Luke Sawick, BB 2007

FEB. 26
SEASON RECAP
On Feb. 18, Bishop McDevitt's boys' basketball season came to an end with a loss to North Catholic. The Royal Lancers finished the season without a win in the tough PCL. They had some close games over the course of the season with some non-league wins and made it to the championship in both tournaments they competed in. It was obviously a tough season for the Lancers; part of the cause for this rough season was the loss of 5 senior starters last season. Two of those starters were among the leading scorers in the PCL. Graduation of seniors hurts every team every year and it is something coaches obviously cannot do anything about, but another reason for McDevitt's demise this season was injury. Junior guard Pat Doyle was lost in December; he was a starter for this squad. Junior center James Williams broke his wrist halfway through the PCL schedule during practice; James was one of the leading scorers and rebounders for the Lancers. Dan Drennen, Williams’ second in line, came down with mono at about the same time Williams was hurt. After Drennen and Williams both got hurt, Coach Jack Rutter had to go with sophomore Aaron Walker at center. Walker filled in very nicely and by the end of the season it was very evident that he was becoming comfortable in the position he was shoved into. Near the end of the season Robert Patrick Boyle broke his ankle against Roman Catholic; R.P was another starter for McDevitt. McDevitt survived this season with only 1 senior Anthony DeTuro, Anthony was also injured, which took some playing time away from him. Obviously Coach Rutter did not have a team at full-strength for the main part of this season.
A bright spot for the McDevitt basketball season was the consistent effort from the very young roster. The returning juniors for the Lancers, along with some of the Sophomore talent and even some Freshman talent, could provide a deadly mixture to create a very talented squad next year. Matt Davis, junior PG, had a very successful season without any injury; he led the Lancers in assists and was a leader all season. Matt Shervin and RP Boyle rotated early in the season as starter and split time until Doyle went down. That was when Shervin stepped up and was a consistent impact player all season. As for the current Sophomore class other than Walker, who has already been mentioned, Courtney Havens-Dobbs played well in the time he received. Justin Schley and Linburg Green were also bright spots looking into the crystal ball. As for the Freshman class, there was a lot of talent and some size. The team was led by Drew Siegfried, who received some varsity time by the end of the season. McDevitt definitely has a lot to look forward to and should not dwell on this season. Even though they did make some progress, this season was obviously not the kind that any coach wants to have. The team and coaches have a lot of work to do. But as Mr. Rutter assured me at the very beginning of this season, “I’m in for the LONG HAUL.” So, I guess that this off-season will be very productive in producing a winning team for next season. Plans are already in the works for summer leagues and team camps to provide this team with every possibility of succeeding.
Overview:

Pre-season = success except for the disappointment of losing Doyle

Season = shady Spots we would all like to forget, including an altercation at the Dougherty game among fans, not students, that forced officials to suspend the game; a PCL season without a win and several injuries.

Bright Spots = very good play and some growth in maturity and knowledge of the game from the young players in the system; a couple of die-hard Lancer fans George Illingworth, Sean Hansberry and Chris Chillman (along with some La Salle kid), who came to the games with their voices rested and ready for “cheering," if that’s what they want to call it; Fr. Bill Chiriaco’s dedicated DJ and Commentary work; McDevitt's expanding cheerleader squad, led by Ms. Murphy, and a new scorers table for Stout to enjoy.

Bold thought = Next year I want to see this team improve drastically and I KNOW that the squad is capable of being successful with hard work and a lot of practice. Thus, I am predicting a playoff berth for the Lancers next season for the first time since 2000, when Wayne Bishop led the mighty Lancers to the post-season.

NOTE: That basketball team playoff berth will go nicely with the PCL championship that the McDevitt football team will have won next year. Bold Predictions? Yes, but we'll just have to wait another year to see if they are correct but they sure as hell are capable of being accomplished.

FEB. 5
NON-LEAGUE

Roman 85, McDevitt 42

McDevitt came into this game, after a heartbreaking loss to Conwell-Egan, with a bruised and depleted roster. The team still came in fired up to play one of the PCL powerhouses in Roman Catholic. But Roman supremely came in with 3 D-1 players in the starting 5. McDevitt did not play their only senior, Anthony DeTuro, because of a fractured finger. So Roman came in with no doubt that they could win this game and possibly start to get a run for the upcoming playoffs. So Roman came in and pushed around a small, quick McDevitt team that was playing two freshmen on the evening. Roman had no problem winning this game and even threw some dunks down to give the fans some ooos and ahhs. Coach Rutter thinks it was a good expeirience for his YOUNG team to play a top-ranked team to know what has to be done to be supremely successful in the always tough PCL.

