Time Out With Special Ed Return to TedSilary.com Home Page   Ed Morrone is a senior at Penn Charter with an interest in writing. He has asked to file reports for this website and since we take anyone with a pulse, he's part of the ballclub now! (smile) Ed covers Philly sports for PC's school paper, The Mirror.    You may contact Ed at nomarrulz335@hotmail.com.

FEB. 6
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 73, Haverford School 50
          I’m not going to say too much about this one because I’m going to leave soon to catch the Dougherty-Oak Hill game over in Trenton (make sure to check back on that one for a report as well), but there were a few things that stuck out in this triumph over Haverford.  You know what they say, “You’re not a good team until you prove you can win ugly”.   Do they say that?  Well, if they don’t, then I do.  I think the Quakers came into this one a little overconfident and maybe were expecting to blow the Fords of Haverford out of their own gym.  The final score looks like they achieved that goal, but not without a lot of struggle.
          The weather conditions were nasty outside, and the shooting from inside was not much better.  PC jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead and were up 18-5 with less than a minute to go in the quarter, so things actually weren’t going so bad.  But Tom Close (13 points, 5 boards) hit a three pointer from the left wing with less than 10 seconds to go in the quarter, and this definitely swung the momentum in the Fords favor.  PC started to take some bad shots and turned the ball over more than usual.  Things were so bad in the second quarter that even good shots the Quakers took were rimming out.  Close hit another 3 to make it 27-21, and then Jon Haldy (11 points) responded with another three to cut the Quakers lead to 29-24.  The Quakers got a timely 3 ball from Sammy Zeglinski (9 points, 5 steals, 3 boards), but the score was still too close for comfort going into halftime, with PC up 34-28.  Rob Kurz (7 for 17, 21 points, 8 rebounds) scored 10 in the half, but he shot only 3 for 9.  Sean Singletary (18 points, 6 steals, 5 boards, 3 dimes) had an even tougher time, going 2 for 10 before halftime.  Zack Zeglinski scored all 7 of his points before halftime, and it was evident that the Quakers needed to do something if they wanted to avoid a huge upset.  Haldy scored all 11 of his points before the half, and they survived a first half on a night when their star player had an off night too.  Pete Kathopoulis (8 points, 8 assists) scored 6 points and dished 6 assists in the first half, but he finished 3 for 12 in the game.  I guess it was just one of those nights for some players tonight.
          Thankfully for Charter, Haverford had an even more difficult time scoring the ball in the third quarter, and this allowed PC to gradually pull away.  Singletary caught his only real fire of the game in a brief spurt in the third where he scored 7 quick points to make it 43-31.  It was a difficult night for Sean.  He finished the night with a 5 for 19 performance, which is highly uncharacteristic for him.  However, to his credit, he kept on shooting and got a lot of good looks, they just wouldn’t fall for him.  I was sitting behind Haldy’s family, and they suggested that Sean was struggling so much because their son was playing such great defense on him.  I don’t know about all that, I just think it was one of those rare off nights for Sean, and he should get back on track this week with the last two regular season league games against Malvern and Episcopal.  The Quakers outscored Haverford 22-5 in the third and the bench played out the rest of the game.
          With this win, the Quakers clinched at least a tie for their second consecutive Inter-Ac Title.  If Malvern defeats GA today or PC beats either Malvern or Episcopal next week, the title is theirs.   As for the crowd, it was not very impressive, at least for a Friday night game.  Practically no PC students showed up for this one, and I don’t know if it was the rain outside or Haverford’s losing record that stopped them from coming, but I was a little disappointed.  However, four faithful Bleacher Bums showed up (sr. Mike Black and jr’s. Hunter “Hunt-Po” Maloumian, Jake Markovitz, & Dave Roithstein), and these guys should be commended for leading the PC section tonight, even though they did not make too many friends with the Haverford parents (smile).  Those guys and myself just had to do a little extra screaming tonight.
The “Gans” Spread of the night: 33…sorry Gans, you lost this one, and I think I’ll make this a recurring feature for the rest of the season to see how good Gans is (for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, refer back to 2/3’s PC-CHA report).
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Rob Kurz
Next Game: PC will play its makeup game at Malvern on Tuesday, but check back for a report on Dougherty-Oak Hill later tonight.

FEB. 3
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 94, Chestnut Hill 45
            This was a battle of the polar opposites in the Inter-Ac, and the team with the better record won easily.  Penn Charter came in to the game with a mighty 6-0 league record, while the Blue Devils of CHA were licking their wounds at 0-6.  PC had a sluggish first quarter start as they missed some early shots and saw CHA jump out to an 8-4 lead, but the Quakers soon got their acts together and finished the quarter strong behind the play of Gs Sean Singletary and Zack Zeglinski.  Sean and Zigs accounted for 18 of the 22 first quarter points, and Singletary was just getting started.  He ended the first with 11, which was highlighted by two treys toward the end of the period.   The show really began in the second quarter, though.  In a span of about 90 seconds, Singletary hit 4 straight three balls to knock CHA out of it.  It was like playing NBA Jam when you hit a few shots in a row and you get on fire and everything you throw up goes in.  Add it up and that’s 6 three pointers in the first half.   He might have had a chance to join Ted’s 8-trey Club but Coach Phillips only left him in for a few minutes in the second half.  Sean finished 7 for 11 (6 for 8 on treys), 25 points (23 in the first half), 3 boards, and 2 each of assists and steals.  As for Zeglinski, he was literally perfect.  He shot 7 for 7 overall (2 for 2 on treys) and also added 3 steals and 2 dimes.  Sam Zeglinski added 5 points and a season high 12 assists, including one on the best play of the game.  With 2:46 left in the second, Sam dribbled across halfcourt and lobbed a perfect alley oop to Rob Kurz (11P, 4R, 2S) that Rob finished with a thunderous slam.  This put PC up 46-20, and things stayed like this for the rest of the game.  CHA shot the ball well (44%), but only made 15 field goals.  The Blue Devils didn’t have any big performances, as their big scorers Julian McFadden and Chris McInerney scored only 7 points each.  On the flip side, the Quakers shot a torrid 56 % from the field (31 for 55) and were able to get back in the win column after Saturday’s nail biting loss against Dougherty.  As for the Inter-Ac as a whole, PC all but clinched its second straight league title (knock on wood).  Up 2 games with only 3 to go, a major collapse is the only thing that would prevent the Quakers from winning it.  There are still tough games left against Malvern and Episcopal, but after winning 19 league games in a row (over the past 2+ seasons) and playing like they have been over the past month, a collapse should be avoided.
            I’m going to keep this report relatively short since I’m also going to weigh in on the Prep-Roman game, but I have to say a few more things.  Earlier in the day during school, PC soph. sub R.J. Lyons said to me, “Yo Ed, you gotta cover the JV game today!”  I told R.J. I couldn’t because I was going to another game afterwards, but as it turns out, I didn’t have to watch the JV game.  R.J. went 2 for 4 (1 trey) from the field and 6 for 6 from the line en route to a season high 11 points.  If he plays with as much confidence as he did tonight, he could be a solid contributor on next year’s team.  The other very good sign I saw came from the team’s other R.J.  Jr. F R.J. Hollinshead played in his first game since injuring his right knee on Jan. 9 at GA.  He entered the game midway through the third, quickly recorded a block and finished with 2 points.   It was great to see R.J. back in the lineup.   Even though there are only a few games left on the schedule, R.J. should be ready to resume his job as starting catcher on PC’s baseball team when the season starts in March.
Ramblings:
-  The 49-point margin of victory was the highest so far this season, surpassing the 48-point win notched over GFS in December.
-   In attendance was Don the “Superfan”.  Don is known for his loyalty to GFS basketball, but he’s made it over to a bunch of PC games this year.  Let me tell you, this guy is INTENSE.  He was cheering PC on constantly for 32 minutes, and when I came back to kill some time at the JV game, he was still there rooting the team on.
-   According to PC jr. and Bleacher Bum Matt “Gans” Gannon, PC covered the “Gans Spread” in this game.  Apparently, the Gans spread was 40 points in this one, but it has been known to fluctuate.   If I’m not wrong, it was 30 in a game earlier this year.  Whatever the case, keep up the good work Gans. 
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Sean Singletary
Next Game: Friday night, 7:30PM @ Haverford

FEB. 3
CATHOLIC SOUTH
SJ Prep 74, Roman 59
            After missing the Dougherty-LaSalle game I intended to go to on Jan. 25, I finally got out to my first Catholic League game on Tuesday night.  After getting in without a ticket (I used my tedsilary.com reporting credentials to weasel my way in), I had to wait about 2 hours until the game started.  The time went by slowly, but I did get to meet fellow website reporters Huck and Colin “Curtin Call” Curtin, which was fun.  In the end, in front of a packed house at Philadelphia University, I suppose the game was worth it.  The leads never really got larger than 8-9 points until the end when the Prep converted free throws down the stretch.  However, even though the game was close throughout, the Prep never really lost control and were flowing out there.
