Drew (L) and humorist Ryan Curran

The Drew Review
Basketball 2005-06

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    Drew Wilkins, a productive receiver for La Salle High's football team, has offered to cover the hoops Explorers. We welcome Drew to the staff. He may be reached at drewballu16@yahoo.com.


The Drew Review Awards – CL North

MVP: James “J.J.” Franklin – Judge
Coach of the Year: Mark Heimerdinger – Dougherty
Defensive Player of the Year:
Arthur Livingston – Judge
Rookie of the Year: Clay Penecale – La Salle, soph.
Sixth Man of the Year:
Roberto Townsend
- Dougherty
---
1st Team All-Catholic North
PG     James “J.J.” Franklin – Judge
SG     Kahlil Mumford– Dougherty, jr.
SF     Clay Penecale - La Salle, soph.
PF     Bill Murphy - McDevitt
C       Kevin Hudgeons -  Ryan
2nd Team
PG     Tyrell Marshall – La Salle
SG     Vinny Simpson - Dougherty
SF     Nate Edwards - North
PF     Mike Varanavage - Ryan
C       Roberto Townsend - Dougherty, jr.
Honorable Mention
G       Adam Van Zelst - Egan
G       Mike Swoyer - McDevitt
G       Hanif Edwards - North
F        Andrew Pomager – North, jr.
F        Chris Crawford - Wood
C        Arthur Livingston - Judge

FEB. 19
CATHOLIC NORTH
Father Judge 61, La Salle 43

   The Explorers closed out the 2005-2006 basketball season with a visit to Father Judge High School on Sunday. Already out of contention for a playoff spot, La Salle aimed to end the season on a high note against a very talented Judge squad. This would be no easy task, especially with the Crusaders offensive explosion in the first quarter. Sr. PG James “J.J.” Franklin led the Judge scoring early on with eight first quarter points, and after eight minutes of play the Crusaders enjoyed a hearty 22-5 lead. The second quarter saw the Explorers regroup and assert themselves offensively, sparked by sr. PG Tyrell Marshall. On the first possession of the quarter Marshall drove the ball hard to the rim to get the basket and the foul. Marshall’s driving opened things up on the perimeter, and two three-pointers by jr. SG Greg Dusing and one by soph. SF Clay Penecale pulled La Salle within nine points at halftime. The second half started with another three-pointer from Dusing, one of five threes in the game for the sharpshooter who finished with a team-high 15 points. The trio of Dusing, Marshall, and Penecale combined for every La Salle point up until 3:27 left in the third quarter, when soph. F Joe Migliarese scored for the Explorers inside. Judge was able to keep the Explorers at arm’s length thanks to stingy defense inside by sr. C Arthur Livingston and company. Clay Penecale did get a nice basket against the bigger Livingston when he stole the ball, drove down the floor, and got a great and-one when his shot floated over the outstretch arm of the center. A Migliarese jumper helped keep the deficit at nine for the Explorers as the third quarter ended, with Judge up 41-32. The last quarter of the season for La Salle was a forgettable one, as Franklin scored seven fourth quarter points en route to a game-high 22. It’s often said that it’s tough for a team to make two runs in a game, and that was true for La Salle in this one. So much energy was spent bringing the lead down to a manageable nine points after their rough start that it was tough for the Explorers to close the gap down the stretch. With three minutes left and the game out of reach, Coach Joe Dempsey put all five of his seniors on the floor to close out their season. The seniors played their hardest in the final moments, and each got a loud ovation from the crowd as they were checked out of the game one by one. Sr. F Doug Maxwell scored the final La Salle points for the season with a pair of foul shots, and it was all over for the Explorers. Final Score 61-43. This was a tough way to go out, but La Salle played their hearts out and never stopped trying against a very good Judge team. This La Salle team was full of underclassmen and inexperience at the beginning of the season, but Coach Dempsey did a great job of getting the most out of what he had. This team is going to be a favorite in the Catholic League North next season, and it’s clear that the Explorer basketball program is on the rise. With great coaching and a core of talented young players, expect big things out of this team for many years to come.
