Nest Notes
Basketball, 2011-12
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Mike DeMarchi, a 2011 graduate of Conwell-Egan High, had a few stints with the basketball and baseball teams at CEC and is now a freshman at Temple University, majoring in Sport&Rec Management. He can be reached at demarchi411@aol.com.
FEB. 15
CATHOLIC LEAGUE FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF
O’Hara 45, Conwell-Egan 44
  Athletic success is not always defined by the scoreboard, but to some such as the Courier Times' own Kevin Cooney, that’s exactly what it is. In an interview last weekend for CEC’s final home game, Cooney asked Egan Alum Joe McEwing (Now 3rd base coach for the Chicago White Sox), “How does it feel to come back to a program with such little athletic success and which has only won one playoff game?” Tonight the Eagles may have proven to Mr. Cooney it’s not all about the wins and losses because they played their hearts out. CEC SR. G/F Jamal Nwaniemeka (6-11 20 points) only needed 11 points to reach the 1,000 point scoring mark, and he definitely made it interesting, but let’s get started with the 1st. The first quarter was characterized by missed layups and somewhat sloppy play by both teams. When SR. F Dylan Pease (3-7 7 points) got Egan on the board with a strange leaning floater, the Egan student section erupted. This normally would not have been a big deal if this game had been taking place at Conwell-Egan, but this was at Cardinal O’Hara and the students of CEC came out in full force and was immense compared to the O’Hara fans. The Lions of Cardinal O’Hara took the lead into the 2nd leading 9-4, and they would continue to sort of score at will. The "sort of" is placed before score due to the fact that the Lions were missing layups and could have easily built their lead up. In the 1st half CEC just didn’t have their normal stingy defense that they always have as a cushion. As the second period came to a close, O’Hara JR. PG Mike Louden (4-11 10 points) converted a 3-point play the old fashioned way and we headed into half at 21-9 O’Hara. Nwaniemeka showed up right away for the Eagles as he hit 5 straight free throws to start the 3rd quarter, but those points were quickly erased by a Chris Duffin (4-8 10 points) basket and another 3-point play courtesy of Mike Louden. Nwaniemeka would surpass 1,000 points in this period with a put-back with 1:46 left to make the score 29-22. When the 4th began Egan was still down by seven and continued to trade baskets with the Lions until an injury to CEC JR. PG Ryan Pepito (1-3 2 points) occurred. Pepito received a cut to his left eye and would have to be taken out of the game. Then Nwaniemeka did his best Reggie Miller impression by making a quick layup, and then receiving the ball off of a steal and sprinting to the 3 point line to bury a trey. With the score now at 42-39, CEC SR. F Bobby McTague (2-4 6 points) stepped into a 3-ball and SWISH, the score was now locked at 42. Pepito, being the warrior he is, re-entered the game at this point to help his ball club any way possible. CEC was now in a full court press and the Lions managed to get the ball to JR. Sean Havink (3-10 6 points) and he had a chance at a wide open lay-up but walked as he heard the footsteps of the high-flying Nwaniemeka. Dylan Pease would then hit a floater for what was then thought to be the game winning basket. As O’Hara inbounded I thought to myself Havink or Louden is going to take this shot for the win, but Havink passed the ball off to SR. Pat Hagenbach (2-5 5 points) who would drill a buzzer-beater 3 for the win. Heartbreaker for the Eagles, but they had a great season and also Congratulations to the newest member of the 1,000 point club Jamal Nwaniemeka.

FEB. 12
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
La Salle 78, Conwell-Egan 63
  Coming into today’s last regular Catholic League game the CEC Eagles were fresh off of an emotional win against rival Archbishop Wood Friday night, and had the thoughts of one more home game for the first round of the playoffs. This was La Salle’s senior day, where five players were honored: Darnell Artis, P.J Acierno, Colin Buckley, Sean Dougherty and Matt Murphy. LaSalle had all five seniors start the game, and actually played most of the first without leading scorer JR. PG Amar Stukes (6-7 16 points) and JR. F Matt Rodden (5-11 12 points). This La Salle offense was very productive in 1st; crisp passing and sharp-shooting led the Explorers to an opening run of 11-2 with five coming from SR. Darnell Artis (4-6 11 points) and another six from SR. Sean Dougherty (2-2 8 points). Egan appeared flat in opening warm-ups and began to awaken towards the end of the first, finishing the period down 13-8. Stukes quickly got the La Salle offense going in the 2nd with a 3-point play off a quick slash to the basket. The heads-up play of the day came shortly after when CEC SR. F Dylan Pease (3-5 6 points) inbounded the ball off of La Salle JR. Steve Smith’s (5-7 14 points) back and made a layup. Smith, although embarrassed by the previous play, came down the floor and hit his third three of the quarter to help La Salle to a 37-26 lead at halftime. At halftime many people would have thought that CEC SR G/F Jamal Nwaniemeka (7-13 20 points) may have missed the bus to today’s game because only 4 points were next to his name on the stat sheet. But Nwaniemeka awoke in the 3rd quarter, giving the scouts from Coppin State and Rider something to look forward to. Once again the referees were far from perfect on the calls today missing a few 5 second calls against La Salle, and not to mention the lopsided team fouls of 11-3 in favor of the Explorers half way through the 3rd. The Explorers lead just seemed insurmountable today only trailing once at 2-0, and they headed into the 4th quarter with the comfortable lead of 19 points (59-40). La Salle at times had four different players on the floor that were taller than CEC’s entire lineup, and that advantage really played a role down the stretch as the bigs put an end to any hope of an Egan comeback. CEC SR. F Bobby McTague (5-8 14 points) was a bright spot for the Eagles at the end, he shot a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc and mixed in a put back layup to give him 11 in the quarter. Nwaniemeka also contributed 10 points in the 4th to pull himself within 11 points of the 1,000 point scoring mark which will most likely be accomplished in their first round playoff game. Leading scorer for the Eagles: Nwaniemeka with 20 and for the Explorers: Stukes with 16.

