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Huck's Corner
Ed "Huck" Palmer is one of our trusty statisticians/observers. He
is not to be confused with Tom "Puck" McKenna. (Huck is normal.
Puck is not even close. Huck owns Puck when it comes to making picks during FB season --
smile). He will make occasional reports on games he sees. You may contact him at TEDDYCAT10@aol.com. |
JAN.
9
CL SOUTH
West Catholic 40, O'Hara 38
I could have sworn I took 95-South to
get to this contest, but when it was over it just reeked of a Northern Division affair.
For long stretches the game had a ‘root canal’ feel to it. It was long,
unpleasant, and very uncomfortable to sit through. Quite frankly, I bet the Lions (4-8,
1-1) would have wanted it no other way. O’Hara came in with a modest three-game
winning streak and were looking to add to it. To their credit they did everything they
could to unseat the more talented Burrs (11-2, 2-0). West led throughout the first half
and took a 23-18 lead into the intermission. Then, early in the second half behind the
sharp shooting of sr. 6-3 F Matt Campbell the
Lions hung tough and the Burrs found themselves in a battle. West led just 32-30 after
three-quarters and the game was nip-and-tuck throughout the fourth. West, sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor put the Burrs up 40-36 on a
driving finger-roll with just over a minute to play. Then, O’Hara soph PG Chris Meyers drew the Lions within two at 40-38
with a runner in the lane. After the Burrs missed a one-and-one the Lions took over with
:15 seconds left. The Burrs had a foul to give and used it with :05.6 left. On O’Hara’s
last play they eventually found jr. WG Mark
Concannon streaking down the lane. He lost the ball in traffic, but was able to save
it before it went out-of-bounds. He nicely shoveled it to soph 6-3 F Pat Kirby who was standing about 6-feet from the
basket uncovered. Appearing to have rushed his shot, it sailed and went harmlessly off the
backboard without hitting the rim, and into the hands of a Burr as the buzzer sounded. I
think he may have had a brief second to gather himself before releasing the shot, but it
just wasn’t to be. The Burrs relied heavily on Taylor, who scored 15 of his game-high
21 points in the first half. He shot 9-for-21 from the field (2-threes), grabbed 6
rebounds and swatted 3 shots. He had a huge block late in the tilt. Playing a large part
for the Burrs in the second half was soph. 6-4 F John
Maddox. He gathered-in 8 of his 9 rebounds (5 offensive) in the second half. He also
blocked three shots; all within a forty-five second span during the third quarter. Maddox
won’t fill up the score sheet, but he plays hard and smart while constantly going
after the ball. Sr. WG Rob Latimer (12 pts, 5
rebs) didn’t have one of his better games. Yes, he was the only other Burr to reach
double-digits, but he didn’t always make the proper decisions. Too many times he
tried to weave himself through the O’Hara zone without any luck. He either turned the
ball over or had a weak shot blocked. He needs to do a better job of seeing the court.
Yes, he has the uncanny ability to slice through defenses, but needs to realize that it
won’t always be available. This is when he should kick the ball to the wing or pull
it out. Sr. WG Hakeem Townsend did some
decent things early. He finished with 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. However, after
he missed his first couple shots he began to sulk and his game did the same. He needs to
realize that you don’t need to be constantly draining treys to be a contributor.
There are other facets of the game that are just as important. The rest of the Burr
supporting cast was non-existent. West did a good job of taking care of the ball and had
just 9 turnovers. They had a poor shooting night from the field going just 16-for-49
(32.7%) and even more miserable shooting night from three-point land (2-for-17, 11.8%).
The Lions who turned the ball over ten times in half number one settled down and would
only turn it over one more time in the game. This and a patient offense helped them stay
in the game to the very final buzzer. Campbell, who went scoreless in the opening half hit
for 8 quick points during the third quarter. He finished with 12 points (3-for-7 threes)
and five rebounds. I kept waiting for him to hit the go ahead three that would doom the
Burrs but it never happened. He did hit a three in the fourth that tied the game from well
behind the arc at the top of the key. No other Lion scored in double figures, but a few
others did play well. Kirby (7 rebs, 5 blocks, 2 steals) was all kinds of active in the
lane. This kid is fundamentally sound and he seems to have a good basketball IQ. He’ll
need to get stronger, but his future should be bright. Meyers was troubled by first-half
turnovers (six), but settled down after the intermission. He committed no turnovers in the
second half and finished with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. This kid is scrappy with a capital
S. Concannon (8 points) hit two early threes. Soph CG Anthony Walters played hard off the bench and
looks to be in the mold of a Craig Haywood, who
graduated from O’Hara last year. The
Lions didn’t have a particularly good shooting night either going just 13-for-39
(33.3%). Head Coach Buddy Gardler isn’t
exactly playing with a full deck. This isn’t a knock on him or his team, but right
now the Lions are young and inexperienced. With that being said he got a lot out of his
kids tonight and they are playing hard. I expect them to remain this way for good parts of
the year. They might suffer through some road woes, but expect a battle when you face them
in their own place.
JAN.
8
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 62, Olney 60
Bartram’s
(5-4, 3-0) jr. 6-5 F Daziah Miller scored on a
short shot in the lane off a beautiful feed from sr. CG Maurice Wood with 1:02 left for the winning
basket. The Trojans (12-1, 2-1) suffered their first defeat of the season, but did so
after multiple chances to tie or even take the lead in the final minute. Olney’s sr.
PG Andrew Jerry (twice), sr. 6-3 WG Shakir Johnson and sr. WG Kevin Presberry all missed contested runners in
the lane on four separate possessions. Lastly, sr. WG Jarrick Long badly missed on a hurried,
off-balanced 30-foot three-point attempt at the buzzer. There appeared to be some contact
on the shot, but no foul was called. It would’ve been interesting to see the
crowd’s reaction if the whistle had sounded. Chances are that fireworks may have
erupted and not just between the two teams, if you know what I mean. The Maroon Wave made
things difficult for themselves in that last minute because of a foul on an illegal
screen, a traveling call, and missing the front-end of two one-and-ones. Sr. 6-2 WG Tywain
McKee (4 rebs.) led the Maroon Wave with 14 points. He shot 6-for-11 from the field (1
three). McKee is an interesting prospect. He showed very good quickness in getting the
ball back off the glass for buckets against taller defenders. However, he’ll need to
get stronger and he disappeared for long stretches in the second half, just four points on
four shots. After starting the game a mere 1-for-9, Miller deposited his last five shots,
and went 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter. He was very active along the baseline and pulled
down 12 rebounds. Wood also reached double-digits with 12 points. He seemed to be forcing
things early and fell short on nearly every shot he took. On most of these shots he had a
hand his face. He did finish nicely on a couple of reverse lay-ups in traffic. He dealt 6
dimes and pulled 4 boards in the game. Sr. 6-7 PF Chris
Seaborn (7 rebs., 3 blocks) is long and athletic, but he’ll need to channel his
emotions to be successful. He actually reached double-digits with 11 points in limited
duty. He picked-up a tech and his third foul when he hung on the rim and slapped the
backboard after a two-handed slam. Needless to say he found himself on the bench for the
rest of the half. This kid is still raw, but I sense a decent amount of talent. His
body-type is quite similar to that of former Northeast star and current LaSalle University
player Steve Smith. Sr. 6-4 F Rhafique Price (6 pts), who got additional minutes
because of Seaborn’s departure came up with a few huge fourth quarter plays. He
scored a bucket and knocked down two foul shots, then he swatted two shots late
in the game. This Bartram squad has potential to make some noise in the PUB. Aside from
Simon Gratz there doesn’t appear to be any other heavyweights, so a run to the semis
is definitely within reach with a spot in the final not out of the question. This was
probably Olney’s stiffest challenge of the season and though they lost I like what I
saw. Their main problem today was that they couldn’t keep star sr. F 6-5 Erik “Ugs” Adams on the court for long