The game was not only a loss on the scoreboard for McDevitt, but they also lost another starter and inspirational leader in Robert Patrick Boyle. The loss of RP just adds to the long list of injury woes McDevitt has encountered this season. Center James Williams is out for the year with a broken wrist; James was a starter. Pat Doyle was lost very early in the season with a shoulder ailment that plagued him most of the football season also; Pat was a starter and another leader for this team. Aaron Walker has been in and out of the hospital with an intense stomach virus. The sophomore was coming on very strong when this hit; he missed the last two games and is questionable for friday night against Ryan. Dan Drennen, the 6-5 center who missed the last 2 games, will also miss the next 2 . Dan is suffering from mono. Against Roman McDevitt displayed a lot of youthful talent. They played 2 freshmen and started 3 juniors and 2 sophomores. With the loss of Boyle, Friday night will be interesting because Rutter will be bringing up 2 more freshmen who will receive "prominent minutes". All week the morale at practice has been high and the kids are still giving everything they have to possibly capture their first win and possibly be a bracket-buster for those playoff teams remaining on their schedule.

Friday at Ryan

Sunday at La Salle should be a good game. I don't care what anyone says, this is like a Cowboy-Eagles game and both teams will come to play regardless of their records.

Friday vs Judge: Upset City is its real name Wyncote PA?????

Sunday vs North: Season finale against the "most talented team in the league." What a way to go out . . .

JAN. 26
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Wood 57, McDevitt 44
   Tonight round 2 McDevitt vs. Wood. Both teams with records that put them in the PCL basement. McDevitt is still yet to win a game and Wood has 2 wins with 1 against McDevitt and 1 they stole from Judge. But still both teams would need a miracle to make the playoffs this year, but that definitely will not keep these two squads from giving it all they got for a win.
   As for this night it began with McDevitt's All-Catholic Center Ryan Johnston running over Wood's All-Catholic lineman Adam Citko in JV action, maybe this is a sign of things to come for next football season??? And immediately following the JV game a part of a row collapsed in one of the bleachers and for a minute it sounded like there might have been another fight breaking out in the bleachers, but a few minutes, and a couple feet of caution tape later this game began with 2 squads with high hopes looking for a win. Wood came out and took advantage of McDevitt's missed shots and jumped out to a 19-8 lead after the 1st quarter. The one bright spot in that first quarter was soph. PF Aaron Walker, he was filling in at center for injured starter James Williams, but Walker had a nice first quarter with 4 rebounds and 4 points.
   Another quarter later it was still all Wood, but the hole McDevitt was in was dug by themselves. They were taking bad shots, a bad habit that has hurt them all season, and on top of the bad misses they had not established an inside presence besides with Walker who did not receive a lot of time in the 2nd quarter anyway. So Wood extended their lead and went into halftime with a big cushion.
   In the 3rd McDevitt started to make it close and 2 Walker rejections of Wood Center Fran Brzyski helped the Lancers gain some momentum but the Vikings quickly put down the rebellion and brought back up their lead.
   As for Walker he has been a bright-spot for McDevitt in the past couple of games. He emerged onto the scene against Archbishop Ryan and has produced ever since. With the recent injury to junior center James Williams, Walker's load has become heavier and tonight the sophomore who is becoming a sensation showed that he would be willing to bear this load. As for Williams he is out for the season with a broken wrist. This loss makes the Lancers even younger than they already are. They carry 1 senior, 5 juniors, and 2 sophomores who have proven themselves, Walker and Courtney Havens-Dobbs. McDevitt also has several other sophomores who have yet to receive significant varsity action but have showed promise at the JV level. The freshman class at McDevitt is also one of the most talented in recent years. This might not seem like much but with all this talent there has to be a mixture for success somehow in the future. McDevitt definitely has a strong crop of good basketball players, now it's time for the coaching staff at McDevitt to do their part in developing this young talent and keep them motivated for a cause of future success. Otherwise these young talented players will fall to the wayside without getting any attention and success, and that would be a shame because there is a lot of talent in this program. This talent may be young and raw but its still there.
   Sunday McDevitt will finish the final 3 minutes of the 1st Dougherty game, and that will be followed immediately by the 2nd matchup between these teams. The first game was delayed because of a altercation between spectators -- for full story scroll down. As for this night Walker finished with 13 points and 25 REBOUNDS now tell me that's not spectacular. Some comical commentating from the stands came from George Illingsworth, Sean Hansberry and Chris Chillman, a trio of McDevitt's most faithful. For Wood Eric Loughnane finished with 16 points and Dan Comas sank 10.
   NOTE: Previous 2 games were not filed because I had to study for and take Mid-Terms all this week so there is no real problem except of course little things called EXAMS.