FEB. 10
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 60, Archbishop Wood 47
  Cross-County rivals, Senior Night, Possibly the last Catholic league game played on Wistar Road. This game could have been mistaken for a prize fight at Caesar’s Palace and the fans packed Egan’s gym one more time. Students, alumni, former players and coaches all gathered for one more battle against the Vikings of Archbishop Wood. After an emotional presentation of all the greats that had once touched the hardwood at CEC, Seniors: Jamal Nwaniemeka, Dylan Pease, Bob McTague, Derek Jonas, John Wasson and Devin McCarthy were honored for their efforts over the past four years and then we got the game underway. SR. G/F Jamal Nwaniemeka (8-14 21 points) walked towards halfcourt to take the tip against Wood soph. G Pat Smith (4-13 17 points) and the senior took the tip with ease. Unable to score on their first possession, CEC got some major help from their student section as they rattled Smith causing him to travel and give the ball right back. Nwaniemeka got the scoring going with a pull-up, but the opening lead was erased by a 3 point play by Wood SR. G Kyle Adkins. JR. G Mike Kelly (2-3 10 points) then scored eight points on three straight possessions, it may have been Senior Night but the junior was feeling it in the 1st quarter. At the end of one Wood was up 16-15 courtesy of two Pat Smith foul shots to close out the period. Soph. C Joe LoStracco (2-2 4 points) opened the second with two layups on back to back possessions, but would not contribute much past this point due to Egan’s SR. F Bob McTague (2-7 5 points). McTague worked the young sophomore, even though Lostracco has a few inches and some weight on McTague. He threw the Vikings' center around like a ragdoll. Nwaniemeka only shot twice in the first but quickly got going in the 2nd as he drained a three-ball. The Vikings' freshman G Cody Fitzpatrick (1-6 2 points) was the smallest man to touch the floor tonight, and you have to give him credit as he slashed through a couple defenders to make it 22-18. It is quite a sight to see the young guard stand next to LoStracco. Two consecutive treys from CEC JR. PG Ryan Pepito (6-11 18 points) pulled the Eagles ahead 24-22 going into half. With Nwaniemeka only scoring seven points in the 1st half, the Vikings were definitely lucky considering the deficit could be way worse than 2 points. Turnovers plagued Wood the whole evening, and were the exact way they got the 3rd quarter started via Pat Smith. Pepito scored the first 5 of 7 points and Nwaniemeka also looked to get his game going with a three. Then SR. F Dylan Pease (2-5 6 points) got his first field goal on a breakaway layup. The third ended with a 44-35 Egan lead. Pease made a three to start the 4th, and the entire gym erupted with cheers. Wood JR. F Shane Neher (6-9 13 points) seemed to be the only Viking that had any intensity. For most of the game the referees were pretty accurate and let the boys play, but we ran into a snag in the closing period as Wood freshman Eric Walsh (3 points) was getting away with murder and CEC was getting hit with touch fouls left and right. Nwaniemeka got his revenge as he stripped Walsh and slammed the ball through the rim with authority. Adkins showed his frustration down the stretch, as his young teammates continued to turn the ball over he found himself yelling at one. With a minute left the Egan student section let the visiting Viking know that they have lost with a variety of chants. Each senior was escorted out of the game with applause, but for Nwaniemeka he was surrounded by the chant “MVP” and I believe that most would agree with the fans. In a couple of years this Wood team is going to be a real hassle on a schedule but tonight Egan was clearly the better team. If the Eagle’s pull out a win on Sunday at LaSalle, they will get one more game at their own gym for the playoffs.