--- Player of the Game – J.J. Franklin – Franklin had his way with the Explorer defense throughout, getting a game-high 22 points for the Crusaders in their final regular season game. Franklin, who was recently voted by the coaches as the MVP of the Catholic League North, played like an MVP on Sunday. Not only did Franklin get his points, he created offense for others with great passing, and played frenetic defense from start to finish.
Curran for Three
  1.) This game started out a little lopsided, but the only blowouts in this game were in the Judge student section.
  2.) I never would have thought that any team in the North could have  shot the 3-ball as well as La Salle until today. J.J. Franklin led Judge beyond the arc as he was heard saying "I keep it real" after every three he made.
  3.) It was nice to see seniors Billy "Andrew Gleason insists you nickname me ‘The Kid’" Keenan, Matt "2/4 from the field for my career" Greenfield, and Doug "The Man" Maxwell get some well deserved time in La Salle’s last game of the season.

FEB. 17
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 62, La Salle 60

   The Explorers played their final home game on Friday night against first-place Cardinal Dougherty, and it was Senior Night in Wyndmoor. La Salle has six seniors on the team, and PG Bill Keenan, SG Matt Greenfield, PF Doug Maxwell, F Bill Warrender, PG Tyrell Marshall and Manager Gresham Cooney were all honored before tip-off. A large student section was on hand, eager to cheer on their seniors, who made up the starting lineup on this special night. Despite not having much starting experience, the five upperclassmen looked very poised against the #24 team in the state. Bill Keenan sparked the Explorers early in the first quarter, hustling for a loose ball then on the next possession grabbing an offensive rebound amongst the trees, then finding the fan favorite Maxwell for the first bucket of the game. Warrender also stepped up, hitting a big three-pointer to give the Explorers the lead. The seniors got La Salle off to a great start and after the first quarter they led the Cardinals 9-6. In the second quarter a sophomore picked up where the seniors left off, with soph. SF Clay Penecale following a cutting inside bucket with an impressive mid-range jumper on his way to a game-high 25 points. With La Salle holding a seven point lead, Dougherty answered with their sixth-man, jr. PF Roberto Townsend. A spark-plug for the Cardinals all season, Townsend came right in and made an impact, scoring on three straight Dougherty possessions including a thunderous dunk to narrow the lead to three. Two three-pointers, one each from Warrender and jr. SG TJ Brown, put La Salle back up by seven. Dougherty was helped by a rare four-point play by jr.
SG Kahlil Mumford, who was fouled while hitting a three-pointer and converted the free throw. Mumford led the Cardinals with 16 points in the game. The Explorers finished off the half on a run, with Penecale hitting a three then on the next possession getting a put-back and-one to finish the quarter with ten points. Also, maybe the greatest hustle play all season occurred when jr. SG Greg Dusing caught up with a breaking Dougherty dribbler who was going in for an easy lay-up, and quickly slapped the ball off the offensive player’s leg to give La Salle possession. At halftime, La Salle held a five point lead, 30-25. That quickly changed in the early moments of the third, as jr. F Justin Minter got two quick scores to pull the Cardinals within one. A trio of seniors then stepped up for La Salle, first with Warrender hitting another three-pointer, then Maxwell hustling to a loose ball and calling timeout. Following the timeout, Marshall got aggressive and attacked the rim, first with a one-handed take, then later getting fouled and hitting both shots. A pair of Dougherty threes pulled them within four, and Penecale scored at the end of the third to give La Salle a 45-39 advantage going into the final quarter. Marshall again drove the ball inside to start the fourth, converting an and-one to put La Salle up by nine. Dougherty quickly narrowed the margin to one, off five straight points from Mumford