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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 reports on games he sees. |
December
reports
January reports
FEB. 20
CL SOUTH
West Catholic 74, Kennedy-Kenrick 32
At the beginning of the day the Burrs
(14-11, 7-7) were on the doorsteps of a playoff berth in the ever-tough CL South. They had
already clinched no worse than a play-in game, but a win over the Wolverines would allow
them to secure that fourth spot all by themselves. West left little doubt which road they
would choose and stormed to a 34-5 halftime lead, which included a 28-2 run to close out
the half. Many of the Burrs contributed to the frolicking. Leading the way was sr. 6-4 F Derrell Hand, who notched 19 points (9-for-14 FG’s)
and 8 rebounds. He converted his last six field goal attempts. Sr. WG Antonio Banks, who has really stepped up his game
over the last couple of weeks, was next with 13 points on a 6-for-9 showing from the
floor. He also added 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Four other Burrs, sr. F Joe Askew (7), sr. F Maurice Denton (8), freshman WG Eric Brennan (8), and sr. 6-4 F Curtis Hart (8) managed between seven and eight
points. Brennan deposited both of his trey attempts. Hart, seven, and Denton six were
active in the rebounding department. Askew contributed 6 rebounds, 5 swats, and 2 steals.
Sr. PG Anthony Mungin saw extensive time and
dropped five dimes. The Burrs made 32 field goals in the game. Few expected much of
anything from this group of unknowns at the beginning of the season. To make the playoffs
in this league, in my opinion, is a worthy accomplishment, and no matter what happens
Saturday night these kids should be proud of what they have accomplished. Head Coach Bill Ludlow and his staff have done a wonderful
job with this group and they also need to be commended. In all my years with the West
program, I can honestly say this might be the proudest I have ever felt about a group of
kids. Great job and good luck! K-K (3-20, 0-14) ended the season winless in league play
for the third consecutive year. Their CL record league winless streak now stands at 49
games. It’s tough to see a group of young people go through something like this.
However, despite all of the misery there are still values and life lessons to be learned
in playing varsity athletics. I can only hope that some of this has been gained over this
tough stretch. Sr. 6-3 F Tom Amenta was the
only Wolverine to reach double figures with 11 points. He also added 5 rebounds and 2
blocks. Jumping-jack jr. 6-3 F Scott Marston
notched 6 rebounds and 4 swats. Jr. PG Brian
Organtini showed some spunk in the second half where he scored all seven of his
points. The Wolverines were just 2-for-24 in the first half, ouch! They finished an icy
10-for-51 (19.6%). K-K will graduate just two seniors, so we can hold out some hope that
they will put an end to their Southern Division woes at some point next year. I wish these
kids nothing but the best. Believe in yourselves and keep playing hard.
FEB.
14
CL SOUTH
Roman 70, West Catholic 61
The St.
Valentine’s Day Massacre, Bobby Jordan
style! The much-maligned, sr. CG tore through the Burr defense like the Tommy guns used by
a band of Al Capone henchmen tore through a
group of unsuspecting rival gang members on that infamous day some seventy-plus years ago.
A four-year varsity player, Jordan has been the recipient of some ribbing over his time as
a Cahillite, and tonight it was the Burrs who paid for it. On an assortment of shots,
Jordan nailed his first six attempts (1 trey) and went 5-for-6 from the line for 18 first
half points. He hit his only shot of the third quarter, making it seven straight before
his first miss early in the fourth. In the end, he struck for 24 points, on 8-for-11 from
the field and 7-for-8 precision at the charity stripe. At least four of his made shots
were tightly contested mid-range pull-ups. You could really tell that he was feeling it,
as each shot was taken more confidently than the last. In all honesty, even though it was
done against my beloved Burrs, I was happy for the youngster. Over the last month or so
Jordan has been ridiculed unmercifully by some students from other high schools on a high
school basketball website. In my opinion, many of the comments have been over the line and
uncalled for. Maybe he’ll build on this performance, which could greatly aid the
Cahillites and their postseason hopes. Roman (18-6, 8-4) led by eight at the intermission
and then hit their first five shots of the second half to build a 16-point advantage,