JAN. 14
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
La Salle 55, McDevitt 42

McDevitt, coming off a loss Friday night in which it could produce very little offense, entered this PCL contest undersized. Still both squads came out fired up for a game that in past years has proven to be a classic.

Personally, I have been around this rivalry for years, even the game that Mike Hagarty sent the La Salle faithful home empty handed with a 8 foot jumper at the buzzer. This was possibly one of the best games I ever attended. I at the time was a La Salle fan because my cousins Christopher and Dennis Stanton led the La Salle squads in the late '90s and early '00s in the PCL. Dennis is now a professional basketball player overseas.

But all of that is in the report just because Sunday was Alumni Day at McDevitt, so there's a little history lesson.

As the game began emotions ran high for both squads, and La Salle jumped out to an early 7-2 lead on a couple of Clay Penecale 3's. McDevitt then made a charge led by 6 points from Soph. F Aaron Walker. Although the young sophomore made it close Penecales shooting put the Explorers up 13-12 after 1 quarter.

In the 2nd quarter the 3-balls continued to hurt the Lancers. La Salle extended their lead to 25-14 capitalizing on McDevitt's mistakes. Heading into halftime Matt Davis took an outlet pass coast-to-coast for a layup, and it put McDevitt within 10.

McDevitt started the 2nd half with a quick bucket but 5 straight points put the Explorers up, 36-23, with 4:30 left in the 3rd quarter. McDevitt continued to not allow La Saalle to pull away. At the end of the 3rd quarter La Salle held an 11 point lead.

To start the 4th James Williams hit a 3-pointer to put McDevitt within 8. Down the other end of the floor Williams took a charge to get the ball back for McDevitt. On McDevitt's possession Anthony DeTuro missed a layup and La Salle got the rebound, but they decided to throw some 'bows, knocking down Robert Patrick Boyle and turning it over with another charge call. La Salle's coach showed his dislike of the call and he was quickly issued a technical foul. Matt Davis went to the line and sank 2 free throws, and then inbounded the ball to DeTuro for a easy layup. This put McDevitt within 4 but that's as close as the young squad would get. La Salle ran away at the end to a 13-point win. Penecale finished with 14 points and point guard Mike Topley had 11. For McDevitt, DeTuro had 6 points, and Davis had 8.

For McDevitt, once again the deep-ball really hurt them all weekend, first against Ryan and then against La Salle. Also costly turnovers and poor shooting did not help their cause. So maybe this one didn't come down to a buzzer-beater for a win, but who knows, next time these teams meet it could be a whole different story.
NOTES:

1) There was another reporter on board for this game. He decided to get close to the REAL action, Fr. Bill Chiriaco's commentary.

JAN. 12
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Ryan 46, McDevitt 34

McDevitt came into yet another PCL game looking to rebound from a loss. They started out winning the tap and getting an easy basket. The first quarter flew by with Ryan jumping out to a 4 point lead on 4 3-pointers. Other than the deep balls McDevitt's defense played tough in the first quarter. In the 2nd McDevitt tied it up with 2 consecutive baskets, but Ryan jumped out again and put 5 straight up on the board. McDevitt hit another jump-shot but Ryan once again didn't let it affect them and put another 5 straight up. This sent Ryan into halftime up 22-14.