stretches of the game. He picked up his third and fourth fouls about a minute apart in the
third quarter and had to go to bench with 4:20 remaining in the quarter. His team went up
by seven moments after he went to the bench, but they would not score again in the
quarter. Bartram ended the stanza on 7-0 run, and trailed just 47-46 heading into the
final quarter. He scored four early points in the fourth, but picked up his fifth foul on
a questionable call with 4:00 remaining. While trying to get position in the post he was
whistled for the foul before his team even got into their offensive set. After the game
Head Coach John Rech told me he hated to see
his star player disqualified on such an iffy call. I’d have to agree with him, but I
thought the officiating was good, as they let the kids play, except on this play of
course. Adams is an ultra-quick jumper and VERY active around the basket. He finished 12
points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks. I loved his demeanor on the court, as he just played the
game. Never did I notice him say anything to an official or Bartram players. Presberry
crammed 11 of his 15 points into the first quarter and really got things going for the
Trojans. However, he slowed considerably after that and was not much a factor. Jerry is
super-quick with the ball and has a knack of getting into small places. He finished with
12 points and 5 assists. Jr. 6-6 F Kevin Riley
has serious springs witnessed by a high-flying one-handed breakaway slam in which he took
off just inside the foul line. Plagued by foul trouble early he came to life in the second
half. He scored all 8 of his points in the second half. He also added 11 rebounds (6
offensive) and 5 blocks. If this kid spends a lot of time in the gym this summer he could
turn himself into a major force next year. Long hustled for four rebounds and four
assists. Sr. F David Fleming had a productive
game off the bench with 6 points and 4 rebounds. This Olney squad has a very favorable
schedule the rest of the way and it wouldn’t surprised me if they ran the table. With
Adams and Riley patrolling the middle and Jerry providing a steady influence on the
perimeter a deep run into the playoffs may be had. An only-in-the-PUB moment occurred in
the fourth quarter. When Adams was whistled for his fifth foul he immediately left the
court, but seconds later he came back out. The Bartram scorekeeper (official book) only
had him for four fouls. However, his own team had him for five. He stayed on the court as
Bartram shot their one-and-one. During this an exchange ensued between Bartram Head Coach Lou Biester and his scorekeeper. They appeared to
be yelling at one another, obviously Biester knew that Adams was Olney’s best player
and it would be key for his team if he fouled out. Then, the scorekeeper bellowed, “I
do have him for five now," so the horn sounded and he was asked to leave the game.
Soon after, during a timeout referee James Smith (maybe??)
and his partner chuckled over the incident, he then glanced over at me and said, “You
had five, right?” Yes I did!!! Earlier, Smith had to have an Olney rooter removed
from the game for constantly arguing calls, not to mention using some shady language.
Again, he looked me way and noted, “I warned him.” Yes you did!!!
JAN.
6
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 69, Chestnut Hill 43
I found
some spare time this afternoon and decided to scoot on up to City Line Avenue for this
Inter-Ac affair. I knew going in that it was highly unlikely that the Blue Devils (4-10,
0-2) would hang with the formidable Churchmen (14-0, 2-0) for very long. However, they
were game for a half and only trailed 25-18 at the intermission. EA Head Coach Dan Dougherty hardly could have been pleased with
his team’s performance in half number one. They showed little patience on offense and
far too many times found themselves jacking up threes. Star soph. 6-5 Gerald Henderson had a half he soon forget. After
nailing his first shot, a trey, he then missed his next seven shots (3-threes) from the
field and his only four fouls shots of the half. I doubt you’ll see this too many
more times, the kid reeks of big-time talent. I just think he pulled the trigger a little
early on some of his shots, instead of letting the game come to him. Picking up the slack
for Henderson was super-soph counterpart 6-4 WG Wayne
Ellington, who is as silky as they come. He scored 14 first half points and look
pretty doing it. Twice he rose up and with beautiful form knocked down threes. The
Churchmen used a 9-0 spurt to start the second half and never looked back. With 4:16
remaining in the game Henderson threw down a monstrous two-handed slam off a feed from
Ellington that was truly spectacular, giving the Churchmen a more than comfortable 62-26
lead. Coach Dougherty immediately called for a timeout and pulled his starters off the
court. Doing some quick math that’s a 37-8 run in the second half, leaving no doubt
that whatever Coach Dougherty said at halftime did more than work. Ellington (6 rebs., 2
asst., 2 steals) added eleven more points to his total and finished with a game-high 25
points. He shot 11-for-14 from the field (2-for-3 on 3’s) and let me tell you
something; this kid isn’t just shooting lay-ups. His mid-range game is as polished as
I’ve seen at this level. He gets a tremendous lift off the floor and his release is
as smooth as butter. The scary thing is that he is just a sophomore, watch out!!!
Henderson (9 pts) made his only two field goals and both foul shots of the second half,
obviously playing at a more patient pace. Though the scoring was down he did many other
things that were eye-catching. He finished with team-highs in rebounds (9) and assists
(6). His ball skills improve each time out and though he had a rough shooting day it was
good to see him have a comfortable feel on the perimeter. Oh yeah, did I mention his slam?
It was utterly ridiculous and worth the price of admission. Which of course was nothing,
like all Inter-Ac games. Quietly, as Henderson and Ellington steal the show, sr. WG Brian Shanahan lays in the weeds and when the
final buzzer sounds he almost always has between 14 and 16 points. Today, he shot 7-for-11
(3-for-7 3’s) and deposited 18 points. He also added 4 assists and like always was
the unquestionable leader of the Churchmen. He will play a vital part in EA’s quest
for an Inter-Ac crown. Don’t you just love the blue-collar energy jr. 6-3 F Joe Rosati provides? On a team with two
super-sophomore players bound to one day play HIGH Division-1 basketball this kid just
accepts his role and plays it to perfection. He has no problem getting his elbows and
knees scraped up for the team. It’s this same attitude that allows him to excel on
the football field. This afternoon he scored a modest 8 points, but his other numbers is
what his coach and team appreciate the most. Like today when he chipped in with 4
rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. He was his typical self late in the third
quarter when dove across the floor for a loose ball, gathered it and then found Shanahan
for a bucket from the seat of his pants. His team was up by 20 points at the time. Jr. PG Dylan Brown rarely shoots, making his only
attempt, but dealt 4 dimes and went without a turnover. Frosh 6-7 F Mike Nealis is very raw, but has time to
develop. He showed good form and knocked down a couple of 10-foot jumpers late in the
game. Episcopal had just 8 turnovers for the game, and four of these came in mop-up duty
in the late stages. Episcopal launched 13 threes in half one, then only two in the second
half. This led to an 18-for-23 (78.3%) shooting performance after the intermission. They
were 28-for-46 (60.9%) for the game. The Blue Devils played hard, but just didn’t
have the horses to hang for more than a half. Leading the way was jr. CG Julian McFadden, he scored 13 of his team’s
18 first half points. He struggled in the second half and wound up with 16 points and 4
assists. He did a nice job early of running around screens and freeing himself for some
quality looks. He knocked down 4-of-13 three-pointers. The EA zone did a good job of
pushing him further away from the basket in the second half. Sr. PG Chris McInerney (5 asst., 3 rebs.) was next with
six points, but they came late on a couple of threes. He looks to be a solid floor leader
and kept his squad composed in the early going. The Blue Devils got hardly any inside
production, jr. 6-4 F Scott Dziengelski battled
for 4 rebounds. With the game already in doubt the Blue Devils unleashed an assault from
distance knocking down five straight treys. For the game they actually shot 10 more threes
than twos. They were 10-for-27 from three-point land for the game. They did a fairly good
job of taking care of the ball and only committed 10 turnovers.