44-28. At this point they were a scalding 18-for-25 (72.0%) from the field. To the Burrs
credit they continued to fight and got back with eight, 52-44 at the end three. In the
fourth West hung tough and after a three-pointer by sr. F 6-4 Derrell Hand they got as close as 65-60 with
thirty-seconds left. However, they would draw no closer. The only other Cahillite to reach
double-figures was jr. 6-6 Mike Ringgold who
shot 6-for-7 from the field and added 14 points. He also contributed 4 rebounds, 4
assists, and 3 steals in a nice all-around game. Jr. PG Raymond “Doodles” Sims dropped some
lovely dimes and finished with eight in that category. He also managed 7 points and two
steals. He daggered the Burrs once when he drilled a foul-line extended jumper as the
third quarter expired. Usual sr. 6-4 workhorse Malik
Perry had trouble finding room and ended with just 6 points (3-for-5 FG’s) and 3
assists. Promising soph. 6-3 Bradley Wanamaker
scored 8 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and made 3 steals. Sr. WG Billy Lally didn’t see much time early, but
scored all 7 of his points in the fourth quarter. Included in this were a huge
top-of-the-key trey and a 4-for-4 showing from the line in the late going. Soph. WG Brian Wanamaker, Bradley’s twin brother,
displayed some active hands and provided a lift in the second quarter when the Cahillites
needed it. He chipped in with four each of points and rebounds, as well as two steals. For
the game, Roman shot a blistering 26-for-42 (61.9%). Despite the loss the Burrs (12-11,
5-7) had some refreshing moments on the offensive end, which is usually the end they
struggle with. They placed four players in double-figures. Leading the way was sr. WG Antonio Banks, who after a non-existent first half
scored all of his team-high 15 points in half number two. Showing a smooth mid-range game
he shot 5-for-7 (1 three) from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line. He also added 4
rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Sr. 6-2 F Joe
Askew was next in line with 13 points and he also supplied the play of night when he
caught a teammates’ missed shot and slammed it home with one hand. Very impressive!
He shot 5-for-7 from the field (1 trey) and grabbed 4 rebounds. Jr. WG Chris Mayo got off to a quick start as he scored
8 of his 11 points in the opening quarter. Twice, he smoothly kissed mid-range jumpers of
the window. He incurred is second personal foul early in the second quarter and soon after
found himself on the pine. He finished 5-for-8 from the field and also chipped in with 3
assists and 2 steals. Sr. F Maurice Denton
put forth a solid outing with 10 points (4-for-6 FG’s) and 9 rebounds. The Burrs for
the second straight game shot a nice percentage from the floor, going 24-for-46 (52.2%).
However, they committed far too many turnovers with 18. I’m not real sure I love
these weeknight home Roman games. For one, getting there I had to endure some nuisance
traffic. Secondly, it was one of the weaker crowds I have ever seen at Roman’s
historic gymnasium. The Cahillite student section, dubbed The Broad Street Bullies, appeared to be missing
more than a few members. And lastly, even though the game was competitive and exciting at
times, the atmosphere was severely hampered by all the empty seats. With the win Roman has
all but wrapped up the third spot in the CL South. Even with a loss the Burrs to have a
reasonably decent chance of securing the fourth spot if they can win versus Bonner and
Kennedy-Kenrick at home over the final weekend.
FEB. 13
CL SOUTH
Bonner 65, Kennedy-Kenrick 59
With the loss today the Wolverines (0-12, 3-19) have now lost 47 consecutive CL
Southern Division games. This ties the CL record held by Archbishop Wood since 1971. Their
last win came on Jan. 25, 2002 in a 52-42 decision over O’Hara. As for today, they
came oh-so-close to ending this dubious streak and led for a large chunk of the game. The
Friars (3-9, 11-12) led 2-0, and didn’t grab their next lead to the 5:26 mark of the
fourth quarter after sr. 6-8 F Derrick Graff
scored on a lay-up for 51-49 advantage. The Friars used a 14-4 spurt to seize command and
take a 60-53 lead. From this point K-K would not again threaten. The Wolverines came out
in a gimmick defense and used a triangle-and-two to try to contain Bonner’s
headliners, Graff and soph. 6-3 CG Jeff Jones.
For more than a half the defense worked, but when you use this type of defense other
players are bound to be open. Today, that player was Bonner’s sharp-shooting soph.