            Prep sr. sniper John Griffin (a Bucknell signee) had a hot start, hitting his first 3 shots en route to 7 first quarter points.  He hit some clutch shots for them down the stretch and finished with a solid all around game: 6 for 14 (2/8 on treys), 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists.   Prep’s other star guard Chris Clark hit on 4 of his 11 attempts (3 for 8 behind the arc) and also converted 9 of 10 at the line en route to 20 points to lead both teams.  These two guys love to hoist the long ball (they did the same when they beat PC back in December), and both of them have such a sweet stroke that you have to be comfortable with most of the shots that they take.  However, it was two other Prep players that impressed me the most.  Soph. F Reggie Redding (17 points, 8 boards, 4 dimes, 2 swipes) always seems to have great all around performances.  He shook off an 0 for 6 start and played great the rest of the game.  He gives the Prep something to look forward to the next two seasons when they graduate the rest of their starting lineup in June.  The other guy that really impressed me was 6-4 F-C Mike Kearney.  He’s not as explosive as last year’s center Mark Zoller (although Kearney does sport a similar hairdo), but he gets the job done.  He played relentless defense (I hear that’s his trademark) and really kept Roman star Charron Fisher from ever becoming a factor.  He also scored 8 points and even showed some range on a few open mid-range jumpers.   I read in Ted’s DN story that Mike is a D-I track prospect and is considering schools such as Marist, Marquette, and Fordham.   These are all schools that I applied to, so maybe we’ll even end up being classmates next year (smile).  The other Prep starter, 5-9 sr. G Jared Black shot 3 for 5 (two treys) for 8 points and Corey O’Rourke added 7 off the bench.  As for Black, I played a lot of CYO ball against him back in the day when he was at St. Bernard’s and I was at St. Dominic.  In another interesting twist, I’m real good friends with PC sr. and Bleacher Bum Mike Black, who is Jared’s cousin.  Small world.
            As for Roman and Fisher (Niagara), I’m sure they’ve both had better nights.  Fisher was hounded by Kearney and Redding all night and took only 8 shots, hitting 4 of them.  He shot 6 for 6 at the stripe, good for 14 points.  He added 8 rebounds and 2 steals.  The 14 points is 9 below his season average.  He missed a dunk in the fourth quarter that nobody really contested, so I guess it just wasn’t his night.  It also showed the quality of Prep’s defense.  With Fisher struggling, three other Cahillites stepped up and scored in double figures: Khalil Ferguson (13P, 8R), Andre Sloan-El (12P, 4R), and Malik Perry (12P, 4R, 2 blocks).  Roman cut it to 48-44 late in the third, but the Hawks quickly responded and a Redding 3 with 3:30 to go in the fourth made it 64-52 and buried the Cahillites for the night.  As for the crowd, it filled Philly U’s gym to capacity plus more but I was pretty disappointed with the student cheering section.  As far as I saw, Prep didn’t even have one and Roman’s was weak.  I guess this was because it was a Tuesday nighter instead of Friday, but I still expected more rowdiness.
            As for the Catholic League as a whole, it’s definitely stacked with the most talented teams.  I can definitely see another Prep-Dougherty final in the future, except this time Dougherty would most likely be favored to win.  However, I wouldn’t count the Prep out of this.  A lot of people wrote them off when they lost Zoller and T.J. Valerio, but they look better than ever.  So far this year, they’ve beaten teams such as Roman, Penn Charter, West Catholic, La Salle, Neumann (twice), and stand at a very impressive 17-2.  They’re the team to beat in the Catholic League until someone can prove otherwise.

JAN. 31
SCHOLASTIC CLASSIC III
Dougherty 72, Penn Charter 68
          What a game, what a game, WHAT A GAME!!!  If you missed this one, then shame on you.  This was by far the most intense game I’ve seen so far this season.  It was everything I thought it would be and more, and I’m sure everybody who was there will tell you the same thing.  All the hype leading up to this game suggested that it would be Sean Singletary vs. Kyle Lowry for 32 minutes, but that wasn’t the case at all.  It was Penn Charter vs. Cardinal Dougherty, and both teams put forth a great team effort.  PC found themselves down by 13 points in both halves, but somehow managed to claw their way back into it twice.  However, in the end, Dougherty was able to halt the Quakers nine game win streak in front of a packed house at Arcadia University.  I know there’s no room for moral victories in sports, but PC can’t get down on themselves because they lost this game.  They gave a deeper and taller Dougherty squad a great battle but unfortunately fell just short.
          The first half of the first quarter was brutal for Penn Charter.  PC scored the first basket of the game but then saw the Cardinals score the next 15 points, quickly falling behind by 13.  Lowry was money in the first quarter, going 4 for 4 (two treys) en route to 10 points in the period.  He played outstanding defense on Singletary, frustrating Sean beyond belief.  Lowry twice swiped the ball away from Sean and raced to the other end for an uncontested dunk and then a beautiful lay in to beat the trailing Singletary, who was nipping at his heels.  The lay up put the Cardinals up 15-2, prompting PC coach Jim Phillips to call timeout.  However, just when everyone in the gym was thinking “blowout”, the Quakers were able to make some stops on defense and end the quarter on an 11-3 run.  The highlight of the spurt came with 7.8 seconds left in the quarter.   Singletary missed a shot, Brian Teuber grabbed the rebound but missed a lay up, and then somehow, despite three guys who are 6-8 or 6-9 standing in the paint, PC sr. 5-5 reserve guard Hanif Hopkins grabbed the rebound and flipped up a wild shot as he was fouled and got it to fall.  He missed the foul shot, but it cut the Dougherty lead to 18-13 and definitely swung the momentum back in PC’s favor.  The shot prompted my dad to shout “Nif for president!!”   If you wanted to judge the Lowry-Singletary matchup after one, Kyle would have won it having outscored Sean 10-1.  Rob Kurz (14 points, 5 rebounds) scored 6 in the quarter for PC and DeSean White (21 points, 7 rebounds) added 7 for the Cardinals.  PC missed 4 out of 6 free throws taken in the quarter, and free throw shooting would ultimately come back to haunt them.
          The Quakers kept on charging at Dougherty as the second quarter got underway.  White picked up his third foul with 6:18 to go in the quarter and had to watch the rest of the half from the bench.  The Quakers used his absence as an advantage and started taking the ball inside a little bit more and eventually tied things up at 24.  But Lowry continued to beast it, scoring 6 more points in the second despite being emphatically rejected by Singletary on a field goal attempt.  Shane Clark also got in on the action and totaled 7 points before halftime.  But Clark was far from finished and was the main reason Dougherty was able to win the game, but I’ll stop getting ahead of myself.  The Cardinals erased the tie and finished the half on a 9-2 run, making the score 33-26 at halftime.  Singletary shot just 2 for 9 in the first half (7 points), but like Shane Clark, he was far from finished.  Kurz led the Quakers with 8 in the half, while Zack Zeglinski (16 points, 2 boards, 2 assists) chipped in 7.  Lowry was the high man with 16.
          It appeared that Dougherty was poised to run away with the game again, as they came out of the locker room and pushed around the Quakers again.   Led by Clark and White, they pushed the lead back up to 13 (47-34).  I’m sure you’re thinking that there was no way Dougherty would blow another 13-point lead, right?   Wrong.  PC scored the next 7 points as Singletary finally began to find his shot.   He scored 12 in the quarter and was aided by Zack Z’s 7 and the Quakers cut Dougherty’s lead down to 2, going into the fourth trailing 51-49.
          After watching Charter erase another double-digit deficit, it was obvious that the crowd was going to be in for a fourth quarter treat.  Singletary hit two free throws to tie the game at 51, but Dougherty stole the lead back on a Clark free throw.  Dougherty survived a scared on its next possession.  Clark received an outlet pass and raced upcourt and appeared to have an easy dunk in front of him.  However, Teuber stepped in front of him and tried to take a charge.  Shane flattened Teuber, made the lay up and fell to the ground himself.  Teuber, after taking a nasty hit, surprisingly got up unfazed and it was Clark who stayed on the floor writhing in pain.  Thankfully, after a few scary moments he got up and was able to stay in the game.  With the Cardinals leading 58-55, ZZ got a runner to fall, cutting the lead to 1.  PC then made a defensive stop and put the ball in Singletary’s hands.  He raced up the floor and instead of going all the way to the hole he fed Joe Rauchut (5 points, 4 boards) a beautiful bounce pass that Rauchut laid in.  This gave PC its first lead since 2-0 as they went in front 59-58 with 3:36 to go.   Unfortuneately, the lead was short-lived.   Lowry scored his only two points of the second half on the next possession and White made a beautiful shot off of a nice post up move.   Singletary followed with one of his three 3-pointers to trim the lead to 62-61.  Clark then followed White’s lead and posted his way to the basket for two more, making it 64-61.  PC then began to intentionally foul Dougherty to stay in the game and I believe every time they fouled in the final two minutes it was Clark that went to the line.  Singletary was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:01 to go and he converted 2 of 3, which was good to cut the lead down to 66-63.  Clark hit two more at the line and it was on the following possession that things really began to get wild.  With the Quakers down by 5, it was obvious that they needed a 3 ball.  Dougherty thought the same thing and put some extra pressure on Singletary and Zack, which was good enough to free up Joey Rauchut for a wide open 3 at the top of the key.  Rauchut, who was just 1 for 5 prior to that shot, drilled the 3 and made it 68-66 with 35 seconds to go.   This made the PC fans go crazy.  But wait, it gets better.  Rauchut then fouled who else but Clark, who went to the line for a one-in-one.   To everybody’s surprise, he missed it, and PC grabbed the rebound, setting up a potential tying or maybe even a game winning shot.  After taking some time off of the clock, Singletary found Rauchut wide open again, this time from the left corner.  Joey launched another 3 pointer, but unfortuneately, this one went in and then rimmed out.   Clark gobbled up the rebound, hit four more free throws and sent the Dougherty faithful home happy.