JAN.
5
CL SOUTH
West Catholic 65, Bonner 55
The Burrs (10-2,
1-0) led wire-to-wire with their largest lead swelling to sixteen in the late stages. West
actually took control during the third quarter. After having a five-point lead at the
intermission, the Burrs used a 20-to-12 quarter to expand the lead to 48-35 after three.
The Friars (5-7, 0-1) would get no closer than eight points during the final stanza. Sr.
6-4 WG Marshall Taylor dominated the second
half while scoring 18 of his game-high 24 points. He did it in an assortment of ways. He
shot 10-for-19 from the field and 3-for-6 on treys. His prettiest buckets came on a pair
of driving left-handed lay-ups that fell-in over the tall Friar frontline. He showed his
breakdown ability with a few mid-range pull-up jumpers. He also led the Burrs in four
other categories going for 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Late in the
third quarter, off a Burr turnover he hustled back down court and from behind blocked what
appeared to be an easy Friar basket. The ball slammed off the backboard creating a buzz
throughout the Burrdome. An impressive play to say the least. Taylor, still just sixteen
(turns 17 later this month) is an intriguing prospect and is starting get a few more
sniffs from Lower D-1’s. Sr. WG Rob Latimer
hustled for 16 points and 4 assists. He scored seven quick points and got the Burrs headed
in the right direction at the outset. Much of Latimer’s game is predicated on drives,
and with Bonner having a big frontline things didn’t come easy for him. He did supply
some timely buckets nonetheless. Sr. WG Hakeem
Townsend (3 assists, 2 steals) scored 7 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. He hit
a corner three that put the Burrs back up by double-digits and for all intents and
purposes put an end to a Friar comeback bid. Soph 6-3 WG Chris Mayo (8 pts, 4 rebs) hit two long threes and
supplied constant energy throughout. Jr. 6-4 F Derrell
Hand (8 rebs, 3 assists) battled all night and played under control for the most part.
He did a commendable job against the Friar big people. The Burrs who have no true point
guard committed just 10 turnovers and in recent games have done a much better job of
taking care of the ball. They hit 7-of-14 (50%) from distance. The Friars continue to
struggle dropping their fourth straight game. Jr. 6-6 F Carlos Monroe carried his team on his back for
large chunks in the second half. He scored ten of his teams’ twelve third quarter
points. For the game he scored 18 points and snared 18 rebounds. However, he had a quiet
beginning and managed to score just five points in the first half. Monroe has
take-over-the-game ability, but I like to see him start the game with more fire. Jr. PG Mike Heppler (3-for-5 3’s) added 13 points
and 4 assists. He actually scored ten of his points in the late going. Sr. 6-4 F Randy Reid, who had a monster-game at the Burrdome
last year, appeared to be on that same track in the early stages. He had eight points
early in the second quarter, but cooled down considerably and finished with just ten. He
did supply 7 rebounds and 7 swats, but committed far too many turnovers. Frosh 6-1 PG Jeff Jones will have better nights. He appears to
be going through some growing pains at the moment. This kid has talent, but in such a
tough league the going could get rough. I suspect the Friar staff will have a difficult
decision to make soon. On whether or not to let the kid go or pull him back. It seemed
like tonight he played on a short leash, and when he made mistakes he was yanked rather
quickly. If the Friars have any hope of making the playoffs they’ll need to get
better play from jr. 6-8 F Derrick Graf.
Consistency seems to be a major issue with this kid. Tonight, he managed just 3 points, 3
rebounds, and 2 blocks. He shot just 1-for-8 from the field and missed a few bunnies. The
Burrs tallest player on the court much of the night stood at just 6-4. Graf’s
positioning on the court needs to improve. I like to see him catch the ball closer to the
basket and develop a drop-step that should allow him to succeed more frequently. The
improvement in his game that I witnessed earlier in the year was missing tonight, but
there is still time for the big fella. The Friars certainly have enough inside presence to
pose a challenge to many on any given night and though their guards are inexperienced, as
a team I think they can play better. Right now, in my opinion a stable rotation and more
importantly, defined roles of players look to be areas of concerns. Bonner turned the ball
over 17 times and this led to 14 more field goal attempts by the Burrs. Though this was
game one in league play it was huge for both teams. I thought going in that West and
Bonner would fight for the fourth spot, with Carroll possibly making some noise. The Burrs
did themselves a favor by securing this important home win, but there is plenty of work to
be done and I expect an exciting season in the CL South.
DEC.
31
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 76, La Salle 55
I know one New
Year’s resolution Head Coach Speedy Morris
won’t be asking from his team; for them to turn the ball over less frequently. If he
did, it might be hard to do. The Hawks (9-2) committed just TWO turnovers in the contest
and handled a solid Explorer club with relative ease. Directing things for the Prep was
sr. PG Chris Clark. Clark, his last time out,
suffered through a 0-for-10 shooting night in his team's loss to Episcopal. He made up for
it and then some today. He shot 7-for-12 (1 three) from the field and 7-for-8 at the line,
scoring 22 points. He also added 9 dimes (just 1 TO), 6 steals, and 3 rebounds and
dominated from the outset. His prettiest look came off a play when he appeared to be in
the midst of launching a three, but at the last second he whipped a 20-foot pass to a
wide-open teammate. Pretty to say the least, not to mention unselfish. Clark has not
committed to a college, so there is still time for coaches to jump on board. Lower
D-1’s should be knocking down this kid’s door. He just oozes winner. High man
for the Prep was promising soph 6-3 F Reggie
Redding; all he did was drop 24 points. He shot 10-for-13 from the field (3-for-5
3’s). Redding is quickly making a case to go from promising soph to super-soph. I
like the way he just lets the game come to him. Today, he scored from everywhere on the
court, inside, mid-range, and from distance. On a team where Clark and sr. WG John Griffin (Bucknell signee) are the go-to-guys,
Redding just sits back waits his turn and then produces. He also chipped in with 5 rebs.,
2 asst., 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Speaking of Griffin he connected on three-3-pointers
early and got his team rolling. He finished with 16 points (4-for-8 3’s). Griffin,
who has the green light to fire, has one of the quickest releases I have seen. Note to
defenders, don’t lose him, he needs very little time and space to launch. Prior to
the game he was presented with a ball for entering
the 1,000-point club, the sixth 1,000-point
scorer in Prep history. He has a decent chance to finish his career as the Prep’s
all-time leading scorer. A record currently held by Mark Zoller (Penn), who finished his Prep career
last year with 1,307 points. As good as
Clark, Griffin, and Redding are, the Hawks succeed because they play as a team. Players
know their roles and limitations. Sr. 6-3 F Matt
Kearney won’t fill up the stat sheet, but has no problem handling the little
things. He hits the floor and defends the post. Today he chipped in four rebounds and two
assists. Sr. WG Jared Black, jr. WG Corey O’Rourke, and jr. 6-6 F Mike Boyle all see time in the 7-man rotation.
O’Rourke played well defensively today and seems to have a good idea of what to do
when he has the ball. The Explorers (8-3) committed far too many turnovers early and found
themselves in a hole they could not crawl out of. They committed 18 TO’s for the
game. Believe it or not, but La Salle shot a higher field goal percentage than the Prep.
