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Takin' a Mulligan Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Tom
Mulligan, a sophomore, is an Episcopal Academy football player
with an interest in writing and keeping things light. |
|
Takin' a Mulligan Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Tom
Mulligan, a sophomore, is an Episcopal Academy football player
with an interest in writing and keeping things light. |
FEB.
19
INTER-AC SHOWCASE FINAL
Episcopal 66, Germantown. Academy 58
The final game of
the year, and it was fitting that the opponent was GA, as the two previous meetings were
great ones. Oh, GA, always there, pretending
like you’re actually going to beat us. But
the third time wasn’t a charm, and the Patriot players ended up getting swept by the
Churchmen in what was supposed to be their year. Episcopal completed their Inter-Ac
schedule with an unblemished record that will continue through all of next year as well.
The
early minutes of the game were certainly a scare for EA, as GA got rolling quickly with
the help of senior Brian
Grimes. Grimes had 7 in
the quarter, adding to his game total of 25. No
Patriot scored half as many as Grimes, and he did not only put in work on the offensive
end, but also grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, 5 more than GA’s center Andrew Ott. Grimes also had a
team-high 3 steals. Talk about showing up to
play. Unfortunately, anything GA can do, EA
can do better. Give the Churchmen Brian
Grimes and they’ll give you Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington. Ellington outdid
Grimes on the offensive end, scoring 27, and matched him with 3 steals. He also had 8 boards. Henderson scored 25 points to go along with a
steal, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Yes, they’ll
both be back next year. Can’t say the
same for senior PG Dylan
Brown. Brown had another
solid showing in this one, and in the opening quarter he plucked one of his two steals and
nailed a three. Along with his 2 steals,
Brown finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
GA center Ott had 4 of his 12 in the first quarter, and the game was tight
when the first buzzer sounded, EA 14, GA 13.
In the
second, Ellington and Henderson showed off their aerial skills by both completing dunks. Ellington’s was a one-handed throw down in
transition and Henderson’s was a ferocious two-handed slam over 2 GA players. Episcopal big man Mike “Smoke ‘Em” Yocum added 4 of his 7
in the quarter. Throughout the game he
grabbed 9 rebounds. Grimes added 6 more in
the period, and each team scored 12, so EA held on to their small lead, 26-25.
At
halftime the GA kids found it necessary to make fun of an Episcopal student who recently
starred on a television show. This might have
worked had EA kids not agreed with everything they were saying. We understand, the show was a disgrace, and we’ll
be the first to tell you. When that didn’t
work, they went after The
Masked Man. Of course, nothing
was said to his face, as the shaggy-haired blonde kid who was leading the GA rooters
decided to keep his distance from across the Pavilion.
Good decision, tough guy. You
should also know that the only male who can rightfully wear his hair long and blonde is
Episcopal sophomore guard, Pat “’07 Pride” Kelly. Kelly didn’t
see any Inter-Ac action this year due to transfer rules, but he’ll tear up next year.
In
the third, Henderson and Ellington each had 6, while seniors Brown and Joe Rosati each had a bucket. Rosati fouled out in the fourth quarter, but it’s
what we all wanted. The best way for
hard-nosed kid like Joseph to leave the court for the final time is on a hard foul that
includes an elbow. I’m sure I speak for
all of Episcopal when I say I love you Joe. You and your tenacity will be missed. Senior football standout Brian “All State”
FitzPatrick also put in valuable
minutes in the game, most notably, his 3 steals. Grimes
was once again the leading scorer for the Pats, with 4.
Episcopal ended the quarter up four, 42-38.
Just
like their first meeting at SJU, the teams saved a lot for the fourth quarter. Henderson scored 9 in the quarter, and Ellington
scored 8, two of which coming off of what might have been the play of the game. At the other end FitzPatrick poked the ball out of
GA G Kyle Griffin’s hands towards
Henderson. Henderson launched a long pass to
Brown in between half court and the other three-point line.
In one motion, Brown caught, turned and threw the ball to a streaking
Ellington near the hoop for an easy 2. Grimes
continued to play hard, scoring 8 in the period, but GA ended up falling short, 66-58.
This
was it for the season, but it might not be a bad idea for Episcopal to start looking ahead
to next year, as they play a rigorous schedule that includes Oak Hill Academy. The Churchmen finished 25-3, and #1 in
Philadelphia. Hmm, interesting. Who said they would end up #1 in the city? Oh that’s
right, yours truly. Wait, why did I say that
would happen? Because The Prep was going to knock off Neumann in the last Catholic league
game of the season? Yes, I did. You can check the January 14th EA-GA article if you don’t
believe me. I’ll be back, in case you
were worrying.
Best Inter-Ac Student
Section: Episcopal
Fan of the year: Masked Man,
Episcopal.
Game of the Year: Episcopal Academy
vs. Germantown Academy. January 14, 2005. Saint Joseph’s University Fieldhouse.
Yes, I realize Episcopal just won 3
out of 3 awards. But by now everyone in the
Inter-Ac should be used to it. Ha ha.
FEB.