          This game featured so many great performances.  White had some great post up moves and finished with 21 points.   Zack Zeglinski played like a man possessed en route to 16 hard earned points.  Singletary had a phenomenal second half, shooting 7 for 9 and outscored Lowry 22-2 after halftime.  The final numbers looked like this…Singletary: 9 for 18 (3 for 6 on treys), 8 of 12 at the line, 29 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists; Lowry: 8 for 14 (2 for 7 on 3s), 18 points, 8 boards, 6 dimes, 4 steals.  So looking at that, Singletary had the better numbers, but Kyle’s team won the game, so you be the judge on who goes to the McDonald’s All-America game.  I would take both of them because it’s too hard to pick one (read Ted’s report on this game for the more in depth look at the Sean vs. Kyle matchup).  However, among all the great performances, it was Shane Clark who was the difference maker.  He scored 19 points after halftime and had a barrage of beautiful moves in the post.  My dad said he was a pogo stick around the rim, which is a pretty accurate comparison.  His clutch free throw shooting down the stretch (8 for 9 in the final minute and a half) was what really won it, where he finished 10 for 13 overall.   His final numbers were 8 for 16 from the floor, 10 for 13 from the line, 26 points and 10 rebounds.  He was phenomenal in the second half.
          After the game, Singletary and Lowry were named the games MVPs.   This shocked everybody, including Lowry.   I think he, like all of us, expected the trophy to go to Clark.  So even though Clark didn’t win the award officially, Lowry went right over to Shane afterwards and gave him the trophy.  That was a real classy move by Lowry, because I think he understood that Dougherty probably wouldn’t have won that game had it not been for Clark.  As for PC, this was a tough loss to endure, but they played their hearts out.  The only visible mistakes that they made were getting down by double digits two separate times and missing too many free throws.  After going 17 for 18 the night before vs. GA, they converted only 12 of 18 against Dougherty.  Who knows, they might have won had they made a couple more foul shots, but that’s neither here nor there.  It was a great game nonetheless, one of the best I’ve ever seen.  If you did happen to miss the game, make sure to watch it tomorrow as it is being broadcasted on CN8 from noon to 2PM.  I’m definitely going to tape it and keep it to show my grandkids, because that’s how much I enjoyed it.
          Before the PC-Dougherty game, Gratz beat GA 69-57.   I was going to report on that one too, but I’ve gone on for far too long here so I’ll let my buddy ZB take care of it as I’m sure he’ll do a good job.
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Shane Clark
Next Game: 2/3 vs. CHA

JAN. 30
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 74, Gtn. Academy 64
          After watching the Penn Charter-GA game on Friday night, it’s no wonder these teams have such a historic and competitive rivalry.  The fans were intense and both teams played extremely hard, but in the end it was the Quakers who picked up their ninth consecutive win, boosting the overall record to 15-6.  This game had a different feel to it than the first PC-GA game did three weeks ago (PC won that one, 56-53).  In the first game, the Quakers jumped out to a 17-point first half lead, only to see it slip away and had to hold on for the victory.  This time around, both teams brought more offense to the table and made a lot less mistakes.
          As students, teachers, parents, and other fans from both schools squeezed into Penn Charter’s crowded gym, each offense immediately found its comfort zone.  GA brushed off an early 12-6 deficit and matched the Quakers point for point in the first quarter, getting most of its points from star players Brian Grimes and Ryan Ayers.  Grimes looked especially confident in the early going en route to 10 first quarter points, while Ayers stepped up and added 6.  I thought the Patriots did a good job defensively on Sean Singletary, holding him to 5 in the first.  GA led 22-20 after eight minutes, and for the most part the game would remain this close throughout.
          Despite being behind to start the second quarter, the Quakers never lost confidence and started to play better defense.  The highlights of the period came courtesy of Rob Kurz, who made two simultaneous great plays on both ends of the floor.  Grimes made the mistake of trying to drive to the bucket and was emphatically rejected by Kurz.  The Quakers then picked up the loose ball and fed it inside to Kurz under his own basket and he threw down a ferocious (yes, ferocious!) dunk that made the Penn Charter student section go insane (I know this because I was among them).  Kurz (19 points, 12 boards, 4 blocks) did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 13 points.  PC took the second quarter 17-11, and all in all it was a pretty even game up to this point.  Singletary picked up his scoring touch a bit and also added 13 in the first half, while Grimes was the high man with 14.  GA sr. G Doug Depte played aggressively in the first half and scored all 6 of his points off the bench.
         The second half was when things got really exciting.  The Quakers led for most of the third quarter, but at the very end GA swooped in and stole away the lead.  With less than a minute to go in the third, each team took turns trading three pointers.  First, GA sr. PG Larry Sharp (7 points, 6 assists) hit a three from the left wing to make it 53-52 in the Patriots favor.  Next, Quakers jr. G Zack Zeglinski (13 points, 3 for 6 3’s) hit a trey bomb from the top of the key to give PC the lead again.  However, Ayers (16 points, 5 rebs) responded with another three from the same spot Sharp hit his, and GA took a 56-55 into the fourth quarter.
          When you’re behind going into the fourth, who ya gonna call?  No, not Ghostbusters, but I will admit I set myself up for that one.  The answer, of course, is Sean Singletary.  Sean was the man in the final quarter and he led the Quakers over that final hump to the win.  With neither team scoring much in the first three minutes of the period, Sean hit a huge three at the top of the key with 4:55 to go, giving PC a 60-56 advantage.  This paralyzed the Patriots, who never got closer than 4 points the rest of the way.  GA kind of shot themselves in the foot offensively in the fourth and they didn’t score their first field goal of the period until 3:40 remained on the clock.  This was partly due to the Quakers defense, but GA just began to miss shots that they had been making the whole game, and they finished with only 8 in the quarter.  With 2:40 to go and GA still hanging around, Singletary put an exclamation point on the game by doing what we all knew he could do but hadn’t so far this season.   He dunked it.  After picking off a pass, Sean raced down toward GA’s end by himself, glanced at the student section out of the corner of his eye and threw down a perfect dunk.  It doesn’t sound like much, but keep in mind that Sean stands at 5 feet 11 inches tall.  I’m 5’11’’ and I can barely touch the net.   Sean ended with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals (I know he’s going to get a triple double at least once before the season ends because he’s come close 3 or 4 times).  This slam was the stake driven through GA’s heart, as they were forced to put PC on the line the rest of the way (where they were able to seal the win).  Sammy Zeglinski (5 assists) scored only 2 points, but they were two big free throws in the waning moments of the fourth.  Joe Rauchut provided another solid effort, finishing with 8 points, 4 boards and 3 steals.  As for GA, Grimes was the headliner.  He mixed 26 points, 9 boards, and 5 assists.  With Kurz, Singletary, and Malvern’s Brian Grandieri all graduating, look for Grimes to be the cream of the Inter-Ac’s crop next year.  He has a lot of talent.
          The schedule doesn’t get any easier for either team.   Tomorrow night, GA will play Simon Gratz while Penn Charter will battle with Cardinal Dougherty in the Scholastic Classic III at Arcadia University.  It’s not too often 4 of the city’s top 10 teams meet in the same showcase event, so I highly recommend that everybody check this out.  GA-Gratz tips off at 6PM, while the other highly anticipated game should begin around 7:45.   Saying a little more about the Dougherty game, I cannot wait for this.  I think it has the potential to be the best game played so far this season by any two teams.  Everybody will be focusing on the point guard matchup between Singletary and Kyle Lowry.  If these two decide to do any one-on-one like Maureece Rice and LeBron James did last year then I expect the roof to blow off of Arcadia’s gym.  Dougherty has the height advantage in Shane Clark and DeSean White, who are both 6-8, but I wouldn’t count the Quakers out of this one.  They are on a major roll and they aren’t going to go down easily.  It should be a classic.
Ramblings:
-    The PC fans, as usual on Friday night games, were outstanding.  The chants were constant and the energy was through the roof.  The Charter Crazies spent a lot of the night chanting “Free Walling!”, in reference to PC sr. and hoops fan Chris Walling, who was suspended from school this week and wasn’t at the game.  PC srs. Greg Lewis and Pete “the Pistol” Silow even made signs that said Free Walling and passed them out throughout the bleachers.  With the help of a little scotch tape, about 25-50 fans were proudly donning the signs on their shirts.
