 |
The Breen Scene Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Paul Breen is a
senior at Archbishop Ryan and a senior staff writer for the Ryan Review with a
huge interest in Ryan basketball. He is also the President of the Senior Class. His
statman is football player Rob Rowan. (We have a feeling
he might be too classy for this site, but we'll see what happens -- smile.) |
FEB. 27
CL QUARTERFINAL
Dougherty 55, Ryan 47
This is the toughest report I’ve had to write. I don’t
even know where to begin. Was it the 19-for-46 shooting, or was it the 5-for-15 showing
from the foul line? I don’t know. Well here’s how it all went down.
It started
off as an absolute “snoozer.” Ryan’s jr. WG Joe Zeglinski opened the
scoring with a trey to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead. It came at 2:44 into the quarter.
Zeglinski than added another three ball to give Ryan a 6-2 lead after C-D’s Josh
Martin scored. Kevin Hudgeons followed a Mike Varanavage miss and put it
back for two. Senior PG Tom Manes followed with an explosive down the lane for two
to give Ryan a 10-5 lead. Martin struck back on the ensuing possession with a three from
downtown to bring C-D within two. In the final minute of play in the opening quarter, “The
Franchise”, Zeglinski, in a scrum lofted up a circus-like shot in the
paint to see it go through the cylinder. He was fouled on the play and converted the foul
shot to give Ryan a 13-8 lead at the end of one.
C-D got
out to a quick 11-2 run to open up the second. Including a three-pointer by jr. Vincent
Simpson and four points by so. Justin Minter. Ryan then saw themselves go on a
7-0 run to end the half. Manes contributed four points in outburst including a impressive
finger roll lay up at the buzzer after grabbing a Zeglinski failed three point attempt.
This was huge, it gave the Raiders a 22-19 lead at half.
The third
quarter was completely dominated by Dougherty. The Cardinals went on a furious 15-4 run in
the first 4 minutes. Martin, who had three points in the previous meeting against
the Raiders, blew up. He scored 8 of Dougherty’s first 10 points. He had a layup, a
three-pointer, and an and-one. Senior center Chris McNicholas had the other two
points on a put back. Following a basket by Hudgeons, his second of the quarter, Roberto
Townsend answered with a three to give C-D a 34-26 lead. Zeglinski soon followed with
a three, his third of the game to bring Ryan within five at 34-29. On the ensuing C-D
possession Justin Minter received an inbound pass from under the basket and laid it
up for two and was fouled. He made the foul shot to give C-D a 37-29 lead. Ryan answered
back with an inbound play of their own when Jon Bruce cut to the basket and
received a nice pass from Manes; he put it up for two to bring Ryan within six.
After a technical foul called on the Raiders, Martin stepped to the line, he hit one of
two. Now the Cardinals were up 38-31 with possession. Martin then drove to the lane for
two to give C-D a nine-point lead. The Raiders answered with a three from Varanavage to
bring them within six. These were the first points of the game for “V-Bird.”
Both teams exchanged baskets to end the third. Dougherty, which had a 23 point third
quarter, saw them with a six-point lead going into the fourth.
The Raiders opened the final period by scoring five
unanswered points with four of them coming from Manes. The Raiders now saw
themselves down one. With a Ryan steal on the ensuing possession, Bruce ran the length of
the court and laid the ball up, only to be called with a very questionable charge call.
The defender was moving, the call was ridiculous, but what are you going to do? Just to
mention that the referees were inconsistent the whole game, including a play when Zeglinski
was thrown to the hardwood right in front of the officials, only to get a shrug from the
zebra. Josh Martin, who answered the Raiders all night, did so again with a basket
to give the Cardinals a 44-41 lead. Varanavage connected with one of two free throws to
being the deficit to two. Martin did the same on the next possession, hitting one of two
to make it a three-point game. In this continued exchange of baskets, Zeglinski nailed a
leaner to bring Ryan within one. Ryan needed one defensive stop, and they would have the
chance to take the lead, and they couldn’t. Roberto Townsend had the ball at
the top of the key, with the 6’8 Hudgeons guarding him, Townsend faked left, then
crossed up Hudgeons to the right and exploded to the basket for two. That was the game. It
was over. Ryan went on to lose 55-47, and this was their third consecutive year of losing
in the quarterfinals.
This game
belonged to Martin; he hit huge shots when his team needed them. The kid just didn’t
miss man. He finished with 18 points and included two assists, three rebounds, and four
steals. Justin Minter had 11 points, which included his 7-11 showing at the line.
He also had seven rebounds. Roberto Townsend, their sixth man contributed 9 points.
Dwight Lyons had eight points. Leading the Raiders once again was Zeglinski who
had 18 points, 9 boards and four assists. Hudgeons contributed 11 points, 7
rebounds and a blocked shot. He could have had so many more points, but his looks were few
and far between. Senior PG Tom Manes came off the bench to spark the Raiders. He
had a heck of game, Tommy finished with 10 points. He mixed in 5 rebounds, two steals and
3 assists.
Cardinal
Dougherty now advances to the semifinals to meet the number 1 seed from the CL South, St.
Joes Prep on Tuesday night at Tom Gola Arena.
Play of
the Game: There are two plays worthy of such recognition. The first one goes to Tom
Manes for his finger roll layup to beat the buzzer and give Ryan a three-point lead
going into half. The other one is Roberto Townsend’s explosion past Kevin
Hudgeons to put C-D up three with under a minute to play.
Shoutouts: This is my final report for Ryan as a
student reporter. I want to first thank Dan LePera (Dan’s Postup) for giving
me the idea to write for the Raiders. Also, my man is the coach of the undefeated Saint
Martha’s Freshmen/Sophomore basketball team who advanced to the championship and on
Thursday night will play Resurrection of Our Lord. Good luck fellas and
bring the ‘ship back to Martha’s. My next one is going to Ryan senior Andrew
Kane, who gave me a lift to the game, thanks bro. Also, a big one is going to junior Jill
Keenan. Keenan, a future Olympian, also the VP of the Junior Class (maybe
someday you’ll have my spot (smile)) gave me a ride home from La Salle. Also, my
fellow senior Student Council members were also in attendance, the VP Rick
Ciraolo and Club Leader President Rick Sysol. My next
one is going to senior Jaimie (I misspelled her name on her previous shoutout)
Carr. J-Carr, and fellow senior Jenna Gasperi provided the Ryan student section
with some fourth quarter play-by-play. Next one is to Meghan O’Malley who is
an ardent supporter of The Breen Scene and Ryan basketball. O’Malley, a
perennial All-Catholic swimmer will lead the Ryan girls’ swim team in their
championship meet on Saturday and Sunday. If the Ragdolls are victorious, the seniors on
the team will have the accomplishment of not having lost one in their four years. DYNASTY.
Their undefeated swimming has led Ryan to three straight CL titles and hopefully a fourth.
Good luck girls. My final shoutout is a much-deserved one. It is going to my young bull Matt
Cullen. Cullen, my boy from Walton Park has been nagging me constantly about a
shoutout on my column. You can’t complain now, you got the last shoutout ever
(smile).
Research
I did on my own: It seems like this part of my column has gotten so good that the man
himself, Ted Silary, had to steal it. (Ha Ha) Well here it goes. Dougherty
completely owns Ryan, man. Since the 2000-01 season, the Cardinals are 8-4 against the
Raiders. That might not sound like much, but Dougherty has won eight straight against
Ryan, including two playoff wins. My last bit of research comes from a source close to the
team who stated the Raiders are 0-3 in the playoffs without Chris Kozole. Kozole,
a member of the Class of 2002, led the Raiders to the CL title game his
senior season. He was also a 1st team All-Catholic selection his senior season.
The Keith Adams Watch: In
his last game in a Ryan uniform, the senior point guard saw very limited action. He
entered the game in the first quarter with 10 seconds remaining and then returned in the
final moments of the fourth quarter.
FEB. 26
CL QUARTERFINAL
Neumann-Goretti University 61, Roman Catholic HS 41
This was my first CL South game this season, and from what I saw last night, I
wish I could have been at more of these games. The energy inside Tom Gola Arena was
electrifying. The Roman Student Section, with their fresh gold shirts, which had
the words Broad Street Bullies on the front and The Sixth Man on the back, is hands down
the best student section in the CL. Always on their feet, the chants
are loud with everyone on the same page. Also, the Cahillite faithful roll squad deep,
with an estimated 900 kids in the entire school, there had to be almost 300 supporters
there. I wish Ryan had that kind of turnout, but oh well.
Okay,
enough with that, there was a game. First, I have to apologize to N-G. I predicted that
Roman would win by seven. Neumann went on to win by twenty. I truly underestimated the
Saints. They to me should be the most feared team left in the playoffs. The Saints are a
complete juggernaut, and they showed that tonight.