The Explorers shot 21-for-38 (8-for-15 3’s) from the field (55.3%). Yet, they lost by
19 points. I guess you can say that LaSalle turnovers were a real factor. It would be
interesting to see how many points the Prep scored off of these turnovers. Sr. PG Colin Fitzgerald was perfect from the field
(5-for-5, 3-for-3 on 3’s) and led all LaSalle scorers with 13 points. He also hustled
for 5 rebounds and 3 assists, but committed 7 turnovers. Many of the TO’s came early
and set the wrong tone for his team. Sr. WG Ryan
Kirk was the only other Explorer to reach double-digits with 10 points. He dropped
home a couple of pretty threes, but for much of the day had a hard time finding a clean
look. Sr. 6-4 F Nick Shattuck has been an early
season eye-catcher, but was all but invisible today. He hit 3-of-5 (1 three) from the
field in the second quarter, but was just 0-for-2 from the field during the other three
quarters. He finished with 9 points, and just 2 rebounds. He didn’t attempt his first
shot until the 6:49 mark of the second quarter. I mentioned before that I liked how Nick
allowed the game to come to him, but in a game of this magnitude, where he is the tallest
player on the court, he needs to be more aggressive. Hopefully, this will be a learning
experience for him. He is still relatively young in the experience department, for he
hardly played last year. Jr. 6-2 F Joe Sobocinski
banged for 7 points and 5 rebounds. There was a great crowd on hand for this New
Year’s Eve afternoon affair. It wasn’t the raucous type crowd that has become
commonplace at Prep football games, but nonetheless it provided a decent amount of
atmosphere throughout.
DEC.
30
NON-LEAGUE
O'Hara 53, Ridley 45
The Lions
(3-7) are young and inexperienced; thus they have struggled considerably during the
preseason. Tonight, they grew up a little and defeated a Ridley (8-2) squad that came in
ranked third in Delaware County. However, I wouldn’t call the Green Raiders a
juggernaut, but more of an average team that would struggle to make the playoffs in the CL
Northern Division. Even so, this was a nice win for Head Coach Buddy Gardler and his team as they prepare for the
challenges that loom in the upcoming CL Southern Division regular season. The Lions seized
control early and twice held 13-point leads, 17-4 early in the second and 33-20 late in
the third. O’Hara doesn’t have a go-to-guy; so long dry spells with scoring
could be a concern. That happened tonight, and with 5:29 left in the fourth Ridley had
just completed a 13-0 run, knotting the score at 33-33. Then, with 2:31 left a Green
Raider three-pointer gave them their first lead of the game, 44-43. All indications would
seem to point to the Lions faltering to a more experienced team. To their credit this did
not happen, and they ended the game with a 10-to-1 run and came away with the victory.
Leading the charge was spunky soph. 5-9 PG Chris
Meyers. First, the young Lion floor general hit a tough, 10-foot baseline jumper while
being fouled. He converted on the freebie giving the Lions a 46-44 lead. Later, he hit
3-of-4 from the line to seal the deal. He scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the
final stanza. Playing all 32 minutes he showed lots of energy and mostly good ball skills.
He finished with 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. He did commit 9 turnovers, but this
should improve with more experience. Also, fatigue probably led to a few of his miscues.
Despite the turnovers there was much to like about Meyers. Especially when he tossed in a
half-court shot as the first quarter ended. He shot 6-for-8 from the field (3-for-3 on
3’s) and 6-for-7 from the line. Sr. 6-4 F Matt
Campbell (11 pts, 3-of-6 3’s) is one of two Lions with varsity experience.
Campbell, the quarterback, will be counted on heavily with such a young team around him.
He shows a pretty good stroke from distance. Jr. WG Mark
Concannon (3 asst, 3 rebs) is the other Lion player with experience. I liked soph. 6-3
F Pat Kirby (10 pts, 7 rebs, 3 blocks). Kirby
knocked down all four of his free throw attempts in the late going. Right now he is very
thin, so he’ll need to get stronger, but he has some solid skills and plenty of room
to grow. Soph. G Anthony Walters came off the
bench and hustled for three steals. Also, soph. G Scott
Taylor had a key late-in-the-game steal. The Lions’ nine-man rotation has just
two seniors. It’s hard to imagine this group of Lions making serious noise in the
highly competitive CL South. Right now there’s just too much inexperience and not
enough depth or size. However, you can count on Coach Gardler’s team to play smart
and hard. The lumps they take this year should do nothing but help them in the future.
O’Hara did an excellent job of containing Ridley’s 1,000-point scorer, sr. 6-5 F
Ervin Tunnell (11 pts, 9 rebs, 3 blocks). They
held him to just 3-for-11 from the field and rarely did he get a clean look. Ridley played
without second leading scorer, sr. 6-4 WG Kevin
Egee (15.2 ppg). Also, sr. WG 6-2 Jim DiCave
is a do-the-dirty-work type player for the Green Raiders. Some of you might remember Jim
as a contributor for Monsignor Bonner’s basketball team last season.
DEC.
23
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 70, Wood 56
Just two weeks
ago the West Catholic football team fell to Archbishop Wood in the CL Blue Final. Tonight,
members of the West hoops squad got a small taste of revenge for their fallen classmates
with a solid road win. The Burrs (8-2) sprinted to a 18-3 first quarter lead, and though
the Vikings (5-3) got within sniffing distance on a couple of occasions, they never really
threatened. For much of the season the Burrs have relied on, sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor and sr. WG Rob Latimer to provide much of the scoring.
Tonight was no different, but they got a HUGE boost from sr. WG 6-2 Hakeem Townsend (3 steals), who bombed-away for
six-three-pointers. He finished with a season-high 18 points, and made 6-of-12 on treys.
Most of Townsend’s attempts came from the corner, a spot he seems to be most
comfortable. Taylor was no slouch shooting ball either, he hit 7-of-13 FG’s, 3-for-6
on 3’s, and 7-for-10 FT’s, for a game-high 24 points. He also contributed 5
rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. Just another day at the office for the Burrs’ Mr.
Versatility. Not far behind Taylor was Latimer, who connected for 21 points (5-for-10
FG’s, 11-for-14 FT’s). He also added 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Latimer
deposited his first ten free throws before missing. Causing havoc on the defensive end and
rebounding well was soph 6-4 F John Maddox. He
chipped in with 8 boards and 2 steals. The Burrs did a great job of taking care of the
ball and committed just 8 turnovers for the game. The Vikings played hard, but you never
got the sense that they would make a serious run. Leading the way was jr. CG 6-4 Matt Spadafora, he had a team-high 15 points,
while adding 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Spadafora is a nice player, who sees the court very
well. Tonight, he had to work for everything he got, the more-athletic Burrs constantly
were surrounding him, forcing him to give the ball up. In my opinion the Viking who played
the best was jr. WG Corey Filer. Filer was
gritty all night and added 14 points, 4 rebs, and 3 assts. It was Filer’s energy that
got the Vikings briefly back in the game in the second quarter. I’m sure he earned
more minutes after tonight’s performance. Sr. WG Blair Klumpp (4 asst, 4 rebs) had a rough shooting
night. Rarely, did he get a clean look and ended-up forcing many of his opportunities. He
finished with just 8 points, on 3-for-9 shooting. Jr. WG Mike Piselli battled for five rebounds. The
Vikings have a couple of beefy post-players in, sr. 6-4 F John Gwiazdowski (4 rebs) and jr. 6-7 C Rob Pearson. Pearson actually started, but only
managed one rebound. He should get five-to-six rebounds by accident. I like to see him
become a little more assertive while on the court. Gwiazdowski had a great game against
the Burrs last year, but wasn’t much of a factor tonight. He is a wide-body, and I
think the Burrs athleticism caused him to have a difficult night. He should be much more
effective in the upcoming Northern Division wars. Wood played without sr. 6-2 WG Tim
Walters (tender ankle), Walters is arguably Wood’s most athletic player. The
Burrs finished up the Northern Division portion of their non-league schedule with a 5-0
mark. Doing it against teams that in my opinion will finish, in no particular order,
between second and sixth in that league. Though the Burrs had a good time playing in the
game, getting there was all whole other story. Since the game was at Wood I decided to
drive up to West and travel with the team. Well, as we left the Burrdome, the Burrbus was
nowhere to be found. So, we created a Burr-convoy to get to the game. Driving cars were
myself, Head Coach Bill Ludlow, and assistants,
Rob Wharton, Keith Coble, and Andrew Byrne. Each car was loaded with varsity and
JV players. What a hike, I repeat what a HIKE! Throw into the mix the time we departed,
roughly 4:50, and the time of year (two days before Xmas) and you have the makings of a
serious TREK. The JV game was scheduled to start at 5:30, but at that time we were still a
good ways down on Street Road. The festivities ended-up being pushed back around 30
minutes. Driving in my car on the way up were: sr. F Danny Johnston, and football players Maddox, jr.