11
INTER-AC
Episcopal 63, Penn Charter 39
It was senior night at EA as the
Churchmen topped the Quakers by 24 in convincing fashion after the last game was only won
by 10. The seniors recognized before the
contest were Zac Arbitman, Dylan Brown, Brian FitzPatrick, Greg Isdaner, Dan Nealis,
Joe Rosati, and Craig Wallace. Both
student sections were into the game at the very beginning, with each one standing for the
tip, but it was Episcopal who went ahead early. Although
Penn Charter had a solid showing of fans, most were seated by the time PC coach Jim
Phillips called a time-out with 4:22 remaining in the quarter and the Churchmen up
12-3. The leading scorer for the Churchmen in
the quarter was senior PG Brown, who nailed two 3s and a lay-up, finishing the period with
his game total of 8. Junior standout Wayne
Ellington added 7 and Gerald Henderson had 4 along with a nasty block. As for the Quakers, senior Joe Rauchut hit
a 3 and sophomore sharpshooter Sammy Zeglinski had 2 of his eventual 11, but EA had
already begun to run away with it as the quarter ended 19-9.
The second quarter was all junior C Mike Yocum. Yocum had a block and 8 points, 2 of which came on
a two-handed slam that more than made up for his missed dunk the last time these two teams
met. Ellington had 2, Henderson, 4, and the
entire PC team combined for 5 points in the quarter as the scoreboard at the half read EA
33, Penn Charter 14.
The
Quakers amounted 10 points in the third quarter, with five from each Zeglinski brother. Zack Zeglinski, wearing a knee brace
because of the knee injury he endured in the summer, had a three and a lay-in, while Sam
had 2 buckets and a foul shot. Henderson and
Ellington each had 6 in the quarter, and Yocum had 5.
Senior Joe Rosati added a basket, and Episcopal led 52-24.
Penn Charter outscored the Churchmen in the final Quarter, but that really
didn’t matter, because we were still able to see Greg Isdaner take the floor - which
is always entertaining. The big man was
unable to score any, but did have a block.
Notes:
Saturday
night Episcopal headed to Trenton where they lost their third game of the season to
nationally ranked Montrose Christian Academy. Next
up for EA is the Inter-Ac tourney.
FEB.
8
INTER-AC
Episcopal 64, Haverford School 28
After pulling out a supposed
“squeaker” against Malvern the day earlier, the Churchmen clinched the Inter-Ac
title in convincing fashion. Episcopal came
out firing on all cylinders, especially juniors Gerald Henderson (16) and
Wayne Ellington (26). They had 14 of 18
Churchmen points in the opening quarter, along with a charge drawn from Henderson and a
block from Ellington. Gerald also threw down
a disgusting one-handed dunk, which even got some of those really cool Haverford kids to
give him credit with a little clapping (never come to our school again -- ha ha). Junior Mike Yocum had two blocks and 2
baskets and senior Joe Rosati added a steal. Haverford,
always leaving themselves room for improvement, scored just four points in the quarter.
In
the second period, PG Dylan Brown got on the scoreboard for EA with four of his
seven, and his back-up Tim Ivory knocked down a three. Yocum continued his block party by swatting three
more balls, and Ellington had ten, including his first dunk in quite some time. Henderson, although scoring just two in the
quarter, left his mark with another ferocious slam. Haverford
kicked it up a notch, scoring 6 total points in the quarter, and at halftime EA led 38-10.
The highlight of the third quarter occurred just off the court, at the EA student
section. A Haverford mother approached the EA
students due to the fact that one of us had supposedly muttered something disrespectful. I assure all of you, none of us would do anything
of the sort. No need to worry - she did speak
her mind, but she was not taken seriously. In
the quarter The Academy continued to dominate and Haverford continued to “do their
best” and the period ended 53-21.
In
the fourth the subs hit the floor for EA, most noticeably Greg Isdaner, the Big Man
who has been MIA as of late. Zac Arbitman had
a bucket and a steal and Craig Wallace hit a long three.
Notes: Next
Game: Friday 7:30 H Penn Charter. U Conn
coach Jim Calhoun stopped by for this one - he claimed the visit was “to meet
his favorite writer in person.” Haverford
needs to get it together -- 2-6 in the Inter-Ac, 5-18 overall. Football wasn’t much better. Episcopal owns you.
FEB. 4
INTER-AC
Episcopal 73, Chestnut Hill 33
This game was certainly the right one for the EA faculty to invite all of its class
of 2009 members. Episcopal absolutely
dominated every aspect of this one, as the game was never close. The Churchmen were never down and the only tie was
0-0, and that lasted for 3 seconds, seriously.
The
first quarter consisted of quality contributions from senior PG and co-captain Dylan
Brown. Brown had 8 points in the quarter
alone on two 3s and two foul shots, and he also added a steal. Center Mike Yocum had 4 and a block, and
co-captain Joe Rosati added a score. CHA’s
junior G Julian McFadden had one of the Blue Devils’ three baskets in the
quarter. He is a very talented player, but
it’s extremely hard for him to shine because he is literally the only player that
teams have to worry about, so he’s constantly drawing the best defender. The period
ended 17-6, EA.
