The Breen Scene, II
Basketball '07

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   Matt Breen is a senior at Archbishop Ryan and sports editor of the school newspaper. He hopes to attend Temple for journalism. If the name of his column looks familiar, you must have read the work of his brother, Paul, who covered Ryan hoops for this site in the 2004-05 school year.
   Please give Matt your support. Reach him at mattbreen2003@yahoo.com.

FEB. 24
CATHOLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
N. Catholic 53, Ryan 48
   Archbishop Ryan came up just short on Saturday afternoon as the season ended with a five-point loss to North Catholic. The first round playoff matchup was between the number 2 and 3 seeded teams and was the first of two CL North Playoff games at Ryan. Ryan jumped out to an early lead behind 3 three pointers by Jeff Sottnick in the first quarter. After the first quarter the Raiders were ahead by five points, 21-16. The second quarter found Ryan missing foul shots, especially the front ends of 1 and 1s. Foul shooting plagued both teams all day, but North’s height allowed them to out rebound Ryan on both the offensive and defensive glass. After trailing by 8 points at halftime, Ryan battled back to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter when Keith Czarny pumped Velton Jones out of his shoes for an easy bucket. Jones fired back with a basket of his own, putting North up 1. Then suddenly the momentum swayed greatly into Ryan’s favor as Eric Dethloff knocked down a three, followed by possibly the play of the game. Jeff Sottnick’s three point attempt was well off point, but there was 3rd team All-Catholic junior Chris Wilk, who caught the rebound while mid-air and in one motion laid it in. The Raiders now found themselves up 3 and with a frenzied crowd behind them. This made a great opportunity for Velton Jones, who had been heckled by the Ryan crowd all day, to take control. Jones went on to score the next six points, including two and-1s (one successful from the foul line). The Raiders were in possession of the ball with 58 seconds as Coach Rogers made the right decision to play it safe and settle for a two as 1st team All Catholic junior Andrew Rogers drove the lane and put Ryan within 1. Ryan’s next foul put them in the double penalty, as Jones was successful on both free throws. Now, with 23 seconds on the clock, Wilk was found wide open at the three point line, but his attempt to tie the game was just off. The rebound was a jump ball and Ryan was given possession with :08 seconds left and inbounding from under the basket where they were attempting to score. After aggressive defense from North, Jeff Sottnick couldn’t find an open Ryan player. Suddenly, Wilk appeared open near half court; the pass may have been a little bit too high as the inbound seconds were running out. Wilk leaped high for the pass, caught it, but fell on his way back down and the ref signaled traveling. The end was a bitter way to close out such a hard-played game by Ryan and especially in this season when they weren’t expected to do much. With the experience that the underclassmen received this year, and with two All-Catholic players returning next season, this team is destined for great things. Also, The Tribe was probably the best I’ve ever seen it. The student body was well organized in this one from turning their backs during North’s starting lineups to booing Velton Jones every time he touched the ball, and it was obvious he heard it.
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This was a fun year and I hoped everyone enjoyed the Breen Scene II. Thanks to everyone who read this, and to all the players for being helpful with it.
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FEB. 9
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Ryan 60, McDevitt 35

   Due to the school’s homecoming contest taking place in the audiotorium, I didn’t get into the south gymnasium until halfway through the second quarter. Ryan was leading the winless McDevitt, 18-15, and for a little bit it looked like senior guard Keith Czarny’s prediction of a “guaranteed win” was in jeopardy.
   Moments after arrival McDevitt took the lead, 19-18, behind an and1 by Courtney Havens (missed foul shot) and a jumper from just inside the foul line by Anthony DeTuro. But the McDevitt lead was short-lived as the Raiders ended the quarter leading by eight, 27-19, behind and1s by Eric Jann (missed foul shot), Chris Wilk (made foul shot), and Jeff Sottnick (missed foul shot). As Sottnick’s foul shot missed, the senior hustled for the rebound and put it up for a bucket, a four-point possession for Sottnick to end the half up eight.
   Nineteen seconds into the third quarter, Czarny stretched Ryan’s lead to double digits after an and1 of his own. Czarny’s missed foul shot was recovered by Ryan and was kicked out to Wilk, who gave Ryan a 5-point possession to open the second half with a three pointer. Following another bucket by Havens, Jeff Sottnick added another of his own and point guard Andrew Rogers connected on a three-pointer. Rogers then found Tim Kelly for his first 2 of the game and later Rogers drove the perimeter of the three-point line to head on with the rim for a layin. Before the end of the quarter, Kelly connected on two foul shots. That gave the Raiders a 25-7 lead after trailing by one midway through the first quarter.
   The fourth quarter was opened by another two points by Kelly and then a trail of three pointers by McDevitt’s Matt Shervin and Linburg Green and Ryan’s Eric Dethloff. Two plays in the quarter showed Ryan’s hustle: Tim Kelly’s grabbing of a loose ball that was an errant pass and then after a Roger’s missed shot, Jeff Sottnick grabbed the offensive board, missed the putback, grabbed his own offensive board and then hit the putback. Sottnick tied with Dethloff for a game leading 11 points. Kelly finished the quarter with four more points and ended the game with 10 points. The rest of the fourth quarter saw time for some bench players, including sophomore Jerry Smith, who connected on a massive swat. Ryan took care of business in this one and did what they were supposed to. Following Sunday’s game at home versus Conwell-Egan, they venture onto a huge weekend of games at Archbishop Wood and the season finale at Dougherty.