FEB. 3
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Archbishop Carroll 61, Conwell-Egan 53
  With a record of 3-6 in the league, Conwell-Egan came into tonight’s game hoping to beat their 3rd consecutive CL opponent while Archbishop Carroll was looking to add another win to their already impressive 7-2 record. CEC SR. Jamal Nwaniemeka (20 points) opened up tonight’s game in sort of an odd way with a rare air ball on a forced 3-pointer, but he would let those points go as he quickly recovered with a steal and a strong layup that resulted in a 3-pt play. After a Carroll basket, the Eagles of CEC went bombing with back to back threes, one from Nwaniemeka and the other from JR. Mike Kelly (11 points) who was shooting well but just did not seem to get the ball as much as he should’ve. CEC lost two starters, Dylan Pease (2 points) and Kelly, in the first because of foul trouble but luckily Carroll star G. Alec Stavetski (15 points) was also sidelined after a flop that gave him two fouls. CEC SR. Devin McCarthy may never get his name mentioned in the scorer’s book but tonight he made two excellent hustle plays on back to back possessions that put a halt to Carroll’s offense. At the end of one the score was locked in at 10-9 in favor of AC. Right from the get-go in the second, Mike Kelly drilled a pull-up for Egan. One unusual characteristic about tonight’s game was the forced shots of CL scoring leader Jamal Nwaniemeka. In case you have never seen the CEC star play before, he makes his living on elevating and shooting over defenders but tonight it was to an extreme of shooting over three defenders at a time. The referees certainly had no intention on bailing Nwaniemeka out with a foul call even though there was clear contact on about 2/3 of his misses. AC JR. Yosef Yacob (14 points) was 3-3 in the second with 7 points and continued to keep the Carroll fire burning. Going into half down 22-20 CEC was clearly frustrated and seemed rattled by the miniscule deficit. Without any scoring in the 1st half by Carroll’s Stavetski, he was bound to go off eventually and that happened immediately in the 3rd. First on a 3-ball and then off a steal Stavetski had himself 5 quick points, but Mike Kelly answered  back for CEC with a three of his own. Just as Egan began to appear sloppy Nwaniemeka cleaned it up with a 5 point spurt of his own to bring the score to 36-30. This was Alec Stavetski’s quarter though finishing the period with 13 of his 15 points nearly outscoring the entire CEC lineup (15 points). Coming into the forth down 45-35; turnovers continued to plague CEC but Bobby McTague (9 points) finally got a jumper to fall to break the Egan scoring drought. Nwaniemeka displayed his shot blocking ability throughout the entire game, but AC’s Francis Jackson received the worst of it, having multiple shots tossed around like a ragdoll by the CEC guard. With Carroll maintaining their lead, McTague really stepped it up for the Eagles as he hit a crucial three to bring his team within 4. Flopping is an art form in basketball and you can only truly tell if you’re good at it by the calls you get from the officials. AC head coach Paul Romanczuk must have had his guys practicing all week in preparation for this game because the refs were actually buying it. Another McTague trey brought the score to 53-50 and also made him 3-3 in the 4th behind the arc. But two Derrick Jones (14 points) free throws put Carroll back up by five only to be bested by an Nwaniemeka three that made things very interesting down the stretch. In the end the Eagle’s effort came too late as Carroll closed out the game on free throws. High scorer for CEC Nwaniemeka with 20 and for Carroll Alec Stavetski.

JAN. 30
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 51, Father Judge 46
  Coming into tonight’s game the Conwell-Egan Eagles were looking to improve to 3-6 in the league while Father Judge was hoping to avoid dropping below .500 in the Catholic league and this one did not disappoint. Two of the top three scorers in the CL were featured in this one, for CEC Jamal Nwaniemeka (18 points) and for FJ Steve Griffin (14 points). Nwaniemeka, like most games won the tip over FJ Jr. Malik Robinson (21 points) and the ball went right into the hands of CEC G. Mike Kelly (10 points), who drilled a trey to get us going right off the bat. Then right after a possession that resulted in no points for the Crusaders, Mike Kelly came right back at the defense with a beautiful reverse layup that would push the lead to 5-0. In games with rivalries as old as this one, it’s always a good idea to get ahead early for some comfort later on and man did the Eagles sure do that in the first period tonight. Right after Kelly’s reverse Nwaniemeka went on to hit three straight shots for the Eagles including two jump shots and a strong finish in the lane which resulted in a 3-point play after a free throw. Now with the lead at 12-0, it was unclear if Judge would be able to net one basket the whole 1st quarter. After another solid stand on defense, Mike Kelly would drill another three increasing the Eagle’s lead to 15-0 and increasing his point total for the quarter to 8. After a FJ timeout, the Crusaders finally managed to get some points on the board with a three from FJ G. Sean Hanna (3 points) with only 1:15 to spare in the first. After a 3 point play by Judges Malik Robinson, the quarter would come to a close with Egan leading 17-6. After the 1st, Steve Griffin had yet to put some points on the board for the Crusaders, and this was all thanks to none other than Mike Kelly. CEC is very stingy on defense as a whole but tonight this kid locked down the number 3 scorer in the league and was the centerpiece for the defense. The 2nd quarter opened with the FJ offense finally awakening but Sr. G/F. Dylan Pease (15 points) got Egan going by himself with 5 