The
second quarter was more of the same from Episcopal. Brown
had a steal, drew a charge, and scored another bucket.
Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson lit CHA up for a combined
21 points in the quarter. Rosati was fouled
on a lay-up and converted the and-1. Yocum
swatted another ball, and senior football standout Brian FitzPatrick got himself 2
points. FitzPatrick later had an open shot,
but couldn’t convert because he rushed it a little (ha ha – I thought that was
clever). The most exciting part of the game
for CHA occurred in the second quarter. Sophomore
guard Mike “Jon Bon Jovi” Christiansen entered, sending the EA student
section into an uproar. Later in the period
he was fouled and made both shots, graced by the EA students’ singing of
“Livin’ on a Prayer.” Episcopal
led at half, 46-12.
In
the third, Episcopal held the Blue Devils to just two points. Meanwhile, Henderson had 5 and a steal. On the play of the game Ellington found Yocum
under the basket on a no-look pass. It was 57-14, EA, at the end of the quarter.
The
fourth quarter was a time for the bench players to get some time for EA. Junior Tim “Bring ‘Em Out” Ivory
knocked down a 3, and the rest was all “The Brothers Nealis.” Senior Dan Nealis had 7, including a bucket
off a pass from his younger brother, soph. C Mike Nealis. Mike added five points and a block. As for CHA, a few kids started scoring but
I’m only going to mention senior Scott Dziengelski.
He had 4 points, but he’s only in here because I’d like to thank him
for helping us get that city record of five defensive touchdowns in our first game of the
season. Much love, Scotty.
Notes: Next up: Tuesday 3:45 H
Haverford School, Friday 7:30 H Penn Charter. Episcopal
reached the 20-win mark tonight, 20-2.
FEB
2
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 67, Peddie School (NJ)
53
This wasn’t the greatest of
games when it comes to intensity. It was a
late afternoon start on a Wednesday so there wasn’t too much of a crowd. In a so-so first quarter the Churchmen were able
to blow open a huge lead, 16-4, but Peddie was able to fight back towards the end, as the
period ended in favor of EA, 22-13.
Peddie
continued to race back and with the help of 7 from both reserve PG Theo Johnson and
forward E.J. Kusnyer, it was a game again. The
teams were neck-and-neck throughout the quarter but in the closing minutes junior F Gerald
Henderson drove the lane and threw down a dunk that resembled the infamous one against
GA (1/14/05). The slam gave Episcopal a
spark and they closed out the period up four, 34-30.
The
third quarter was all Henderson and Wayne Ellington. They combined for 12 points, matching the
entire Peddie squad for the quarter. Senior G
Brian FitzPatrick showed off his wheels by picking of a pass in the quarter, and
also blocked a shot. No one else from EA
scored in the quarter, though, and Peddie still had some life going into the fourth with
the score 46-42.
The
Wayne and Gerald show continued in the fourth quarter and Episcopal was finally able to
run away with it. Other than two foul shots
from senior Joe Rosati, G and Wayne scored all of the fourth quarter points, 19,
including another nasty throw-down from Henderson.
Notes: Peddie head coach Chris
“WOAH!!” Potash really needs to work on controlling himself on the
sidelines. Also, #10 Shabazz “Earl
Boykins” Tariq attempted to mess with EA point guard Dylan Brown the
entire game, obviously not focusing on playing, as Brown showed him that he untouchable
compared to Tariq basketball-wise as he dished out a handful of assists, compared to
Tariq’s none. Finally, Peddie has the
best-looking manager in the world, that is all.
FEB.
1
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 53, Gtn. Academy 45
Early and
often. Episcopal’s junior standouts Wayne
Ellington and Gerald Henderson started scoring from the very beginning and
continued their reign throughout the game, combining for more points (47) than the entire
GA squad.
The
game started off in favor of GA. On EA’s
first possession Brian “Still Wearing My Blue Shoes” Grimes took a charge
and GA scored immediately, sending their weak student section into an uproar. But all of their nonsense came to an end by the
time the horn sounded. Henderson and
Ellington had combined for all of Episcopal’s 15 points in the quarter, but
that’s not to say that they were the only contributors. Big man Mike Yocum had his share on the
defensive end, blocking two shots and plucking himself a nice steal. Patriot center Andrew Ott led GA in the
quarter, scoring four of the team’s 10.
In the second quarter Henderson kept rolling, scoring 8 more. Ryan Ayers was the lead man for the Pats,
putting in 6 of their 10. Ellington put in
2, and Yocum, although missing two at the line, drew two charges in the period. GA’s soph G Kyle Griffin picked off an
inbounds pass at the end of the half and hit a lay-in at the buzzer. The score at the half was 25-20, in favor of the
Churchmen.
The
third quarter was some more of Mr. Ellington. Wayne
was on as he put 10 up on the scoreboard for EA. Henderson
and Yocum each added a bucket as well. For
GA, Grimes and Ayers did most of their damage in the quarter. They combined for 7 points and a steal; which was
child’s play compared to “G” and Wayne in this one. GA was able to make it closer, as the third ended
EA 39, GA 36.