followed by four straight from Townsend. With just under four minutes remaining La Salle led by one, but sr. PG Vincent Simpson hit a big jumper to give the Cardinals their first lead of the half. The Explorers answered with a pinpoint pass from Warrender to soph. F Joe Migliarese, who laid it in to put his team back on top. A Minter put-back off of a foul-shot and a jumper by soph. SF Isiah Mason gave Dougherty a four point lead, but as he had done all game, Penecale answered, this time driving in and hitting a bank-shot to pull La Salle within two. With 1:17 left, Dougherty led by two, 58-56 when the Explorers called timeout. On the inbound they got the ball into the hands of Penecale, who hoisted a three-ball that hit rim. The ball bounced into the corner, and Dusing ran over, caught the ball in the air, and called timeout to keep the ball in La Salle’s hands. The two switched roles on the next possession, with Dusing attempting a three and Penecale cleaning up the garbage, this time taking the ball right up for a score to tie the game. The Cardinals regained the lead on a short jumper by jr. C Tim Gates, but two clutch free-throws by Tyrell Marshall knotted things up at 60 each. With 8.4 seconds remaining, the Cardinals inbounded the ball by their bench, and set up a clean jump shot that hit iron. The ball hung in the air as if in slow-motion, and the soaring Justin Minter tapped it towards the rim. The ball rolled around, and as the clock ran out it fell though the hoop, and Dougherty dramatically won by two. Final Score 62-60. This one was yet another heartbreaker for the Explorers, but the team has nothing to hang their heads about. For the second time this season they played with one of the top teams in the area better than most others have, and their effort was always at the highest level. Hats off to the seniors, who have helped lead a young team to improvement all season with dedication and class.
  Player of the Game: Clay Penecale – Whenever La Salle needed a big bucket, Penecale delivered. Clay scored a season-high 25 points on shots from all over the floor despite being the focus of the Cardinal defense. In the two games against Dougherty this season, Penecale has an amazing 42 points. This guy can play with the best of them, and showed it tonight. The All-Catholic Team comes out this week, and no one is more deserving of the honor than #22 from La Salle.
Curran for Three
  1.) Did anyone see the 50-50 basket going around at halftime? Rumor has it that all proceeds were being donated to La Salle's own Rick “Custard" Cosgrove Foundation, benefiting fragile people everywhere. This week’s collection should be enough to buy Cosgrove a new jaw after his fall a week ago.
  2.) Thanks to Sean Maloney for making the creative DOUG-Fence sign in order to support senior Doug "The Man" Maxwell. Look for the sign to carry over into lacrosse season.
  3.) Its a shame all those Dougherty students showed up to watch such an ugly game. Their only chant was "sit down shut up" when, in fact, they were sitting down and staying shut up for the entire game.

FEB. 10
CATHOLIC NORTH
Ryan 64, La Salle 55

   This time of year every team is fighting for its playoff life, but if you didn’t know any better you’d think that tonight’s game was an actual postseason match-up. The Explorers visited rival Archbishop Ryan on Friday night, well aware of this game’s importance in the standings. Unfortunately, Ryan knew how important this game was too, and they came out firing in the first quarter. Sr. SG Mars Shah led the explosive Raider offense early, hitting all three of his first quarter three-point attempts and helping Ryan jump out to an early 8-2 lead. La Salle slowly chipped away at the lead midway through the first, thanks to jr. SG Greg Dusing’s five first quarter points, and after the first La Salle trailed 15-12. The second quarter saw Ryan play some inspired defense, anchored by scrappy soph. PG Andrew Rodgers. Although undersized at only 5’7, Rodgers played shut-down defense on or away from the ball, making things difficult up top for the Explorer offense. Soph. SF Clay Penecale got the Explorers rolling in the second quarter with some great hustle, hitting the floor to grab an offensive rebound, and then having the presence of mind to look up from the hardwood and pass to a soph. F Joe Migliarese for a strong two. Penecale got into the act on the Explorers’ next possession, squaring up for a three-pointer, and getting fouled in the act. He hit all three foul-shots and helped narrow the gap for La Salle. Ryan’s game plan was to get the ball to their 6’8 big man, sr. C Kevin Hudgeons, who found his touch in the second quarter with