With N-G
up 6-4 early, junior Derrick “D.J” Rivera scored four straight points to
give the Saints an early six-point lead. With Roman down 15-8, junior Mike Ringgold on
a fast break threw down a powerful tomahawk slam. Roman’s student section following
the dunk threw down the obnoxious “You got dunked on!” chant, but the Saints
would have the last laugh with that.
In the
second, following a swift crossover dribble and a basket by Roman’s jr. PG Ray
“Doodles” Sims to bring N-G’s lead to 18-12, Ringgold once again struck
with a sweet turnaround off the glass to bring the game to 18-14 in favor of the Saints.
Neumann’s Earl Pettis followed on the other end to bring their lead to 20-14.
Roman’s Bobby Jordan nailed a three to cut the lead to six. With Roman five in
the waning moments of the half, Pettis nailed a three to give the Saints a 27-19 halftime
lead.
At half, I
spotted Roman’s student reporter and good friend Steve “Bubba” Hosack
(Hoopin’ With Hosack), he didn’t seem too happy about his Cahillites being
down eight at the break. (smile)
Roman started of the
third with a basket by Ringgold, but Rivera answered on the other end to extend N-G’s
lead to nine. Following the three, Roman went on a 6-0 run capped of by a mean one handed
slam by Malik Perry to bring the deficit to three.
This game
had a particular theme tonight for the Saints. It went a little like this. “Hey,
let’s let Roman get close to us, let their student section get loud, try and bounce
up and down like the Cameron Crazies, then we’ll shift into overdrive and
quiet the students and the Cahillites. We’ll give everyone a preview of why next year
we will be Neumann-Goretti University.”
After the
dunk by Perry, the Saints went on an 11-2 run. In that stretch, three-point baskets came
from Rivera, sophomore Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, and Pettis. The highlight
of this stretch came from Pettis who threw down a strong dunk. Later in the quarter,
Jordan hit another three to cut N-G’s lead to nine. To end the third, Sims on a drive
down the basket, got a lay up to fall to bring Roman down by six to start the fourth. The
score was 43-37 Neumann after three.
The fourth
quarter saw the meltdown of Roman. With sr. Bill Lally knocking down a basket to
bring Roman to four, that’s the closest the Cahillites would get.
The turning point I think came when Roman cut the deficit to five. With N-G on the line,
the player (I forget who it was, I know I’m really bad) missed the first shot. All
Roman had to do was grab the rebound if he missed the second one, and he did, but the
rebound fell right into the hands of Earl Pettis, who put it back up for two and
was fouled in the process. He connected on the and-1 and Neumann was now up eight. Jardine
followed with a basket to put Neumann up ten at 50-40. On the ensuing possession,
Roman’s Bradley Wanamaker tried to be a hero. With an open lane to the basket,
the 6’3 sophomore took off and left for the basket. He had the dunk down but at the
last possible second, the ball hit the rim and skied to the top of the backboard resulting
in N-G possession. D.J. Rivera scored on their next possession to put N-G up
twelve.
The next
play might have been the greatest play I have ever seen in high school basketball. With Rivera
having his back to the baseline, Jardine threw a perfect toss to Rivera, who still
having his back to the basket, caught and threw down the reverse alley-op. The arena went
crazy! This hands down was the greatest dunk of the season.
Neumann
went on to win the game by twenty, 61-41. Pacing the Saints was Rivera, who connected on
two three pointers en route to twenty-five points. He mixed in five rebounds, two assists
and three steals. N-G also received a double-double from Pettis. He finished with nineteen
points and eleven rebounds. Jardine added nine points for the Saints. Leading Roman was
Mike Ringgold, who finished with sixteen points, the only Cahillite in double figures. He
also had eight boards.
With the
victory, Neumann now plays Wednesday night against the highest Northern Division survivor.
Play of
the game: I’m going to have to say the dunk from Rivera. That dunk was just
something I’ll never forget.
Shoutouts:
My first two are going to two Roman senior students. Jeff Purvis, my neighbor
who took care of the driving responsibility to La Salle. My other one is to Joe Wiz,
who I was told by several sources not once sat during the whole game in the Roman student
section. My last one is going to the Archbishop Ryan 2004-05 girl’s basketball team
who lost to perennial powerhouse O’Hara Friday night at the St. Joe’s Field
house. Congratulations are in order for seniors Kristen Gibson, LeighAnn Burke,
Jess Smith, and Katelyn Ryan.
Research
I did on my own: Neumann completely owns Roman in the playoffs as of late. The
Saints/Pirates have knocked Roman out of the playoffs 4 out of the last five years. After
Roman beat them in the 2000 title game, Neumann won the next two CL titles, including the
2001 game against Roman and the 2002 against Ryan.
Did you
notice: Roman could only muster up four points in the whole fourth quarter. Neumann
netted eighteen. Also this match up had some implications for AND-1. With both squads
sponsored by the sneaker giant, it’ll be interesting to see next year who retains the
sponsorship deal.
FEB. 25
REGULAR SEASON WRAPUP/PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
The Raiders finished the 2004-05 regular season with a 10-4 record,
and compiling a 16-9 overall record. They finished with identical home and away records,
5-2. Junior WG Joe Zeglinski finished the season averaging 17.0 PPG en route to a
1st team All-Catholic selection. This is the second consecutive season that Zeglinski, “The
Franchise” has been a 1st team selection. Also receiving All-Catholic selections
were fellow juniors Mike Varanavage and Kevin Hudgeons. Varanavage, a 2nd
team pick, has averaged 9.8 PPG including career high 23 points at North on January 17.
Hudgeons, Ryan’s 6’8 center, was selected to the 3rd team All-Catholic. He has
averaged 9.2 PPG and has had huge games including his 22-point outburst against North on
Senior Day and his 19 points and 11 rebound dominance at Conwell-Egan on January 14.
The
Raiders have also seen senior PG Tom Manes step in and provide the Raiders with an
offensive spark. Manes, who splits minutes with freshman Andrew Rogers, has
averaged 4 PPG, but since his sudden “revival” of creating his own shot, he has
averaged 7.3 PPG in his last three contests. His top performances include his 10 assists
at North and then on his final home game against North on Senior Day, he dropped 12
points.
In the four Ryan
losses this season, they all had the same thing in common. They couldn’t hold a lead.
In the opening game loss at Wood, the Raiders couldn’t hold on to a 31-29 lead in the
fourth. Ryan wound up losing 50-38. Once again the Raiders blew a fourth quarter lead to
Wood when on January 28, Wood’s Allen Borovich connected on a four-point play
after being fouled by Hudgeons late in the fourth with Wood down three. Wood went on to
win 43-40. Most recently, the Raiders surrendered multiple leads and saw C-D’s Roberto
Townsend beat them on a put back with 5.4 seconds left Sunday afternoon at Dougherty.
Since this
is the Catholic League Playoffs, anything could happen, quite possible a championship
parade for the Raiders down Academy Rd.
The
Raiders will have revenge on their mind Sunday night when they meet the Cardinal Dougherty
Cardinals at 6:15 at the Tom Gola Arena down at La Salle.
2004-05 All Breen Scene (CL North players are only eligible, except for one
exception)
MVP- Joe
Zeglinski
Archbishop Ryan
Coach- Mark Heimerdinger
Cardinal Dougherty
6th Man- Mike Murnane
Archbishop Wood
1st Team
G Nate Edwards
North
G Bobby Jordan
Roman (That’s the one exception)
F Joe Zeglinski
Ryan
F Richard Womack
McDevitt
C Art Livingston
Judge
2nd Team
G Matt Spadafora
Wood
G Mike Varanavage
Ryan
G Damien Palantino
Judge
F Joe Sobocinski
La Salle
C Mark Kostic Egan
3rd Team
G Keith Adams
Ryan
G Corey Filer
Wood
G Josh Martin
Dougherty
F Roberto Townsend Dougherty
C Kevin Hudgeons
Ryan
Honorable Mention
Jon Bruce F Ryan, John Adamski G/F North, Matt
Burns G Egan, Andrew Pomager F North, Tom Manes G Ryan, Kahlil
Mumford G Dougherty, Mike Briscella C Judge, Dwight Lyons G Dougherty, John
Little F Egan, Jeremy Coombs C North, and last but not least my boy Jim
Roche F Ryan.
Prediction: The smell of upset is brewing at Broad and Vine, and with N-G coming off a loss to the Prep, Roman will try win its first playoff game of the year. I don’t why I’m writing this, but I can’t see N-G beating Roman three times in a year.
Roman 65, Neumann-Goretti 58
I asked Bishop Joseph McFadden, Secretariat for Catholic Education, if West Catholic, where he used to be head basketball coach and teacher could beat the Prep on Saturday. The Bishop, who was visiting Ryan on Thursday, responded with “anything could happen.” I really don’t know too much about WC but I do know that Southern Division MVP Reggie Redding is averaging 18 PPG in two contests this year against the Burrs. Expect Redding to dominate and lead the Prep to victory.