In
the fourth quarter, the game began to show signs of the contest of two weeks earlier. On a pivotal possession, with GA threatening to
take the lead down just one, Yocum pulled through, drawing his third charge of the game. Senior Joe “Joey Hustle” Rosati
took another charge. EA extended its
lead in the latter part of the quarter and the subs were able to see the last 20 seconds
of the game.
This game allowed Episcopal to get a nice lead in Inter-Ac play, and once again
proved that they are the best team in the history of mankind.
Notes: Next game: Friday, Home, CHA, 7:30 – watch out.
Stat of the game: Episcopal shot 51% from the field compared to GA’s 35%
JAN
29
SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
Episcopal 57, Simon Gratz 48
From the very beginning of this
battle, the junior trio of game MVP Gerald Henderson, Wayne Ellington, and Mike Yocum showed
they were ready to play. The three combined
for all of Episcopal’s 13 first quarter points.
Henderson had 6 and a block, Ellington scored 3 with a steal, and Yocum
added 4 with 2 blocks. The bulldogs only put
7 on the scoreboard in the first period, and the shot of the day didn’t even count. With 3 seconds remaining, Gratz inbounded to
Senior G Jamar Bruce. He
unsuccessfully tried to free himself from his defender, and was forced to throw up an
off-balance runner from about 10 feet behind half court – which he sunk. Fortunately it was right after the buzzer.
The
second quarter was more of the same for EA, as Henderson had five and Ellington put in
four. Yocum matched Ellington on the
offensive end but also added a steal and a block. Senior
Joe Rosati added a bucket and drew a charge in the period. For Gratz, Senior F Ameer Ali and Junior G Malik
Alvin each had four, but EA held the lead going into the half, 28-19.
Besides
Yocum’s two blocks, the third was all Henderson and Ellington for Episcopal, and that
worked out fine. The two D-1 prospects
combined for 15 points. Ellington had two
nice plays in the quarter, an and-1 off a nice dish from Yocum, and another lay-in from
soph G Pat Kelly. Henderson
topped those two with the play of the day, his best dunk since GA on 1/14. He drove baseline and jumped from outside the
lane, then hung in the air with the ball raised above his head as he flew by crowded group
of Bulldogs under the hoop en route to a two-handed slam that sent fans from both sides to
their feet. The third ended 43-28, in favor
of the Churchmen.
Gratz
was not done, though. In the fourth they cut
the EA lead down to five thanks to 6 from Syheem Perkins, five from Bruce, and four
more from Alvin, Gratz’s game MVP. In
the end, the stellar play of the junior trio was too much and Episcopal pulled out another
solid victory.
Notes:
Next Game: Tuesday 6:30 vs. GA @ Arcadia, it is doubtful that this one will measure up
to these 2 teams’ last meeting, but it promises to be good. Hopefully the student sections will be better
than this one.
JAN
28
INTER-AC
Episcopal 57, Malvern 39
Well I have to write two reports and
Malvern just isn’t worth the time and effort that Gratz is so please excuse the
length of this write-up. Just kidding,
Friars, you know I’ve got nothing but love for you guys.
The
opening quarter of this contest consisted of strong play from each team’s big man. The Churchmen’s Mike Yocum had six in
the period, all three baskets being nasty baseline dunks that set the tone for Episcopal
for the rest of the game. Malvern’s Matt
Borgerson also played solid, matching Yocum with six points of his own. Point guard Mike Creighton and sophomore
Paul “Also Went to St. Denis” Ostick added the Friars’ other 3 points. EA’s co-captains helped their cause as Dylan
Brown had five in the quarter and Joe Rosati drew yet another charge, and the
Churchmen led 16-9.
The second quarter was Wayne Ellington’s time to “speak with his
game” in response to the hard foul he received the previous period when going in for
a layup. He had 9 of his 14 and a block. Malvern’s sophomore guard Phil Gosselin added
five, two of which coming after his own shot was pinned against the backboard and thrown
back at him by Gerald Henderson, who had four of his 19 in the quarter. At half, the scoreboard read EA, 33, Malvern, 19.
In the third Malvern cumulated just four points while Henderson had 9 and a block. After four more from Rosati and Ellington,
Episcopal led 50-23.
In
the fourth quarter Malvern was able to get some work done against Episcopal’s
reserves, which might be why they only lost by 18.
Notes:
Episcopal’s student section was a pretty quiet group, sitting the entire game. They can’t be blamed though, as this contest
was anything but entertaining. Those Malvern
boys on the other hand were standing the entire time, in awe of what a good basketball
team looks like. Nothing but love, guys,
nothin’ but love.
JAN.
21
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 68, Penn Charter 58
After ripping off a convincing, 30-point victory over Chestnut Hill Academy, the
Churchmen grabbed another W Friday night at Penn Charter.
Some would say that the Quakers played with more heart in this one, but that really
didn’t matter because they were no match for the more skilled EA players.
The
cover-boys of the most recent Philadelphia-area School Sports magazine, juniors Wayne
Ellington (13, block) and Gerald Henderson (17, block) got things started for
Episcopal in the first quarter. Ellington had
two 3s, and a ferocious putback off a miss in which he slammed his hands on the backboard
for emphasis. Henderson had 6 and block that
quieted Penn Charter’s student section for a little bit. This was a good thing
because along with the fact that their chants were horrible, the four kids that were
actually yelling could have been in an American Eagle commercial.