6-5 WG Tim Vanderslice (5 rebounds) who just
had oodles of fun hanging around the perimeter. To say that he had some serious operating
room in doing his damage would be an understatement. Rarely was a Wolverine is sniffing
distance as he launched, and launched some more. In the game he nailed 6-of-10 from beyond
the arc and 9-of-14 overall for a career-high 24 points. 'Slice, who usually starts, came
off the bench because it was senior day for the Friars. He did all of his scoring from the
second quarter on. He hit three straight treys in a two-minute span during Bonner’s
fourth quarter rally. As for Graff and Jones they combined to go just 2-of-9 from the
field for four points in the first half. However, by game’s end they each managed
modest numbers. Graff ended with 13 points (5-for-9 FG’s) and 4 blocks. He only
accumulated four rebounds, and for a player that had a considerable height advantage on
everyone else on the court this number needs to be better. It still appears that he comes
and goes as his confidence does. As for Jones he forced the issue early (0-for-5 in first
half) and settled for some long jumpers, but to his credit he did settle down and allowed
the game to come to him. I also appreciated his demeanor, for it would have been easy for
him to lose focus. However, this did not happen and in the end he turned what could have
been a disastrous outing into a respectable one. He finished with 12 points (All in second
half), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Jr. F Steve
Wheatley hustled and supplied some timely hoops. He finished with 8 points and 4
rebounds. Sr. PG Mike Heppler dealt 5 assists
before fouling out. Sr. G’s Jack Glacken
(3 assists) and Phil D’Ambrosio evenly
split eight rebounds. Bonner was a blistering 8-for-9 from the field in the fourth quarter
and from the second quarter on they showed a 22-of-36 marksmanship. Despite coming up on
the short end again the Wolverines were game throughout. They received quality
performances from several players. Jumping-jack jr. 6-3 F Scott Marston continues to catch me eye. Few get
off the floor as quick as this kid does. He has serious hops! Today, he scored 11 points
and snatched 15 rebounds. His perimeter game and ball-handling will need some polishing,
but you can’t help but like his persistence off the glass. Sr. WG Sean McDaid hit his first four treys before
missing on his fifth. He needs time and space to get his shot off, but when he does his
form is ideal. He ended with 15 points. He also did a commendable job of chasing Jones
everywhere he went. Sr. 6-3 F Tom Amenta added
10 points (2-for-5 on 3’s) and continues to show an improved perimeter game. After
seeing him again it’s obvious that his role is to hang around the arc, thus forgoing
any kind of inside production. Jr. CG Andrew
Schell (4 rebounds) scored 8 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Twice, he scored
on lovely, contested pull-up mid-range jumpers. Soph. PG Tim Bowman, who I found out before the game is the
first cousin of Allen Iverson, showed some
promise. He contributed 8 points and 5 assists. I would like to see him take his man off
the dribble a little more. He already has a strong body and I think he can be successful
with this in time. Gritty jr. F Zach Molyneaux
hustled for 4 rebounds and 2 steals. The Wolverines shot themselves in the foot with 21
turnovers. Of the ten players who saw action for K-K today eight are underclassmen.
They’ll have a chance to end their losing streak two more times this year with a home
game versus Roman and then at West to end the season. If they are unable to do so, then
the nucleus of their team returns next year to give it another shot. No matter what
happens I urge these kids to continue to play hard because not just the scoreboard
produces winners.
FEB. 11
CL SOUTH
West Catholic 57, O’Hara 52
The Burrs (12-10, 5-6) played almost flawlessly for 26 minutes and with a stifling
defensive effort saw their lead balloon to 45-30 early in the fourth quarter. Then,
seemingly out of nowhere, the Lions began to claw their way back. They scored ten
consecutive points to make it a 45-40 game with just over four minutes left. The Burrs
would score the next four points to push their lead to 49-40, and there was a sense that
control had been restored. However, the Lions (13-9, 4-7) were not finished and with the
Burrs leaking some serious oil jr. WG Anthony
Walters, who was brilliant in the fourth quarter, scored on a drive. This brought the
Lions to within 55-52 with 20 seconds remaining. After a timeout, jr. PG Chris Myers stole the Burr inbound pass and was
tied up causing a held-ball situation, the arrow favored the Lions. On the subsequent
possession the Lions almost immediately settled for a Walters’ left-wing trey that
caromed off into the waiting hands of West sr. F Maurice
Denton. After being fouled, Denton calmly sank two free throws to secure the victory.