Prediction: Even know the Burrs have tremendous talent in seniors Joe Askew and Derrell Hand, and junior Chris Mayo, the Prep is just too strong.
SJ Prep 61, West Catholic 53
I am very optimistic about this game. Ryan doesn’t match up to Dougherty that well, with the Cardinals being a very fast team who loves to get out and run, but the Raiders have something Dougherty does not have, a Joe Zeglinski. Zeglinski owns the Cardinals this season, averaging 25 points in the two games this season against Dougherty. Dougherty does though own the Raiders sweeping the season series. Expect Raider-killer Rob Townsend to have a decent performance and also Josh Martin is expected to pace the Cardinals after putting up a measly three points in their last meeting against the Raiders on Sunday.
Prediction: Ryan needs a big game from 6’8 C Kevin Hudgeons. They need him to stay out of foul trouble and be a presence on the glass. Also, Andrew Rogers has to be a factor from downtown. For the Cardinals, Josh Martin will have to score over and 15 points, they must shut down Zeglinski, and like I said about Roman, the Raiders are too good of a team to be beat by a team three times in a season. It will stop here.
Ryan 56, Dougherty 52
This kid Mike Briscella is on fie-ya. Briscella, senior for Judge is averaging 14.3 PPG over his last three. Including dropping seventeen against Wood last Friday and a season-high eighteen against North in Judge’s pre-playoff victory. Father Judge also relies on the shooting of Damien Palantino. The red-hot shooter owns Wood, he put up twenty three in their first meeting a loss, and thirteen in their second meeting, a victory for Judge. The Vikings are led by the CL North MVP Matt Spadafora, who comes in averaging 18.5 PPG in two games against the Crusaders. Guards Corey Filer and Mike Murnane also lead the Vikings.
Prediction: Head Coach Joe Sette and the Vikings will be looking for their first career playoff victory in school history come Sunday. A match up to look for is in the paint between senior centers Rob Pearson and Art Livingston. Livingston, who is getting better with every game will win this one and so will Judge. The Crusaders are looking very good as of late, and on the other hand the Vikings seem a bit sluggish. Wood will have to wait next year for the curse to be lifted. Expect huge games from Briscella and Palantino.
Judge 69, Wood 55
FEB. 21
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Dougherty 56, Ryan 54
Wow, what a tough loss this was for the Raiders, but Cardinal Dougherty deserved
this win. Oh well, the Raiders will have revenge on their mind on Sunday when the two
teams face off down at La Salle University at 6:15.
Due to the lengthy Senior Day ceremony, I got to see the full pre-game warm-ups.
Cardinal Dougherty really put on a show during the warm-ups. They started things off with
running the lap around the court, and then followed by several members throwing down some
big time dunks. Soph. Roberto Townsend threw down a number of monster tomahawks,
but I especially loved the Vince Carter-like, through-the-legs job; he almost had it, but
it rimmed out.
Okay
let’s get to the game. C-D completely dominated the Raiders in the opening period.
Senior reserve C Maurice Hart set the tone for the Cardinals early. Hart, who
hadn’t scored all season in division play, got a lot of playing time for fellow sr. Chris
McNicholas, who was in foul trouble all day. Hart had his way on the boards, finishing
with nine. After a three from Ryan’s Joe Zeglinski to cut the deficit to
16-12, Hart followed with a offensive rebound over 6’8 Kevin Hudgeons to give
Dougherty a 17-12 lead.
Ryan
opened the second with a basket by sr. PG Tom Manes to cut lead to three, but Hart
answered with a nice put back to extend the lead to five. The basket by Manes would be
Ryan’s only points for almost the next six minutes. On the ensuing possession, jr.
Jon Bruce stepped up and sacrificed his body and took the charge. Following an offensive
board and a put back by Roberto Townsend, the Cardinals were up 20-19. Mike
Varanavage ended the Raider’s scoring drought with a free throw. Following a
technical foul on sophomore Josh Martin, Rogers stepped up to the foul line for the
Raiders. He hit one of two, and after two free throws by Varanavage, Ryan was now down
one. After a defensive stop by Ryan, they had the last possession of the half. With the
ball in “The Franchise”, Joe Zeglinski’s hands, he fired from
downtown and banked it off the glass for the three. The Raiders stormed into the lockers
with a 26-24 lead.
Maurice
Hart got the second half going with a nice tip in. These were his last points of the game.
He finished with a very impressive stat line, six points, nine rebounds and a block.
Hudgeons answered back with a bucket, but C-D stormed back on a fast break with Townsend
throwing down a humongous one-handed tomahawk slam. The dunk tied the game at 29. On the
next two possessions, the lead seesawed back and forth. C-D’s Justin Minter
and “V-Bird”, Mike Varanavage scored their teams' next four points to
keep the stalemate at 33. Jr. Vincent Simpson broke the deadlock with a
put back off a Kahlil Mumford air ball three-pointer. Disaster then struck the
Raiders with Hudgeons receiving his fourth foul with a minute and change left in the
third. Two foul shots by Martin gave Dougherty a 37-33 lead. Zeglinski answered with a
three to cut the lead to one. After a free throw by Townsend, “The Best Player in
CL North” nailed a three from downtown to give the Raiders a one-point advantage,
but once again the Cardinals of Cardinal Dougherty answered back. Senior Dwight Lyons let
go a floater that went through the net just as the buzzer sounded. Going into the fourth,
Ryan saw themselves down by two.
Zeglinski,
the should be Most Valuable Player of the CL North, hit a three to give them a
42-40 lead. Man, Ryan couldn’t even hold a lead for one possession because on their
following trip down the court, Minter off an air ball put it back up for two, tie
game. Ryan found itself in big time trouble, when they picked up their seventh team
foul, resulting in a one and one situation with 6:14 left. Following a circus-like lay up
by Ziggy, the Raiders saw themselves with a one-point advantage, but once again Dougherty
answered. Lyons hit a three to give the Cardinal’s a two-point lead. Jon Bruce, who
finished with six points, gave the Raiders another two point lead, only ONCE AGAIN to be
answered on the following possession. Kahlil Mumford banked a three to give C-D a
three-point advantage. Manes (4 points) drove down the lane for two to cut the lead to
one, BUT ONCE AGAIN C-D answered with a put back from Townsend. Varanavage scored
to cut the lead to one, and on the ensuing Ryan possession, Kevin Hudgeons received his
fifth and final foul on an illegal screen with 2:50 remaining. After a tremendous block by
Manes, Townsend once again received a pass from Mumford that resulted in two points,
expanding the lead to three. The following Raider possession gave life to the sputtering
Ryan offense. Zeglinski was fouled shooting a three and stepped to the line for three free
throws. He nailed the first two and rimmed out the third, but Manes grabbed a humongous
offensive board. Varanavage scored giving the Raiders a 54-53 lead. On the next possession
Varanavage fouled Justin Minter, who went to the line for two shots with the Raiders over
ten team fouls. He missed the first and made the second to tie the score. Dougherty then
fouled Manes on the following possession and sent him to the line for a one and one. He
missed the free throw and C-D grabbed the board. Dougherty held the ball for almost a
minute before Roberto Townsend put back Dwight Lyons’s missed lay-up opportunity. The
basket by Townsend increased his total to 13 points. With 1.5 seconds remaining, Joe
Zeglinski from right in front of the Ryan bench was a little bit too strong on the
attempted three. What a tough loss, well we’ll see what happens Sunday. The playoffs
are a totally different game. The loss gave Ryan a final 10-4 season record, and Dougherty
gave them an 11-3 record, good enough for second place.
Play of
the game: This was a tough one, but I’m going to give it to Rob Townsend. His
dunk in the third quarter was monstrous. The kid has some serious hops, it seemed like he
jumped right through the ceiling. Before this I was going to give Wood’s Matt
Spadafora Dunk of the Year after his slam against North, but after seeing this slam,
we’ll have to see who wins the award.
Did you
notice: In attendance was Providence freshmen phenom DeSean White. White, a C-D
Class of 2004 graduate has bean tearing up the Big East. Also, my brother Matt,
Roman sr. Jeff Purvis and I were the only members of the Ryan
student section. The C-D cheerleaders, who are very attractive (I even caught a few of
them checking me out on my way out the door -- smile) and the C-D student section
outmatched us.
Shoutouts: My first one is going to the Archbishop Ryan girls’ basketball team.
The Ragdolls successfully defeated Cardinal Dougherty on Monday in the opening round of
the CL playoffs in front of a standing room only crowd at home. With the win, they advance
to the semifinals on Friday night at St. Josephs University. My last one is going to the
Freshmen-Sophomore High School CYO team who won its playoff game and advanced to the
semifinals of the Region 1 playoffs. They go up against perennial powerhouse St. Matthews
on Thursday night at 7:15 at Saint Martha’s. Following that game will be the
junior-senior semifinal contest of FNE rivals St. Anselm and Our Lady Of Calvary. We need
to see a large turnout by Ryan students on Friday and Sunday. The teams need to hear us.