quick points on a three and nice drive to the bucket. The Defense had been playing very consistently for CEC coach Rick Sabol but crucial turnovers by his offense were fueling FJ, and even though they may have seemed unorganized and sloppy the Crusaders were able to capitalize on Egan’s mistakes. This point in the game would be where Steve Griffin would get most of his points, scoring nine in the period mostly due to the fact that the broken plays would separate him from Kelly and he’d have some daylight. Nipping at the heels of Egan, FJ would make a costly mistake heading into the half which was quite amusing to watch. While running the half-court offense Griffin passed the ball directly to a referee, immediately drawing the attention of the CEC student section. Going to the locker rooms, Egan lost their once double digit lead and were now only up 26-24, being outscored 18-9 in the quarter. CEC SR. F. Bob McTague (6 points) got the 2nd half going with a corner jumper, showing off his range a bit and proving that the big guys can hit from outside too. Now in the 3rd quarter, the rivalry between these two teams began to show quite vividly as Malik Robinson may have “accidentally” hit CEC G/F Dylan Pease in the face, but instead of retaliating with force Pease got the real revenge as he drained a 3 ball the very next possession. Robinson’s encounter with Pease was a smudge on a pretty good game tonight, where he kept his team in the game scoring 11 in the 3rd and even taking his team with a lead of 42-35 judge into the fourth. Now in the 4th, FJ would only score two buckets the entire quarter one by Robinson and one by Griffin. This was simply not enough as Nwaniemeka hit two treys accompanied by another one from Pease that brought the game within 1. With two minutes left FJ literally gave CEC the lead, and we're not talking about poor defense, lack of effort or by turnover but the Eagles would take the lead 47-46 on a goaltending call against Malik Robinson WHOOPS! This was the ball game folks, but Nwaniemeka would put a stamp on it for the Eagles with a thunderous dunk as time expired. High scorer for FJ was Robinson with 21 and for CEC Nwaniemeka with 18.

JAN. 23
CATHOLIC LEAGUE

Cardinal O’Hara 52, Conwell-Egan 45
  Tonight’s game featured two programs that were on a bit of a slide, with CEC on a 4 game skid and O’Hara on a 3 game losing streak of their own. Both schools had gotten their lone Catholic League wins against Monsignor Bonner and were looking to make it win number two this evening. No surprise here, folks. Egan G/F. Jamal Nwaniemeka (8-14, 23 points) got us going as he won the tip and then got the ball back and hit a jumper right inside of the key. O’Hara also scored on their first possession via PG Mike Louden (3-8, 10 points) on a drive to the bucket right through the CEC defense. CEC just didn’t seem their scrappy selves on the defensive end of the ball tonight. Egan PG Ryan Pepito (2-3, 4 points) picked the O’Hara defense apart with his nifty passes and controlled the court in first period of play along with the rest of the team just moving the ball around exceptionally. Nwaniemeka tends to have his number called for the majority of the game, but tonight F. Dylan Pease (4-10, 10 points) put up eight points in the first on two treys and a strong drive to the basket leading the Eagles into second with a lead of 15-5. O’Hara opened the second with a layup from C. Ed Allen (3-5, 12 points), but Egan scored right back when Nwaniemeka hit tough fade away from the corner. Struggling on offense O’Hara called a timeout at the five minute to try and stir up some points. Unfortunately for Ed Allen of O’Hara, the timeout just stirred up Nwaniemeka who absolutely swatted Allen’s shot so hard off the backboard it nearly reached half court. But Nwaniemeka wasn’t done yet as he took the ball downcourt and Allen fouled him on a 3-pt attempt. O’Hara G. Chris Duffin (1-4, 5 points) broke the scoring drought with a trey from the wing, but it really could not cut down the lead Nwaniemeka had built for Egan in the second dong whatever he pleased on drives where he took the ball through four defenders at a time. Score at Halftime indicated a possible Egan blowout when they were up 32-17. Pepito scored on the first possession on a nice leaner but O’Hara’s Pat Hagenbach (2-7, 6 points) hit a three right back to start chipping away at the CEC lead. Second opportunity baskets are the one thing that can turn a blowout for one team into a glimpse of hope for another, and boy oh boy did Egan give Cardinal O’Hara enough of them. Turnovers took points off the board for the Eagles the whole second half and when Ed Allen scored on a wide open layup CEC head coach Rick Sabol had seen enough and had to use a timeout as he was losing control of his ball club. CEC F. Bob McTague (3-9, 6 points) ended the O’Hara 12-4 run with a quick jumper in the lane to up the score to 38-31. Slowly but surely O’Hara was cutting Egan’s lead down and had taken it from 15 at half to 7 going into the fourth. Kareem Walker (2-2, 5 points) started O’Hara off in the 4th with a trey to make it 38-34 and with scoring difficulties for Egan the lead was in the sight for O’Hara. O’Hara G. Sean Havink (2-8, 7 points) may have shot awful from three point land up until he brought the margin within 1 (0-4) but he picked a good time to connect from distance. O’Hara claimed its first lead of the game with 4:00 left in the 4th. Nwaniemeka was a ghost in the second half, scoring only 5 points compared to his 18 in the first half, but Egan would fight to the last minute with a couple baskets by McTague and Pepito and rare left handed layup by Pease. In the end it just wasn’t enough, Egan just wasn’t the same team in the second half and got outscored 35-13. High scorer for Egan was Nwaniemeka with 23 and for O’Hara it was Ed Allen with 12.