five points. The La Salle offense got a major shot in the arm late in the second quarter once sr. PG Tyrell Marshall started attacking the basket. Marshall closed the first half with two lighting-fast drives to the lane, and his four straight points gave the Explorers a 26-25 lead at intermission. The third quarter started the same way the second ended, with Tyrell Marshall taking control. On the first Ryan possession of the half, Marshall picked the pocket of the dribbler and took the ball coast-to-coast for two of his team-high 15 points. Ryan stayed with their game plan of getting Hudgeons the ball on the block, and it paid off as he hit two shots in a row to give the lead back to the home team. The Explorers were unable to get much going offensively against the stingy man-to-man defense of the Raiders, and only scored six third quarter points. Offensively, Ryan kept exploiting the size disparity that Hudgeons created, and he cashed in on the block. La Salle did the best they could to contain the big man, but he was in a zone and proved to be too much to handle for the Explorers, getting 10 of his team’s 13 points of the third quarter. The Raiders led 38-32 going into the all-important fourth quarter. La Salle began the fourth looking determined to win this game, first with a Penecale one-handed floater, then a dish from Marshall to a wide-open Migliarese for three. With La Salle down by one, every possession was critical, and every foul shot significant. Unfortunately for the Explorers the foul shots just weren’t dropping, and it killed their momentum. A big-time three-pointer by jr. SG TJ Brown did put the Explorers within two, but a thundering dunk from Hudgeons took the air out of any La Salle run. Hudgeons continued to dominate down the stretch, finishing up with 25 points, 19 of which he scored in the second half. The rest of the game turned into a foul-shooting competition, where Ryan was very solid from the stripe and La Salle continued its struggles. Two missed La Salle free throws at the end sealed the deal, and the Raiders got a big win in front of their home crowd. Final Score 64-55. The Explorers are now faced with the tough proposition of having to win their final three games for a shot to make the playoffs, and their first challenge will be this Monday night at Conwell-Egan.
   Player of the Game: Kevin Hudgeons – The big man was at least four inches taller than everyone else on the floor tonight, and took advantage of every inch in the second half for the Raiders. Hudgeons showed a soft-touch and great interior moves on his way to a career-high 25 points. What’s more amazing is that he only had six points at halftime, coming alive down the stretch when his team relied on him. Hudgeons’ solid all-around game rivals that of any big-man in the CL North. Count on this guy to be a huge factor in Ryan’s playoff run.

Curran for Three
   1.) If we had a nickel for every foul shot La Salle missed, we’d have more than enough for one of those delicious cheese steaks from Steve’s Prince of Steaks, right down the road from Ryan.
   2.) Our goal for this game was to pull some Drew Review groupies from Ryan’s “Tribe”. We were successful throughout the first 3 quarters until the girls found out that the great Ted Silary was in attendance. The girls immediately left us and flocked towards Ted. Tough to compete with a legend (smile).
   3.) This was a tough loss for La Salle. Luckily the Explorers playoff hopes were helped by Wood's upset of Conwell Egan but it looks like they are going to have to win out the rest of the season to have any chance for the playoffs. But, hey, if Wood can win a game, anything is possible.