In between the first and second quarters, the Episcopal student section took notice
to the sign above the floor that read, “Ziggs is crunked.” We were all dumbfounded as to what that means, but
we later found out when sophomore Sam “J.J. Redick” Zeglinski (23) got
downright crunkalicious. He had 10 points in
the second quarter on 2 buckets and 2 3s. As
for the Churchmen, Dylan Brown had five, Mike Yocum had four, and at half we
led 35-24.
Flashback, 2:30 pm earlier in the day at Episcopal.
Senior Joe Rosati (10, block), a huge fan of Takin’ a Mulligan,
challenged me to a 3-game series of online pool, which was won by yours truly. I figured this was the reason for Rosati’s
8-point second half, which is a rare feat since most of his work goes unnoticed on the
defensive end of the court. When asked about
his offensive tear he responded, “That pool game was a heartbreaker, but I’m a
warrior, I had to answer back with a strong game tonight, and that’s exactly what I
did.” In the fourth quarter, Henderson
hit 7 of 8 foul shots, allowing EA to breathe easy and pull out the win.
Notes:
-
It’s exam week at Episcopal so
next game isn’t until Friday 7:30 H against Malvern.
-
Both student sections were horrible in
this one.
JAN. 14
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 52, Gtn. Academy 51
And if you don’t know, now you know. These words put together by the late Christopher
“Biggie Smalls” Wallace are a good response to the many questions circling
Friday night’s contest between The Episcopal Academy Churchmen and The Germantown
Academy Patriots at the Field House at Saint Joseph’s University. Are the superstars from each team really that
good? Yes, and Wayne “The Candy Man” Ellington and Gerald Henderson are
the two best players in the city, according to The Inquirer. Do the teams playing deserve their #2 and #3
rankings in the city? Yes, and after the Prep
beats Neumann-Gorretti this year at SJP in the last Catholic League game of the season,
Episcopal will be #1. Is the game itself really worth all the hype? Obviously.
The
teams saved the “good stuff” for the second half, but the first was not too
shabby. They were neck-and-neck throughout
the half, as it turned out to be pretty low scoring.
For the Churchmen, Ellington had four of his eventual 25 in the first
quarter along with a 3 from PG Dylan Brown who has been consistently knocking down
open shots all year. GA’s sophomore
guard Kyle Griffin had two of his four threes in the quarter, helping the Patriots
to keep pace with EA and the first ended 11-9, in favor of Episcopal.
In the second we were introduced to GA’s superstars, as Ryan Ayers dropped
in 4 of his 13, and Brian “Blue Shoes” Grimes had 4 of his eight. For the true Academy, Henderson and Ellington
each had 5; Brown hit another 3, and senior captain Joe Rosati had one of his two
baskets. Rosati, a great hustle player and a
relentless defender, took his game to another level by knocking down two clutch mid-range
jump shots in this one. But with the help of
another Griffin 3 and four from center Andrew Ott, the patriots were able to gain a
small lead heading into the half, 22-20.
In
the third, Ellington lit up the scoreboard, his team, and most importantly, the student
section. He had 12 in the quarter; scoring
two more than the entire GA team. Center Mike
Yocum added four of his eight, and the Churchmen had the momentum and the lead going
into the fourth with the score 39-32.
Ellngton continued his reign in the early fourth, scoring five. He was then a part of the fast break that ended
with what may be the best high school dunk the city has seen this year. Henderson caught the ball in transition at about
the foul line, took a jump step and flew in for the two-handed slam. The basket that he scored on was right in front of
the EA students, and the play sent them into chaotic craziness. GA then called a timeout with 5:12 remaining, with
the score 48-36 and all of the Episcopal faithful believing it was over – but it was
far from that. The Patriots came out and
quickly cut the lead down with plays that included a 3 from Ayers and another from Kirk
“Amanda” Jones. Their
full-court press also caused some problems for EA. GA
went on a 9-0 run, which brought them within three, 48-45, with 2:35 remaining. With 8 seconds left, Episcopal had put in two
more, and Jones had hit 3 of four free throws, and the Patriots were leading 51-50, their
first lead in quite some time. The GA
faithful were going crazy, and EA was anything but that.
But then again, we have Wayne Ellington, and they don’t. (If you’re one of the 3 people in the city
who hasn’t heard or read about the play…) Ellington got the ball, took it down
the floor, confidently drove on Ayers, and hit and off-balance lay-up while drawing the
foul with 3.2 remaining. The place exploded,
and you can check the “Special Photos” section to see what the students were
like immediately following the play – and no, I’m not just suggesting that
because I am specifically pointed out in the picture.
This may have been the best Philadelphia high school game this year, and
everyone should mark their calendars for February 1, when the two meet again at Arcadia
University.
Notes:
Saturday, the Churchmen went to North Jersey to play St. Joseph's, of Montvale.