JAN. 26
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
N. Catholic 46, Ryan 43
   We rode the seesaw all night in this one, as leads changed hands quickly and big leads were never safe. For, the second straight game (loss 1/21 vs. CD), the Raiders let a huge win slip right out of their grips. The team battled back from 7 and 9 point North leads and even after going on a 12-0 run spanning two quarters the Raiders still came up short. This loss is Ryan’s third of the year, second to North and places them a game back of second place.

   With 2:47 left in the first quarter, and North ahead 8-0, Ryan head coach Bernie Rogers looked to his bench. Eric Dethloff and Tom Marshall came off the bench and by 2:43 second later the Raiders had chopped their way back, tying the game up at 8, behind threes from Keith Czarny and Dethloff and a quarter ending bucket by Andrew Rogers. Marshall launched up his first shot of the game, an air balled three pointer, by on North’s next possession the tall junior answered back with the first block of the game. These series of events game the Raiders a huge momentum bust, after looking dead in the water, the team’s shots were now finding the basket.
Rogers opened up the second quarter with another basket, embarking the Raiders to a 10-0 run. North’s Velton Jones and Ryan’s Chris Wilk went on to trade three pointers. Czarny threw up a beautiful reverse lay-up from within the trees to give Ryan a 15-13 lead. North tied up the game on an Andrew Pomager and1, he missed the foul shot (North was 4-10 from the line.) Velton then crossed up Dethloff and drove for a basket to give North the lead. North found themselves in foul trouble late in the quarter, allowing Rogers to connect on both ends of the 1 and 1. To close out the quarter, Velton took matters into his own hands once again, dishing out a no-look pass from atop the key to a driving Lenny Young for an easy layin. At the half North led 18-17, not too shabby for the Raiders being behind 8 points to start the game.
  The second half was opened up by a Young layup, followed by Ryan’s Jeff Sottnick and North’s R.J. Handy trading three pointers. After North’s Chris Edwards scored on a offensive putback, Sottnick was fouled and made both. Midway through the quarter Young drove to the lane, truck sticking a well-set Czarny on his way to the basket. Czarny wasn’t pleased with the no call, as the referees were suspect for the third straight game. Later in the quarter a well-set Czarny was once again nailed. The side ref went to call a charge, but as the baseline ref signaled a blocking foul, the side ref subsequently placed his hands behind his back, as if he never went to call the charge. Now that’s embarrassing. North then went on to lead the game by 7 points, but that changed very quickly. Wilk knocked down a jumped from around the foul line and North’s inbound pass was intercepted by Dethloff for an easy lay-up. With time slipping into the future, Rogers knocked down a buzzer-beating three pointer to tie the game.
  The Raiders continued their run, stretching it out to 12 unanswered points behind a Rogers and1 (missed foul shot) and an Eric Jann three pointer. Chris Edwards finally put North Catholic back on the board with a pair of free throws. Czarny then found a streaking Sottnick for a layin. Czarny later drove to the lane, was hammered on his attempt and then trampled by North players as he laid on the floor. Luckily, Chris Wilk recovered the offensive rebound connected on an offensive put back.
  Ryan’s last offensive points came on a successful Andrew Rogers and1, giving the Raiders an 8-point lead, more than midway through the fourth quarter. North went on to score eleven straight points en route to a 46-43 win.
  Next up for the Raiders is at Father Judge. The game won’t be as easy as their first meeting, but its nice to have a game like this fall after two tough home losses. It was nice to see The Tribe come out in huge numbers tonight. Hopefully, this will be the norm from here on out.