JAN. 16
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Archbishop Ryan 50, Conwell-Egan 41
  Coming into tonight’s game, both CEC and Ryan were 1-2 in league play and looking to even their records out at .500. The Conwell-Egan student body was out in full force for this one, even accompanied by the CEC cheerleaders. Jamal Nwaniemeka (20 points) won the tip with ease, but unfortunately he had tipped it to the other team. The first quarter of this game can be best described by one word: Slow. The visiting Raiders of Archbishop Ryan showed good movement on offense as always but they were just unable to shake the nitty gritty defense of the Eagles. Just four minutes into the game CEC lost Dylan Pease (2 points), who had picked up two quick personals. Turnovers plagued the Eagles from the beginning, which would cost them precious possessions in a quarter where points were so scarce. It took a while but we began to put some numbers on the board when Ryan F Christian Rivera (6 points) scored on a layup. CEC made its way onto the scoreboard as the clock began to wind down in the first, Nwaniemeka drove the ball into four Ryan defenders and manage to make the floater. The defense in this quarter was spectacular by both teams, but if Egan had managed to take better care of the ball maybe the score wouldn’t have been 4-2 after one in favor of Ryan. Rivera got it going for Ryan in the second right away with a jumper from right inside the key. Dylan Pease returned to the floor for the Eagles in the second and tried to spark the offense with a leaner on his first offensive possession but the struggles from the field were going to continue (4-21 in the first half). CEC Coach Rick Sabol seemed to be utilizing the bench a little more tonight than usual in an attempt to kick start the offense but they only got the Ryan offense going which was highlighted by a superb post move from Nick Aughenbaugh (6 points) that left Egan sub Derek Jonas (3 points) right in his tracks. Bobby McTague kept the energy going for the Eagles on D by forcing a jump ball on a nice stuff which led to a rare CEC 1st half field goal. At Halftime Ryan was only ahead 16-9, which was a credit to the CEC defense because nothing was going well for the Eagles on offense. This was the worst half of the entire year for Egan whether it was the turnovers, the 3 Pease fouls, or Nwaniemeka's shooting 1-7; this all will just not cut it in the Catholic League. Coach Sabol prepared well for Ryan’s picks and rolls and their variety of screens designed by Bernie Rogers, but he seemed to have no answer for his team’s total lack of offense. Ryan G Tyler Reed (11 points) got the 2nd half underway in a hurry with two quick buckets and added to his stat line. Pease continued to hear his number called in the 3rd quarter, but not by his coach or announcer Rich Papirio but by the referees. Just 30 seconds into the half and he was back on the bench with 4 fouls. As the game went on the crowd (including myself), student section, and the Egan coaching staff began to notice that the referees were going pretty hard on the Eagles with what can be best described as “soft fouls”. Nwaniemeka, clearly frustrated, tossed the next shot he saw into the concession stand and it amazes how high he can get up there. As if things needed to get worse, PG Ryan Pepito (3 points) had to leave the floor in the 3rd with a leg injury. Hope came as the buzzer sounded in the period though when Ryan’s Kyle Slawter fouled Nwaniemeka on a 3 point attempt; he would convert two of the three to bring the score to 26-18 Archbishop Ryan. In a game that had been in a stall since the tip, both offenses had finally decided to wake up in the fourth. For CEC, drives to the basket that resulted in points through layups or fouls got the crowd involved down the stretch. The deficit was within 1 point after a HUGE 3 point play by Nwaniemeka and as quickly as the Eagles clawed back, the referees gave it away just as fast. This became out of hand when Ryan G Aughenbaugh was blocked by Nwaniemeka, the call was so bad because the only contact was on the ball there was not even the classic “body contact” to blame it on. Hats off to Jamal, though, because it did not bother him at all as he went on to dominate the 4th quarter, scoring 11 points in the period (more than the entire Egan team at half). Egan JR Mike Kelly (9 points) also hit two threes in the fourth to make a push for the win. After the last bad call, it would be assumed that Egan might catch a break but the referees missed a call on a drive by Nwaniemeka when his entire right arm was mugged by the Raiders. With 1:30 left Pease fouled out on a charging call which was questionable, and from there on Ryan would take it away to win the game 50-42. High scorer for Ryan was Bryan Okolo with 14 and Nwaniemeka led CEC with 20. Even with the “questionable” calls, this loss should be put on the Eagles' poor first half and the fact they shouldn’t have let the refs affect the score so much in the first place.

