting position to Shattuck who was on the opposite block.  Shattuck easily converted the open layup.

JAN. 3
SPECIAL REPORT
CATHOLIC LEAGUE NORTH PREDICTIONS
   Believe it or not, I actually did put some thought into this. The
following is my prediction of the standings of the CL North at the end
of the season. They are based upon box scores, preseason records, stuff
I read in the paper, reports from Ted, Amauro, Huck, and student
reporters, personal observations, and my personal liking and disliking
of some of the teams. At the end of the season I’ll put them back up to
see if I was close to how things turned out. Here they are…

1. Cardinal Dougherty 13-1
2. Archbishop Ryan 10-4
3. La Salle 10-4
4. Father Judge 8-6
5. Archbishop Wood 7-7
6. North Catholic 4-10
7. Conwell Egan 2-12
8. Bishop McDevitt 2-12

Explanation:
  Everyone knows Dougherty will finish first, and everyone thinks they’ll
go undefeated. Well I think they’ll blow one; so there. La Salle and
Ryan are very evenly matched. La Salle is disciplined and plays as a
team, and Ryan is experienced and very athletic. It will be a toss up
for 2nd place, but I put Ryan ahead just because I go to La Salle and
it’s beat if I just put them 2nd. Judge doesn’t have a lot of talent,
but they play a good style of ball and are aggressive. They played a
close game against Bonner, which is a decent Southern team. I think the
Crusaders will have just a slight edge over Wood. I don’t know why I
feel this way; maybe it’s just because I live in the Northeast.
Nonetheless, it will be a dog fight for that last playoff spot. North
captured a win over Frankford, and hung tight with Mastbaum in the
preseason. True, they aren’t exactly the best Pub teams, but I imagine
North will be better than they were last year. McDevitt and Egan are
still rebuilding, but they each have enough talent to at least win a few
games.

DEC. 31
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 76, La Salle 55
   The parking lot was filled to capacity at Prep for this New Year’s Eve tradition of St. Joe’s hosting La Salle, so I reluctantly parked two blocks off the North Philly campus.  I put “The Club” on the wheel and pressed the “lock” button on my key ring around 6 or 7 times to make sure, and then I was on my way.  When I walked inside, I found out why there were no spots; the place was a zoo, swarming with students, parents, CL North and South coaches, college coaches, and alumni home for the holidays.  The stands on both sides were packed and there was also a ton of people sitting in several rows of folding chairs that had been set up along the baselines. I found myself sitting against a rail on one of the bleachers; not the best position when trying to pay attention to what’s going on.  Anyway, the game started out with La Salle winning the tip, but Prep’s ultra fast Sr. PG Chris Clark scraped together a steal and was off to the races for a quick layup.  Prep’s Jared Black and La Salle’s Colin Fitzgerald exchanged threes. However, La Salle couldn’t get their offense together and needed a timeout with 5:09 left in the first with the score Prep 8, La Salle 3.  The Hawklets went on a bit a run and bumped their lead up to 15-6, but then Explorer PF Jr. Joe Sobocinski hit two inside buckets and Fitzgerald popped a three to cut the lead to 3, 15-12.  Clark answered back with two foul shots and star Sr. John Griffin nailed a three to bounce the Prep ahead 20-12 at the end of the first.   La Salle leader Sr. Nick Shattuck had 0 pts in the first quarter, but started off the second with an inside bucket to cut the Prep lead to 6.  St. Joe’s went on a seven point run and things looked pretty grim for the Explorers. Prep took off and La Salle got sloppy.  The whole second quarter could be summed up in this pattern: Explorer turnover, Prep basket, Explorer turnover, Prep basket….   During this stretch Clark made a sick little shake, causing an Explorer defender to stumble.  He bounced back and hit the baby J.  This made the score 41-22, and the half ended with La Salle struggling to keep the game within 20, 46-27.  The Explorers did come out firing to start the second half.   Fitzgerald hit a basket and Shattuck just said no with a big-time block.   The momentum shifted however, as Clark pulled up for a three, but in mid-air he decided a wide open Mike Kearney should take the shot from down low.   Clark made the pass, Kearney banked in the layup, Explorer heads spun, and everyone just sat there with their jaws on the floor.  La Salle Sr. G Ryan Kirk cut the Prep lead to 12, 52-40, but every time La Salle inched back, St. Joe’s just shut em’ down.  The score at the end of the third was 57-42.   Prep made the game out of reach in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and with about three minutes left, the subs came in for both teams to finish the game.  Fitzgerald was the leader throughout for the Explorers, he was perfect from the field and finished with 13 points.  Kirk helped out with the scoring, adding 10 points.  