FEB. 3
CATHOLIC NORTH
Northeast Catholic 48, La Salle 46
   The Explorers played host to the Falcons of Northeast Catholic on Friday night in a game that would go a long way to decide who’d have the inside track on a playoff berth in the Northern Division. The Explorer faithful filled the gym, and an enthusiastic student section was getting rowdy even before tip-off. It was obvious the team fed off the energy of the students, and they started the game with a ton of energy. Sr. PG Tyrell Marshall and soph. SF Clay Penecale got things started for La Salle early on. Penecale kicked it off with a steal and drive, the Marshall got his first bucket off of a quick dash to the basket and a mid-air pump-fake to squeeze past the defender and score. Marshall followed that up on the next possession with a great pass to Penecale, who took the pass and quickly released the first three-pointer of the night. Penecale’s shot was dropping from the start, and he had 10 of his 22 points in the first seven minutes. North was unable to work their offense thanks to the disciplined team defense of La Salle, and sr. SF Nate Edwards was the only one getting good looks at the basket. Edwards scored five points in the first, including a high-arcing three-pointer with a hand in his face. The three point shot was a recurring theme for the Explorers, who had an astounding total of ten three pointers by the time the game was finished. The first quarter saw sr. F Bill Warrender and jr. SGs TJ Brown and Greg Dusing all hit one three, part of a season high 21 points in the quarter for the Explorers, who led 21-9 going into the second. Penecale’s great play carried over into the second quarter, getting four quick points in the paint, and contributing defensively with a block and rebound that started a fastbreak. At the 3 minute mark of the second quarter La Salle enjoyed a hearty 30-14 lead over the Falcons, but the Edwards trio from North rallied to close the gap some. Nathan Edwards was joined by jr. PF Chris Edwards, an impressive force down low, and speedy sr. PG Hanif Edwards ran the Falcon offense at full tilt throughout. Marshall and the rest of the Explorer defense did a good job of checking the trio, but as the second ended Hanif hit a floater in the lane and Chris was able to score down low from a great pass from Hanif. Despite the Edwards surge, La Salle enjoyed an eight point lead at halftime, 30-22. The third quarter was again initiated with the deadly shooting of Penecale, who hit two three-pointers in a row to build the La Salle lead. North responded to the shooting of Penecale with a swarming 2-1-2 full court press, attempting to stop the Explorers before they could even get the ball into the hands of their star player. The press was very effective, creating multiple turnovers and enabling the lightning-fast Hanif Edwards to get the ball in the open court on the break. Hanif reeked havoc when he had the rock in his hands, first with a drive-and-dish to Chris Edwards, then a dead-on jumper after shaking his man off the dribble. The only other La Salle basket following Penecale’s threes was a Marshall bucket off of a good inbound pass from jr. F Anthony Acey-Davis. North was able to creep back into the game thanks to some great defense and solid rebounding. By the time the third quarter had ended this was no longer the blowout that it had started to look like, and La Salle only held a 38-35 lead. The Falcons continued their 2-1-2 press in the fourth quarter, and the Explorers had to make every pass crisp and precise on every possession. North was also very active on the glass, benefiting from great offensive rebounding that made for easy points in the paint. Following a put-back by Chris Edwards, La Salle set up their motion offense and found Dusing for a huge three-pointer to put the Explorers up four.  Jr. F Andrew Pomager was a big presence down low for North, and he hit a big jumper from the side that brought the Falcons within two, then forced a stop on the next La Salle possession. With North looking to tie things up, Clay Penecale stepped up on defense, getting a great steal and taking it all the way in for a lay-up. A Pomager foul shot brought North within one, then Nathan Edwards unloaded back-to-back jumpers on La Salle, putting the Falcons up by one. Hanif Edwards hit a beautiful floater on a drive to put them up three, but Dusing answered the call again, knocking down his fourth three of the game to even the score with a minute left. After calling timeout, North brought the ball in looking to find one of the Edwards down low, but Penecale again played excellent defense, getting in the passing lane and stealing the ball. He drove up the left sideline looking to score, but what appeared to be an obvious reach-in foul on North was a non-call, and La Salle turned the ball over to the Falcons. The Explorers were out of position on defense due to anticipation of their own fastbreak, and Nathan Edwards got the ball at the top of the key and easily sliced in for the two. La Salle called timeout, and on the ensuing possession Warrender was set up for a drive from the left side, but Edwards swatted the ball into the hands of a fellow Falcon and La Salle went back on defense, hoping to give themselves another chance to score. The Explorers fouled Chris Edwards, who went to the line to shoot 1-and-1. Edwards missed the first shot, and La Salle pulled in the rebound and called timeout.  With 12.7 seconds left and the Explorers trailing by two, 48-46, La Salle brought the ball in from the right side into the reliable hands of Tyrell Marshall, who drove to his right and got the ball to the hot hand, Greg Dusing. As time ran out Dusing got off a good-looking three-point jumper from the top of the key that would have won it, but the shot rimmed out. Final Score 48-46. This was a heartbreaker and set the Explorers back in the playoff race, but no one in attendance could deny that the Explorers played their hardest and put up a great fight. La Salle will now need to play mistake-free basketball in the final weeks to sneak into the playoffs, and it will have to start next Friday night visiting a tough Archbishop Ryan squad.