JAN. 6
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 64, Bonner 44
  With the afternoon news that both Conwell-Egan and Monsignor Bonner will close at the end of this school year, both teams were fired up and ready to go this evening. CEC students, alumni, faculty and fans were all on hand and the Eagles' Nest (CEC student section) had finally filled for the first time this season and they sure picked an awesome game to attend. As the game got under way both teams struggled shooting the ball. While Egan was having trouble converting their drives to the basket, Bonner was not doing much better while continuously settling for the 3-Ball and only making one of those seven shots behind the arc. The first quarter would end with a low score of 11-8 but the Eagles would have held a larger lead if Soph F IB Kamara did not get whistled for goaltending at the very end of the period bringing the Friars within three. The 2nd quarter got under way in a hurry with a Monsignor Bonner trey by SR. G Dan McLoone (14 pts.), but Egan JR. PG Ryan Pepito (9 pts.) answered right back with a 3 of his own from the left wing. After struggling in the 1st, the CEC offense finally got going, converting all of their field goals (8-8) and free-throws (2-2) in the second quarter. Highlight of the quarter goes to SR. G/F Jamal Nwaniemeka (36 pts.). Off of a steal Nwaniemeka almost jumped out of the gym to dunk the ball and that caused the Eagles' Nest to erupt. Going into Halftime Egan was up 32-15 and had no intentions to look back. Ending the half with 19 points, Nwaniemeka quickly went to work hitting two 3-pointers on the first two CEC possessions. The Bonner offense was not completely shut down by the Eagles' stellar defense, but they certainly did not help their cause with poor shot selection and only scoring off of CEC miscues. Along with Nwaniemeka, SR. F Dylan Pease (5 pts.) and SR. F Bob McTague (6 pts.) got involved with the scoring; included was McTague’s put-back layup to end the 3rd. By the end of the 3rd Nwaniemeka had netted himself 30 points, beginning to close in on the CEC scoring record of 42 points held by Ike Robinson. Scoring on 3 drives to the basket, Nwaniemeka was at 36 with five minutes left to play but exited the game with the Eagles holding a substantial lead over the visiting Friars. With some good shooting toward the end, Bonner managed to cut the Egan lead to 20 to end the game. With Bonner's best player, SR. SF Josh Hoho, still unable to play (school issue), the Friars tried their best but in the end it was just too much Nwaniemeka for them to handle. Leading scorer for the Friars was Dan McLoone with 14 and for the Eagles Nwaniemeka with 36.

DEC. 21

NON-LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 56, Princeton Day School 49
  Coming off of a 50 point loss to Catholic League powerhouse Neumann-Goretti, Conwell-Egan came into tonight’s game looking to bounce back against Princeton Day School to improve to 5-2. This was the first game back in the starting lineup for SR. big man Bob McTague (4 pts.) looking to give the Eagles a much needed post presence. Temple University Head Coach Fran Dunphy was present for this one, keeping an eye on Princeton Day School JR. Davon Reed (23 pts.). Reed is being recruited by a list of Division 1 schools including Temple and has already received 7 offers. Early on McTague wasted no time in getting his game going as he fired for three and even though that the shot rimmed out, McTague would head to the line for three charity shots. Converting only 2 of 3, it was still good to see McTague getting into the groove of things. Davon Reed was the key to Princeton Day’s strategy and kept control of the ball for the majority of the game. CEC co-captain SR. Jamal Nwaniemeka (13 pts.) struggled early on in this one only netting 4 points in the first period. No need to fear though as Dylan Pease (11 pts.), CEC’s other captain, fueled Egan’s offense in the first with a few slashes to the basket. After not receiving too many calls in last night’s game, the Eagles could not really catch a break in this one either resulting in a couple quick calls sending Pease to the bench. After the Pease exit, Nwaniemeka still could not get it going and in an attempt to take it strong to the hole he charged sending the ball the other way for PDS. The first quarter ended with a put back jam by Davon Reed making the game a tie at 13. The second period opened with a mid-range jumper by PDS G. #15 Jugo(4 pts.), followed by an Nwaniemeka turnover that results in a 3-pt bomb by who else but Davon Reed. CEC JR. Mike Kelly (15 pts.) got it going for the Eagles with a mid-range jumper off the bounce. Then Nwaniemeka was finally able to get a field goal to drop, hitting a 3 to bring the score to 21-18 with PDS up for the time being. PDS PG. #4 Cole (4 pts.) continues to carry the ball costing PDS precious possessions.  Two Dylan Pease free throws brought Egan within 1, PDS leading 23-22. Next Egan possession, Derek Jonas (2 pts.) pulled Egan ahead with a quick jumper from the wing. Princeton Day turned the ball over once again, but this time it led to a two hand slam courtesy of Nwaniemeka. Closing the second quarter Egan’s defense began to close in on their targets, absolutely swarming the panthers of Princeton Day School. As the buzzer sounds for the half, Egan had the upper hand leading 28-23. Mike Kelly got the eagles going right out of the gate in the 3rd with a mid-range shot, but this was quickly erased by a Davon Reed 3-pt play which led to 8-0 run for the panthers. With 3 fouls coming into the 3rd, Dylan Pease still took the ball to the basket slashing through multiple PDS defenders and finishing strong. This was short lived for the eagles because of a quick foul that sent him to the CEC bench. After a PDS basket, Mike Kelly took over and immediately put the ball on the floor getting to the basket effortlessly. With both teams playing strong, the 3rd  comes to a close with another tie of 39-39. This one was destined to come down to the wire and foul trouble was clearly a factor for CEC. Something just clicked for Nwaniemeka in the 4th as he hit a running floater and a couple emphatic rejections on the defensive end. But Davon Reed kept the PDS pulse alive with some strong defense of his own and a couple of dunks that shook the gym. The score was at a stand-still of 45-43, then CEC G. Mike Kelly broke the scoring skid with a good dribble drive and another pull-up jumper. With two minutes left, Dylan Pease finally fouled out and took an ovation as he walked to the Egan bench. One minute left and Egan ahead 49-45, PDS chose to foul but they may have picked the worst two options on the court in JR. PG Ryan Pepito (8 pts.) and Mike Kelly. As we reached the sound of the horn, Nwaniemeka stripped the ball away from Davon and threw it down with authority to put the last nail in the PDS coffin. Player of the game honors definitely go to CEC JR. Mike Kelly, who kept the Eagles' offense alive throughout the game. Hopefully this begins a trend for him and fellow Eagle Dylan Pease, allowing some of the load to be lifted off of Nwaniemeka.