Unfortunately, they came up two points short and were handed their second loss of the
season. This was an extremely questionable
scheduling move, 2 and a half hours away after the biggest game of the season thus far. Although I don’t believe in “good
losses,” this game can serve to keep the team in check after a huge win that could
have set them up for a heartbreaking league loss rather than this somewhat meaningless
one.
Next
two games: Tuesday, 3:45 @ CHA; Friday 7:30 @ Penn Charter
The
Episcopal Student section included most of the student body and completely dominated
GA’s, much thanks deserved to the anonymous Masked Man who rolled up
(literally) after having surgery just a week earlier.
Unfortunately, he will not reveal to us who he is, so I can not give him credit by
mentioning his name. Brian Westbrook was also
in the house, and as I finish this article the Eagles just got the W against the Vikings. Go Birds!
JAN.
8
INTER-AC TIPOFF TRIPLEHEADER
Episcopal 53, Haverford School 22
In a word, ridiculous. This contest
was pretty much the opposite of the previous double overtime thriller in which Malvern
topped Penn Charter. The sad thing is that
this game was far worse than the score shows – at one point, EA was up 53-9. Wayne Ellington got the Churchmen going in
the first with 9 of his 19 in the quarter and a block at the other end. Big man Mike Yocum also had two blocks in
the first period, and a lay-in from Dylan Brown, who was finding his teammates all
day for easy buckets and a few dunks. As for
the Fords, senior Rory Perner hit two threes in the opening quarter, but that was
it and the romp had began with the quarter ending 16-6.
In
the second Gerald Henderson came alive, drawing a charge and scoring 9 of his 15,
with 2 scores from Brown. One of his baskets
drew not only some amazed yells, but also some laughs.
As he was driving one play, he threw down a power dribble so hard that it
shot through his hands. For most people, this
would turn into a turnover or at least something negative.
But, he is Gerald Henderson and the opposing team was Haverford, so the ball
conveniently bounced off the backboard and he put it back for the lay-in. Junior Tim Ivory who had a lot of minutes
throughout the game drew a charge in the quarter, which he has been doing all year long. Senior Joe Rosati added a basket as EA
went into the half leading 31-8.
The
third quarter was all Episcopal. Literally. Haverford accumulated zero points while EA added
18. Yocum had 8 including two monstrous
two-handed slams and a block. By the third
quarter, the slaughtering had gotten old. It
ended 49-8.
The
reserves came in for EA in the fourth and showcased some solid ball. Ivory had a steal, soph. Mike Nealis put in
2 buckets, one of which came from senior Big Man Greg Isdaner. Senior Dan Nealis drew a charge. Haverford was able to break double digits and then
some in the fourth. Soph. Jim McConlogue scored
the Fords' first second half points with 4:21 left in the game, and then went on to add
five more, finishing with seven. Episcopal is
a basketball team with a solid future ahead of them.
Haverford should start rebuilding for next year now.
Notes:
Next game: Tuesday, 3:45 at Malvern – and then Friday, 7:30 at SJU vs. Germantown
Academy which should prove to be quite a game.
JAN.
5
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 59, Friends' Central 32
Although this game finished as a blowout, the first quarter showed no signs of
that. Friends’ Central played a gritty
3-2 zone defense, limiting the looks for Episcopal’s guards, but also enabling junior
C Mike Yocum to get some room. Yocum,
who finished with 11, had six in the quarter, along with a bucket from senior guard Dylan
Brown. For the Phoenix, guard Tyree
Brown hit two 3s, and the quarter ended with EA holding on 8-6.
The
second was also a slow one, but the churchmen were able to give themselves some breathing
room. Yocum added four more, and Gerald
Henderson put in a basket and a block, and senior Joe Rosati, who played
intense defense the entire time he was on the floor, had an impressive steal. Brown (FC) added 4 for the Phoenix, but Episcopal
was beginning to run away with it, and went into the half up 20-12.
Episcopal came alive in the third quarter, and the usual exciting play of Henderson
and Wayne Ellington was present. Ellington
scored six of his ten in the quarter, and Henderson scored eight of his twenty. Henderson’s last score of the quarter was an
explosive alley-oop from Ellington that got a handful of fans from both teams to rise to
their feet.
In the fourth, EA’s reserves saw some time, as the churchmen showcased 12 of
their players. In the beginning of the
quarter, Henderson added eight more, but the rest was strong play from the bench for both
squads. A noticeably good play was a no-look
pass from senior Zac Arbitman to soph Mike Nealis in transition for the
lay-in. As for the Phoenix, they were able to
do much more than they had the whole game, scoring 17 in the quarter, but it was much too
late and the Churchmen racked up their 11th win of the season.
Notes: Next game: 2:30 Saturday at Arcadia
University vs. The Haverford School. The
highly anticipated EA – Germantown Academy game on Friday, January 14th at 7:30 pm
has been moved from Episcopal to Saint Joe’s University; and the February 1st game
has been moved from GA to Arcadia University.
DEC.
28
ANOTHER LEVEL SPORTS/SCHOLASTIC PLAY-BY-PLAY HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Episcopal 83, Chester 68
All of the
fans that packed into Widener University’s Schwartz Athletic Center certainly got
what they had hoped for and more in this exciting contest.