   Player of the Game: Clay Penecale­ – #22 matched his jersey number in the box score, dropping a game-high 22 points. Clay put on a show in front of the home crowd, hitting four three-pointers and seemingly scoring at will. Penecale also got the job done on the defensive end, with three huge steals and continued pressure on the Falcon shooters. One of the top scorers in the Catholic League, Penecale has an outstanding all around game that makes him one of the premier players in the league, and he showed it tonight.
   Thanks to Drew Review special assistant Christina for her help with the stats. She had some trouble figuring out which Edwards was which, but after we got that straightened out she did a great job.
Curran For Three
  First, a shoutout goes to La Salle senior wrestler Connor Tatlow. A beast in the PCL wrestling circuit for years, Tatlow had his season ended early when he dislocated his elbow in a match last week. Good luck to the Explorers in the Catholic League Championship on Wednesday at North.
1) North made up for some below-par defense in the first half by playing the entire second half in a stellar 2-1-2 press. Their lightning fast guards and endless amount of speed and height all across the floor made the press even harder to beat.
2) La Salle looked like Villanova tonight. They lived and died by the three. Solid contributors from beyond the arc for the Explorers included Greg Dusing and Clay "MVP" Penecale.
3) It was a good showing for the La Salle faithful Friday night. We had a solid student section and Matt "the 6th man" Ihlein was in attendance, providing a horrifying scream on nearly every foul shot.

JAN. 27
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 61, McDevitt 55
   The Catholic League North playoff picture is still very much up in the air, with five teams within a game of each other for second place, and only four of the eight division teams making the playoffs. How each team fares in their final push towards the postseason will determine whether they are still playing basketball into March. With that said, the Explorers looked to put themselves in a better position in the standings against a struggling but talented Bishop McDevitt team on Friday night. These teams met once already this season, with La Salle pulling out a 69-65 victory at home. Getting the victory would prove to be a much tougher challenge on the road, as McDevitt came out fired up in the early-going. The Lancers are led by sr. SF Bill Murphy, an impressive shooter who can also take the ball inside. He opened up the game for McDevitt with a big three-pointer, and his scoring would continue throughout, with a game-high 22 points. The Explorers went to their MVP candidate and scoring leader soph. Clay Penecale often in the first quarter, and he delivered, hitting a three-pointer and a nice floater in traffic to give him five points in the quarter. Also scoring five points in the first was soph. F Joe Migliarese, who had a strong take against Murphy down low, then a great three pointer to end the quarter with La Salle leading 12-9. The second quarter started with vocal Head Coach Joe Dempsey instructing his players to stay aggressive, and that’s exactly what the Explorers did. Sr. PG Tyrell Marshall led the efficient La Salle attack, and jrs. TJ Brown and Anthony Acey-Davis each benefited from great passing from the point guard. Marshall created for himself as well, scoring six points in the half, including a fantastic in-air double pump on a contested lay-up. McDevitt sr. SG Brandon Fisher came in off the bench to spark the Lancers, contributing five points and bottling up Penecale through most of the quarter. Fisher and the four other McDevitt defenders were conscious of Penecale wherever he was on the floor, and it took an incredible shot while falling backwards by Clay to get himself in the books in the second. Sr. PG Mike Swoyer hit an off-balance three-pointer to pull the Lancers within one, and the half ended with La Salle holding a 26-25 lead. The second half started out looking more like a three-point competition than a game. Bill Murphy and jr. SG Greg Dusing were both feeling it from beyond the line, and Dusing scored all 9 of his points on three three-pointers in the quarter. Murphy scored 10 points in the third, hitting two threes and getting two buckets in the paint. Marshall again played efficiently in the third, finding Brown and sr. F Bill Warrender for buckets and keeping La Salle ahead as the third quarter ended. The Explorers took the previous advice of Coach Dempsey to heart in the fourth, playing an