Huck's Corner, Basketball 2012-13

Huck's Corner
Basketball, 2012-13

Ed "Huck" Palmer is a headliner among our trusty statmen/observers. He is not to be confused with Tom "Puck" McKenna. (Huck is normal. Puck is not even close). He will make reports on games he sees. You may contact him at TEDDYCAT10@aol.com.

FEB. 15
CATHOLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Carroll 69, Ryan 53
Better late than never, right? As in my hoops trail experience for this season. Tonight, marked my first game of the year on the TS.com trail. For assorted reasons, none being of the serious variety, I haven’t made my self available for any games this winter. And yes, that included my beloved Burrs of West Catholic. Oh well, everything happens for a reason and no one ever said this was a permanent decision. So, when Ted came calling this week for a little PCL playoff action, I wasted no more than a milla-second before jumping on the opportunity. You know the old adage. When the stakes are high, the stats become that more important. Smile! As for the game, the fifth-seeded Raiders traveled to fourth-seeded Carroll in this quarterfinal match-up. Less than two weeks ago these teams went tooth and nail up at Ryan in a game that needed OT to be settled. The Pats conquered that afternoon, 50-47. So, competitiveness and possible drama were on the table for this tilt. In the end, we had a mostly competitive game despite the 16-point margin at game’s end. But any signs of drama started to seep away at the outset of the third quarter, as Carroll seized control for good. The Raiders got off to a blistering start, as they methodically ran their offense to near perfection. The early catalyst was sr. CG Gage Galeone, who deposited a trio of treys to help his team build an early 14-6 advantage. Meanwhile, the Pats didn’t panic. They scored the last two points of of the first quarter and the first eight of the second to cap a 10-0 run that gave them a 16-14 lead. Carroll would never lose the lead again. A 20-9 second quarter paved the way to a 28-23 halftime lead. Carroll nailed 4-of-5 threes in that second stanza. Soph. CG Nick Jones (two), sr. PG Yosef Yacob (one), and jr. WG Joe Mostardi (one) did the honors from distance. Carroll came out to begin the second half running on all cylinders and eventually their lead swelled to 40-26 with 2:45 left in the quarter. A damaging 17-to-5 run over the second and third quarters really did the Raiders in. The closest Ryan would get from this point was within 8 points. A critical sequence and a nail-inserting-into-coffin moment came midway through the fourth quarter. Yacob was given just enough space from the deep left-wing and he calmly sank the three-point bomb for a 52-38 lead. Moments later off a Ryan miss, N. Jones converted a driving left-handed lay-up to inflate the lead to sixteen points. Ballgame! Ryan didn’t play terribly at all. They actually had ZERO turnovers in the opening half and finished with just six. But Carroll REALLY played well, especially after the intermission. For the game, Carroll shot 23-for-39 (59.0%). In the second half they were even better at 12-for-18 (66.7%). They converted a paltry 8-of-13 (61.5%) shots from the arc. Carroll basically used a six-man rotation until the final minute. Yacob, a Binghamton signee, was beyond efficient scoring his 18 points on just 5 attempted shots (3-for-4 on 3’s). He was 9-for-13 from the line, including a 7-for-9 showing in the final quarter. All three of triples were spread out and came at important times. His floor game was equally impressive as he collected game-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (7). Great outing, kid! I had the chance to see blossoming 6’6” soph F Derrick Jones last year and was very impressed with the youngster. Tonight was no different. If in two years this kid isn’t one of the more sought-after prospects in this area, then we’ll have some good ones lurking in SE PA. Even though there is still a hint of rawness, lack of ideal strength, etc. But man, is there so much to like in this kid. Now, he had a serious height/athleticism edge over most of Ryan’s players, but he briefly exhibited skill that undoubtedly would catch any recruiter’s eye. First, he calmly stepped into a straight-on three in the first quarter. It was the only jump shot he attempted in the game, but it was smooth, fluid, and found nothing but net in the end. Secondly, at the end of the third quarter he found himself isolated out top with the ball in his hands. As the clock wound down he took his man off the dribble and nicely laid the ball off the window as the buzzer sounded. Very impressive! Of course, he had some of his typical high-rising highlight type moments, too. Both came off the break and on passes from Yacob. Can you say crowd pleasing? Nearly every other basket came from in close. He finished 10-for-14 from the floor for a game-high 22 points, while adding 6 rebounds. Carroll’s third option is sophomore Nick Jones, who is similar to Yacob in his slight build and perimeter skill set. He finished with 13 points, on 5-for-8 shooting (3-for-5 on 3’s), and 4 assists & 3 rebounds. This kid has potential. Rounding out the starting line-up for the Pats were Mostardi (5 pts, 3 rebs) and 6’8” soph PF-C Ernest Aflakpui (5 pts, 4 rebs). Head Coach Paul Romanczuk received a spirited effort from sixth-man sr. CG Zafir Copeland, whose contributions in the second and third quarters went a long way in helping Carroll seize control. He finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Ryan was led by Galeone’s 19 points, on 7-for-10 shooting. He was 5-for-7 on triples. Leading scorer sr. WG Bryan Okolo didn’t really get on track until the final quarter where he scored 8 of his 14 points (5-for-13 FG’s). I was impressed with this kid, who has a strong body and some decent offensive instincts. He also added 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Jr. WG Brendan Horan added 9 points (4-for-7 FGs), while sr. WG Tyler Reed chipped in with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Carroll has now reached the PCL Semifinals for the fifth straight season. They will take on four-time defending champ Neumann-Goretti (Six titles in eight years) in the nightcap of Wednesday’s night semifinal DH. SJ Prep and Roman will tangle in the first game that night beginning at 7 o’clock. A pretty cool moment happened right off the tip and I was probably the only one aware of it. Why? Because no one else would have a reason to understand this. Ha ha. At the Burrdome my usual seats were at the far baseline of the gym. I used to say to Ted and good buddy Matt “Cauls” McCauley that I held the record for loose balls finding their way to me. Inevitably it would happen once or twice a game and we would all get a good laugh. Tonight, D. Jones easily won the tap towards the right of the scorer’s table. However, no one could retrieve the ball and it took one bounce and found yours truly sitting in the fourth row between the table and Carroll’s bench. Add another to my all-time total, please! Earlier in the day I was speaking to Ted about what he needed for this game. He told me if I wanted to bring someone along to help in the stat-keeping to do so. Damn! Teddy S. must think I’m rusty. Hardly! I’m still crazy at home and have probably kept stats of 30 Sixers’ games this year and a few games involving Temple/Villanova. Always have to hone craft when time presents itself. You never know when you might be called in to service. Ted’s going to love this report. I don’t do one all year and he’ll be getting 25-pager this morning. Ha ha ha......Hey, if you’re going to do something why not bring the passion?