-   I’m pulling for the Quakers tomorrow, not only because it’s been my job for the past 2 months but also because I have a little bit with my dad on the outcome of the game.   Pops believes that Dougherty can pull off the win, so I took the Quakers and asked him if he wanted to make things interesting.  In the end, the loser will pay the check at dinner after the game.
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Sean Singletary
Next Game: You guessed it, tomorrow night, 7:45 PM @ Arcadia U.

JAN. 24
NON-LEAGUE
Penn Charter 95, Hill School 88
          One hundred thirty-six.  That’s how many combined shots Penn Charter (33 for 67) and the Hill School (32 for 69) accounted for on Saturday night, a very high number for a high school game.  And that number represents the kind of game this was.  It was back and forth offense throughout, the kind of fast paced game that sports fans love to watch.  The final score was NBA-like or perhaps even exceeded those standards (keeping in mind that an NBA game is 48 minutes in length, while high school ones are only 32), with the 183 total points being the highest scoring high school game I’ve seen in quite a long time.  Despite giving up 88 points, the Quakers played overall good defense.  They forced a lot of turnovers and most of Hill’s points came on 3 pointers or offensive putbacks.  PC let a lead that at one point was as large as 23 points slip to 5 in the final quarter, but they were able to hold on for their eighth consecutive win, boosting the overall record to an impressive 14-6.
          The first quarter was all Penn Charter.  The Quakers shot a scorching 11 for 18 (61%) in the first eight minutes en route to a 31-16 lead.  They scored the first 10 points of the game and 23 of the first 30, easily picking apart the 2-3 zone that Hill played for most of the game.  PC was able to accomplish this in large part because of Sean Singletary (32 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals).  Sean was outstanding in the first quarter, finishing with 17 points, which was good enough to outscore the entire Hill team.  When he’s on, he is virtually unstoppable.  It looked like he had a good chance to surpass the 40-point mark for the first time this year (his season high is 35), but he picked up his third foul with 4:46 to go in the second quarter and had to go to the bench until halftime.  Sean settled with 32 for the game.  The lead ballooned to 23 in the second, and it appeared that the Quakers would easily coast to victory.  However, the determined Hill bunch ended the half on a 12-2 run, making it 53-40 at halftime.  
          For most of the second half, PC maintained a double digit lead but it didn’t always seem like it.  Every time PC would score some points, Hill would come right back and do the same, preventing the Quakers from blowing them out.  The third quarter started off on a humorous note, as Charter coach Jim Phillips picked up a technical foul for jawing at the referees.  The crowd applauded Flip’s rant, and he didn’t seem to care much that he got T’ed up.  He mockingly clapped at the refs and continued to jaw at them until he was restrained by his assistants.  That was the first technical foul that I think I’ve seen in a high school game, and it was pretty funny.   Hill cut the lead to 9 a couple times in the quarter, but Charter got it back up to 76-60 when Sammy Zeglinski (14 points, 8 rebounds) recovered his own miss and tapped it in as the buzzer sounded. 
          Hill roared back from the deficit in the fourth.  They cut PC’s lead to 93-88 in the final minute, and might have been able to complete the comeback but were without two of their key players in 6-8 sr. F Beau Gibb (8 points) and 6-4 soph. G Devon McBride (31 points), who both fouled out.  McBride was sensational, and his energy kept the Blues in it.  He scored a majority of his points on aggressive drives to the basket and also on offensive putbacks.  He is the second sophomore I’ve seen so far this season (the other being Abington’s Jason Love) who really caught my attention, and I think it’s safe to say that they would be talked about a lot more if their teams were better known.  When McBride fouled out with 1:53 left in the fourth, he was clearly dejected, either sitting on the bench with his hands on his head or jumping up and down in frustration as he watched the comeback unfold without him.  He really showed a lot of heart.  5-9 sr. G Alex Kirk also was impressive.  He finished with 17 points and made a lot of pretty passes.  He has one of the more unique/ugly looking shots I’ve seen, but he shot 6 for 9, so I guess if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.   6-9 jr. C Noah Levine played well too, tallying 14 points, including two clutch three’s that fueled Hill’s fourth quarter comeback.  I hadn’t been to Hill since ninth grade and I’d never seen their basketball team play before, but they were pretty good.  They have a bunch of playmakers on the roster and only four of them are seniors, so they should enjoy success for the next few years.
          As for PC, everybody chipped in, which is usually the case when your team scores 95 points.  Rob Kurz was his usual self and came pretty close to notching a triple double, finishing with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 6 steals.  Sammy Zeglinski had his best game in quite awhile, playing very assertive basketball.  Usually he’ll only shoot 3 pointers, but this time around he took the ball to hole, crashed the boards, and hit some clutch free throws to thwart Hill’s rally.  Keep in mind he’s only a freshman.  His brother Zack Zeglinski contributed another solid unselfish performance with 12 points, 6 dimes, and 4 boards.  The Quakers got a gritty performance out of soph. Joe Rauchut (9P, 6R, 3S), who continues to fill in admirably for injured starter R.J. Hollinshead.   Brian Teuber (4 points) and Hanif Hopkins saw significant time off the bench and both played well.
Ramblings:
-          It took me about 15 minutes to find the gym at Hill.  The school resembles a college campus, and it was pretty easy to get lost.  Thankfully, a security guard pointed me in the right direction.
-          When I went up to PC asst. coach Mike Razler to get the official stat sheet after the game, he exclaimed, “You even made this trip?   Damn, you’re all over the place!”   For those of you who don’t know, the Hill School is in Pottstown, which is about 50 miles from my house in Northeast Philly.   How about a little gas money, Ted? (smile)
-          PC’s next 3 games are against Malvern, GA, and Cardinal Dougherty, who have a combined record of 43-14.  It will really say a lot about the Quakers if they can maintain their current winning streak against these three teams.
   Special Ed’s Player of the Game: It’s hard to pick one MVP when so many guys chip in, so I’ll take the coward’s way out and reward my player of the game to the entire PC starting five.  Honorable mention to Devon McBride and Alex Kirk of Hill.
Next Game: 1/27 @ Malvern.  However, if I can get my lazy butt out of bed, I plan to make an appearance at the Dougherty-LaSalle game tomorrow, so make sure to check back in for that.

JAN. 23
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 69, Episcopal 44
          Remember when I said PC played its most dominating game of the season against Haverford on Tuesday?  Scratch that statement from the record.  The Quakers absolutely manhandled the Churchmen from Episcopal on Friday night, controlling almost every aspect of the game.  EA did not play like their 15-2 record coming in indicated, while PC played every bit as good as a team that has now won seven in a row.  The loss dropped Episcopal to 2-3 in the Inter-Ac, while PC has beaten every team in the league so far (and stands at a flawless 5-0).
          Coming into the game, I think a lot of people were concerned about how the Quakers were going to handle EA’s two sophomore studs in 6-4 F Gerald Henderson and 6-2 G Wayne Ellington.  Although the two are very talented, they are also inexperienced, and Charter’s veterans used that as an advantage.  The first quarter was played at a bit of a slow pace for both teams, and this was most likely due to each team sizing up one another and making the necessary adjustments on both sides of the ball.   Nothing too spectacular went down in the first, with PC holding an 11-8 advantage after eight minutes.  Ellington (17 points, 8 for 21 shooting) scored 6 of the 8 Churchmen points, while Rob Kurz totaled 6 in the quarter for PC.
          As the second quarter progressed, the Quakers began to settle in more and more while EA seemed to struggle more and more.  Episcopal was able to get shots for their two star players, but most of them were either off balance or bad looks with a hand in their face.  For the umpteenth game in a row, PC played great team defense and that frustrated Episcopal more than anything.  It was clear that the Churchmen were getting more discouraged as the game went along because they rarely got a good look at the hoop.  The Quakers upped their lead to 28-19 at the half, led by Kurz’s 10 points and 8 from Sean Singletary (15 points, 5 rebs, 3 assists, 2 steals).  Things would only get better from here.