6-4 F Derrell Hand, and jr. WG Mike Van Loan. I kidded with them by saying that
Wood was being presented with their CL Blue championship rings at halftime. They did not
find it one bit amusing. Speaking of Van Loan, he had quite the performance in the JV
game. He finished with 13 points, on 3-for-3 shooting from three-point land and 4-for-4
from the foul line. Just over a month ago Mike was featured in the Phila. Daily News, in a
story written by our own Ted Silary, as a Burr
football player playing with the use of just one hand. Now, Mike is a Burr-hoopster and
succeeding quite well. Good job, kid!!!!!
DEC.
21
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 71, Judge 65
The Burrs (7-2) used outstanding foul shooting in the fourth quarter to secure the
victory over a feisty Judge (3-3) squad. The Burrs were a steamy 15-for-16 from the line
in the last stanza. Actually, they went on to convert 24-of-26 (92.3%) for the game. The
Burrs held an early eight-point lead, but watched the Crusaders fight back to take a
three-point lead into the intermission. The Burrs re-took control of the game in the third
quarter, a quarter that concluded with a huge three-pointer by sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor. It was Taylor’s only three
of the game and it came from well behind the arc. The shot followed an emphatic block by
Judge’s sr. F 6-5 Steve Wolf. A shot he
sent wickedly into the second row along the sideline. This appeared to be a big momentum
swing. Once again, Taylor excelled. He shot 6-for-12 on FG’s and 7-for-8 on FT’s
for 20 points. He also added 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. To this point of the
season Taylor leads the Burrs in nearly every statistical category: points, assists,
blocks, rebounds, steals, and free throw %. Supplying help in the scoring column was, sr.
WG Rob Latimer. Latimer shot 9-for-10 from the
charity stripe and finished with a team-high 21 points. He also added 6 rebounds, 3
assists, and 2 steals for good measure. He ended a three-game streak of not scoring in
double-figures and was much more aggressive today. The Burrs got quality minutes off the
bench from jr. 6-4 F Derrell Hand. In the
last few games Hand has been knocking off the rust from an extended football season. He
was much more in the flow today. He scored 10 points on 4-for-5 FG’s and pulled in 8
rebounds. When Hand doesn’t force things, he usually plays well. He needs to continue
to understand his role on the team, and then he can be a valuable contributor. Sr. 6-5 F Andrew Denton had six points and three boards
during some early and active minutes, but was used sparingly afterwards. Sr. PG Mark Anthony has come off the bench in the last
two games, a role that seems to suit him better. He chipped in with seven-second half
points. The Burrs were missing soph 6-4 F John
Maddox, who missed the game for family reasons. Leading the Crusaders was Wolf, who
poured in a game-high 26 points. He put his team on his back during the fourth quarter
when scored 13 points. Wolf, did not have a particularly good shooting game, just 7-for-21
from the field. However, he converted 12-of-13 from the line. He looks to be the only
Crusader who can create his own shot. He also had 9 rebounds. No other Crusader scored in
double-figures. They did get some good minutes from soph 6-4 F Arthur Livingston. He still appears to be a shade
raw, but I like his potential. He chipped in with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Sr. 6-4 F John King (4 rebs) also had nine points. Jr. PG Tim McCauley came off the bench with a pest-like
attitude. He made 4 steals and dealt 3 assists. Judge starts five seniors, but the rest of
the team, excluding McCauley, consists of sophomores. Where did the junior class go? Judge
should be in the hunt for a playoff spot in what should be a very competitive Northern
Division. Right now, Dougherty is obviously the class of the league, but La Salle, Ryan,
Judge, Wood, North and to a degree Conwell-Egan should all challenge for one of the three
remaining playoff spots. This should provide for an exciting year up North. A season that
I suspect will come down to the final weekend to settle. Today’s game was marred by
fouls. A total of 46 fouls were whistled, with four players fouling out. The teams
combined to take 60 fouls shots. It seemed like play in the second half was interrupted on
nearly every possession. On many occasions games in the Burrdome seem to take on this
feel, but today just seemed to be a little over the top.
DEC.
17
NON-LEAGUE
Bonner 76, Academy Park 70 (2 OT)
The Friars
(3-2) frolicked early and barely a minute into the second half had a commanding 43-18
lead. They were running their offense, rebounding the ball, and pretty much doing whatever
they wanted to do to the smallish Knights (2-5). What happened next took everyone by
surprise and turned this laugher into a barnburner that needed two extra sessions to
settle. The Knights, with a line-up that consisted primarily of five guards, incorporated
an aggressive one-three-one full-court trap and all hell broke loose for the Friars.
Academy Park went on a 20-4 run and cut the lead to nine entering the fourth quarter. With
just under a minute to play in the game, they hit a three and the game was knotted at
56-56. Neither team could break the tie before the end of regulation. During the first OT
the Friars actually trailed for the first time all night, but jr. 6-6 F Carlos Monroe calmly sank a left-corner trey with
:25 seconds left, and tied the score at 61-61. The Knights missed a last-second shot and
we were off to our second OT. Bonner, behind four consecutive made free throws by
intriguing frosh 6-1 PG Jeff Jones, gained
control in the waning moments and hung on for the win. Monroe, playing in just his second
game, came off the bench and was a force in both OT’s. He scored 11 of his team-high
25 points in the extra periods. He shot 8-for-12 from the field, and 8-for-13 at the line.
He also cleaned the glass for 12 rebounds. Monroe has much game and a fantastic touch from
10-feet and in. If there is a crack in his armor it just might be his demeanor on the
court. Right now, he does too much talking to opponents and at times his emotions get the
best of him. Once this gets in check, and I believe it will, he’ll become much more
of force on the court. Sr. 6-4 F Randy Reid had
a workmanlike game with 14 points (7-for-14 FG’s) and 10 rebounds. He showed a nice
touch on some mid-range jumpers and finished nicely on some breaks. Reid plays bigger than
his 6-4 height would suggest because he carries around some bulk with him. Improving, jr.
6-8 C Derrick Graff had some good moments. He
chipped in with 9 points, was the third Friar with double-digit rebounds with 11, and
swatted 5 shots. Oh yeah, he even dropped four dimes; two led to hoops in the second
overtime. Graff is real long and his hands and feet seem to be getting better. He did miss
some shots from in close, and when not in scoring position is unsure with what to do with
the ball. However, he did stay on the court for a team-high 33 minutes. A feat that would
have been nearly impossible last year. Improvement is starting to show!!! At times Jones
showed flashes of quality play, but at other times seemed to be lost. He has a good body
on him, more mature looking than your normal freshman. He did have a difficult time with
the Knights pressure and committed 8 turnovers. Also, his shot selection was shaky at
times. After making his first attempt of the game, he shot blanks on his next ten shots.