Let’s get out there and cheer on the Raiders and Ragdolls.
The Keith
Adams Watch: In limited action Keith once again played very strong defense and
didn't have any turnovers. I thought Keith was going to sneak of the bench
and nail a three at the buzzer. (smile)
FEB. 13
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 70, North Catholic 62
This CL North showdown was one for the record books. With
twenty-eight seconds remaining in the game, junior Joe Zeglinski surpassed John
Capella as Archbishop Ryan’s all-time leading scorer. Capella, a class of 2001
graduate held the record at 1,046 points. Zeglinski today broke the record and raised his
total to 1,049 points. Congratulations to Joe and his family on a wonderful
accomplishment.
Okay, let’s get back to the game. There is quite a commotion going on up at
Academy Rd. about the Raiders. They entered today’s matinee winning five out of their
last seven, and currently on a three-game winning streak. On the other hand, the Falcons
of North Catholic were victors of four of their last seven, and currently on a two-game
unbeaten streak, with wins coming against Conwell-Egan and La Salle.
It was
Senior Day for Ryan today, and before the game the Raider’s four seniors were
recogonized. They also started the game. The seniors for the 2004-05 Raiders are PG Keith
Adams, G Tom Manes, F Jim Roche, and C Mark “The Red Haired
Wonder” Sieruc. Joining them in the starting five was “ The
Franchise”, Joe Zeglinski.
Sieruc got the
party started in the first with a quick lay up and two offensive rebounds (as told to me
by my trusted stat man Rob Rowan). North quickly answered with five straight
points, two each coming from Nate Edwards and Jeremy Coombs. Hanif Edwards added
a free throw. The Falcons added another five straight point stretch in the first, and at
the end of one, North was on top 14-9.
After five
straight points by Ryan to open the second and tie the game, Nate Edwards struck with a
three to give the Falcons with a three point advantage. The Raiders answered back with a
basket by jr. C Kevin Hudgeons, the result of a fabulous pass by Zeglinski. After
baskets by Manes and jr. F Jon Bruce, who was coming of an eighteen-point performance
against Egan on Friday night, Ryan was on top 21-19, but not for long. Danny Breen
(For all you people, no we're not related) hit a three from downtown right in front of the
Ryan bench. North went on a four point run at the end of the half to give them a 30-24
lead.
The
halftime festivities included the introduction of the senior Raider cheerleaders, this
being their final home game. Senior members of the squad are Laura Slane, Jenna
Owen, Sam Bakeoven, Nicole Shuttie, Ashley Miller, Theresa
Rossi, Danielle Frisoli, Elyse Schultz, Samantha Wasielewski, and
Laurie Stopyra. Also during the break I snatched the last bag of soft pretzels, this
wouldn’t be possible without the gracious gift of a dollar from sr. Ken Murawski.
Ryan
started the quarter with five points from “V-Bird”, Mike Varanavage
in the first minute and ten seconds to cut the lead to three, but once again Nate Edwards
answered with a three to put North ahead by six. “The Chise” quickly
answered back with a bucket to cut it to four, but a sweet spin hook by Coombs, who
finished the game with a career high twelve points, put the Falcons ahead by six. The
Raiders followed that with a 9-2 run, capped of by a three by Ziggy to give Ryan the 40-39
advantage. Following a nasty block by the 6’8 monster Hudgeons, he dished a nifty
pass to Zeglinski for an easy lay up. Hudgeons then went on to score eight of the last ten
points for Ryan in the quarter. Including a swell hook over Coombs and then a tip in at
the end of the quarter of a Keith Adams rimmed out buzzer beater. Following the tip in
Hudgeons showed got real hyped and showed some emotion; it was great to see for the best
center in the CL North. The Raiders scored twenty-nine points in the quarter to give them
a 53-43 lead.
With
North’s Andrew Pomager nailing a runner from the lane, Zeglinski hooked up
with Hudgeons for a monster slam-dunk. It was a thunderous dunk from Hudgeons where he
swung up on the rim, and I swore I heard “Boomshakalaka” from the big fellow.
One again Nate Edwards answered Ryan the next five points, including a three to bring the
deficit down to seven. A basket by Pomager, who finished with ten points, cut the lead to
five. Once again the Zeglinski-Hudgeons connection brought the lead back to seven with a
sick behind the back pass from Zeglinski to Hudgeons for an easy two. Nate Edwards struck
again, now with a three following a basket by Tom Manes basket to bring North down
by four. He finished with twenty-three points. Kevin Hudgeons wouldn’t have any of
that. On the next possession he slammed it home for two. Game, Set, Match. The Raider
Rowdies went into a state of bedlam, the gym was rocking, but they would rise to their
feet once more in the game. With twenty-eight seconds remaining history was made. Junior Joe
Zeglinski hit a foul shot, and surpassed John Cappella as the school’s all-time
leading scorer. The game was interrupted as Ziggy went to the stands to embrace his
parents. The fans all rose to their feet and applauded Zeglinski on his accomplishment.
This moment by far is the most memorable of my four years here at Ryan. I remembering
playing against Joe in CYO in grade school and now the kid holds Ryan’s record for
career points. It is such a remarkable feat, considering he is a junior. There is still
more to come from him. Aside from that, Ryan went on to beat North for the second time
this season with by 70-62. Leading the Raiders was Hudgeons who finished with career high
twenty-two points, and arguably his greatest performance as a Raider. Zeglinski finished
with sixteen points, fellow guard Mike Varanavage finished with seven points, and
the always hustling Jon Bruce finished with six points. To save the best for last, senior
Tom Manes saved his best day as a Raider for his final home game, he finished with a
career high twelve points.
The
Raiders next travel to Wyncote to battle the Lancers of Bishop McDevitt on Friday night.
Play of
the game: Zeglinski becoming the all-time leading scorer is Play of the Year, but both
of Hudgeons' slams were awesome. He has four dunks on the season, with three of them
coming against North. A random note on this, my boy John Broadbent pointed to my
notebook and said that this is noteworthy. Thanks for the insight.
Did you
notice: The tremendous back flips done by senior cheerleaders Nicole Shuttie
and Jenna Owen. During a timeout in the fourth, Shuttie completed eleven
back flips (Yes I counted) and flipped the length of the court while Owen lost direction
and almost went into the stands, overall it was a tremendous effort by all.
Shoutouts:
Okay, lets get down to business. My first one is going to Dan LePera
(Dan’s Postup) who is the head coach of the Saint Martha Freshmen/Sophomore HS CYO
team. He led the Tigers to a 13-0 season and a first place finish. Good luck in the
playoffs and bring Martha’s back a title. Next up is super track star junior captain Jill
Keenan. Keenan, the VP of the Junior Class, led the Ragdolls in their Championship
meet this weekend. My next is going to Ed Hueser and Jay
McGinity, both loyal Ryan fans decided to sit up in the student section for the first
time all season. I’m going to give a big one to all the members of the eleventh
Kairos retreat, which returned home on Thursday. Live the fourth! I’m shouting final
holler to my man Jay Doherty. Doherty, on Monday morning in homeroom during
announcements, got onto the TV and asked fellow senior Jamie Carr to the Senior
Prom in front of the whole student body. Jamie went on TV and told everyone that she had
accepted his request. My last shoutout is going to the seniors of the team, thanks for an
unforgettable season, and I wish you guys the best of luck in the playoffs.
The Keith
Adams Watch: Keith started today’s game and once again provided strong hustle and
good defense. He had a lot of nice drives where he swiftly dished off to his players.
FEB. 9
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 67, Conwell-Egan 49
In
the words of Ryan senior Jay Doherty, tonight’s CL North contest would be
considered a “snoozer.” My man was right, this game was decided by halftime, and
the starters were pulled a minute into the fourth.
The first
quarter saw Egan’s sr. C Mark Kostic show some range. He nailed two threes. He
finished the quarter with 8 points, and the game with 10 points. For the Raiders, juniors Joe
Zeglinski and Jon Bruce had stellar performances. “The Franchise” put
up six in the first, but Bruce paced the Raiders early with eight. At the end of one, it
was the Raiders on top of the Eagles, 16-13.
Okay, the
first quarter was a little tight, but that is how close Egan would get. Ryan went up 29-14
in the second from a three-pointer by jr. WG Mike Varanavage. “V-Bird”
finished the game with nine points. Freshman PG Andrew Rogers also
contributed a three in the quarter, he finished with 5 points. The Raiders lead ballooned
to 37-16 at one point in the quarter. The Raiders headed into the break with a 39-28
advantage.
Egan opened up the
third with a three from jr. Adam Van Zelst. Ryan answered
on the other end by a basket by Bruce. Also in the quarter, Ryan jr. F Greg Williams
entered the game. “G-Will” nailed a three and also a tip-in at the buzzer. He
finished with five points. After three, the Raider’s were on top 57-34.