Sobocinski did his job, contributing 7 points and 7 boards.  Shattuck didn’t have his best game, earning 9 pts.  He can and will play a lot better when the Explorers start their season in the North.  The Prep plays an aggresive brand of basketball: tight man defense and run and gun offense.  Soph Reggie Redding was the show for the Hawklets.  He added multiple baskets in every quarter.  That kid is athletic and agile.  He has complete control over his footwork and has good court sense.  By his senior year, I expect him to be a South MVP candidate. Redding’s athleticism allowed him to earn a game high 24 points and 7 rebounds.  Clark has great moves and quick feet.  He got the ball moving (8 assists) and dropped 22 points.  Griffin showed that he can shoot, making 4 threes and collecting 16 total points.  Speedy Morris’s squad looks as if they will be a top contender once again in the South.  They will look to start off their season against Neumann, while La Salle will take this game as a learning experience, as they will go into their opener against Ryan like a “Tsu-nam-i”.
Sidenotes:
-The La Salle crowd is king at judging who opponents look like and giving them nicknames.  Clark was Beetlejuice from the Howard Stern Show, Redding was Carmelo Anthony, Antoine Joseph was 50 Cent, and Coach Morris looks like La Salle teacher, Br. Steck.
-Prep fans booed every time Shattuck got the ball.  This was beat because, if you’re going to do that, the guy you boo can’t just be the good. He has to be cocky too or at least funny looking; like being the star player that’s tall, ugly, and has big goofy looking dark curly hair for instance.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- Antoine “50 cent” Joseph ripped the ball away from a La Salle player on the wing.  He ran the length of the court, got banged around in the lane, and made the layup.

DEC. 21
NON-LEAGUE
La Salle 54, Bonner 40
   After witnessing Bonner’s Jr. PF Carlos Monroe tear it up against Judge on Friday night, I was shocked to find that he was not starting against the Explorers.  They could have used him to begin the game, as La Salle ran up 8-0 in the first couple minutes.  The first five possessions for the Friars resulted in turnovers and they did not get their first shot off until 5:32, which was an airball.  La Salle Sr. G. Colin Fitzgerald had 3 steals during this stretch and Sr. C Nick Shattuck contributed 2.  The Explorer offense didn’t waste any time. They ran as soon as they got possession.  Bonner decided they needed a time-out with 5:04 left in the opening quarter and that is when they substituted Monroe into the game.  This guy went crazy!  After a putrid start, his presence brought the Friars within three, 13-10.  He pulled down so many boards in the half, it wasn’t even funny.  About mid-way through the second quarter La Salle went up 21-13 and slowed down their offense.   Stat-keeper Mike Grant commented, “As long as they don’t shoot, this kid can’t get another rebound.”  Monroe finished the half with an incredible 11 boards.  He also showed off athletic footwork down-low and was a terror for the Explorers to defend.  With about 2 minutes left in the half, he was tripled teamed as soon as he got the ball.   He kicked out to Jr. Mike Heppler who sunk the trey to slice the Explorers’ lead down to three, 21-18.  Then the Explorers dug in. Shattuck banked in a lay-up, Sr. G Brain Hogan nailed two foul shots, and Sr. Ryan Kirk gave a hard pump fake and drove in for a score as time expired, putting the Explorers up 27-18 at the half.  Bonner closed in on La Salle in the opening minutes of the 3rd. Sr. big man Randy Reid laid down a huge block on Kirk.   Jr. C Derrick Graff banked in a lay-up, narrowing the Explorer lead to 31-26.  This was the last real threat to La Salle.  Scores from Shattuck and a 3 from Kirk helped put them up 40-30 to end the third and the Explorers would only run up more in the fourth.  Shattuck once again was spectacular in this one.  He was money from the inside and possessed great agility.  He finished with 20pts.and 8rebs.  Kirk recovered nicely from his shooting woes in the West Catholic game.  He ended up with 19 pts. (3 3’s).  Fitzgerald ran the point well and made touch passes.  The flashiest came in the fourth quarter when he threw a no look pass across court to Sr. Mike Stanton, who converted on a reverse lay-in.  La Salle Jr. and buddy of mine Joe Winning commented, “That’s the ‘Joe Winning Pass of the Game’ right there.  Yo Jack, write that down dude.”  Fitzgerald finished with 6 assists and 4 steals.  For Bonner, Monroe was simply amazing.  He contributed 19pts. and 13 boards.  That kid can really play.   However, he received almost no help.  No other Bonner player earned more than 6 points or exceeded 4 rebounds.  I think on a better day the Friars could have given the Explorers a really hard time. Even though they played sloppily and trailed the whole game, they kept inching back. However each time they threatened, the Explorers squashed their hopes of a comeback.