The win gives the Burrs some serious leeway/momentum in the hunt for the last playoff spot
in the Southern Division. They are currently tied with Carroll in league play. Their
remaining schedules look like this: West (A-RC, H-MB, & H-KK), Carroll (A-NG, H-SJP,
& H-OH), and O’Hara who sits a game behind has these teams remaining (A-SJP,
H-NG, & A-AC). This was a total team effort for the Burrs as they placed four players
in double figures, and a fifth with nine points. Leading the way was sr. 6-4 F Derrell Hand who notched a double-double with 13
points and 10 rebounds. He also added 3 assists. Sr. F Joe Askew was next in line with 12 points (5-for-8
FG’s) before fouling out. He made a couple of lovely moves in the open floor. Once,
he nicely received a length-of-the-court pass from Hand, and all in one motion caught,
jumped, and stuffed. Jr. WG Chris Mayo for
three quarters might have played his best game as a Burr. He had a stellar defensive
effort on O’Hara’s sr. sniper Mark
Concannon (5 points, on just 3 shots). On top of that he hustled for 10 points (6-of-7
FT’s), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He ran out of fuel late which caused some
inopportune turnovers, but overall it was a solid performance. Denton was the fourth Burr
to reach double-digits with 10 points (4-for-7 FG’s). He also chipped in with 7
rebounds. Sr. WG Antonio Banks (4 rebounds)
scored 7 of his 9 points in the fourth quarter, including four consecutive freebies. He
has played well over the last few games, and this will certainly help the Burrs if he
continues to contribute. Sr. PG Anthony Lee (3
assists) scored just a point, and attempted just one shot, but he was he usual water bug
self on the defensive end by supplying constant pressure on Myers throughout. West, which
has struggled from the charity stripe throughout the year, hit 15 of its first 19
attempts. Then, they almost self-destructed by having a 2-for-8 stretch in the late-going
before Denton hit the last two. West was also guilty of 20 turnovers in the game, with
half of them coming in the final quarter. The Burrs shot 19-for-38 (50.0%) from the field
for the game. O’Hara scored more points (27) in the fourth quarter than they scored
in the first three quarters combined (25). Walters, the QB for the CL Red football champs
had just 2 points on free throws at the intermission. Then, he erupted for 17 second half
points, with 13 coming in the fourth quarter. He finished 6-of-12 (1 trey) from the field
and 6-of-8 from the line. He also added 3 rebounds and 2 steals. He is one of only a few
Lions who can create their own shot, and demonstrated this throughout their comeback bid.
Leading scorer jr. 6-3 F Pat Kirby did mange to
reach double-figures with 10 points, but struggled to get there. The Burrs, using a host
of players, did a great job of not allowing him to catch the ball where he likes. He went
just 3-for-9 from the field. He did
contribute 3 swats and 2 steals. Sr. 6-4 F Rich
Varrasse hustled for 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists. Myers (3 steals) showed lots
of spunk during the fourth quarter rally, but shot just 4-of-11 for 8 points. The Lions
were woeful from the line over the first three quarters (2-for-9), but they aided their
comeback greatly by connecting on 12-for-12 in the last quarter. This was the seventh
consecutive time the Burrs have bested the Lions. Head coach Bill Ludlow was extremely pleased with his squad
after the game. He went on to say, "Considering the circumstances, this was as big a
win as we have had in a while.” Ditto! Not much was expected from this team at the
beginning of the season. They had graduated nine seniors from a playoff team last year,
and only two players (Mayo & Hand) had any kind of varsity experience at season’s
start. There is still work to be done, but if this team can somehow reach the playoffs it
would be a wonderful story. Ludlow has had far more talented teams than this squad, but
this group works hard, and they’re all good kids. A playoff experience for this bunch
would be a nice reward for all involved.
FEB. 8
CL SOUTH
West Catholic 58, Kennedy-Kenrick 43
This was a must-win game for the Burrs and one had to think with the Wolverines
being winless things would be relatively easy for them. However, in the latter stages of
the third quarter the Burrs (11-10, 4-6) led by just four points, 34-30. Then, sparked by
the play of sr. F Joe Askew and sr. 6-4 F Derrell Hand the Burrs went on a 12-2 run to seize
control. Askew and Hand were a two-man show throughout combining for 39 of the 58 points.
Askew finished with 20 points (10-for-14, FG’s), 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. I’d
be willing to bet that every single one of his made baskets came from within two-feet of
the rim. Hand, who has struggled recently, had a nice all-around performance. He finished
with 19 points, on 6-of-9 shooting (1 trey) and 6-of-6 from the line. Not to go unnoticed
were the 8 rebounds, 6 assists (Many to Askew), and 2 steals he compiled. Few of the
Wolverines could match his physicality in the post. Jr. WG Chris Mayo came off the bench to add 9 points, 7
rebounds, and 2 assists. Sr. F Maurice Denton
and sr. PG Anthony Lee evenly split 6 steals.
The Burrs forced 19 Wolverine turnovers, with 14 coming off steals. K-K (3-17, 0-10) is
heading towards their third consecutive winless season in league play. Tonight, was their
45th consecutive CL South defeat. Still, first-year head coach Mike Fink has his team given effort. His roster is
littered with sophomores and juniors, so there is some hope of breaking this streak in the
near future. In this one the Wolverines placed nine players in the scoring column. Seven
of them scored between four and eight points. Jr. WG Andrew Schell led the Wolverines with eight.