Nonetheless, there is much to like about his game and future. As I mentioned earlier, he
did calmly sink four foul shots in the second OT and was 7-for-8 from the line for the
game. He finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. He is not strictly the Friars
point guard; in fact he spends much time on the wing. Jr. PG Mike Heppler handles the ball a good amount of the
time when both are in the game. Heppler hit two early threes, but did not attempt a shot
from there on. Sr. 6-3 F Jordan McCauley (7
pts, 4 rebs 3 asst.) does a lot of the little things for the Friars. To show what a
difficult time Bonner had in the late going, try this one on for size. They didn’t
miss a shot from the field in the fourth quarter, but only attempted three. They had 25
turnovers for the game, most in the second half, and plenty in the fourth quarter. I
don’t think I’ve ever seen a team get hammered on the boards like the Knights
did tonight. Bonner clobbered them on the glass to tone of 50-to-20, OUCH!!! The
teams’ combined to take a lofty 128 shots in the game. The Friars are BIG up front,
but we all know what wins games in the Catholic League, and that is quality guard play.
Jones is a keeper, but he is just a freshman. Bonner’s other two primary
ballhandlers; Heppler and sr. CG Andrew Thornton,
don’t have much experience. As of now this is probably Head Coach Jim Welde's most glaring concern. I expect them
to be in the hunt for that fourth playoff spot, most likely fighting it out with West
Catholic. Academy Park is not one of the teams we cover on this site, but I have to give
some props to sr. PG Kevin Stewart, who never
quit, and at one point was dominating the game. He finished with game-high scoring honors
with 28 points (11-22 FG’s) and 5 assists. Division-3’s should be swarming and
D-2’s should be sniffing. This kid is tireless and sees the court extremely well.
DEC.
16
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 66, West Catholic 52
You’d be
hard-pressed to find a better sophomore combination than Episcopal’s, 6-4 F Gerald Henderson and 6-4 WG Wayne Ellington. There is some serious talent
lurking on the other side of City Line Avenue. By all means, check it out. Today, it was
Ellington who flashed some major brilliance, while Henderson was very solid as the
Churchmen (5-0) remained unbeaten in dismantling the upstart Burrs (5-2). The Churchmen
seized control midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Only once did West
have the lead, 5-4, in the very early going. Leading by ten at half, Episcopal doubled up
the Burrs in the third, and led by a more-than-comfortable 20 going into the final stanza.
The silky-smooth Ellington (6 rebs, 3 asst) scored 17 of game high 25 points in the
opening half. He showed his explosiveness when he went backdoor and ripped-off a
two-handed slam. The most impressive part of his game today was his mid-range shooting.
Whether coming off screens, dribble-drives, or on the break he did an excellent job of
just pulling-up and nailing 12-to-16 foot shots. He shot 9-for-11 on FG’s and 7-for-8
on FT’s for the game. The mid-range game, a rarity with today’s youth, is
certainly a fixture with Ellington. He exhibited patience and good court savvy throughout,
and when he gets stronger watch out!!! Henderson (6 rebs, 3 asst) looks to have gotten
stronger and improved his ballhandling. He was equally efficient, going 7-for-9 from the
field and 3-of-4 on FT’s for 17 points. Early in the contest he came out of nowhere
for a one-handed slam off an Ellington miss. Henderson is highly athletic and has a
freakish side to him that will make him that much more difficult to contain. He oozes
confidence and lets the game come to him, rarely forcing the issue. The Churchmen feature
a solid complimentary player in sr. WG Brian
Shanahan. Shanahan, who served as the quarterback on the football team, gives the
Churchmen a third scoring option. Today, he chipped in with 13 pts. (5-for-9 FG’s).
He is also a capable ball-handler. Running the offense for Episcopal is jr. PG Dylan Brown. A task he did quite smoothly today.
He finished with 5 assists and 4 steals, while only committing one turnover. He does a
good job of getting his teammates the ball in excellent scoring position and is a pest on
the defensive end. Rounding out the starting five for the Churchmen is yet another quality
football player in, jr. 6-3 F Joe Rosati.
Rosati concentrates on the little things, like rebounding, setting screens, and diving for
loose balls. Every good team has this type of player. The Burrs lacked energy, and seemed
to play with no sense of passion. Coming in to the contest Coach Bill Ludlow knew this would be a good gauge for
his club, but after a good road win against Ryan the other day, they came up very small in
this one. Sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor put up
decent numbers with 16 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asst, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, but no other Burr did
much of anything. The Burrs didn’t seen to get into the game until after the third
quarter, when they were already trailing by 20 points and there was no pressure. They cut
the lead to 12, but got no closer. Soph 6-3 WG Chris
Mayo (7 pts, 5 rebs) was one of the few Burrs to show some energy. Football players,
jr. 6-4 F Derrell Hand and soph 6-4 F John Maddox were welcomed back to the hardwood. I
suspect that both will be brought along gradually. The Churchmen shot a steamy, 24-for-37
(64.9%) from the field. Giving the gym a sauna-like feel to it. Episcopal is a very good
team. However, there is not much depth and their best two players are sophs. This could
keep them from seriously challenging Inter-Ac power Penn Charter and very good Germantown
Academy, but you can count on them to be extremely competitive in a very tough league.
Speaking of the Inter-Ac, it is very possible that one-through-four (PC, GA, EA, & MP)
that it is the best league in the area. Right now, Penn Charter, GA, and Episcopal could
be three of the city’s Top 10 teams, even though PC lost to Abington Friends today
(check out Special Ed's report).
DEC.
14
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 60, Ryan 58
The Burrs (5-1),
who led most of the way, hung on and escaped the Greater Northeast with a quality road
win. With just :04 seconds remaining West sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor missed the front-end of a
one-and-one. Ryan’s sr. F 6-5 Joe Mullin
rebounded and dribbled hard up court, and he found sr. WG 6-2 Jim Welsh, who had a decent look at a long three.
The shot appeared to be on, but was a little short and hit off the front part of the rim.
As I mentioned, West led throughout. In fact, the only time they lost the lead was when
Mullin scored on a follow with just under two-minutes left. This gave the Radiers (3-2) a
brief 54-53 lead. However, the Burrs, sr. G Mark
Anthony immediately scored on a lay-up, when the Burrs easily broke Ryan’s press.
This was one of the few times West managed to break the press, as they committed 15 of
their 18 turnovers in the second half, when Ryan spent much of the time pressing to get
back in the game. On the Burrs’ next possession they got some breathing room when,
sr. WG Hakeem Townsend (3-for-4 three’s)
smoothly hit a trey from the left wing, giving West a 58-54 lead. The Burrs were led by
Taylor who shot 8-for-13, 4-for-6 on three’s for a team high 22 points. Taylor
started the game by nailing three consecutive treys over the Raiders zone. His most
impressive bucket came off of a miss by a teammate. Seemingly under the basket he reached
up and put the ball back with a one-handed slam. Scoring wasn’t all he did, as he was
his usual self on the glass with a game high 11 rebounds. He also tallied 7 assists and 3
blocks. This is his third consecutive game with a double-double. At just 16 years old,
won’t turn 17 to January, D-1 coaches at the mid-to-lower levels should be doing some
serious sniffing. Leading scorer, sr. WG Rob
Latimer had an off day and managed just 8 points. He just never seemed to get in the
flow and was held in check by the Raiders match-up zone defense. Supplying some quality
minutes off the bench was soph 6-3 F Chris Mayo.
Mayo provided some hustle and energy while being the only other Burr to reach
double-digits with 10 points. Twice he calmly sank threes and chipped in with 6 rebounds.