Sidenotes:
-Throughout the entire game the La Salle crowd was trying to figure out who Monroe looked like.  We knew he resembled somebody but we couldn’t put our finger on it.  He reminded me of former La Salle basketball player Darcell Moore.  Winning thought he looked like Eagles’ linebacker Carlos Emmons.  We finally all came to agreement when soccer player Chris Glover stated he bears a resemblance to Abington Friends’ graduate and current Arizona player Mustafa Shakur.
-The Explorer crowd buzzed with excitement when Bonner’s Jr. BIG man Kevin Ward entered the game.  Imagine a really, really, tall person put in a garbage compactor and compressed down to about 6’2’’.  That’s what this kid looked like, stocky as can be.  We all expected him to be a big oaf but he surprised us all with good footwork and a finesse lay-up on his first touch.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”-In the final minutes of the game, La Salle had an extremely small lineup on the floor.  Bonner recognized this and dumped into the massive Kevin Ward who is probably 6’2’’ 260lbs.  Needless to say, no one was going to stop in.  He got the ball at about the foul line and aggressively drove down the lane.  La Salle Jr. PG Tom Edger, who is 5’9’’, about 140lbs. in the rain (and could probably be swallowed whole by Ward), moved into the middle, set his feet, and got absolutely flattened, drawing a courageous offensive foul.

DEC. 19
NON-LEAGUE
Bonner 52, Father Judge 49
   Finally, I get to see a game where I needed to pay attention in the fourth quarter!  The first quarter, however, went pretty slow.   There was a lot of sluggish ball movement and things were a little sloppy.   The pace really started to heat up in the second quarter.  Judge had a 22-13 lead over the Friars with 3:00 left and looked as if they were going to pull away, but then Bonner decided to get serious.  The Friars closed in, hitting two buckets in a row. Then Bonner’s Freshman PG Jeff Jones (12 pts.) cut the lead to two with a trey.  In the final seconds Jr. big man Derrick Graff (10 pts) banked in a lay-up to knot the score at 23.  The third quarter was packed with excitement and the momentum shifted back and forth. Judge’s Sr. Joe Sanford hit a three to open the half.  Bonner’s Jr. F Carlos Monroe (10 points) came right back, displaying some agile moves and touch shots in the paint.  He was humbled though as Judge’s Sr. F Steve Wolf smacked one of his lay-up attempts right back in his grill.  Monroe kept his composure.  The next time down the floor he got the ball in the low-post.  Judge’s big men expected a shot from him to redeem his getting rejected.  They all bit on Monroe’s pump fake and forgot to cover Sr. Randy Reid, who Monroe dished to.  Reid completed the bucket, was fouled, and converted an and-1.  Reid was a force throughout the whole game, grabbing a bunch of rebounds and scoring a team high 15 pts. A few minutes later, Wolf made a nice play by grabbing a rebound, running the entire length of the floor, and scoring on a touch underhand lay-up.  As you can imagine, the lead see-sawed numerous times in the third.  When the quarter ended, Bonner stood with a two point lead, 36-34.  In the fourth, Wolf converted first for Judge to tie the score.  When Judge got up 43-40 with 4:35 left, Crusader Head Coach Bill Fox instructed Sanford to slow down the offense.  They controlled the ball and ate some time, but didn’t get off the shot they wanted.  The Friars’ Jones grabbed the board, ran the floor, made his lay-up, drew the contact, and finished the 3 pt. play.   On the next Friar possession, Jones got fouled once again and sunk one of them to put the Friars ahead by one, 44-43.  Bonner went on a bit of a run and took a 52-46 lead with just :36 remaining.  The most entertaining part of this stretch was when Bonner’s Graff made two foul shots and started jumping around screaming like a madman back on defense, trying to be Johnny Ra-Ra.   He looked pretty ridiculous.  “The Abyss” let him go, probably because Judge was down, although I was expecting them to at least yell something.  Oh well, I can’t hate the guy for having enthusiasm. Getting back to the action, Judge was down 52-46, but then Sr. Crusader John Geiger made an inside bucket and was fouled.  Another 3 pt. play was completed the (the third of the game).  With only 6 seconds left, and down by 3, Judge immediately fouled Bonner’s Jr. Mike Heppler on the inbound.   Bonner was in the double bonus, but Heppler failed to make either shot.   Wolf got the rebound and tried to run the floor but was fouled around half-court.  There was 3.6 seconds left and Judge inbounded to Wolf who attempted a three.  However, the excitable Graff was there to make a monsterous block and time expired.  Despite the loss, I thought the Crusaders played well.  They moved the ball nicely, spread the defense, and made good cuts through the lane.  Wolf finished with 15 pts, and Sr. PF John King contributed 12 pts. However, I think the athleticism of Bonner, particularly Monroe, and their size advantage were the deciding factors.
Sidenotes:
-La Salle Sr. All-Catholic running back Matt Malloy was in attendance and sat behind me.  After Bonner made a basket in the final minutes of the fourth, the Friar bench went nuts.  Malloy commented, “Look at the bench warmers all clapping…that was me when I played.”
-When Bonner’s Jeff Jones, who rocks tight braids, went to foul-line, “The Abysss” chanted, “cornrows, cornrows”.  Jones was a good sport and smiled about it after he missed his second shot.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- Jones got a rebound and sprinted down the floor.  He pulled up for a 12-footer in the lane but got hit on the way up.  Shooting from an awkward position, Jones managed to make his shot and then hit the free throw.

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
La Salle 58, Chestnut Hill Academy 27
   If you’ve ever seen the American classic “Hoosiers”, you know that Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) demands his team make four passes before taking a shot.  CHA took a similar approach, however they totally out-did Coach Dale by making about 10 passes on every possession.  Instead of cashing in on open jumpers, players preferred swinging the ball back to the point.   It was tough to watch.  Because of this, Chestnut Hill only had 10 pts. at half-time and only two scorers: Jr. Julian McFadden and Sr. Chris McInerney each had five.  La Salle forced CHA to keep up with their fast paced offense, which CHA had trouble with.  The Explorers wanted to run as soon they got possession and scored many of their first half points in transition. Sr. G’s Ryan Kirk (5 assists) and Colin Fitzgerald (6 assists) got the ball moving.  Jr. PF Joe Sobocinski did a nice job of hustling down the court and getting open.   He finished on two good transition buckets in the first quarter. The Explorers main attraction in this one was Sr. F/C Nick “Schmeegle” Shattuck.  Shattuck played excellent on both sides of the ball and is emerging as the team’s leader.  He showed great moves and finesse footwork with the ball in the paint.  His agility earned himself a double-double with a game high 22 pts and 10 rebounds.  La Salle Student Tom O’Donnell remarked from stands that “Schmeegle’s performance must have been inspired by ‘The Return of the King’ opening today.”   Jr. C Brian Carlin did a great job of boxing out down low.   He played very well defensively. Jr. SF Mike Chapman got into the mix also, scoring a buzzer beating lay-up at the end of the game.  CHA and their put-me-to-sleep offense never really posed a true threat to the Explorers.  McInerney is by far their best player.  He scraped together 17 pts. (7/7 from the line).  He also had a pair of disgusting ball fakes.  On those two instances, he pumped the rock behind  a La Salle defender’s head.   Each time, the defender turned completely around and was utterly befuddled.   Sr. PF Philip Roberts failed to score but was tough as nails underneath, collecting 10 boards.