aggressive and fast-paced style the produced a large amount of offensive output. The fastbreak offense enabled the struggling Penecale to get the ball in the open floor, and he made the most of the opportunity with a lay-in from a Brown assist. Penecale followed that up with an unbelievable behind-the-back pass to Marshall that had the La Salle bench going nuts, and gave La Salle their biggest lead of the game at eight points. The momentum was quickly seized by McDevitt on the other end thanks to a bucket and foul called for sr. C Toure Wright. Wright missed the foul shot, but Bill Murphy was there for the put-back, making it a four-point possession for McDevitt and splitting the lead in half. La Salle answered with a big basket from Warrender, but after the play Penecale was taken down hard by a McDevitt player and stayed down on the floor. It wasn’t long before Clay checked back into the game, and he made his presence felt right away with a rebound and put-back that extended the La Salle lead. This started an impressive Explorer run, with TJ Brown hitting a big three-pointer off of a Marshall assist, then Marshall taking the ball to the hoop himself on a hesitation drive. After a Fisher bucket for McDevitt, La Salle missed the front end of a one-and-one, so the Lancers got the ball with a chance to narrow the gap. They did just that with Swoyer hitting another big three-pointer, forcing Coach Dempsey to call timeout and regroup. On the ensuing possession, Anthony Acey-Davis came up huge with a great rebound off a missed shot, then had the presence of mind to pull the ball out, then dish it to Migliarese down on the block. Davis has stepped up tremendously lately, especially rebounding the basketball, and is a big part of the Explorers’ recent success. On the other end of the floor Brandon Fisher again had an answer, this time on the baseline hitting a baby-hook with his back facing the basket. Fisher’s shot brought McDevitt to within one, and it looked as if the Lancers had stopped La Salle on the next drive, but a controversial foul called on McDevitt sent Brown to the foul line, where the clutch shooter converted both attempts. Down three with not much time remaining, McDevitt inexplicably went away from the hot-hand of Murphy and had Swoyer shoot the three, but it missed badly and the ball went to La Salle. The rock went into the hands of Marshall, who made the first one to make it a two-score game, but missed the second giving McDevitt the rebound. Marshall didn’t put his head down after the miss, instead picking off the outlet pass with great speed and getting sent to the line again, making both. Marshall has come alive midway through the season as a go-to guy for the Explorers, especially in crucial situations and late in games. His foul shots put this one out of reach, and La Salle raised its record to 4-4 in league play. Final Score 61-55. The Explorers, who have since defeated Archbishop Wood on Sunday, take on North Catholic at home next Friday night in a crucial match-up. This game will tell a lot about what kind of team La Salle really is, and how far they will go.
   Player of the Game: Tyrell Marshall – For the third straight time, the Drew Review has no other choice but to give the player of the game to La Salle’s exciting point guard, Tyrell Marshall. With a team-high 15 points and 12 assists, Marshall ran the show for La Salle from start to finish and again came up huge with seven points in the fourth quarter. He was able to get to the free-throw line frequently, and made the most of the opportunity, hitting 7 for 8 from the stripe. Marshall also played incredible defense throughout, punctuated by his game-sealing steal of an outlet pass. The combination of Marshall and Penecale could prove to be lethal as the Explorers fight for a playoff berth down the stretch.
Curran for Three
  1) I’m not sure if anyone has noticed, but the past four games that we’ve covered have been La Salle victories. Coincidence? I think not.
  2) The McDevitt student section made up for what they lacked in toughness (smile) with a lot of noise, including a unique cheer when La Salle was shooting their foul shots. When the La Salle player would get ready to shoot, a fan would scream “Do you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?” This would then be followed by what I’m assuming is the most annoying sound in the world, a pack of McDevitt kids screaming.
  3) Star MLB George Hudson was in the house tonight, signing autographs for the first 500 fans in attendance (smile). Thanks to George for helping us out with the stats tonight.