Townsend also hustled off the glass with seven pulls and dealt five assists. The Burrs
shot a torrid 9-for-14 (64.3%) from three-point land. Ryan was led by the versatile
Mullin, who had game high scoring honors with 23 points. He scored 17 of his points in the
second half and shot 10-for-16 from the field for the game. He also added 8 rebounds and 3
assists. In many ways he does many of the things for his club that Taylor does for West. A
lefty, he sees the floor well and authoritatively handles the ball. He could probably be a
star at the D-3 level, but D-2 may be a possibility. After a 0-for-5 shooting performance
in the first half and no points, soph. PG Joe
Zeglinski awoke with 15 second half points. He sank 7-of-8 from the line, and
contributed 5 assists and 5 steals. All of his steals came in the fourth quarter. Usually
playing the role as team sniper is Welsh, but in this one he had an off shooting night.
Welsh hit his first three shots, including his first three, but then shot an icy 1-for-11
for the rest of the game. During this stretch he missed his last nine three-point
attempts. Better days are sure to come, as Welsh has been a capable shooter throughout his
career. Sr. WG LB Rebstock does a lot of the
little things and chipped in with 4 rebs, 3 asst, and 2 steals. The Raiders played without
promising soph 6-8 C Kevin Hudgeons (flu) and
sr. G Tom Dolan (injury). Ryan should vie for
one of the four playoff spots in the Northern Division, but like the rest of the schools
in that division staying healthy will be a key.
DEC.
13
CARROLL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
La Salle 54, Malvern 47
The championship game of the Carroll
Classic featured an all-Prep school final. The Explorers (3-1) led throughout and every
time the Friars (4-2) drew within a point or two they had the answer. With 2:34 to play,
Malvern sr. 6-3 F Dan Plunkett scored on a
driving lay-up and was fouled in the process to draw the Friars to within 41-40. However,
he missed the freebie, and the Explorers rattled off seven consecutive points for a 48-40
lead to seize control. LaSalle, sr. WG Ryan Kirk
coming off a screen nailed a top-of-the-key three for a 44-40 Explorer advantage. Moments
later, jr. 6-6 F Brian Carlin hit a short
turn-around in the lane and then, sr. 6-4 F Nick
Shattuck deposited a couple of foul shots expanding the lead. I left very impressed
with the Explorers as a team, for they play hard defensively and play together on the
offensive end. This was evident by the fact that they had 17 assists on their 20 made
baskets. Six different Explorers had assists. The
most impressive of the Explorers was Shattuck, who didn’t play last year, but in my
opinion is a very solid player that could help someone on the D-2 level. He has nice
stroke and lets the game come to him, rarely forcing the issue. He shot 8-for-12, 3-for-3
on three’s for a game high 21 points. He is not a one-dimensional player, witnessed
by his 12 rebounds and 6 assists. He sees the court, handles the ball well, and looks to
be fundamentally sound. These names go back a ways, but he reminds me of former
O’Hara player Eddie Malloy, West
Catholic’s Chris McShane, and St.
James’ Joe Miller. I wouldn’t say
he’s quite at their level yet, but his game is very similar to how these guys played.
It was not a one-man show for the Explorers, as Head Coach Marty Jackson got quality play from a number of
players. LaSalle placed two other players in double-figure scoring, as Kirk (13 pts, 4
rebs, 3 asst) and Carlin (10 pts, 3-for-3 FG’s) hit double-digits. Kirk showed good
range on two made three’s. He actually scored 5 crucial points in a six-second span
over two separate quarters. First, he hit a long three in the waning moments of the first
half, and then he broke free to score on a driving lay-up to start the third quarter. With
this, LaSalle’s lead went from 22-20, to 27-20. Sr. PG Colin Fitzgerald had an up and down night. He had
team highs with 5 assists, but also committed 7 turnovers. He looks to be a capable
ball-handler, but got in trouble when he started to play too fast. Sr. F 6-2 Kevin Moll (3 steals) is a tough defensive-minded
guard. Jr. F 6-2 Joe Sobocinski (4 rebs) looks
to be the team cop and showed no qualms with setting screens for scorers Shattuck and
Kirk. The Explorers shot a sizzling 20-for-32 (62.5%) from the field. In no quarter did
they attempt more than nine shots. Often showing extreme patience during possessions. We
all know that Cardinal Dougherty is the class of the Northern Division, if not the state
of Pennsylvania. However, I’d be very surprised if LaSalle wasn’t a playoff team
in the North. They should fight for the second seed in that division. I left a little
unsure about the Friars. Did they just not play well or are they not at the level I
expected them to be? This was my first look at sr. 6-4 WG Brian Grandieri, a lefty with worlds of skill. His
schoolbag is filled with much game, but in this one he came up a little short. I’m
sure he would agree with this assessment. Part of the problem, at least tonight, was that
he played a little too much unselfishly. He didn’t make his first basket until the
4:32 mark of the second quarter. He did attempt 14 shots; making just six for 15 points,
but he just didn’t demand the ball as much as a player of his caliber should. During
the course of the game he can be seen playing all five positions for the Friars. This
shows in the stat sheet, as he finished with 10 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assist. At first
glance he doesn’t appear to look like he would be real athletic, but throughout the
game he flashes good athleticism. For instance, on one play he swiped the ball out of an
Explorer hand and before the ball traveled out of bounds he lunged, caught the ball, and
then whipped it behind his back to a teammate. Very impressive, to say the least. Penn
Head Coach Fran Dunphy was in attendance and it
wouldn’t surprise me if Grandieri were on his wish list. Complimenting Grandieri is
Plunkett who finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Plunkett likes to work along the
baseline and showed the use of both hands on drives to the hoop. No other Friar supplied
much, for as a group they shot a poor 6-for-21. They also look to rely on Grandieri and
Plunkett a tad too much. During the third quarter the contest was still in doubt and the
Friars actually had a chance to make some headway at the line, but shot just 1-for-8 in
the quarter. They made just 10-of-21 from the line for the game. Also, they went just
1-for-11 from three-point land. Their made three came with just seconds remaining in the
contest. Foul shooting and good marksmenship from beyond the arc are usually sound staples
for Inter-Ac teams. However, in this one the Friars exhibited neither. For Malvern,
Grandieri and Plunkett were voted to the All-Tourney team. LaSalle placed Kirk and Carlin
on the team, and Shattuck was voted the Tourney’s MVP.
DEC.
13
CARROLL TOURNEY CONSOLATION
Carroll 61, Overbrook 44
At times this
one was hard on the eyes. The Patriots (1-3) kept the Panthers at arm’s length for
much of the first half and led 29-19 at the intermission. However, they committed two
consecutive turnovers that led to five quick Panther points trimming their lead to just
29-24, not even a minute into the third quarter. At this point, Carroll Head Coach Paul Romanczuk sent a message to his players and
yanked all five of his starters off of the court. Carroll played the rest of the quarter
with what resembled a JV squad. To their credit, they held their own and still had a slim
39-38 lead after the third. Romanczuk, with point made, inserted his senior starters back
into the game at the beginning of the fourth. They responded and eventually pulled away
with a convincing win, their first of the young season. Leading they way for Carroll was
veteran, sr. swingman 6-4 Mike Springman.