Early in
the fourth, with the game well out of hand, head coach Bernie Rogers knew what time it
was. It was time for the “Bench Dawgs.” In came seniors Keith Adams,
Mark “The Red Haired Wonder” Sieruc, and Jim Roche. It was awesome
to see Jimmy in the game after seeing him in street clothes on the bench battling an ankle
injury. After playing some pickup basketball with him on Wednesday night, I knew he’d
be ready to play. He finished with two points. Also seeing time were juniors Chris
Dolan and the Pride of Saint Martha’s Doug “E. Fresh” Andrews.
Next in line for playing time was freshman Chris Wilk. Joining him were sophomores Jeff
Sottnick and Eric “Chrome-Dome” Dethloff. Dethloff nailed a
three from downtown. With the game out of hand, Egan jr. Dan Griffin missed a dunk
but he did nail a three from what looked like 10 feet behind the line. He finished with
eleven points.
For the
second time this year, the Raiders took care of the Conwell-Egan Eagles, this time 67-49.
Pacing the Raiders was Bruce who finished with a career high eighteen points. “The
best player in CL North” Joe Zeglinski finished with fourteen points. The leading
scorer for the Eagles was Van Zelst, who finished with twelve points. Also, Matt
Burns, the Eagles' streaky shooter, finished with eight points.
Next up
for the Raiders is the Northeast Catholic Falcons. Ryan previously defeated North at
“The Pit” on January 17, with a score of 66-50. The Raiders sit currently in
third with an 8-3 record.
Play of
the Game: This might be one of the easiest choices for me this season. It came late in
the fourth quarter when “The Red Haired Wonder”, Mark Sieruc spun off an
Egan defender and drove across the paint and launched a nifty baby hook for two. Sieruc,
tonight’s leading scorer for “The Bench Dawgs”, finished with four points.
He will start tomorrow against North on Senior Day.
Research
I did on my own: Under head coach Bernie Rogers, the Raiders are 10-0 against
Conwell Egan. Each win was by more then ten points, with the highest margin of victory
being 35 points on February 8, 2002. Egan’s Matt Burns scored 8 points
tonight; he has scored eight points in both contests against Ryan this season. The junior
tandem of Jon Bruce and Kevin Hudgeons outscored fellow junior guards Mike
Varanavage and Joe Zeglinski. The big men combined for 24 points, to the guards
23 points.
Did you
notice: In the undersized Egan student section there was a fan with a Trojan helmet
on. The last time I checked Conwell-Egan are the Eagles, not the Trojans. Pretty weird.
Also, their student section began to get hyped with their team making a run when they were
down twenty-five. A little too late huh?
Shoutouts:
I think I’m turning into a celebrity! Nah, I wish, but people are coming up left and
right asking for their name in bold print on The Breen Scene, so here’s my
list of shoutouts. My first shoutout is going to the Archbishop Ryan girls' swim team. The
Ragdolls topped Cardinal O’Hara to finish the regular season. For the seniors on the
team, they have never lost a meet in their four seasons on the team -- if you need a
definition of a dynasty, look no further than these girls. My next one is for the Ryan
girls' basketball team. They defeated archrival Archbishop Wood on Tuesday night by one.
The win propelled the girls into sole position of first place in CL North. My home parish
Saint Martha is represented big time by the deadly sharp shooting Gibson sisters.
Sophomore Megan and senior Kristen. Good luck girls and hopefully you can
bring a CL title back home to Academy Rd. My last shoutout is going to Andrew Kane,
who on Saturday with the help of me and another three guys successfully defeated former
ts.com writer Dan LePera and my stat man Rob Rowan’s team in some
five-on-five pickup basketball. In attendance were Steve “Bubba” Hosack (Hoopin’
With Hosack), Jim Roche, Mike Varanavage, and Jon Bryant. Bryant, a
deadly shooter, led his Our Lady of Calvary HS CYO team to a first round win against St.
Cecilia’s. Best of luck to OLC, bring a ‘ship back to the FNE.
The Keith Adams Watch: The senior PG once again brought his hustle and
defense to tonight's contest. He had a key steal in the second quarter, and his playing
time is on the rise. Look for Keith to start in tomorrow’s matchup against North on
Senior Day. He finished with one point.
FEB. 4
CATHOLIC NORTH
RYAN 44, JUDGE 43 (OT)
** SPECIAL NOTE**
It has been brought to
my attention that some readers have misconstrued certain messages in my column. If you
know me, you would know that I am not writing this to hurt people, but I am doing this to
bring respect back to Archbishop Ryan. If you think that anything in my article is
offensive and/or misleading, please feel free to contact me.
-- Thank you,
Paul Breen
-----
Another chapter, maybe a whole new book was written tonight in one of
the most storied rivalries in the entire Catholic League, if not the city. Earlier in the
season, the two Northeast Philadelphia schools hooked up at Ryan on January 10. The
Raiders came out on top 43-37, but missing from that game was Judge sr. WG Tim
McCauley. This would be his third game since returning from an injury. He
dropped 20 points against Bishop McDevitt on Monday night. Pacing the Raiders is jr.
swingman Joe Zeglinski. “The Chise” has been
averaging 20.0 PPG in his last three contests.
The first quarter, like most in the CL North, opened up slow. Ryan connected
on three pointers from Zeglinski and jr. WG Mike Varanavage.
Also jr. C Kevin Hudgeons added a field goal. At the end of
first, Ryan was on top 8-6.
Wow did this game begin to look like a snoozer or what? Well anyway, each
team’s big men did step up in the second quarter. For the Crusaders, sr. C Art
Livingston contributed four points and had three rebounds, while for Ryan, the
6’8 Hudgeons pulled down an unheard of fourteen rebounds. Also, the always-hustling
jr. F Jon Bruce contributed 6 rebounds. With the clock
running down, Varanavage rimmed out a buzzer beating shot. At halftime, the Crusaders were
now on top 13-12.
With Father Judge jumping out to a 17-12 lead right of the gates, Zeglinski
had a chance to cut the lead to two at the foul line. He missed both foul shots. On the
next Ryan possession, Bruce, who’s had a nice shooting touch of late, connected on a
baseline three, only to be answered at the other end by Judge jr. WG Will
Taggert. Taggert nailed a three to increase the lead to 20-14. That three
would be Taggert’s only of the night. After a put-back by Ziggy and another basket by
Bruce, the Raiders cut the lead to 22-18. With sr. PG Keith Adams
seeing a lot of playing time, he made 1 out of 2 from the line, and just missed a three at
the buzzer, but at the end of three it was 26-19 in favor of the Crusaders. Things were
looking bleak for the Raiders, their offense wasn’t getting quality opportunities and
their defense was allowing too many open looks.
The fourth quarter finally gave the sputtering Raider offense some life. Mike
Varanavage nailed a three from downtown. The Ryan Rowdies went nuts, especially senior Andrew
Kane. Kane, a member of the Ryan football team, is known for his trademark
chant of “V-Bird”, in reference to Varanavage. The nickname is gaining
popularity quickly. Also, the fourth quarter saw sr. PG Tom Manes
contribute. Manes had a nice drive down the lane; he got fouled and went to the line
for two. He made one of two, only to see Zeglinski show heart and grab the rebound for a
jump ball. Little things like that show how much he means to this team. After a travel by
Art Livingston, Zeglinski, the “MVP”, the “The Franchise”, or whatever
you would want to call him, took the ball the length of floor, for a
layup and an and-one. “The best player in the CL North” made the foul shot. The
score was now 30-26 with the Crusaders hanging on. The two possessions resulted in a layup
by Livingston who finished with 8 points and two free throws for Jon Bruce. Bruce, who
later fouled out, finished with 6 points. After four straight points from sr. Mike
Briscella (9 points), the Crusaders expanded their lead to six. It was
looking bad for the Raiders, who trailed by eleven at one point, cut the lead to six, but
they couldn’t stop the Judge scoring attack. After a layup from “V-Bird”
and a put back from Zeglinski, the lead was cut to two. After missed three point
opportunities by Varanavage and freshmen PG Andrew Rogers,
the Raiders were still down two. I think honestly a little help from the big guy upstairs
helped the Raiders in the ensuing plays. Livingston missed four foul shots in a row. It
was unbelievable-- well, in some sense I could see it coming. After a Varanavage turnover,
Ryan fouled jr. Jim Schule. Schule, under immense pressure,
made one of two. The Raiders were down three with nine seconds left. The crowd rose to its
feet, every soul in the building knew whose hands the ball was going to be in, number
twenty-four, Joe Zeglinski. With a perfect high screen set by Hudgeons at the top of the
key, Zeglinski from around 23 feet back, fired the shot. You could hear the flick of the
wrists from the stands, the ball leaving his hands hit nothing but net. This was awesome
since Zeglinski missed two similar shots against Cardinal Dougherty and Archbishop Wood;
those misses are now easily forgotten. The game headed into overtime deadlocked at 35.