This was EA’s first game since returning from Florida where they placed fifth
out of an outstanding group of sixteen teams in The City of Palms Classic. The night before, Chester had fallen to Germantown
Academy by just three.
The game started off with a bang for Episcopal, beginning with a 12-0 run in the
first, with much thanks belonging to the junior duo-turned-trio of G Wayne
Ellington, F Gerald Henderson, and C Mike Yocum. Ellington
and Henderson, who finished with 30 and 25 apiece, each had six in the quarter, while
Yocum added four and five rebounds. The run
and momentum probably would have continued had it not been for Noel “Ray
Allen” Wilmore. Wilmore shot
ridiculously, finishing with 32 on the night. In
the first quarter, he had four treys in a row. He
scored the Clipper’s first 19 points, and all 15 of their first quarter points. A late three by Dylan Brown gave the
Churchmen a small cushion going into the second, with the score 21-15.
In
the second, Wilmore continued to shoot well, scoring ten on four shots, but was outdone by
Ellington, who had 12 of the Churchmen’s 17 of the quarter. Shaiyl Reid scored the first non-Wilmore
points for Chester, and Darin Govens later added 3. Episcopal held their lead, and at half the
score was 38-30.
During
halftime, a friend and I were discussing the game, and I mentioned that although EA was
only up eight, they were playing so well that it seemed extremely unlikely for them to
falter in the second half. A mother of a girl
on Chester’s Cheerleading/Dance team (not really sure which) overheard and me and
said, “Aw naw, you don’t got to worry 'bout us, we always come right back in
(the) second half.” Apparently not. In the third, Episcopal’s transition game
came alive, and Henderson helped the cause by scoring nine in the quarter – two of
which being a ferocious put-back dunk off a miss, which cause the EA faithful to rise from
their seats – and one random “masked man” to do the “H-town
stomp” (Havertown stomp). Chester got
the same opportunity when 6-9 C Kenny Tribbett threw one down from the post. (Prior to this, I was unaware that Tribbett was
even in the building.) The Chester fans went
nuts, not only rising from their seats, but jumping around as well. Unfortunately for them, after all of the
shenanigans ended, the scoreboard read Episcopal 59, Chester 43 at the end of the third.
Tribbett
decided to play in the fourth, scoring seven, along with Wilmore’s seven and
Govens’s four. Still, Ellington and
Henderson proved to be too much for the Clippers, combining for 16 points, a block, and a
nasty dunk by Ellington from soph G Pat Kelly. The
Churchmen’s reserves came in, and notably strong Play from junior Tim Ivory was
showcased. Ivory knocked down a jumper and
drew a charge during his time on the floor.
Notes:
A somewhat overlooked necessity to Episcopal’s success is their point guard(s). Brown (7 pts, 6 assists) and Kelly (6 assists) are
key assets to the team. I would probably be
able to write an entire article on Brown but Ted already did (smile) - http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/high_school/10519304.htm
Also,
I’d like to take this time to congratulate Episcopal QB and basketball player Brian
“1,512” FitzPatrick on being All-State for football, and express my
disagreement that Greg “Better than Will Barker” Isdaner was not noted. Greg was cheated, and being the best lineman in
the Inter-Ac this year, it is crazy that another one would make first team without Greg
being mentioned at all.
DEC.
14
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 59, West Catholic 45
West
Catholic, a very solid team, came out ready to play from the very beginning of this one. With the help of Antonio Banks, who finished with 16, the Burrs
were able to get things rolling quite well, building a sizable first quarter lead. One of Banks’
three threes in the quarter was actually an attempted alley-oop pass, but luckily dropped
in. EA’s junior F Gerald Henderson got going in the first as well,
accumulating 9 points, four of which came on two great passes from junior guard Wayne Ellington. That helped the Churchmen claw
back, finishing the quarter down just 3, 18-15.
In the second, West Catholic was pretty quiet, scoring only seven, and one of the
baskets was a lay-in from senior football standout Derrell
Hand. Henderson continued to contribute,
along with Ellington and senior co-captain Joe
Rosati. Rosati had a nice bucket off of a
pass from Ellington, and later drew a charge. Episcopal
erased the lead and had created its own by the end of the quarter, going into the half
ahead, 31-27.
In
the third quarter, both teams played very well, but the half was all Henderson and
Ellington. In the second half, the two
combined for 23 points, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and an assortment of athletic plays in the
air. They are two very talented players, and
with the help of the rest of the team – strong senior leadership, great role players,
and good big men – Episcopal should be a very hard group for other teams to match up
with as the season progresses.
From
Dec. 16 to 23, the Churchmen will be in Florida for the City of Palms Classic, a
prestigious invitational tournament consisting of some of the best teams in the country. They face off against Reserve Christian first, a
team that has already played 21 games, averaging 95 points per contest. For more on the tournament, visit www.cityofpalmsclassic.com.
DEC.