          PC put the game away in the third, outscoring EA 22-7.  The Quakers came out of the locker room and scored 6 quick points, and two of these points came on the best play of the night.  Singletary took the ball up the court and stopped at the top of the key and then fed a beautiful pass inside to Kurz, who rewarded the crowd with a monstrous dunk over a helpless Henderson.  This made it 34-19, and EA never had a chance after this.  This was one of Kurz’s better performances of the season, as he finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds.  Although the numbers don’t look amazing, Rob was very aggressive, taking the ball to the hole and also knocking down some 16-20 footers.  He also did a great job on defense (particularly on Henderson, who despite scoring 19 points, never really looked comfortable).  Henderson was clearly frustrated with himself, and after PC went up 43-23, Gerald went to the bench and kicked a chair.  The PC fans, who were awesome in this one, got on Henderson when they saw this.  They never let up during the game, but I’ll say more about the fans a little later.  Zack Zeglinski had another solid game for the Quakers, finishing with 12 points and 7 boards (his highlight of the night came when he swished a three ball at the third quarter buzzer, making it 50-26 in Charter’s favor).  Sammy Zeglinski (7P, 4R, 3A, 2S) had an all around good game and fan favorite Hanif Hopkins (2P, 3A, 2S) again gave the team solid minutes off the bench.   It seems that the fans go crazy every time that Nif touches the ball and they’re always pulling for him.  Despite having high scoring totals, Ellington and Henderson were outmatched in this one.  They were hounded by Kurz and Singletary on the defensive end and seemed to get emotionally and mentally frustrated as PC’s lead increased.  They have tremendous upside, but it’s clear that they also have a lot to work on over the next 2 seasons.  I’m sure the improvement will come as they get more experienced.  All in all, this was one of the most impressive wins of the season (right up there with the win at GA).  PC continues to play great in league competition, and they were relentless against EA tonight.  In the beginning of the year, the Quakers would often play well for one part of the game and then taper off in other parts, which allowed the opponent to stay alive.  However, as of late they’ve been playing great basketball for all four quarters, and it’s showing on the scoreboard.  But even though PC is as hot as ever, they can’t get cocky, especially with upcoming games against Malvern, Dougherty, and GA (who I’m sure are hungry for revenge).
Ramblings:
   -- Even though the game was at Episcopal, there were definitely more PC fans than EA ones in the student cheering section.  Chants were non-stop throughout the entire game, and they obviously had an influence on Coach Phillips.   In the fourth quarter, the fans began to chant “We want Slobo!”, in reference to Quaker deep sub Mark Slobodinsky.  Flipper immediately gave Slobo the nod, and he came in and scored 2 points.  Things got so intense that a fight almost broke out in the bleachers at the start of the fourth quarter between the two sets of fans, but it didn’t escalate into anything too serious.  There was constant bickering going on throughout the game between the two sides (maybe it wasn’t smart for all of us to sit in the same section of the bleachers- smile), but the animosity is what makes the games fun.  If you can sit in the bleachers on a Friday night game and successfully get out alive, then you can most likely make it anywhere in the world.  My award for most intense fans goes to Pete “the Pistol” Silow (who drew chants of “Screech!” from the EA faithful- you gotta cut your hair Pistol!) for PC and the shirtless crazy dude for EA (I didn’t catch his name, but he was pretty nuts).
  -- I cleared a new hurdle in my stat-taking challenge tonight.  I’ve been getting better and better keeping the stats during the game, but tonight it was tough because with all of the fans standing, I had to stand as well and hold my book at the same time.
-- I think I’m going to expand my horizons and start getting out to some Catholic League games and writing some short reports.  I don’t want to take anything away from Jack, Space, or the other guys who do Catholic games because I love reading their reports.  I just want to get to some games and see how I do writing about schools that aren’t my own.  Who knows, maybe I’ll run into those guys and they can teach me a thing or two about the Catholic League.
-- A special thanks to Sean Woods for the compliment in his recent post.  Sean, on behalf of all the student reporters, you truly are an inspiration (smile).
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Rob Kurz
Next Game: Tomorrow (1/24), @ Hill School.

JAN. 20
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 87, Haverford School 57
         First off, let me apologize for the lateness of the report.  I usually like to get them done as soon as I get home, but last night I went to the Linkin Park concert right from the game and couldn’t do that.  So even though I debated starting the report at 1 AM when I got home, I decided to put it off for a day.   Thankfully, Ted was very forgiving and I hope everyone else will be too.
          As for the game, I think this was the most dominating the Quakers have been so far this year.  They’ve had some pretty impressive wins, but in this one they played solid for four straight quarters, never giving the Fords of Haverford a chance.  Despite being without R.J. Hollinshead for the third consecutive game, PC smothered Haverford on defense for most of the game and on top of that had one of their most impressive offensive showings of the season.  Sean Singletary (24 points, 6 steals, 3 boards, 2 assists) and Rob Kurz (17 points, 11 rebs) led the way in the first quarter, which saw the Quakers jump to a quick 9-2 lead.  Singletary is sixth in the city in scoring at 22.5 points per game, with Kurz also among the league leaders at 16.6 per contest.  Maybe I’m biased in saying it, but I think these two are one of the best 1-2 punches in the city.   Between the two of them they bring so much to the game, and it’s been fun watching them showcase their talents this season.   PC was up 20-8 after one, and the team’s hot shooting in the second quarter put the game away.  In addition to Kurz and Singletary, the Zeglinski bros got in on the action as well in the second.  Zack (11 points, 2 boards, 3 for 5 on 3’s) hit two of his three 3 point attempts in the final minute before halftime and Sammy (11P, 6R, 2A, 3 for 5 on 3’s) scored 8 of his 11 points in the quarter.  PC’s four stars had 48 of the team’s 50 points at halftime, en route to a 29-point lead at intermission.
          The Quakers locked down on Haverford in the first half, alternating between a full court press, double teams, and traps on the man with the ball.   The Fords could not solve the stifling D and often turned the ball over or settled for a bad shot.  Haverford standout sr. G Pete Kathopoulis (16 points) was held to one field goal in the first half and he had trouble creating opportunities for himself.  Despite his first half troubles, you can tell he’s got talent.   He’s got a smoothness to his game that a lot of guys don’t have.  Even when he wasn’t getting shots off, he made good passes to set up his teammates, which is the sign of a truly talented point guard.
          The defense let up a little bit in the third quarter and PC rewarded Haverford with some easy baskets.  It seemed like the Fords would maybe claw themselves back into it, but Charter’s offense was too strong.  The highlight of the game came in the third, when Singletary picked off a pass and dribbled toward his own basket.  Instead of laying it up or maybe even dunking it (I’ve yet to see Sean dunk this year, but I know he can), he waited for Kurz to catch up to him before dishing a behind the back pass that Rob threw down for a dunk, making it 67-39 in PC’s favor.  It was an unselfish Jason Kidd-like play that you unfortunately don’t see too much of in this day and age.  Coach Phillips  again rewarded his bench guys with the entire fourth quarter, and they again played well.  Fan favorite Hanif Hopkins scored 5 off the bench, as did Dave McEnerney and R.J. Lyons.  Brian Teuber (3P, 3S, 2A, 2R) also contributed.
          The win set up a Friday night showdown against Inter-Ac rival Episcopal, who are off to their best start in quite awhile at 15-2.  Speaking of formidable 1-2 punches, EA has their own dynamic duo in sophomores Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson.  These two are creating buzz all over the city, and they’ve been mentioned as one of the best sophomore tandems to grace the court in quite some time.   However, the Churchmen are only 2-2 in league play while the Quakers boast a perfect 4-0.  Records aside, it should be a great game.
Ramblings:
-    PC hit buzzer beaters in each of the first three quarters, and almost did it for all four.  In the first, Singletary caught a Joe Rauchut air ball and laid it in as time expired.  In the second, Zack Zeglinski hit a trey bomb from the right wing.  With time winding down in the third, Rauchut heaved up a desperation 3, and to his surprise, it was all cotton.  And in the waning seconds of the fourth, McEnerney hit a 3 pointer, but there was still about 5-10 seconds left on the clock.  Still, it was an interesting feat to accomplish.
-   Former Charter student and basketball player John Decker currently plays for the Fords, but John was not at the game.  Maybe he was too afraid that the fans would get on him too much (smile).
-    I apologize for the poor NFL picks last weekend, I was way off my game.  But who expected the Eagles to lose that?  Come on!   I’m not even going to bother making a Super Bowl pick because I don’t even care.  Three years in a row is enough.  Go Phillies.
Special Ed’s Player(s) of the Game: Singletary and Kurz can share the honor again.
Next Game: Friday night, 7:30 @ Episcopal.