In the 2nd half both squads came out fired up but Ryan pushed their lead to 13 before James Williams sank a long jumper which looked like it might help turn things around for the Lancers, but Ryan quickly responded and took away any momentum that McDevitt had gained with Williams' basket. Ryan held their lead with great shooting from behind the arc. In the 4th quarter it was more of the same; McDevitt's defense would completely shut down anything inside the lane but Ryan just used their sharpshooters to score points. McDevitt also hurt themselves with poor shooting and being outrebounded on offense and defense. Ryan proved to be too much for Jack Rutter's Lancers in this one and walked out of the Wyncote with a 46-34 victory. For Ryan, Eric Dethloff and Andrew Rogers led the way with 12 each. James Williams ended up with 10 and teammate Robert Patrick Boyle had 7.

JAN. 8
CATHOLIC NORTH
Conwell Egan 63, McDevitt 44

I got there late because of baseball practice but when I got there with 3 minutes left in the quarter Egan was up 6-5. Both teams were looking to rebound from losses and came out fired up. After the first quarter Egan held a slight 15-10 advantage. It didn't take long for them to push that lead to 24-10, with the sharp-shooting of Ryan Fitch. McDevitt was getting open looks but not making their shots or rebounding the misses. Going into halftime Egan was up 12. After the half Egan came out fired up again and put up 10 straight points, taking advantage of missed shots and turnovers by the Lancers. This put the Eagles up 22 with 4 and 1/2 minutes left in the 3rd. A Matt Shervin free-throw didn't stop the Egan onslaught and the Eagles continued to dominate. The Eagles had this one well in hand so coach Jack Rutter got Linburg Green in there in the 3rd. Green made a steal and a layup but McDevitt was still down 27. The lead never shrunk and so with 2:47 left All-Catholic FB Center Ryan Johnston entered the game with a lone cheer from an All Catholic (and McDevitt record holder for all but 1 record) kicker-alum Sean Hughes. Ryan played tight defense and the man he was guarding did not score the entire time he was in.
NOTES:

1 Short report because my head was not really there after the score got a little out of hand and because the BCS championship.

2 Although it was not the best game the referees still seemed to show off their Bucks County pride a little bit, or maybe they just watched too many West Virginia football games and heard Steve Slaton was from CE. But who knows.

3 Leading scorers for Conwell Egan: Ryan Fitch 19, Dave Marcinowski 15, Steve McLeon 14. Leading scorer for McDevitt: Anthony Deturo 18.

JAN. 3
CATHOLIC NORTH
McDevitt at Dougherty . . . suspended with 3 1/2 minutes left

Okay, folks, strap in for a story you really wouldn't expect to hear about a PCL game, even after the Roman and N-G championship shocker last year. This altercation had nothing to do with the players, or evidently the game at all. The game was in the 4th quarter and was a regular hard-fought PCL battle. It had its share of contact and whatnot, but which games don't have that? Dougherty was leading with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the 4th quarter when there was a stoppage in play because a fight broke out in the stands. The fight was about 10-12 guys, who couldn't be identified by McDevitt fans, so I'm gonna say they were Dougherty fans (or at least observers), and some of them could have just been caught in the middle and trying to break it up. The melee came crashing down onto the court, with the help of a McDevitt parent. While all this happened, former police officer Jack Rutter, McDevitt's coach, quickly took all his players, varsity and JV, and the McDevitt fans that were sitting behind the bench, down to the locker room. Once the fight was broken up on the floor by school administrators, parents, teachers, etc., some of the men involved in the fight quickly left the gym. A Cardinal Dougherty faculty member informed me that the fight broke out when one man kicked another man's jacket under the bleachers. He also informed me that one of the men involved in the brawl was carrying a gun. This information is unconfirmed officially, but several first-hand witnesses concurred with the assertion. When I joined the McDevitt fans and players in the locker room, not too long after they got there, it was a little crazy but McDevitt's coaching staff did a very nice job in calming them down and keeping the commotion to a minimum. The players still had to stay focused because the game had not been declared over or suspended at that point. Although there was a slim deficit they would have to overcome, they all wanted to make the Cardinals battle in the last few minutes of the game. But the Lancers will have to live another day to fight that battle because the game was postponed and will be continued next time the teams meet. Coach Rutter said, "You hate to this kind of thing at a game when players are just here to entertain the fans. You hate to see fans cause this kind of disruption, especially for a high-school game. But I did think think that Dougherty handled this situation very nicely." He was very glad that no players got involved in any way, shape, fashion or form. **This article was compiled with the help of several people that were in attendance, including myself.**

JAN. 2
CATHOLIC NORTH
Archbishop Wood 52, Bishop McDevitt 40
Finally preseason was over both teams would finally get to play an opponent from their own league. This was the predicament that the teams were in and it had both of them fired up. McDevitt was coming off a tough loss in a tournament final, so tough that I couldn't even write about it. But still the young squad from Wyncote came in fired up and ready to take on the Vikings from Wood.