However, he played a lot of minutes, but managed just three shots (2 makes, 1 trey). Jr.
6-3 F Scott Marston (5 pts., 6 rebs., 2
blocks, & 2 assists) has some serious spring in his stems. He only made one field
goal, but it was an eye-popper. After a third quarter steal near mid-court he frantically
raced in and threw down a wicked two-handed slam. Very impressive! This kid is long and
has plenty of athleticism; however he has very little, if no, ball skills. With some
improvement in this area the Wolverines could have a sleeper on their hands next year. The
other Wolverine with some experience is sr. 6-2 F Tom
Amenta. After an early three he was nonexistent. This left me perplexed. This kid has
played varsity ball since his sophomore year and I have always thought that he brought a
lot of grit and toughness to the table. In the past, he found a way to get himself into
the lane, where he would fight for rebounds and loose balls. I didn’t see this
tonight. Instead, he elected to stay on the perimeter, where nearly all of his shots came
from. First, it was good to see him expand his game; he did show a decent form with his
shooting. However, I would have liked seeing some of that bullying he demonstrated in his
sophomore and junior seasons. Being more than one-dimensional is the key here. Continue to
do the things you always have and mix in some of the newer perimeter stuff as well. I
always thought this kid had a chance to play at a D-3 level; doing both will help him get
there. Soph. CG Tim Bowman has a strong body
and pulled five rebounds, but was far too careless with the ball.
FEB. 4
CL SOUTH
SJ Prep 57, West Catholic 43
The Hawks (18-2, 8-1) ended the first half on 7-0 run that pushed their lead to
28-20 at the intermission. Leading the way was Prep headliner jr. 6-4 F Reggie Redding. He scored 15 of his game-high 25
points during the first half. It seemed like every time the Burrs had thoughts of there
being a game, he was there to answer. For the game he shot 10-for-14 (1 trey) from the
field and 4-of-5 at the line. He also pulled 11 rebounds and made three steals. Though not
overly athletic, this kid does a fabulous job of putting himself in great scoring position
time and time again. Tonight, he seemed to exhibit much of his craft in the low block.
Usually on high-low feeds from teammates. The Prep received solid production from every
one in their starting line-up. As a team they were 21-for-39 from the field (53.8%). They
assisted on 16 of their 21 made baskets, and walloped the Burrs on the glass 27-to-15. Sr.
WG Corey O’Rourke was his typical gritty
self and contributed 13 points (6-for-7 FT’s), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals.
A tireless worker, it is hard to find too many flaws in his game, at least in terms of
playing smart, defending, and hustling. He’s not the most talented basketball player,
but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better defender and harder worker in the CL.
Freshman 6-5 F Larry Loughery demonstrated some
niftiness around the basket and added 8 points (4-for-7 FG’s), 4 rebounds, 3 assists,
and 2 blocks. It will be interesting to watch this kid progress over the next few years.
Already blessed with a strong body, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit if he
bruises the opposition for years to come. Jr. WG Dave
Stefanski drained a couple of early threes and dealt four assists. Sr. PG Joe
Fox only connected once from the field, but it was a big trey that expended the
Hawks lead in the third quarter. He did add 4 assists. These Hawks can frustrate the
opposition in countless ways. Tonight, one of the more frustrating occurrences for Head
Coach Bill Ludlow and his crew was that the
Hawks only missed two freebies (10-of-12), but after both misses they were able to secure
the rebound and score rather quickly. Both came at inopportune times for West. With the
victory Head Coach Bill “Speedy” Morris
collected his 100th win while at the Prep. He has not yet completed his fourth season.
Wow!!! It is hard to imagine any other coach getting to 100 quicker than this. Well, it
was the same old story for the Burrs (10-10, 3-6), and that is no matter how hard they
play, or how ugly they make the game, one thing always remains the same. This team just
doesn’t have anyone who can consistently score the basketball. Tonight, just one Burr
reached double digits and that was reserve sr. WG Antonio
Banks with 10 points (4-for-5 from field). The nine other Burrs who scored had
anywhere from two-to-six points. Help, more production needed! Jr. WG Chris Mayo was the only Burr to do much in any
other of the stat departments. Despite missing a large chunk of the first half with a
couple of fouls he did manage 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. Amazingly, the leading
rebounder for the Burrs managed just three. A bright spot for West was that they turned
the ball over just 9 times. However, you need to see the ball go through the net
occasionally to have a chance to win. Despite all of the offensive miseries the Burrs
still have a decent shot at possibly securing that last playoff spot.