DEC. 20

CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Neumann-Goretti 82, Conwell-Egan 36
  Tonight was the first Catholic League game for both Conwell-Egan and Neumann-Goretti. Coming into the game as a huge underdog, CEC was aware of what they were up against. Whether it was the back to back state championships, the depth of NG or just the array of highly sought after recruits; CEC had the odds stacked against them. For the first time all year Jamal Nwaniemeka (15 pts.) lost the tip, but NG was not able to convert for a basket. The Scoring began with a Hanif Sutton (5 pts.) three point play. Halfway through the first and the score was still a tie 8-8. Nwaniemeka scored all of the 8 for CEC. The game was then brought to a halt after a CEC layup by Brian Carr (4 pts.). Confusion between the referees, coaches and score keepers resulted in a technical for CEC. The referees gave the following explanation for the T: The Neumann-Goretti book did not contain Brian Carr’s name so CEC was penalized. The entire coaching staff for CEC was baffled to why this was their fault. Brian Carr did not allow this to affect him though as he got another bucket the next CEC possession. The score was still close nearing the end of the first 15-12, but due to a costly CEC turnover, Sutton scored on a layup to beat the buzzer. With the score still not insurmountable NG quickly got their offense going to begin the second but a couple jumpers from junior Mike Kelly (6 pts.) and another from Dylan Pease (2 pts.) kept the Eagles alive. The CEC defense also played a key role with a variety of tips and quality hustle plays. As halftime was drawing near, senior guard Billy Shank (12 pts.) helped NG pull ahead 37-22. The Eagles began to see the white light as the buzzer went off with a halftime score of 43-23. Opening the third quarter, the mismatch of the century occurred when jr CEC point guard Ryan Pepito (5 pts.), about 5’6, ended up covering jr NG big man John Davis (10 pts.) who has a good foot on Pepito. This play resulted in an easy layup for Davis. The halftime deficit of 20 had only increased by 9 as the game reached the four minute mark in the 3rd quarter, and then whatever kind of a game this may have been became completely transparent. The quarter concluded with a score of 68-30 as NG flaunted their pedigree. As the score began to get out of control, Coach Rick Sabol began to pull his starters in the beginning of the fourth. With another game against non-league opponent Princeton scheduled for tomorrow; Nwaniemeka, Pease, and Mike Kelly were taken out only leaving Pepito and John Wasson on the floor. After the lead pushed past 50 points with a score of 80-30, the CEC basketball team was completely gassed. The horn sounded for the last time and NG had won 82-36. Leading scorers for tonight’s game, for CEC Nwaniemeka with 15 and for NG Ja'Quan Newton with 13. The Eagles now hold the record of 4-2 overall and look to get back on track through their pesky defense and hard work.