So, this one started out slow but it was as physical and emotional as any game these teams have played all season. Coach Jack Rutter wanted his team to control the pace of the game and keep their opponent in the 40's. His team came in undersized and outmatched but still competed with the Vikings.

The physical play of the 2 teams was not anything unusual for two CL teams such as these, but the referees started out stiff, calling everything with contact. They eventually loosened up and let the teams play basketball. McDevitt took the first quarter with tough defense and a lot of intensity. At the end of the first quarter it was 12-9 in favor of McDevitt.

McDevitt came out in the second looking to hold and push their lead, Sophomore sensation Courtney Havens-Dobbs missed a jump-shot which led to a Viking rebound and a Eric Loughnane jumper to bring his team within 1. McDevitt's lone senior, Anthony Deturo, quickly responded with a dish to James Williams for an easy layup. Wood then went on a run led by Loughnane and Fran Brzyski to put the Vikings up 24-14 at halftime. McDevitt needed to find a way to score points against the Vikings. The difference between them being able to score in the 1st and the inability to score in the 2nd was because the Vikings switched their defense from man to 2-3 zone with a lot of doubling the ball. This defense nearly eliminated the easy layup looks that the Lancers were getting.

Both teams came out in the 2nd half still pumped up, and McDevitt wanted badly to avenge for their 2 point 2nd quarter. They only trailed by 10, with the score still low and the game was being played at what seemed to be a pace the Lancers liked. But if McDevitt was going to make a run in this one, they would have to start scoring points to go along with their tight defense.

Once again McDevitt looked to their only senior to lead them in this one. Deturo started off the 3rd by sinking a pair of free--throws and forcing a turnover. But this quick start did not lead to a very succesful 3rd quarter, in terms of getting closer to Wood. But the momentum seemed that it might have been changing a little bit when Robert Patrick Boyle hit a long 3 at the buzzer to put McDevitt within 9.

For Wood Loughnane had 14 points and Brzyski had 13. McDevitt was lead by Dan Drennen with 10, and Boyle with 8.

In the 4th McDevitt gave it their best shot but Wood's experience helped put the very young Lancers away. The second game between these two teams promises to be a great one -- Jan. 26, a Friday night at Wood. Could be a great one, because both teams will have some league games under their belts. But McDevitt won't have the booming voice of Fr. Chiriaco to back them up.

DEC. 28
JENKINTOWN TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
McDevitt 60, Math, Civics and Science 49
This game had all the makings for a great game. The 2 teams playing came in and looked to have teams that matched up well in both size and speed. MC&S was coming off a huge game when they scored over 100 points, and McDevitt headed into this game with 2 consecutive double-digit wins. Before the game coach Jack Rutter told his player that the first 4 minutes would show what was to come in this game, and that if they did what they KNEW, they would have no problem. So, with two evenly matched teams, both with a lot of momentum, this one began.

MC&S struck first with a 3-pointer, but McDevitt quickly matched it when junior Matt Davis sank a 3-ball from the corner. From then on the quarter moved very quickly with MC&S controlling the pace and making it much faster than McDevitt liked it. Four minutes into this game McDevitt was down 8-6, but was playing tight defense after letting up two quick 3's. During the next 3 minutes of the first quarter McDevitt seized the lead with an 8-0 run, led by Matt Shervin with 6. After another MC&S 3-pointer, James Williams took the ball with .10 seconds left and passed to a wide open Matt Davis for a reverse layup to put McDevitt up, 17-11, at the end of the first quarter.