JAN. 19
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Ryan 44, Wood 29

   The Raiders outplayed Archbishop Wood from start to finish in this one and once again the scoring was well spread out. Junior guard Andrew Rogers’ 12 points led the Raiders. The 44-29 win moves the Raiders into sole possession of second place in the CL North (a half game behind undefeated Cardinal Dougherty).
   This game sure didn’t keep anyone on the edge of their seats, as it seemed Ryan had a comfortable all game. A three pointer by junior PG Andrew Rogers kicked off the scoring for the Raiders early in the first, who also hit another three in the quarter, this time from way downtown. Junior Eric Jann’s up an under nifty layup gave the Raiders an early five point lead and forced Wood to call their first timeout. Czarny grabbed an offensive rebound midway through the quarter and was absolutely hammered on the put-back; no call. The refs were questionable the entire game and from my convenient seat next to the Raider bench, coach Bernie Rogers was sure giving them the heat. Later in the quarter, Czarny battled back to knock down a three. All of a sudden Ryan found themselves up a comfy ten points at the end of the first.
   Joe Huebner opened up the scoring for Wood in the second quarter, knocking down a three of his own. Czarny led another Raider charge, once again grabbing the offensive board, but this time the refs called the foul and Keith was successful on both attempts from the charity stripe. The Raiders found themselves with the ball and time ticking away in the first half. The whole gym knew where it was going, it would of course stay in the hands of Rogers, who has attempted and connected on buzzer beaters earlier this year. But, all the eyes of the gym were wrong a smart pass from Rogers found the wide open (who else but) Keith Czarny for a buzzer-beater threeball. The gym erupted and the shot was huge as it gave the Raiders an 8-point lead, just as Wood began to creep back.
   In the third quarter, Chris Wilk and Rogers connected on three pointers and Jeff Sottnick laid one in. Senior Eric Dethloff got his name in the scoring book with a pair of quick threes. The sharpshooting gave the Raiders a 10-point lead going into the fourth.
   It’s probably the worst thing about basketball, when one team hopelessly fouls in order to get the ball back. With a large lead, this almost never works and for Wood it was no different. Rogers nailed both of his foul shots, and the defense's commitment to fouling opened up easy layup opportunities for Czarny and Sottnick. For the fifth straight game, the Raiders came away victorious. They haven’t won six straight games for as long as this website has existed. They’ll get their chance Sunday, at home, versus Cardinal Dougherty. This one should be a battle, not only will the winning streak be at stake but will be first place in the CL North.
  Breen Scene Player of the Game: Keith Czarny- The kid was all over the place tonight, pulling down 6 boards, and I’ll forgive him for snubbing the Breen Scene Post Game Show (catchy, isn’t it?). In the last five games he averaging a little over 10 points a game.

JAN. 5
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 47, Judge 24
  Archbishop Ryan made easy work of their neighborhood rival Father Judge on Friday night, winning by 23 points. The Raiders were without senior guard Eric Dethloff, due to illness, but fellow senior guard Keith Czarny came up huge with a game leading 15 (that’s what I counted) points, including a string of three 3 balls in under about 2 minutes, which gave the Raiders a comfortable lead.

   The game opened up with a Father Judge 3-point lead, after Junior Andrew Vose was fouled down low, made the basket and the and1. Vose went on to lead the Crusaders with 14 points. Junior point guard Andrew Rogers ended Judge’s early (and only) lead with Ryan’s first of many three pointers on the night. Vose was then sidelined for the rest of the quarter with what seemed to be an ankle injury, after Czarny pumped him out of his shoes. Replacing Vose was former Laker great Kurt Rambis; I mean senior Jason Mee.  With time running down in the first, Rogers kept the ball in his own hands, driving down the lane and getting fouled on the attempt. He connected on one of his foul shots, to give Ryan a 17-9 lead.
   It seemed that Judge was creeping back in the second half as they began running the halfcourt trap on defense and held Ryan scoreless until juniors Eric Jann and Tom Marshall both knocked down three pointers midway through the second quarter. Once again Mr. Momentum was on Ryan’s side and was there to stay. In a matter of a minute and a half senior forward Jeff Sottnick grabbed 2 rebounds, a block and then crossed up a Judge defender on his way to the basket. After a quick Judge outlet pass, Vose found himself on a fast break, but there was Rogers, who caught up to Vose and made an aggressive stab at the ball, resulting in what turned out to be a smart foul as the forward missed both foul shots. Rogers was again fouled driving to the lane with time winding down, but missed both free throws. But, Rogers would get his redemption. After senior Kevin Lynch threw an errant pass that almost landed into the Ryan student section, The Tribe, Rogers seized the opportunity.  Rogers delivered a crossover to Lynch and then drove softly to the lane for a buzzer beating lay-up.
   The second half turned into a snoozer, as most of Ryan’s points were scored on free throws. The pride of St. Martha’s, sophomore Ryan Langdon, entered the game late for Judge and made his mark when Chris Wilk saved a ball from going out of bounds and nailed it off of Langdon’s head to give Ryan possession. After Judge sophomore Tom Ryan blocked junior Mike Daniels’ lay up, Ryan nailed a buzzer-beater. The Judge student section erupted and then remembered they still lost by 23. Ryan took their home opener, 47-24.
   After a close loss on the road to North Catholic, which is projected to be the top team in the CL Red, this game served as a huge confidence lifter. The Raiders' offense looked great. It is slow at times, but that’s just the offense they run. Bernie Rogers has made his Princeton offense work without a true “big man” and without one dominant scorer. The only thing that may hamper the Raiders' offense will be if their shots don’t fall on a given night. But, that is unlikely to happen as almost the entire roster can shoot a decent outside shot and on Friday night we saw the great depth this team has.  It may have been the opponent, but this seems to be the most well-balanced, all-around team that Ryan has thrown out there since Chris Kozole’s CL runner up in Bernie’s first year as head coach. Honestly, I can’t find a weak spot on the team and this is without the play of Eric Dethloff, as it can only get better. But, I guess we should let the team play more than 1 game before I christen them as champions.