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 45, Pope John Paul II 36
  After receiving their first loss of the season Thursday evening by one point to Council Rock South, the Conwell-Egan Eagles came into tonight’s game against the Pope John Paul II Panthers with a chip on their shoulders. Opening the ballgame Jamal Nwaniemeka (24 pts.) won the tip with ease to set up the CEC motion offense, but the possession did not result in a field goal. Stifling defense from the Eagles, as seen in their previous four games, put the Panthers to work on their opening possession but was not enough as #4 Cotellese (6 pts.) chucked up a successful three ball. Have no fear; Nwaniemeka quickly took the ball to the lane the very next play to hit a leaner in the face of two Panther defenders. Early on the Eagles were lacking in the post with Nwaniemeka doing most of the rebounding, but due to costly turnovers CEC pulled ahead on a Derek Jonas (2 pts.) jumper. As the first quarter was nearing a close, Egan held for the last shot and that led to a mid-range jumper by Bob McTague (4 pts.), providing momentum for the Eagles going into the second leading 14-5. Turnovers continued to plague the Panthers as the Eagles created havoc all over the court to open the second period. After eight minutes had run off the clock, the Panthers finally managed to score a bucket. Give credit to Egan’s defense, this was the first basket since the four minute mark in the first quarter! Relentless on the defensive side of the ball Dylan Pease (8 pts.) managed to strip the ball away and convert the steal for two on a fast break layup. After a small struggle on the offensive end the Eagles found the basket with a bank shot by junior PG. Ryan Pepito (6 pts.) and a three by Nwaniemeka. Once again the Eagles would get the last shot but this time it was Nwaniemeka to nail the three for his 19th point to make it a 29-15 ballgame. Pope John Paul opened the 3rd quarter with a three pointer from Cotellese that was from way outside. This may have helped his 3pt. percentage on the night (2-9), but did not cut that deep into the Conwell-Egan lead. After the shot, the Panthers switched into a defense that confused the majority of those present in the gym. Instead of pressuring the ball, the Panthers sat and watched Pepito dribble the ball for a good minute of game time as if they were deer in headlights. Pope John Paul II then went to pressure the ball heavily and the game became extremely physical very quickly and led to a chain of whistles from the referees. After trailing 29-15 in the first half the Panthers managed to pull the score to 36- 26, allowing only one Egan basket in the since the second quarter. Nwaniemeka once again had the ball in his hands for the last shot and once again another three pointer to end the quarter. Beginning the fourth was a scuffle for the ball which resulted in the loss of #4 Cotellese with an injury to his chin. The Pope John Paul II coaches were outraged there was no call and strongly believed the injury was not an accident, but it was just a good clean hustle play by the Eagles who really showed they wanted the victory bad. With Egan still playing stellar defense and the Panthers committing unneeded fouls, the whistles once again increased and the Pope John Paul fans became unruly and began to taunt the referees. This did not distract the Eagles in the least bit as they knocked down their foul shots at the end of the contest, and finished the game out with a 45-36 victory. Leading scorer for the Eagles was Nwaniemeka with 24 and #11 Mahoney for the Panthers with 10. The Eagles improve to 4-1and the next challenge for Conwell-Egan is the defending AAA State Champion Saints of Neumann-Goretti High School.

DEC. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 57, Lower Moreland 20
  Before the varsity could tip off, the Conwell-Egan JV team won by a reasonably large margin but the main story of this victory was that Coach Ryan Van Zelst, ’06 CEC grad and former All-Catholic selection, received his first victory in his coaching career.
  Now for the varsity. This was the first home game of the season for the Conwell-Egan Screaming Eagles. Before the game there was a moment of silence taken for the late Robert DiFlorio, former CEC head basketball coach who had actually coached current head coach Rick Sabol. On a lighter note Dick Wiseman, assistant varsity coach, was honored before the game for his contributions to coaching of over 40 years! Congrats, coach, everyone is appreciative for what you do. The Eagles started off the game strong against the visiting Lions of Lower Moreland, who compete in the BAL. Returning 2nd team All-Catholic G/F Jamal Nwaniemeka (25 pts.) opened the game with a dribble drive to the middle of the lane to sink a pull up jumper. With the loss of three starters last year CEC is looking to returning role players Dylan Pease, Michael Kelly (6 pts.), and Bob McTague (2pts) to step up along with Junior PG Ryan Pepito (9 pts.) and Nwaniemeka. Coming off of a knee injury, McTague was unavailable to start but seniors John Wasson (5pts.) and Derek Jonas seemed to fill in nicely to give CEC somewhat of a post presence against the smaller Lower Moreland team. As time was running down in the 1st quarter, Nwaniemeka connected on a three point bomb just steps over the half court line, and would give the Eagles some momentum heading into the second quarter. Running with the lead into the 2nd quarter the game began to go into stall until about four minutes remained in the half. On a breakaway, Nwaniemeka went up for a thunderous two hand SLAM DUNK. This kid is spring loaded and fully equipped with basketball skills to do some serious damage in the Catholic League. Lower Moreland simply did not have an answer for the Eagles' defense and had trouble the entire night producing on the offensive side of the ball. Once again as the clock was winding down, Nwaniemeka hit a difficult leaner to increase his point total in the half to 12 points. At the half CEC was up 22-10 and had everything going for them into the third quarter. The Eagles' defense had only allowed ten points in the first half but it is as if something kicked into overdrive in the third quarter. A couple of steals from senior Dylan Pease and another steal on a hustle play by Jamal Nwaniemeka that led to a Dylan Pease (4 pts.) layup. After he sat for the first half, Bob McTague was finally called upon, and he quickly made his presence known in the post with a put back off of an offensive rebound. This quarter showed the potential the Eagles can reach this season through their solid defense and mentality to push the ball. Starting the fourth quarter, Nwaniemeka was finally given a break to rest for tomorrow’s game against Council Rock South. Solid bench play was provided through JR Brian Carr (5pts), Soph IB Kamara (2 pts.), and even freshman Sean Kelly (1 point) (brother of JR starter Michael Kelly). Lower Moreland only managed one bucket in the final period of the game, ending with a final score of CEC 57- Lower Moreland 20. Finishing with a game high 25 points, Jamal Nwaniemeka helped Conwell Egan to improve to 3-0 on the season. High scorers for Lower Moreland were the Zoubroulis Brothers, Stefan and Demetri, each collecting six points.