Sidenotes:
-Thanks once again to my buddy Jr. Mike Grant who helped out with the stats even though he had to deal with Jr. Dave Kuch constantly ragging him, “Yo mon! What you drawing, mon?”
-When Ryan Kirk came out to defend Soph. Jon Salem, Sr. John Trainer commented “Yo look! It’s fro vs. fro!”, as they both sport a similar Side-Show Bob-like doo.
-Along with his “Lord of the Rings” reference, Tom O’Donnell also suggested that La Salle Sr. G Brian Hogan, who stands at 5’9’’, be named “McDonald’s Small Fry of the Game.”
-Jack’s Hustle Play of the Game”- Nick Shattuck had a monster block in the third quarter, batting the ball almost to half-court.  Hogan aggressively wrestled a CHA player for the loose ball and recovered it, but in the process he spun and fell in an awkward, twisted, sitting Indian style, yoga-like position.   He managed to pass the ball from his undoubtedly uncomfortable pose to Fitzgerald, who set up the offense.

DEC. 10
NON-LEAGUE
La Salle 74, Roxborough 32
   At the tip-off, it looked as if we were going to see a three point shoot-out and a thrilling game.  In the first two minutes,  La Salle Sr. G Ryan Kirk hit two 3’s in a row and Roxborough’s Sr. PF Miles Smith and Jr. SF Jared Nichol each added 3’s of their own.  Then La Salle’s nasty press defense and lightning quick ball movement led to a 12-2 run.  At the closing seconds of the first quarter, Roxborough’s Jr. C Ameer Ali executed a sick reverse lay-up, but by that time his team was down 27-13 and would not recover.  La Salle executed their offense to perfection. They constantly worked to get open and always ran a man behind the zone to spread the defense. Sr. C Nick Shattuck (18 pts. 7 rebounds) led the team with his athleticism and hustle.  Shattuck, or “Schmeegle” as he is called, had the prettiest play of the game with flashy wrap-around lay-up. Kirk spread the ball around nicely and his jumper was butter.  He earned 9 assists and dropped 17 pts (4 3’s).  Sr. G Colin Fitzgerald’s hustle secured himself 11 pts. Jr. C Brian Carlin (8 pts. 6 rebounds) handled the business down low and played well throughout, despite Roxborough’s Sr. PF Kenny Williams spanking the ball back in his face on one of his attempts.  Even Jr. PG Lil’ Tom Edger got into the action, making two foul shots and completing nice a mid-air dish for an assist.  The La Salle defense was ridiculous.  The Explorers drew 5, count em’, 5 offensive fouls. They refused to allow Roxborough to settle into their offense. Everyone sprinted all over the place for every loose ball.  Fitzgerald contributed 5 steals and Sr. SF Kevin Moll grabbed 7 boards. Coach Jackson’s team looked very well-organized and disciplined in this 42 pt. blow-out.
Sidenotes:
-Thanks to buddy Jr. Mike Grant for keeping my stats.  However, Sr. Angelo Garofalo wants to compete in a “stat-off” (whatever that is) and take his job.
-Immediately after the game La Salle’s Jr. PF and buddy of mine Joe Sobocinski came over to take a look at the stats that Mike had kept and wanted to see how many boards he had.  Seeing that he only had three, he said, “Only three? Aww man…Yo, can you hook me up and say that I had five?”.  Then Coach Jackson yelled at him.
-When Roxborough’s Sr. SF Dante Robinson came out the game, teammate Ameer Ali offered him a high-five.  Robinson swung and missed his hand…twice.
-“Jack’s Hustle Play of The Game”: In the first quarter, La Salle’s Ryan Kirk ripped the rock away from a Roxborough player.  He dribbled around two defenders, sprinted down the floor the floor and dished to Sr. Mike Stanton for the assist.