With 5:00 left in the 2nd quarter the score was 21-18 McDevitt, which desperately had to find a way to stop the 3-pointers. Coach Rutter called a timeout to try and solve the problem, but after the timeout a McDevitt turnover led to yet another MC&S three. McDevitt then went on a 5-0 run and seemed to be running away with the game until Zaahir Smith hit another 3. This was their 6th 3-pointer of the half and it brought them within 2 points of the Lancers. Coach Rutter, looking for a solution to the problem, called for McDevitt to run a full-court press to try and baffle their opponent at least until halftime. This seemed to do the trick and it catapulted McDevitt to getting 3 steals and 4 points, thus sending them into the locker room at half-time with a 6 point lead.

At half Smith led MC&S with 11 points and 3 treys. For McDevitt, Matt Shervin had 11 points, Matt Davis had 7 points and 7 rebounds and James Williams had 6 points.

McDevitt opened the 2nd half with Matt Shervin sinking a 3 pointer over shouts of "NO NO NO" from coach Rutter. In the second half Math Civics and Sciences once again pushed the pace of the game much faster then McDevitt had seen in previous games, and it would be interesting to see the way they would handle this challenge. The pace seemed to be a small mountain to climb for the Lancers, who flat out dominated MC&S in every component of the game. James Williams led the Lancers in the 3rd with 6 points and 7 rebounds. After 3 quarters this game seemed to be all McDevitt, which held a 12-point lead.

In the 4th, McDevitt wanted to close out MC&S, but the Pub squad wasn't going down without a fight. They sank a quick 3-pointer. Davis and Williams answered on consecutive possessions when Davis dished to Williams twice for 2 easy layups. With 3 minutes left McDevitt held an 18 point lead. That lead would get smaller but never disappear and McDevitt overcame a couple rough last minutes and pull out the win, 60-49.

Matt Shervin led all scorers with 21 and some very clutch free-throws in the last couple minutes. James Williams had 17 points to go along with 17 rebounds. R.P Boyle was also in double digits with 10 points. For MC&S, Zaahir Smith had 20 points and Justin Nixon had 11. McDevitt out-rebounded Math Civics and Sciences, 42-16.

McDevitt will play at 7:15 at Jenkintown in the title game.

NOTE: McDevitt broke the 50-point barrier for only the second time this season. Maybe it was the presence of Ryan Cressman in the stands.

DEC. 20
NON-LEAGUE
McDevitt 45, Franklin Towne Charter 25

    Bishop McDevitt came into the game having won 2 in a row and 3 out of 4 games. They knew that this game against FTC would be their last chance to strut their stuff before a Christmas tournament and then the tough PCL schedule.
    This game started very slowly with McDevitt playing their classic offense, waiting for a good shot and swinging the ball until they got that shot. The first basket of the game came with 3:30 left in the first quarter when junior Matt Davis drove to the basket and made a layup. The rest of the 1st quarter was slow for McDevitt and sloppy for Franklin Towne. Dan Drennen had 5 points and 2 rebounds in the first quarter after Davis made that first basket. FTC finally got on the board with .55 seconds left in the first quarter. The quarter ended with McDevitt up 7-2.
   The second quarter began with McDevitt inbounding the ball to James Williams who made an easy lay-up. When FTC inbounded the ball, junior Matt Shervin stole the pass dished it to Williams for another easy basket. The full-court press defense from McDevitt continued to baffle the FTC offense throughout most of this game On McDevitt's next possession, Davis passed the ball cross-court to Shervin, who sank a 3-pointer to put the Lancers up 13. At that point FTC went on an 8-0 run. Chris Stein sank a 3 and a layup and Dan Patriarca drilled another 3. This made it a 14-11 game. The next McDevitt possession Linburg Green made a lay-up, putting McDevitt up 16-11. FTC immediately responded when Stein hit another 3. Going into halftime the Lancers held a tight 2 point lead.