JAN. 16
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 64, Chestnut Hill Academy 39
          Before I get started on this one, I have to say a few words about a game that I missed earlier in the week.  Due to car problems with my amazing 1995 Neon, I was unable to attend Penn Charter’s 69-67 win over Life Center (NJ) on Tuesday.  I’m obviously upset that I missed this one, because as the score indicates, it was a good game.  The headline from this one was that the Quakers were able to squeak out a victory without their two stars, Sean Singletary and Rob Kurz.  Rob and Sean warmed up, but were benched right before the game for disciplinary reasons.   But as we Philadelphians have seen all season with the Eagles, when star players go down, other guys need to pick up the slack and produce.  This is exactly what happened on Tuesday, with everybody stepping up to help get a win.  The Quakers were led by Zack Zeglinski’s 23 points (Zack also surpassed the 1,000 point milestone in this game), and Sammy Zeglinski (20 points), Joe Rauchut (11 points), & Brian Teuber (10 points) also contributed.  Despite being undersized, the Quakers depth allowed them to beat Life Center for the second time this year.  And now onto tonight’s game…
          Though not as crowd pleasing as last Friday’s game at GA, this game still made PC fans happy.  The first quarter was all about Singletary (17 points, 5 steals, 3 dimes), who returned to the lineup with a vengeance.  With Kurz (9 points, 5 boards) and the Zeglinski brothers starting the quarter on the bench, Singletary took over, quickly knocking CHA out of the game.  He scored 9 of the team’s first 11 points and 12 overall in the quarter, but his most impressive play came on the defensive end.  When CHA jr. G Julian McFadden picked off a Quaker pass, he appeared to have an easy fast break layup.  But all of a sudden, Singletary caught up to him from behind and recorded a NASTY block off of the backboard that would have made Dr. Funk stand up and applaud.  The gym was still buzzing five minutes later, and that had to be one of the better blocks anyone had seen in quite a long time.  PC led 18-9 after one, and they quickly provided the knockout punch in the second quarter, much to the dismay of the large CHA fan group.  The Quakers forced a bunch of turnovers in the second period and put the game away, outscoring the Blue Devils 17-1.  They would have held CHA scoreless, but McFadden sunk a free throw with 1.8 seconds left and got his team on the board.  I was labeled a jinx by my friends sitting around me, for a few seconds earlier I exclaimed, “They ain’t gonna score!” (The free throw naturally came right after my bold prediction- smile).  Nevertheless, Charter was up 35-10 at halftime, and the 10 points allowed in a half was a season best.   The team defense seems to get better every game.  In addition to Singletary’s 5 swipes, Rauchut (6 points, 2 rebs), Sam (2R, 4A), and Zack (9P, 2A) each had 3 steals.  Rauchut did a great job filling in for RJ Hollinshead, who is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered last Friday night.
          With the Quakers up by 20+ points for the rest of the game, Coach Phillips let his bench players get some tick, and they played well.  Sr. F Dave McEnerney led the assault, notching 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Also performing well were Teuber (1P, 7R), Hanif Hopkins (2P, 3R, 2S, and a block- he’s 5’6’’!), James Hannah (2P, 4R), RJ Lyons (4P, 5R), and Milo Trauss (4 points).  I’ve said all year that the Quakers strong point is their depth, and that has stood out in the last two games, with everybody getting in on the action.  As for CHA, not much went right.  As a team, they shot a brutal 25% from the field (13 for 51).  Individually, their star players were off too.  McFadden (who looks a lot like child rapper Lil’ Bow Wow) had a rough night.  He had some nice moves, but he couldn’t put the ball in the hoop (finishing 3 for 18, with most of his 12 points coming in garbage time).  But I saw him play earlier this year, and when he’s on he can be very dangerous.  Sr. captain Chris McInerney (no relation to Dave) was also shut down, tallying 8 points.
          The crowd, as expected, was pretty rocking.  It lacked the back and forth chants that the PC-GA game had, but it was still fun.  PC fans, though spread out across the gym, were pretty loud (I tried to keep my section energized by doing a bit more screaming than I usually do- smile).  The highlight for CHA fans came when one of their supporters was thrown out by the ref for being a little too rowdy.  As for PC, this was their fifth consecutive win, which pushed their overall record to 11-6 (and a more important 3-0 in the Inter-Ac).  They will really be tested in the next 2 weeks, with games against Inter-Ac rivals Episcopal (Jan. 23) and a rematch with GA (1/30) as well as a matchup with city powerhouse Cardinal Dougherty on January 31.  The Quakers are picking the right time to get hot and it sure has been fun watching them play lately.
         Before I go, I have to take some time to brag.  For all of you who read my report on last Friday’s PC-GA game, you were treated to my NFL picks for that weekend.  Well, in case you missed it, I went a perfect 4-0 (including my upset special Carolina over the Rams) and I will again test my football knowledge and attempt to pick the winners of the championship games this Sunday.  In the AFC, I’m going upset and picking the Colts to beat the New England Patriots.  Although the game is at New England, I think Peyton Manning is a man on a mission and he will lead his team to the Super Bowl.  In the NFC, the question around town has to be “Can the Eagles finally advance to the Super Bowl?”  Well sports fans, the answer is yes.  I cannot see the Panthers coming in here and pulling off the upset, it just cannot happen.  The Panthers are better than most people give them credit for, but after last week’s win, the Eagles simply cannot lose this game.  It will be close, but I’m picking the Birds to win it 24-17.
   Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Props to PC’s bench for chipping in for a second consecutive game, but my player of the game has to go to Sean Singletary, especially for that jaw dropping block.
   Next Game: 1/20 vs. Haverford School.

JAN. 9
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 56, Gtn. Academy 53
          From an offensive standpoint, this was not the greatest game.   Neither team shot particularly well, and there weren’t any “explosive” performances.  But in terms of intensity, this was one of the best games that I’ve seen (from the teams and from the crowd).  Comfort wise, this was also a nightmare.  The GA gym was packed, with many people forced to stand or sit on the floor for the entire game.  The bleachers were filled to capacity an hour before the game even started, but people continued to cram themselves into the stands throughout the game.  But in the end, even if your back, legs, feet, and butt began to ache as the game progressed, it turned out to be incredibly worthwhile.  Although the crowds were hostile, this game had such a powerful atmosphere to it.  With PC fans sitting in one section of the bleachers and GA fans in the other, the chants kept going from start to finish.  I’m sorry to say I can’t repeat most of these chants (smile), but the energy of the crowd was amazing.  The respective fans erupted on every significant play, and in the end the Penn Charter supporters got the last laugh.  This game was just another example of why this is such an exciting and competitive rivalry.  Both teams wanted it so badly, and the crowd just contributed to the flow of the game.
          The first quarter was ugly for both teams.  PC shot only 4 for 15 (27%) in the period, while GA shot an even worse 2 for 15 (13%).  Although defense definitely became a key later on in the game, it was not much of a factor in the first quarter.  Both teams just missed shots, and I think this was due to the excitement that each team had to be feeling.   After the first eight minutes, the score was 10-5 in the Quakers favor.  While things began to pick up for PC in the second quarter, GA’s offensive woes continued.  Charter got some nice inside looks from Rob Kurz (18 points, 6 boards) and some clutch jumpers by Zack Zeglinski (11 points, 4 rebs, 2 steals, 3 for 5 3s) pushed the Quakers lead to 25-9.  PC led 27-16 at the half, but the numbers for both teams weren’t very pretty.  The Quakers shot 10/30 (33%) in the first half, while GA converted just 27% of its shots (7 for 26).   The star players all had statistically rough first halves too: Kurz (3 for 9), Sean Singletary (2/8), Ryan Ayers (1/5), and Brian Grimes (3/11).  But all of these players would have significant impacts on the second half, which I’ll get to in a second.  The Quakers appeared to be cruising with a 27-16 halftime lead, but as my colleague ZB said in a recent report, when two Inter-Ac teams step onto the court, the game will be competitive right down to the final buzzer.  This game was no different, as the Patriots came storming back in the third quarter.
         The third period was not kind to the Quakers at all, as they saw a double digit lead shrink down to one by the end of the quarter.  But more importantly, they lost one of their key players to injury.  Jr. F R.J. Hollinshead hit the floor hard with a right knee injury with 2:21 left in the third and had to be carried off of the court.  By the looks of R.J.’s painful facial expressions, his prognosis does not look good.  Hopefully it will be nothing severe so that R.J. can get back on the court as soon as possible.  I’ve said this whole season that his play has impressed me more than anything else, and it would be terrible to lose him for an extended period of time.  He makes all of the hustle/physical plays that are so important to the outcome of the game.  In his place, soph. Joe Rauchut logged significant minutes down the stretch, filling Hollinshead’s shoes as best as he could.  He played well, scoring 4 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.   The third quarter belonged to GA, though.   Their shots finally began to fall, and they used a 13-2 run to trim PC’s lead to 36-35.  Ayers (22 points, 9 rebounds) came to life in the second half, scoring 8 points during the run (including back to back trey bombs).  He’s got a great inside-outside game and he stayed confident even though he had a tough first half, scoring 19 of his 22 points after halftime.  Grimes (7 for 20, 17 points, 9 boards) was also key in getting GA back into it, scoring 11 of his 17 in the second half.
          Going into the fourth, the Quakers had to do something, because it would be too painful and humiliating to lose this one.  Enter Singletary (19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) and Kurz.   With their team on the ropes, these two guys responded brilliantly and calmly led PC to a nail-biting win.  Singletary scored the first 6 Quaker points of the fourth quarter, knocking down some clutch jumpers and a pretty spin move/underhand layup.  Kurz scored the next 4, pushing the lead to 46-41.  A beautiful bounce pass from Singletary to a streaking Rauchut made it 51-45, but GA refused to quit.  Five more points from Ayers got the Patriots to within 3 two times, but clutch free throw shooting by PC closed the deal.  A comforting thing about the Quakers is that they are a great free throw shooting team (especially in the clutch), so Charter fans shouldn’t have to worry about the team’s ability to knock down foul shots with the game on the line.  They shot 17 for 19 as a team, most of the damage being done by Kurz (8 for 9) and Singletary (7 for 8).