11
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 61, Hill School 47
In EA’s last game, a decisive 20-point win over La Salle (full game report in
“Jack-in-the-box”), junior G Wayne
Ellington had been the man. In this one,
the spotlight was primarily on the other junior sensation, Gerald “Better than my Dad” Henderson. Henderson, who finished with 23, showcased an
array of shots, from fade-aways to leaners, and even a bank (yes, he called it). The
Churchmen started off well with a 7-0 run. In
the first, Henderson had 8 points and a block, while other key plays were a charge caused
by senior Dylan Brown and a nice bucket by
junior big man Mike Yocum in transition. The Hill eventually caught up, and finished the
quarter only down 8.
NOV. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal 65, Abington Friends 61
The pre-game
atmosphere before this contest was a pretty good example of the anxiousness felt among the
EA students in the days and weeks previous to the season.
The student section was filled with almost all of the male student body that
was not at a practice or athletic event, and even a few females were scattered amongst the
crowd. Random chants and screams were easily
heard from those student rooters during warm-ups, along with the clever declarations that
an opposing player resembled Shia “Louis
Stevens” LaBeouf and another, Alfonso
“Carlton Banks” Ribeiro. Surprisingly,
the game turned out to be much more entertaining than the pre-game antics.
Episcopal
started out quite nicely with 2 quick buckets from junior C Mike Yocum and senior co-captain Joe “Mr. Episcopal” Rosati. The smoothness of the first few minutes had the
fans feeling like the Churchmen were en route to a convincing victory. Unfortunately this was not the case and EA was
introduced to some common themes that would occur throughout the game: the solid play of
AFS’s Andrew Jones and the disgustingly
precise 3-point shooting of Matt Nun and Aaron Cohen.
AFS may have been able to gain a significant amount of momentum in the first
quarter had it not been for two exciting plays from Rosati and junior G/F Gerald Henderson.
Midway through the quarter, Abington had already erased EA’s lead and
was forming their own when the ball was stolen at half court, leading to a 3-on-1 break,
led by Nun. He led the break and delivered
good pass across the lane to a wide open teammate, but continued to run into Rosati,
causing the offensive foul. At the end of the
quarter, with AFS leading 15-8, Henderson calmly split two defenders and hit a leaning
15-footer at the buzzer to put some wind back in EA’s sails.
In
the second, the game became noticeably heated at one point. Jones blocked an attempted
lay-in and followed the rejection with an emphatic roar that led me to believe it was his
first-ever blocking of a shot in his life. I
thought that this surely couldn’t be true and looked to the AFS bench for
reassurance, for some sign of calmness that would convince me that young Andrew blocked
shots regularly, but they were all taking part in what seemed to be a choreographed rain
dance that involved them yelling and jumping around.
On the ensuing AFS possession, Yocum, not to be outdone, rejected an
attempted shot that rejuvenated the student section and the EA bench – but no rain
dance, as they are civilized human beings. Abington
ended up with the last laugh (2 actually), with a deep 3 from Nun, his second of the
quarter, and then another 3 from Cohen, which had to be from somewhere in the vicinity of
Canada. The players went into halftime with
AFS ahead 32-22.
The
play of the day came in the third quarter. An
EA shot rimmed out and floated into the air. Henderson
streaked down the lane and soared to the ball, then threw it down with one hand. The rest of the quarter was all Abington,
actually, all Jones. In the third alone,
Jones cumulated 12 points, another block, and caused numerous problems for Episcopal on
both sides of the ball. Towards the end of
the quarter, Wayne Ellington stripped the
ball at half court and headed for what seemed to be a behind-the-back, through-the-legs,
360, windmill “rimrocka,” but he was fouled and the fans were forced to settle
with an acrobatic lay-in and the and-1. With
EA finishing the quarter down nine, 51-42, the play gave them some life for the fourth.
Fourth Quarter. Enter: Soph G Pat Kelly. Kelly
had decent minutes previous to the fourth quarter but none were as valuable. He was the driving force in the Churchmen’s
11-0 run to start the quarter. The run
consisted of the following plays: Kelly basket, Yocum basket (from Kelly), Henderson
lay-in (Kelly), Ellington score (Kelly), and the granddaddy of them all, a 3 by Kelly to
give EA a two point lead, 53-51, their first since the early minutes of the game. The end of the contest proved to be exciting. With 0:36 on the clock, and EA leading 62-61,
senior co-captain and heralded defender Dylan Brown
was called for an extremely questionable foul; it seemed he had cleanly stripped the ball
from AFS’s Jason Love. This was EA’s 10th team foul and the big man
headed to the stripe for two – and missed both.
Yocum grabbed the rebound and on EA’s possession a pass was forced and
kicked by AFS. EA then inbounded to Ellington who was fouled and hit both - 64-61 EA, 0:16
remaining. Abington turned once again to
Cohen, but he could not deliver – his bomb fell way short and barely got a piece of
the net, causing an “air ball” chant from the students. Henderson was fouled with 0:05 remaining and made
1 of 2.
Extra: A pretty much unnoticed part of EA’s
victory was their bench (other than Kelly, of course).
Junior Tim “T.I.” Ivory
played stifling defense. Fan Favorite Greg
“Daner” Isdaner, a senior who is most famous for his work on the football
field, stepped up and put in some solid minutes on D to help guard Love.