The extra period didn’t start off to good for
the Raiders. The Crusaders started things off with a three-pointer by sr. G Damien
Palantino. The whole night he was blanked by outstanding coverage
by Varanavage. Palantino shot one for eleven and only three points. Ryan quickly answered
with a lay-up by Hudgeons and with an assist from Manes. Following a huge block from
Hudgeons on Livingston, Manes took the ball the length the court for two. The Raiders had
the lead at 41-40. With Judge threatening, Zeglinski blocked Briscella and took the ball
and it was off to the races for “The Franchise.” His streaking lay-up gave Ryan
a 44-40 lead. This game looked all about over, but with 0.1 seconds on the clock,
Judge’s jr. G Kevin Lynch nailed a three from way downtown. All the
Raiders had to do was successfully inbound the ball and they did, getting it into the
hands of Zeglinski. Ziggy finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. “V-Bird”
finished with a stellar performance. He finished with 8 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
The best stat line belonged though belonged to Hudgeons. The 6’8 monster finished
with eight points and gets this, nineteen rebounds. He also added three blocks. Leading
the Crusaders was Schule. The junior finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and two
assists. Livingston added seven points and eight rebounds. Coming off his twenty-point
performance against McDevitt, Tim McCauley finished with two points. This win brings the
Raiders to 7-3 in CL North play. Judge fell to 4-5. Next up for Archbishop Ryan is home
against Conwell-Egan Catholic on Friday night at 7:30.
Play of
the game: Man, this is a tough one. There were so many plays deserving of such high
acclaim, but I’m going to go with the Zeglinski’s three pointer to tie the game
with nine seconds remaining in regulation.
Research I did on my
own: Head coach Bernie Rogers has a 9-3 record against Father Judge since becoming the
head coach for the 2000-01 season. He has five straight victories against the Crusaders.
Joe Zeglinski and Jon Bruce both scored exactly the same amount of points in both contests
this year versus Judge. Zeglinski scored seventeen both times, while Bruce had six each
game. Lastly, I was looking through old files on ts.com and found an intriguing statistic.
Well this is in the form of a question, how many playoffs basketball games (not including
play-in games) has Archbishop Wood won its history. If you're stuck and you can’t
think of an answer, here it is. Zero.
Did you notice: Father
Judge shot 1-10 from the foul line in the fourth. Also, did anyone notice how quiet The
Abyss was tonight? Man, I remember going to Judge – Ryan games as a kid at Judge and
remembering how loud and wild The Abyss was. Tonight there seemed to be a strong presence
of Judge staff in upper balcony. I guess that’s what kept the Judge faithful a little
quiet.
Shoutouts:
My first one is going to two former Ryan basketball alums Dan LePera
(Dan’s Postup) and Brian Oakes (star of the Brian Oakes Watch) who were in
attendance at the game tonight. They were both proud graduates of the Class of '04. My
next one is going to the Cardinal Dougherty basketball team. Thank you for taking down the
Archbishop Wood Vikings that was the last thing I wanted to see, an undefeated Wood team.
Congrats.
The
Keith Adams Watch: My man Keith got an exceptional amount of playing time tonight. He
had the real nice lay-up where he got fouled, but he also had a lay-up where he was fouled
but the ref didn’t call anything. He continued his strong defense and finished with
one point.
JAN. 30
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 50, La Salle 39
With La Salle coming off an emotional 48-44 win over Cardinal Dougherty Friday
night, there was some fear that the Explorers would catch the Raiders napping after their
heartbreaking 43-40 loss to Wood, also on Friday. Well that wasn’t quite the story.
The Raiders never trailed.
The first quarter began with a quick 7-2 run for the
Ryan. They opened up with a three by Ryan jr. WG/F Joe Zeglinski and a baseline
jumper by jr. F Jon Bruce. Bruce, who mostly gets his points on put backs
and lay-ups, showed a new dimension of his game today, the mid-range. It was good to see
the hustler show some range. The quarter also saw a huge two blocks by Ryan’s jr. C Kevin
Hudgeons. He had a monster one La Salle F Joe Sobocinski. “Sobo”
had an impressive quarter; pulling down monster boards and finishing with 5 first quarter
points. With the quarter running down, Ryan’s sr. PG Keith Adams
and jr. F Greg Williams saw their first minutes.
With under five seconds remaining, “G-Will” snatched an offensive rebound and
quickly but it back to beat the buzzer, only to see it rim out. Tough break. At the end of
the first it was 14-7 in favor of the Raiders.
Man, was this game flying. There were barely any whistles.
The scoring began with Bruce connecting on a nifty reverse lay up. Next up was sr. PG Tom
Manes. Manes, an unselfish player, is one of the best passers in CL North.
He took a sweet drive down the lane en route to a nice finger roll. It was awesome seeing
Tommy show some offense, and creating his own shot. He finished with four points. The
second also belonged to Sobocinski. The hustler finished the game with an impressive stat
line, 18 points and 7 rebounds, with 10 of those points coming in the first half. The
Raiders also got another jumper from Bruce, raising his first half point total to 8. The
half ended in dramatic finish. After grabbing a rebound, “The
Franchise”, Zeglinski with about 6 seconds remaining ran the ball up court
to the three line, firing a three ball to beat the buzzer. Nothing but net for the
“The Chise” (I stole that from former ts.com writer Dan LePera.
The teams entered intermission with Ryan on top 25-17.
Physical
couldn’t even describe the third quarter. La Salle opened up with 3 quick fouls in
the first 18 seconds. Two from Tyrell Marshall and one from
Sobocinski, both of them were trying to trap Ryan’s frosh PG Andrew
Rogers, brother of head coach Bernie Rogers.
Rogers finished with 5 points, including one three-pointer. The quick fouls didn’t go
over to well with the La Salle faithful. An Explorer assistant coach was given a technical
foul for his bickering at the officials. Zeglinski missed both foul shots, I’ll let
him slide, it was only against La Salle. After quick baskets by Hudgeons and Zeglinski,
the Explorers tried to answer back with Sobocinski. Ryan wasn’t having any of that,
especially “G-Will” who played great man defense on him down the strectch. With
three seconds left in the quarter, Zeglinski put up a three, he missed and it was fouled
hard. He fell to the ground only to see the possession go to La Salle. With a last second
heave coming, Hudgeons intercepted the pass and heaved a three, his first attempt of the
season, the ball slammed against the backboard. Ryan led 32-22 at the end of three.
The
floodgates were opening for the Raiders. The fun began with Zeglinski from the baseline
hitting a streaking Mike Varanavage. Varanavage was nursing
a sore wrist, which was visibly wrapped. He finished with four points. Also, the 6’8
monster, Kevin Hudgeons was continuing his reign in the post. He finished
with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Also getting involved in the offensive glass was Manes, who
pulled a strong board from Sobocinski. Late in the fourth, the Raiders put a clinic to the
Explorers with their Princeton offense. After a bunch of nifty screens and passes,
Zeglinski hit a streaking Bruce on a backdoor cut en route to an and one. With the game
clearly out of hand, it was time every one was waiting for, the “Bench Dawgs”
were entering the game. In came Bensalem’s favorite son, Mark
“The Red Hair Wonder” Sieruc. Also coming in was jr. Doug
“E.Fresh” Andrews, the Pride of Saint Martha’s. Joining him
were sophomores Eric “Chrome-Dome” Dethloff and
Jeff Sottnick. Sottnick was the leading scorer for the “Bench
Dawgs”; he had two foul shots. He only needs one point to pass sr. Jim
Roche’s two points, tops among “The Dawgs”. The Raiders won the game
50-39. Zeglinski finished with 13 points and three rebounds. The Raiders are now 6-3, with
a 12-8 overall record. The Raiders travel next to play rival Father Judge. They beat Judge
at home 43-37 on January 10th.
Play
of the Game: In the fourth quarter, Rogers on a fast break went up for a
lay up only to be snuffed by La Salle’s Bill Warrender.
Warrender sent the ball into the wall behind the basket. He later fell into the wall.
Research
I did on my own: Ryan is undefeated against La Salle this season in varsity
basketball and football. They are 4-0. Each of those wins being non competitive.
Did
you notice: During the whole game, the small La Salle student section began
calling Zeglinski overrated, yelling obscenities at coach Rogers and others to name a few.
Three Ryan JV players with the simple chant of 1-6 easily quieted them.
Shoutouts:
My first shout out is going to Ryan senior Cortney Boothman.
Boothman, an All-Catholic tennis player, helped me with a picture for the site. My second
one is going to Jim Jordan. In my recent Wood post, Jordan
gave the Ryan student section a name, The Ryan Rowdies. My last shout is going to the 2004
Ryan football team. This win brings back memories of your playoff victory against La Salle
this season. Thanks for the memories.