         This was a great win against a very tough opponent.  Any doubt about PC’s ability to win a big game is long gone, because this was about as big as it gets.  It’s not easy going into an arch-rival’s gym and stealing a victory.  The most impressive thing about the game was not the fast start, but the way the Quakers finished.  After blowing the big lead, it would have been easy to give up and let GA ride the momentum to a win.   But the team responded well, playing a very aggressive fourth quarter en route to what I think was the best and most satisfying victory so far this season.  Off to a 3-0 2004, it appears that PC is poised to put their so-so 2003 behind them and repeat as Inter-Ac champs.
Ramblings:
    Some of my favorite chants of the night were: “Nice Hat, Fat Kid!”, “Laura’s better!”, “Braces! (in reference to Singletary’s newly acquired mouth full of metal)”, and  . . . . There are many more that are either too dirty to list or I just plain forgot because there were so many.  It was a fun night.
    For all you NFL fans out there, I’m offering my predictions for this weekend’s games.   If I’m right, I can brag about how smart I am, but if I get them wrong you can feel free to e-mail me and tell me how stupid I am (smile).  But here they are: Carolina over St. Louis (upset special!), New England over Tennessee, Indianapolis over Kansas City, and the only one that really matters, the Eagles in a close one over the Pack.
    Be sure to look out for the rematch between these two teams, which will take place on Friday, Jan. 30 @ Penn Charter.  And yes, it is a night game (YAAAY!)
     Special Ed’s Player(s) of the Game: Sean Singletary and Rob Kurz.
    Next Game: 1/13 vs. Life Center (NJ) (I think this is the right opponent, but if there is any changes since PC already played Life Center this year, e-mail me and let me know)

JAN. 6
NON-LEAGUE
Penn Charter 66, Friends' Central 50
          As I watched PC G Sean Singletary warm up before the game with assistant coach Mike Razler, it was evident that Sean had the touch.  I didn’t count how many of the 3 pointers he took went in, but I’m guessing it was about 60-70%.  He then came out and knocked down all three of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter en route to 12 points, allowing the Quakers to jump on Friends Central early.   Singletary had his best game in quite awhile, scoring 23 points, grabbing 10 boards, and dishing out 7 assists.  He was a major presence for the entire game, whether it was scoring the ball, boxing out in the low post, making crisp passes, or playing good defense.  When he’s on, the Quakers as a team are usually on, which was the case today.  PC got out to an early lead (which was good for a change) and never let up.  They were up 25-10 after one, and had a 20-point lead 2 minutes into the second quarter.  Rob Kurz (8/15, 18 points, 13 rebs, 4 steals, 3 assists) continued to produce for the Quakers.   He was a force down low, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds that led to some easy putbacks.  If you look up the word “consistency” in the dictionary, you should see Rob’s picture next to it, because that’s what kind of player he’s been this year.  Fr. G Sammy Zeglinski (12 points, 2 steals) also produced, hitting on 4 of his 7 three point attempts.  The Mustafa Shakur-less Phoenix looked decent, but it was obvious that they missed their star guard (along with the 7 other players who graduated), who now plays under Lute Olson at Arizona.  They shot only 44% (8 for 18) at the line, including some brick misses.  They do have some talented players, though.  Chris McCann (13 points) led three players in double figures, which also included Justin Plummer & Max Huc (11 points).  Despite their troubles, they are a very young team with some definite upside.
          After jumping out to a 32-12 first half lead, the Quakers watched Friends Central go on a 12-2 run, cutting the lead in half.  The score was 38-26 at halftime, and for a moment it looked like the Phoenix were going to make it a game.  However, PC came out of the locker room on fire, scoring 12 straight points to push the lead to 24.  Zack Zeglinski scored all 5 of his points during the run, and the Quakers never looked back from there.  They played great defense in the third quarter, forcing turnovers and making the Phoenix take some bad shots on the way to outscoring them 20-7 and building the lead to 58-33 after three quarters.
          The Quakers’ second consecutive win paved the way for a Friday night showdown with Inter-Ac rival Germantown Academy.  This game should give an early indication on who is the favorite to win the league.  If PC is able to win, it will prove a lot about the team’s character because it is not going to be easy going into the hostile environment at GA and getting a victory.  The game is so hyped that I’ve heard you’ll need to show up at least 30 minutes early for a decent seat, which says a lot about the intense rivalry between these two teams.  If you like talented players, raucous crowds, rowdy fans, and chants, you won’t want to miss this one.  It should be a great game.
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: Sean Singletary
Next Game: Friday night @ GA.  The game tips off at 7:30.

JAN. 3
INTER-AC
Penn Charter 56, Malvern 47
         One of the best things about a new year is you can start with a clean slate, and this holds true for the Penn Charter basketball team.  Putting a 6-6 2003 behind them, the Quakers came out and effectively won their first game of 2004 against Malvern Prep.  What makes the victory even sweeter is that this was the first league game of the year, which are games that PC must win if they wish to repeat as Inter-Ac Champions.  I know it’s a little too early to be talking about the championship after only one game, but it was a promising start.  The Quakers had been mired in a slump, losing four of their previous five games, so it was encouraging to see them come out and control the tempo for most of the game.
          Things started out a bit slowly, for PC and for me.  Minutes before tipoff, I misplaced my pen and didn’t locate it until halftime.  Luckily for me, the always reliable Ted (smile) was there and let me copy down his stats during halftime.  The Quakers also stumbled a bit at the start, playing a sluggish first quarter in which they were outscored 14-11.  However, things picked up, as they usually do.  The first half lacked offense from both sides, but it was PC’s stifling defense that set the tone for the remainder of the game.  They held Malvern to 6 points in the second quarter, and Rob Kurz (13 points, 6 boards) had 5 of his 6 blocked shots in the first half.  Kurz and Sean Singletary (21 points, 7 rebs) each scored 9 in the first half, while Brian Grandieri (8 for 11, 18 points) paced Malvern with 7 as PC took a 22-20 lead into the half.
          Offensively, things flowed a lot more smoothly for both teams in the second half.  With the lead swinging back and forth between the two teams in the third quarter, the Quakers got unexpected offensive lifts from jr. F RJ Hollinshead and so. F Joe Rauchut.   Hollinshead, known for his defense and hard-nosed style of play, finished with 9 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards.  He also continued his physical play, taking two timely charges and diving for a loose ball that led to a timeout.  The team seemed to feed off RJ’s energy and eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter.  Rauchut only made one shot, but it was a huge one.  With time winding down in the third quarter and PC leading 35-34, Rauchut made a wide open 3-pointer from the left wing just before the buzzer.  This gave the Quakers a 4 point cushion after three, and Malvern was never able to get back into it.  Singletary then took over in the final quarter, knocking down 3 big shots to keep Malvern at arm’s length.  As for Malvern, this was the first time I really saw Grandieri play, and he left me impressed.  I watched the Malvern-PC game last season, but it was hard to focus on his play because of the rowdy PC fans (the game was on a Friday night, and anyone who has been to a Penn Charter game on a Friday night will understand why it’s hard to focus on individual performances).  But anyway, Grandieri is an aggressive ballplayer who always seemed to be going 110%.   I’m sure he would have scored more than 18 points, but he missed some time in the first half due to foul trouble.
          As for the Inter-Ac as a whole, this was my first opportunity to see all the teams play and assess PC’s competition for the next six weeks.   I think the league is definitely up for grabs, with four teams that are very evenly matched.  Although the records are all over the place, it’s too difficult to pick a favorite.   Judging by wins and losses, it would appear that GA (15-2) and Episcopal (13-0) should be able to run away with it, but both of these teams looked vulnerable today and didn’t play as good as their record indicates.  And I’m not trying to take anything away from either team because they are extremely talented, I’m just stressing that the winner of this league may not be the team with the best overall record because the teams are so deep.  Wow, that was really confusing.  Let me try to say it again in simpler terms.  The Inter-Ac is like the NBA’s Western Conference in that there are so many talented teams and a champion can’t be determined by who has the best record.  It’s all going to come down to which team wants it the most and who plays the best defense.  Is that clearer?   I hope so.  Whatever the result, it’s going to be fun to watch.
Special Ed’s Player of the Game: RJ Hollinshead
Next game: 1/6 @ Friends Central

DEC. 26-30
SLAM DUNK TO THE BEACH (Lewes, Del.)
Our Savior/New American (NY) 74, Penn Charter 52 (Dec. 26)
Laurinburg Prep (NC) 57, Penn Charter 52 (Dec. 28)
Mt. Zion (NC) 67, Penn Charter 55 (Dec. 29)
          Ouch!  I’m glad I wasn’t able to attend this tournament, because it was a rough one for Penn Charter, wins and losses wise.  The Slam Dunk to the Beach (a little cold for beaches, isn’t it?) Tournament in Lewes, DE featured five full days and 46 games of the most talented teams in the country, with teams from New York, Florida, Texas, California, and even one from Canada (to name a few).   Despite my absence, I’ve gathered enough information to attempt to write a report on what happened to PC down in the first state.  Also, in the spirit of the New Year, I’d like to take a look back at the Quakers up and down 2003, and then a look ahead to what awaits them in 2004.