   In the second half McDevitt came out of the locker room firing. A quick basket by Davis led to a Courtney Havens-Dobbs steal, drive, and dish to Davis for another easy basket. Once again the McDevitt defense did a number on the FTC offense, holding them to no points until there was 3:00 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. After Franklin Towne made a basket, Davis drilled back to back 3 pointers to end the 3rd quarter.
   Up to this point All-Catholic Center Ryan Johnston was a threatening presence from the Lancer bench, so when coach Jack Rutter signaled for the big man to hit the floor Ryan stumbled in with a roar of thunder, not only from his running but also from the crowd. Johnston lived up to the hype he created for himself on the bench. In the game Johnston had 2 HUGE steals which helped solidify McDevitt's constant 5-4-9 shut-down defense. With 2:28 left Johnston sank a basket which put Franklin Towne away and sent most of their faithful fans home. McDevitt went on to win in convincing fashion, 45-25. The voice of McDevitt Fr. Bill Chiriaco had another Dynamite performance behind the mic.
   Matt Shervin led all scorers with 14 poimts and Matt Davis wasn't far behind with 11. For FTC, Chris Stein led the way with 8. Ryan Johnston finshed 100% from the floor, with 2 steals 2 assists and 1 rebound.
   NOTE: Junior Pat Doyle will undergo shoulder surgery this week and will be out for the rest of the season.

DEC. 16
NON-LEAGUE
McDevitt 46, Friends Select 30
After a heartbreaking loss to West Catholic the previous evening, McDevitt came back strong by dismantling a young, well-coached Freinds Select team. FS Coach Sean Ryan was Mr. Jack Rutter's understudy for 6 years at McDevitt. The Lancers collaborated for this win showing off their ability and chemistry as a team. All 10 players contributed with their own special touch. Junior Matt Shervin broke out of his shell and started to display the amount of talent that he truly has, and will be necessary for the Lancers' PCL schedule. This game was a sign of things to come from the Lancers. It showed how not one player will lead the team every game, but all the players will contribute to earning the wins.

DEC. 15
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 49, McDevitt 46
Another PCL classic. Coach Jack Rutter came into the game planning to stop Eric Brennan, West's tall forward who lit it up the night before against Wood. They played a base 2-3 zone with Anthony Deturo spying on Brennan. This forced the rest of the Burrs to step up to beat the Lancers. Although they made several attempts, they could never put the Mighty Lancers away while still constantly holding a slim lead. James Williams led the offensive charge and took several charges along with the rest of the Lancers. They showed off their ability to be young and restless constantly being a pain in the neck for the Burrs. The Lancers made royal charge for the tie but junior Matt Davis failed to release the ball on time and the Burrs went home the victor. The game was very emotional and heart-breaking loss for the Lancers, but they are still young and have a lot of basketball ahead of them.

DEC. 13
NON-LEAGUE
McDevitt 36, Saul 30

McDevitt came into this game looking for an easy win but came out with a hard fought battle from Saul. The first quarter was all McDevitt; Courtney Dobbs led the way in the first with 6 points and 5 rebounds. McDevitt's lone senior, Anthony Deturo, added another 3 points in the 1st quarter. At the end of the first McDevitt led 13-5 and seemed to have a tight hold on the game. In the second quarter it was more McDevitt, this time with tight defense holding the opposition to 4 points. The Lancers had many strong possessions on offense but they only resulted in 7 points. Junior James Williams had 6 rebounds, helping McDevitt hold the ball. Going into halftime this game looked to be all McDevitt, maybe not on the scoreboard but the Lancers were physically dominating Saul, winning the rebound battle in the first half, 20-6. In the third quarter Saul came out looking to steal a win from McDevitt. The Lancers looked like they were up to the challenge by matching their intensity, but couldn't continue the dominance of the boards and Saul started to make a run going into the 4th quarter; at the end of the third it was 31-21. The fourth quarter began with Saul going on a 7-0 run and making the score 31-28. Deturo made 2 foul shots with 2:45 on the clock and it was now 33-28 in favor of McDevitt. This is when Saul's leading rebounder, Jonathan Medina, fouled out. On Saul's next possession, guard Preston Jones drove to the basket and made a layup through heavy defense. Robert Patrick Boyle led McDevitt to the win in the fourth quarter, making 3 of 4 free throws and having 3 big rebounds in the last 2 minutes. McDevitt ended up winning, 36-30, with Deturo leading the game in points with 10. Dobbs and junior Matt Davis ended with 6, and junior Matt Shervin had 4. For Saul, junior Xavier Williams led the way with 8 points and senior Preston Jones added 7. McDevitt coach Jack Rutter likes the youth and athleticism of his team and says, "I'm in for the long haul." McDevitt has 1 senior and is recovering this year from the loss of last year's seniors, but they should still be very competitive this season.