The
Keith Adams Watch. Adams got a good amount of playing time. I guess Coach Rogers
read the “Breen Scene.” He played strong defense on Tyrell Marshall and
didn’t have any turnovers. I hope this is a preview of what's to come.
JAN. 28
CATHOLIC NORTH
Wood 43, Ryan 40
This was the
most anticipated match up of the season for the Raiders, playing host to the first place
undefeated Archbishop Wood Vikings. The Raiders had revenge on their mind after the bitter
loss to Wood in the first game of the season. It also showcased the best and most over
rated talent in CL North, Ryan jr. WG/F Joe Zeglinski and Wood sr. PG Matt
Spadafora.
Ryan
started things off with a quick 9-2 run in the first quarter. The Raiders in the first
were lead by junior Mike Varanavage. The savvy junior WG came into
the game averaging 16.3 PPG in his last three games. He shot the ball real good in the
first half, finishing with 10 first quarter points. This game was decided in the second
half. I’m going to jump-start to halftime.
How bout
this for all you Ryan haters? The Raiders went into the break with a 23-19 lead on Wood.
With about five minutes remaining in half time, the Ryan student section almost quadrupled
in size. Thus the loudest turnout of Ryan fans I’ve seen since the days of Chris
Kozole, Andy MacDonald, Steve “Hair” LePera and the 2001-02
Raiders who made all the way to the CL Title game. Also in attendance were the
“Warminster Wackies.” What an overrated fan group, they were easily quieted with
the chants of “What, What, What, What” from the Raider fans (who are still
without a nickname). It was also good to see the student section bring out the Tomahawk
Chop. I waited all football season to get it and I didn’t get one, and now my wish
was granted.
The third quarter was a seesaw. Each teams exchanging baskets.
Zeglinski hit two nice jump shots, only to be answered by Spadafora on the other end. The
third quarter saw a quick glimpse of aggressiveness by Ryan jr. C Kevin
Hudgeons (4 pts.). He dominated Wood C
Rob Pearson (4 pts) under the glass in the third. Hudgeons
went to the line late in the third, only to come out with two straight bricks. Zig ended
the third with a sweet tip in. At the end of the third, it was 29-27 Raiders.
The fourth
quarter started on fire. Spadafora, who was receiving constant verbal abuse about his
appearance all night from the fans, nailed a three to give Wood a 30-29 lead. Ryan
answered on the next possession with a corner three from Varanavage. The night gave
Varanavage a new nickname from the fans, Megaman. He finished the night with
14 points. With the Vikings down two after a Hudgeons bucket, Spadafora nailed a three to
give Wood a 35-34 lead. After quick baskets by both teams, Ryan kept the lead at 39-37.
With Wood already over the limit in fouls, they fouled Zeglinski for a one and one. Smart
thinking by Wood head coach Joe Sette, Zeglinski was having
a tough time at the line in the first half. It was time for Zeglinski to step up, and
“The Franchise” did just that. He hit both ends of the one and one. Zig finished
with 18 points. It was 40-37 Ryan. The ensuing Wood possession is one that I, and every
Ryan fan in attendance, will never forget. Here’s what happened. Wood F Allen
Borovich had the ball at the top of key, about 5 feet behind the three
line. He fires a shot, and who else but Kevin Hudgeons makes the cardinal rule of
basketball. NEVER FOUL A JUMPSHOOTER. He fouls Borovich, only to see the ball hit
nothing but net. Borovich hits the foul shot to give Wood the 41-40 lead. That was the
worst possible thing that could have happened. That was the game. As he well knows,
Hudgeons should be a runaway for Bonehead Play of the Year. Man, this loss hurts. Ryan had
them and Wood snuck out with a win. What a bummer. Well anyway, the loss now brings the
Raiders to 5-3 and in a three-way tie for second place. The travel next to Wyndmoor to
visit La Salle, who is coming off a 48-44 win against Dougherty. That was La Salle’s
first league victory of the season.
Did you notice: In Booch’s midseason report, he
listed Wood’s Corey Filer as a CL North All-Catholic.
Filer, the son of Ryan alum Tom Filer, a former Major
Leaguer, finished with no points. He was such a non-presence; I almost forget he
wasn’t there. Booch, I suggest you reconsider your picks. (smile)
Research I did on my own: Ryan freshmen
starting PG Andrew Rogers finished with zero points tonight.
Rogers, the kid brother of head coach Bernie Rogers, has
averaged 0.0 PPG in 4 contests against the teams who are above .500 in CL North. He has
averaged 8.5 PPG in the remaining 4 games against opponents with a below .500 winning
percentage. I think Bernie has to allow sr. PG’s Tom Manes
and Keith Adams more playing time. They both bring intensity
and a strong knowledge of the Princeton offense.
Play of the Game: Late in the fourth quarter, Ryan jr. F Jon
Bruce received a sweet inbound pass under the basket for two. He was
fouled, but missed the foul shot. Bruce, a hustler who always knows where the ball is,
finished with 5 points.
Shoutouts: My first one goes to Rob
Rowan, my stat man for doing a impressive job helping me out. Me second one
goes to the Ryan student section for being loud and supportive tonight. I hope we can
carry this on and be a presence at the remaining basketball games.
The Keith Adams Watch: My new
section, it will document the playing time of the senior PG. Well for some reason tonight
Keith didn’t enter the ballgame. I don’t know what the thinking was, but when
Spadafora was lighting it up early the fourth, he would have been a good answer to shut
em’ down.
JAN. 21
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 65, McDevitt 43
The
excitement is brewing up at Academy Road. The Raiders were in the midst of a four game
winning streak coming into Friday night’s game with the Lancers of Bishop McDevitt.
This CL North match up featured the number one and two leading scorers in the division.
Those titles belonged to McDevitt’s Richard Womack and Ryan’s
Joe Zeglinski. Another thing to watch for was the play of junior Mike
Varanavage. Varanavage dropped a career high 23 points on Monday night in a
Ryan win at North Catholic. With a half-filled gymnasium it was time to see which Raiders
team would come to play. The first quarter ended at a score of Ryan 11, Richard Womack 8.
He finished with 20 points and was still the division's leading scorer. The senior WG was
the only offense in the building for both teams. He went two for two from downtown. This
game gave struggling frosh PG Andrew Rogers some confidence. The kid brother
of head coach Bernie Rogers connected on four 3-pointers en
route to a season high fourteen points. He hit one of them in the second. Ryan also
received a huge first half contribution from jr. forward Jon Bruce.
I know I haven’t thrown him a lot of credit, but I’m long past due for
acknowledging it. Bruce, who finished the night with 10 points and countless hustle plays,
provides the Raiders with that intensity and the hustle. He always has a knack for where
the ball is. The Raiders went into the break riding a 25-18 lead. The
Raiders began to pull away from this one in the third coming from two three’s from
Rogers, and six points from Zeglinski. The third also saw McDevitt senior forward Leroi
Taylor. Taylor provided the Lancers with scoring with the containment of
Womack. He finished with 10 points. Also, the third saw the first minutes of the night to
sr. PG Keith Adams. The third ended with a
46-35 advantage. The fourth quarter saw another 5 points from Rogers, but the play of the
quarter came on the defensive side of the court. With Womack in the paint, the 6-8
monster, jr. C Kevin Hudgeons came along and snuffed Womack.
It was quite an impressive block for the big man. Hudgeons finished with 12 points. With
the game getting out of hand, coach Rogers inserted the “Bench Dawgs.” In came
senior C Mark “The Red Hair Wonder” Sieruc.
Joining him were juniors Doug “E.Fresh” Andrews
and Chris Dolan, the brother of former
two-sport athlete Tom Dolan, a Ryan Class of 2004 graduate.
The crowd got their wish with the playing of Sieruc, only to see him choke on a lay-up.
Mark, keep your head up kid, it's all good. The Raiders went on to win, 65-43, receiving a
14 point performance from Varanavage and another 10 from “The Franchise”. The
win improves Ryan to a record of 5-1 in CL North. McDevitt dropped to 2-4. The Raider next
game is Monday night, playing host to rival Cardinal Dougherty at 7:30.
Play of
the Game- In the fourth quarter, Ryan PG Tom Manes
exploded past a McDevitt defender on way to a nifty double-pump lay up. He was fouled on
the shot, and was awarded and AND-1. He made the foul shot.
Shoutouts-
First, I’m going to throw one to my pops, Paul Sr.,
for scoring me Villanova-Kansas tickets for my 18th birthday on Saturday. The
greatest basketball game I’ve ever witnessed. My second one is to Roman senior Bobby
Jordan. For all who’ve said this kid is overrated, stuff it. The kid
has started for four straight years at Roman, one of the best, if not the best, programs
in the city. That enough says something. Bob, just keep playing your kind of ball and lead
Roman to a CL South title. Also one goes to the Archbishop Ryan student body.