          The first game was against Our Savior/New American, who hail from Centereach, New York.  Coming into the year, this team was ranked #19 in the country by schoolsports.com and features one of the nation’s best players in Colombian sr. F Juan Diego Tello Palacios.  PC had already met Our Savior down in North Carolina at the end of November in the Bull City Classic, and the Quakers squeaked out a 70-67 win behind a strong game from G Sean Singletary.   This time they weren’t so lucky.  OSNA jumped out to a 25-11 lead after one and made it 40-21 by halftime.  Singletary was shut down, scoring a season low 10 points.  Zack Zeglinski scored 16 to lead the Quakers and Rob Kurz added 13, but it wasn’t enough.  Palacios scored 23, and falling behind early doomed PC.  The second game was much closer, but Charter fell to Laurinburg Prep (NC), 57-52.  In the finale, PC was matched up against the nation’s #2 team in Mt. Zion from Durham, North Carolina.  The Quakers also played Mt. Zion in the Bull City Classic, succumbing to the Warriors 75-69 in overtime, despite 31 points from Singletary.  This time around, the Quakers fell 67-55.  I don’t know if this was coincidence or not that PC ended up playing these same two teams again, but come on!  Charter may have fallen to 6-6 in this tournament, but the strength of schedule was working against them.  I’m sure the teams in Mt. Zion’s division back at home might have to play them twice, but what are the chances that Penn Charter ends up playing them two times?  What’s next, back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Lakers?   Maybe it was meant to happen that way, I don’t know.  Like I said, I wasn’t there, but it’s pretty crazy that it turned out the way it did.  But anyway, I’m sure the Quakers will bounce back.  I know there’s no place for moral victories in sports because a loss is a loss, but Charter had to take something from this, some kind of confidence.  PC scorekeeper/stat-man Gerry “Mr. Sas” Sasse told me that even though PC went 0-3 in the tourney, they weren’t entirely unhappy with the way things went.  The team played well considering the talent and older players it was up against.  Mr. Sas also said that they would take these hard fought games into league play and hopefully have a successful second half.  The good news is that the season isn’t even halfway over yet, but I’ll get to that in a moment.  In other Slam Dunk news, PC’s rival Germantown Academy also participated in the tourney.  GA’s fortunes were much greater than the Quakers, as they finished the tournament 3-0 and pushed their overall record to 14-2.  Brian Grimes averaged 26 points over the first 2 games, Ryan Ayers averaged 16, and the Patriots got 13 per game from Andrew Ott (including 24 in the finale against Laurel).  Public League power Chester also participated, losing both of its games to Mt. Vernon (NY) and Mt. Zion.
A Look Back, plus A Look Ahead…
          Before I look ahead to 2004, I want to take a look back at 2003 and share a few highlights of the Quakers young season.  With Mike Boles (Albright) and Matt Ryan (Boston College) gone from the starting lineup and R.J. Hollinshead & Sammy Zeglinski taking their place, the Quakers started off strong.  As I already stated, PC started off 1-1 at the Bull City Classic, almost pulling off an improbable upset against Mt. Zion.  Sean Singletary scored 58 points in the two games, and this was just the start for Sean.   He scored 29 points in the home opener against Carroll, a game that went down to the final minutes.  Next, Singletary was matched up with SJ Neumann’s Richard “Tabby” Cunningham, with both players being mentioned as the area’s top guard.  The two players went one-on-one during the game for a little bit, but Tabby got into some foul trouble and finished with 11 points, while Singletary scored 25 in leading the Quakers to an impressive 77-66 victory.  PC won its third straight game against Life Center (NJ) in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, with Singletary almost getting a triple double.  Rob Kurz continued his consistency and scored 18 points in the 77-60 win.   The biggest shocker of the season came on Dec. 16, as PC lost its second game of the season to Abington Friends in heartbreaking fashion, losing on a free throw with 2 seconds left.  After shellacking GFS 85-37, the Quakers dropped a tough one to reigning Catholic League champ St. Joe’s Prep in the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic, despite an outstanding performance by Singletary and another double double from Kurz.  PC proved they could win when Singletary was not at his best, easily defeating Bonner in the Scholastic Classic II.  After the win against Bonner, Charter’s record was a respectable 6-3.  However, they then ran into trouble in Delaware, where they currently stand at 6-6.  I don’t think the mediocre record reflects the Quakers’ performance, though.  They were matched up with two top-20 teams twice, as well as extremely talented teams like Neumann and the Prep.  The only real “bad loss” was against Abington, where the Quakers underachieved.  So I guess what I’m saying is don’t let the record fool you.  This is still a team to look out for, which leads us to…
          …2004!  Yes, it is time to start a new year, one which I hope produces a lot of wins for Penn Charter.  The bad thing is that the schedule will only get harder, but I think the Quakers are up to the challenge.  Even though PC lost more games than they would have liked to in 2003, they can bury those losses by winning against Inter-Ac opponents.   League play begins on Saturday against Malvern Prep and continues all the way through February, and the Quakers are poised for a repeat as Inter-Ac champs.  The biggest challenge is undoubtedly going to come from GA, who would like to bring the league championship back to Fort Washington.  GA has one of the deepest starting lineups around, with 5 guys that can score at will.  Their 14-2 record is no fluke, so PC has their work cut out for them.  This is how it should be though, with the oldest high school rivalry in the country going head to head for a shot at the title.  PC travels to GA for the first time on Jan. 9, and the loser will get a shot at revenge three weeks later on Jan. 30 at Penn Charter.  But the Inter-Ac isn’t just these two teams.  For once, this is one of the deepest and most talented leagues in the city, so some other teams will also look to steal the title from PC.  One of these teams is Episcopal Academy, which has raced out to one if its best starts in recent memory.  The Churchmen have yet to lose at 11-0, and they feature two of the city’s top sophomores in Gerald Henderson & Wayne Ellington.   PC will travel down City Line Ave. to play EA on 1/23, with the rematch taking place on 2/13 at PC.  Another team that is demanding respect is Malvern, who have started out 8-3.   They may have been overlooked in the preseason picks, but 6-4 sr. G-F Brian Grandieri is leading a talented Friars squad.  PC squares off with them on Saturday at Arcadia U as well as on 1/27 at Malvern.  Haverford (1/20 & 2/6) is also making noise at 5-5, while Chestnut Hill Academy (1/16 & 2/3) is struggling at 4-9.  It all concludes with the Inter-Ac Postseason Tournament (2/17-2/21 @ EA), which gives all six teams an opportunity to snatch away the title (at least on paper).  It should be a dogfight, with four teams equally capable of winning it all.  It won’t be easy, but my early prediction is for the Quakers to repeat.   Sure, they’ve struggled a little bit so far, but league play is a whole new season and the Quakers aren’t ready to relinquish that championship.  Perhaps the most anticipated game of the season’s second half will take place on Jan. 31 at Arcadia University, where Penn Charter will meet nationally ranked Cardinal Dougherty.   PC got the best of Dougherty last year, but the Cardinals are back and better than ever, boasting a lineup that features four D-1 prospects.  The spotlight will be on the matchup between Singletary and Dougherty PG Kyle Lowry, with these two considered to be the best point guards in the city.  This one has the makings of a classic, so don’t miss it.
Special Ed’s Player of 2003: Sean Singletary, who was outstanding throughout.
Next Game: Inter-Ac Tripleheader: Saturday, Jan. 3 @ Arcadia vs. Malvern.  In the other games, GA will play CHA and Episcopal will play Haverford.
Hope everyone had a good 2003, and I’ll catch y’all in the New Year.  Peace…         

DEC. 23
NON-LEAGUE, SCHOLASTIC CLASSIC II
Penn Charter 66, Bonner 34
          If things keep going this way for the Penn Charter basketball team, at least there shouldn’t be any two game losing streaks in the future.  PC lost to Mt. Zion, then responded by beating Carroll.   After falling to Abington Friends, Charter came back the next game to beat GFS.  Following the defeat against SJ Prep at the Palestra on Saturday, the Quakers came out and took care of business again, easily beating the Friars of Monsignor Bonner at the Scholastic Classic II.  Even though PC won this game by 32 points, I don’t think it was their best performance.  The second quarter was a little sloppy, with the Quakers totaling only 9 points (they didn’t score a field goal until just under 4 minutes left in the quarter).  However, things soon began to pick up.  The game was flowing a lot better in the second half, and PC’s defense seemed to get better and better as the game progressed.  Bonner didn’t get too many good shots, and when they did get a clean look the shot usually rimmed out.   I hadn’t seen them play yet this season, but it looks like they have a good team, as their 5-2 record coming in indicated.  They just couldn’t buy a bucket today, shooting a hair under 30% (16 for 54).  If you shoot that bad, there isn’t much chance for a win, no matter who you’re playing.
          Coming into today’s game, PC sr. G Sean Singletary had a scoring average of 27.9 PPG, which has to be one of the highest in the city.  Sean had scored at least 21 in every game, and had 30+ points in 3 of the 8 Quaker