Tonight, Springman made his living at the line, going 14-for-19, accounting for more than
half of his game high 26 points. He also added 9 rebounds and 3 steals. With Springman,
the Pats have a physical defender and an offensive player who sees the floor and is nifty
around the basket. The only other Carroll player to reach double-digits was, sr. F 6-2 Dustin Pio (12 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asst). Pio does most
of his work along the baseline and around the basket where he picks up much-needed garbage
hoops. Carroll got quality minutes off the bench from, sr. G Bob Giuliano (6 pts, 5 rebs). Many times Giuliano
found himself in the right place at the right times, with four of his boards being
offensive. He also added some timely hoops when his team needed a basket. Carroll was
missing two starters in, sr. G Matt Chambers
(sore knee) and sr. G Mike Keogh (stitches in
chin). Right now, it appears to me that Carroll is lacking enough firepower to hang with
the heavyweights in the CL South. Inside bodies and point guard play may also be concerns,
but Romanczuk’s club is sure to give their all defensively and that may allow them to
stay in games. Overbrook (1-5), one of the more storied programs in our city’s
schoolboy hoops history may be in for a long season if tonight’s game is any
indication. The Panthers are lacking in many areas, like the lack of quality big men and
sound guard play. I’m not sure, but they may have been shorthanded tonight. Two of
the players given to me by their coach as part of their top seven either did not play or
weren’t in uniform. Who knows, but maybe these two individuals will help down the
road? Tonight, they were led by, sr. WG Maurice
Millner, who raced around the gym for a 17 points and 6 steals. He showed brass on a
few occasions when he quickly pulled-up and bombed from distance. He ended up hitting
3-of-6 from trey land. Sr. G Kyle Copeland,
another waterbug-type guard for the Panthers was next with 11 points. He also added 5
rebounds and 4 steals. Soph F 6-4 Nafatalh Ellis
was the Panther leader on the glass with seven boards. What would the game be without an
only-in-the-Pub moment? It occurred when; sr. F Andre
Mason went to enter the game. Sounds like a simple process, right? Not exactly, Mason
had a #50 jersey on that was different from the uniform his teammates were wearing.
Another Panther already had a #50 jersey, so Mason was forced to turn his jersey inside
out and was now #00. Yet, another terrific PUB moment. Carroll was guilty of 18 turnovers
through three quarters, but committed just one in the final stanza. Overbrook was whistled
for 26 fouls to Carroll’s 14. This led to a big discrepancy at the foul line. Carroll
shot 21 more foul shots than the Panthers (38-to-21). The teams combined on 4-for-24
shooting from three-point land. Overbrook’s Millner and Carroll’s Springman were
voted to the All-Tourney team.
DEC.
11
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 62, North Catholic 57
The Burrs (4-1)
escaped with a hard-fought victory over an improved North squad. It was another
topsy-turvy affair in the Burrdome. The game had some good moments, but far too often it
lost some luster because of frantic play by both squads. The teams combined to commit 46
turnovers, the Falcons (2-2) were guilty of 26 of them. The Burrs took a five-point lead
into the final stanza, and then scored the first six points to build 52-41 lead. They
withstood a late North rally, and held on for their third consecutive win. Once again, the
Burrs’ dynamic duo of, sr. WG Rob Latimer
and sr. 6-4 WG Marshall Taylor supplied much of
the damage. Latimer (6 rebs, 3 asst, 3 steals) led all scorers with 24 points (7-for-15
FG’s, 10-for-13 FT’s). After a struggling first half he notched 16 of his points
(5-for-6 FG’s) after the intermission. During the early part of the season Latimer
has been a regular at the charity stripe. Through five games he is 43-for-53 (81.1%) from
the line. It is critical that he keeps his foul shooting percentage around the 80% mark,
for he gets to the line considerably. Taylor struggled from the field going just 6-for-18,
but did what he does best, and that is fill up the stat sheet. He finished with 17 pts, 15
rebs, 6 asst, 5 blocks, and 4 steals. Oh yes, he also committed seven more turnovers.
Taylor is being relied on heavily and this is the cause for some of these turnovers. As
you can tell by his stat line he expends a great deal of energy accumulating these
numbers. Though he didn’t shoot well he did supply a quick deuce and trey at the
beginning of the fourth quarter to expand the Burrs lead. Sr. PG Mark Anthony chipped in with 7 points and 5
assist, but more importantly didn’t commit a single turnover. Reserve, sr. PG Kyle Whalen (9 pts, 3 steals) deposited eight of
those points very quickly at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second
quarter. He drained both of his three-point attempts. Both Anthony and Whalen are decent
ball-handlers, but right now neither is the type of point guard that can have their hands
on the ball possession after possession. Many times Taylor and Latimer aid in this role.
Sr. F 6-5 Andrew Denton (3 steals) added eight
rebounds. Again, this kid has enough athleticism to be a solid contributor, but has to be
more consistent. The Falcons were game throughout and every time you got the feeling West
was about to pull away they made a run to draw close. Their leader looks to be sr. 6-1 WG Charlie Evans. Tonight he had a tough time
getting clean looks, but he does possess a quick release. He finished with 17 pts
(5-for-16, 3-for-9 three’s), 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. He seems to be another scrappy
Northern Division guard, but with a scorer’s edge to him. I left impressed with soph
PG 6-1 Nate Edwards, who transferred in from
Central. He shows quick hands and a good feel for the game. He led the Falcons with 23 pts
(7-for-18 FG’s, 3-for-7 3’s, and 6-for-6 FT’s). He showed good range on a
couple of his made three’s. He also chipped in with seven rebounds. However, he did
force the issue occasionally (6 TO’s) and took some bad shots. He’ll also have
to keep his emotions under control, as he escaped what I thought was an obvious tech in
the third quarter. First, he yelled in the face of an official, nearly bumping him and
then seconds later shoved a West player that neither official witnessed. Being just a
sophomore I suspect these are things that can be addressed. There is no doubt that the
talent is there and this kid will be one of the more athletic players in the Northern
Division for the next three years. Sr. PG Sean Thomson rarely looks to shoot, but does much
of the distributing. He finished with a game-high seven assists, but was also guilty of
seven turnovers. The Falcons bruisers are, sr. F 6-5 Ryan Davis
and sr. F 6-3 Paul Chladek (8 rebs). Jr. G John Adamski (9 pts, 3 rebs, & 3 steals)
provided grit and hustle off of the bench. North was perfect from the line going
14-for-14. I’m not sure if the Falcons
have enough depth to be a playoff team in the North, but they certainly will be much more
competitive. I suspect that they might give opponents a tough time of it on their home
court.
DEC.
9
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 62, Academy Park 46
The Burrs (3-1)
seized control in the latter part of the first quarter and never looked back in
dispatching the Knights (1-3). West has nice one-two punch in, sr. WG’s 6-4 Marshall Taylor and 6-2 Rob Latimer. Coach Bill Ludlow will be counting on these two
throughout the season. Taylor when on his
game has the potential to be as complete a player as there is in the city. Tonight, he
totaled 14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists. He has little trouble filling up
the stat sheet, but at times loses focus and concentration. Tonight, he was guilty of
seven turnovers. Far too many TO’s for a player of his caliber. In Latimer, the Burrs
have their closest thing to a Pub-type player. He gets in the lane and to the line at
will, and has become quite the scorer. He has improved his range on his shot, which should
only help his game. Tonight, he shot 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line,
for a game-high 20 points. He also hustled for 7 rebounds. Sr. F Hakeem Townsend (10 pts, 4 rebs) and sr. F 6-5 Andrew Denton (8 rebs, 2 blk) also had decent
moments. Townsend just might be the Burrs' best pure shooter. He scored all of his points
in the first half. Denton snagged all of his rebounds in half number one, but played
sparingly in the second half. This kid flashes signs of solid play at times, but needs to
be more consistent. If West can get consistent, productive play from him it will greatly
aid their chances in the ever-tough CL South. The Burrs showed flashes of being a solid
club throughout the contest. However, they turned the ball over an alarming 25 times. A
number they’ll have to cut down considerably. Right now, their two glaring sore spots
seem to be depth and good point-guard play. When the Burr football team completes their
season at the end of the week the depth problem could be addressed. Coach Ludlow will
undoubtedly welcome the services of jr. F 6-4 Derrell
Hand and soph F 6-4 John Maddox, as well as
anyone else who decides to give hoops a whirl. Right now, I think West can be competitive
in the CL South and possibly vie for a playoff spot, but against stiffer competition
they’ll have to do a far better job of taking care of the ball than they did tonight.