As the second largest high school in the Americas, we should see a larger turnout at
basketball games. We need the turnout Friday night against first place Archbishop Wood.
They’ll need our support. My last shout out goes to the Saint Martha High School CYO
Freshmen-Sophomore basketball team. The team is currently 10-0 and in first place in the
ultra-competitive Region 1. The team is coached by Paul Breen Sr., John
Broadbent, and Dan LePera. LePera, a former
writer for ts.com (Dan’s Postup) is becoming a decent coaching prodigy. Watch out
Bernie Rogers (smile). I wish the Tigers of Saint Martha’s all the best, and bring us
home a championship.
JAN. 17
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 66, North Catholic 50
Coming into tonight’s
Catholic League North match up, it looked like it had the ingredients for one of the most
intense games of the early season. It had the setting, North Catholic’s famed Pit
gymnasium. It had the significance. Both teams entered the contest with an identical 3-1
divisional record. Lastly it had the “Battle of the 24’s.” On one side was
North sophomore sensation Andrew Pomager, and on the other was Ryan jr.
forward/guard Joe Zeglinski. Both of whom don the number 24 for their respective
teams. The stage was set, it was time to play it out.
All right,
enough with that stuff, let’s get down to basketball. The first quarter didn’t
seem like your typical Northern Division contest. All scoring, no defense. The Falcons fed
off two three-pointers by sr. Danny Breen (no relation, unfortunately for him). The
Raiders answered back with Zeglinski who finished the quarter with 6 points. The real
spark came from jr. Mike Varanavage. “V” was coming off a 5 point
performance on Friday against Conwell-Egan that he would like to forget. He surely did
that tonight. He had a sick reverse lay-up to bring his total to 8. He added numerous
rebounds and non-stop hustle on both sides of the court. The period ended in a stalemate
18-18.
The second
gave sr. PG Tom Manes some time to shine. Manes, who is known for his exceptional
ball handling and outstanding hustle, really let that show tonight. He was on top of every
play and limited his turnover. The starting PG, freshman Andrew Rogers, was
ice-cold from downtown. He missed all of his attempts in the game and finished with zero
points. Continuing the hustle for the visiting Raiders was jr. forward Jon Bruce.
Bruce was continually pulling down boards and making numerous hustle plays. The half ended
with a cross-court pass from Zeglinski to Varanavage, who received the pass and drove the
baseline for a tough two. Once again, both teams left the floor in a tie. This time
deadlocked at 28.
With the
crowd increasing at “The Pit,” I refused to leave my seat. My seat, directly in
front of the Ryan bench was too good to give up for some stale pretzel and an overpriced
Gatorade! I have one more remark about halftime. Why did the North players select Jagged
Edge-Lets Get Married in the warm-up music mix? That song got the crowd going for sure.
The third
quarter belonged to Ryan. They opened up on a 10-0 run courtesy of three 3-pointers by Joe
Zeglinski, “The Franchise.” Also Varanavage, a la Scottie Pippen, hit a
nice streaking lay-up. Pomager really started to heat things up, hitting a couple of field
goals. He finished with 15 points. The Raiders eventually extended the league to 16.
Center Jeremy Coombs was a non-presence this half. With jr. C Kevin
Hudgeons playing with a renewed intensity, Coombs looked timid towards
Hudgeons. Coombs will definitely have to play stronger if he wants to compete with more
physical big men. A nifty touch pass from Manes to Bruce for two Ryan points capped off
the third. The Falcons answered with an ugly air ball from Danny Breen.
The final
quarter started with Pomager starting to get hot. I’ll say this kid can do it all. He
can shoot the three, drive for a basket, and for me the most important, shoot the
mid-range. He is going to be an interesting player to watch in the coming seasons. With
the end coming to an end, Manes dished one of his 10 assists to Hudgeons for a two-handed
dunk. I went crazy! Somebody actually reads my post! I wrote last week saying that
Hudgeons has to dunk more, and sir did he. The only thing I need now is a tomahawk. Okay,
I am getting a bit greedy. That play not only put the nail in the coffin, it slammed it
shut. This was an impressive win for the Raiders. Especially for Mike Varanavage who
finished with 23 points, 5 rebs, and 2 assists. Also you can’t forget
“Zig”, he dropped down a cool 24. The Raiders play next host to Bishop McDevitt
on Friday night. With the win tonight, the record improves to 4-1 in the division.
Play of
the Game – “The Franchise” in late in the third quarter drove past
three defenders en route to the bucket. He made the lay-up and it resulted in an and one.
Of course, my man Zeglinski completed the three-point play.
Shoutouts
– I want to first thank the seven out of 2,500 Ryan students who
came to North to support the team. Mad props to seniors Andrew Kane, Joe
Dwame, Rob Rowan, Jenna Gasperi, Morgan Casey,
and Katelyn Ryan. My second is going to Jeff Purvis.
A senior at Roman he is my stat man. Lastly this one is for sr. PG Keith
Adams. I don’t understand why this kid is sitting the bench. He brings
a lot of defense and great knowledge of coach Bernie Rogers’
Princeton offense. The coaches to need to realize his potential (smile).
JAN. 14
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Ryan 61, Conwell-Egan 51
To be honest with you, that score does lie. This should have
been more then a ten-point win for the Raiders. Ryan kept a
fifteen-point lead for most of the game, and limited the Eagles to
seventeen points over the second and third quarters. The Raiders,
using their size and speed, limited Egan to very few open looks and easy
baskets the majority of the night.
For showing up a minute and a half into the game, I missed
absolutely nothing. A 4-2 lead for Egan. The only lead they had the
whole contest. From then on it was all Raiders. Opening up the scoring
for Ryan was frosh sensation Andrew Rogers. The kid brother of head
coach Bernie Rogers, he nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Those nine points being his only of the night. Continuing the barrage of
the Eagles was junior forward Joe Zeglinski. “The Franchise”
added a
pair of lay-ups and numerous boards, ended the first with a sweet
alley-oop pass to 6’8 jr. center Kevin Hudgeons. That completely
sucked
the momentum out of the Eagles. Hudgeons finished with 19 pts and 11
boards, this being one of the finest nights of his Ryan career.
The second period was where the Raiders really showed their
might. Starting the period with a 16-12 lead. The Raiders quickly got
back to work with a huge three from downtown by junior forward Mike
Varanavage. “V” finished the night with 4 points. Also,
“Zig” connected
on a three to increase the lead to 12. Like I said before, the second
quarter also belonged to Hudgeons. The big man continually pulled down
monster boards and let loose some nasty blocks along the way. The only
thing Hudgeons can improve on is his dunking. So far this season he’s
only had one; there is definitely room for improvement! (smile) After a baseline
jumper by Zeglinski to end the half, the Raiders were up by 14 going
into the locker rooms.
Okay, we did play Conwell Egan tonight and I haven’t
mentioned anyone, but there is one guy who does deserve attention. It
has to be senior Matt Burns. The kid can flat out shoot. He finished
with eight points, but the hustle is always there, plus his open looks
were few and far between in the second half. Also props to Brian
Scalabrine look-alike Mark Kostic. Kostic was a huge
presence for the
Eagles in the paint and did his best to contain Hudgeons to tough shots.
Like I said before the Eagles were limited to seventeen
points over the second and third quarters. Only seven of those came
in the third. There wasn’t much to talk about in the third, but the
obnoxious parent behind had a lot to say. I couldn’t go fifteen seconds
without a criticism of a player, coach, or referee. At the end of the
third the Raiders were looking at a 42-29 lead.
With a victory in sight for the Raiders, things began to look
a little scary late in the fourth. After three straight turnovers then
became 5 quick points for Egan’s Kevin Schafer, which cut the lead
to
nine. After two free throws by John Little, the lead was cut to seven.
Senior PG Tom Manes missed both ends of a double bonus; only to have
scrappy Jr. Forward Jon Bruce put it back up for a basket. Who else but
Zeglinski put the nail in the coffin. “Zig” hit both ends of the double
bonus to raise his point total to seventeen. He also finished with 8
rebounds and 6 assists. After that it was time for “The Bench Dawgs.”
Senior center Marc “The Red Hair Wonder” Sieruc and the Pride
of Saint
Martha’s, Doug “E. Fresh" Andrews entered the game. The
Raiders
improved their record with a 3-1 record in the Catholic League North.
They next travel south on I-95 to visit “The Pit” and the Falcons of
North Catholic.
Shoutouts- Jim Roche. The senior forward is battling an
injury and is limited in his playing time. When at full health the man
can shoot the lights out and hustle with the best of em’.
Hustle Play of the Game – During the third quarter, senior
guard Keith Adams ran down the length of the court to break up a fast
break that would have been two points for the Eagles. After breaking up
the pass, Adams went tumbling into the camera. Keith was all right and
stayed in the game.