JAN. 20
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 50, Dougherty 44
   There is not a better place to watch a high school basketball game in this city than Cardinal Dougherty High School, the site of Friday night’s Catholic League showdown between the red-hot Cardinals and the ice-cold La Salle Explorers. With rap music blaring through the speakers, and packed seating on both sides of the court plus a student section in an elevated area behind the basket, the decibel level was blaringly high before the opening tip-off. La Salle entered the contest having lost three in a row and Dougherty was enjoying an undefeated start to their league play, but with the visitors hungry to get back in the win column this would be no easy match-up. The Cardinals have been very successful thanks to a core of juniors led by SG Kahlil Mumford. It was clear that Mumford was going to be the man for Dougherty from the start, as he scored the first basket of the game on a high-arcing three from the top of the key. La Salle’s offensive was sparked by soph F Joe Migliarese, who scored two inside buckets with great pivot moves against a smaller defender. Once the attention was focused on Migliarese inside, shots opened up outside for sharpshooter soph. SF Clay Penecale, who hit two back-to-back three-pointers to put La Salle up 10-7. The low scoring first quarter was not due to inefficient offenses, but rather the stellar defensive efforts of both teams. The second quarter started with some great hustle plays by sr. F Bill Warrender, who grabbed two tough rebounds early in the second, turning one into a great assist to a cutting Migliarese. The Cardinals attempted to spread the ball around to create some driving lanes for easy lay-ups, but the man-to-man defense of La Salle held them to tough jump shots. Dougherty’s jr. F Justin Minter showed great persistence driving to the hoop and grabbing two rebounds off his own misses, then finally on his third opportunity to make the basket. La Salle responded to this defensive lapse with some great passing, especially from Migliarese. He had a great pass to a cutting sr. PG Tyrell Marshall, who finished the play with a kiss of the glass for two. Mumford answered on the other end of the floor with a nifty pass of his own, getting the ball inside to the athletic jr. C Robert Townsend. The game was knotted at 19-19 until Clay Penecale got the ball in his hands. Penecale hit a three followed by two foul shots to give the Explorers a five point lead going into the half, 24-19. The third quarter opened with a big three-pointer from jr. SG Greg Dusing, who has continued to get involved in the offense as a starter. The Cardinals cut into the suddenly large La Salle lead with two threes, one by Mumford and the other by sr. G Vincent Simpson, who heated up with seven points in the third quarter. Penecale was again the focal point of the Explorer attack, hitting a jumper in the lane then getting a deuce on a fastbreak. The momentum shifted in favor of the Cardinals in the third, thanks to the play of super-athletic Robert Townsend. Known around the league for his superior leaping ability, Townsend took over in all facets of the game. Following a high-flying rebound and put-back, Townsend stole the ball from Migliarese at halfcourt and absolutely punished the rim with a thundering dunk. The slam gave Dougherty their first lead since the first minute of the game at 36-35, and that’s how the quarter ended. With the Dougherty lead at one going into the fourth, La Salle would need to play their best basketball to pull out a victory. The home crowd was raucous as the quarter began, but jr. SG TJ Brown silenced them with a great series of possessions that changed the landscape of the game. After scoring on a jumper, Brown turned around on defense and picked the pocket of Mumford, taking the ball all the way in for two. He then got right back on defense and got another steal, this time driving and dishing to Marshall, who laid the ball in to regain the lead for La Salle. Marshall’s layup was just the start of his amazing fourth quarter, where he scored eight of his ten points. After a Townsend three-pointer, Marshall answered with an amazing drive to the hoop, absorbing the contact of the defender and changing his shot mid-air to get the basket. Holding a one-point lead, La Salle played great defense in the final minutes, with jr. SF Anthony Acey-Davis continuing his outstanding rebounding with a terrific defensive board. The Explorers had possession with 1:21 left in the fourth when Marshall again took over for La Salle, beating Mumford off the dribble and getting fouled while converting his layup. La Salle maintained their three point lead by trading foul shots with Dougherty, and the Cardinals got the ball with 23 seconds left, down 47-44. The ball went to the scorer Mumford, who took the ball from left to right and threw up an unbalanced layup that was no good. Marshall, who was all over the place in the fourth, grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. Marshall made the pivotal first foul shot to ice it, and two late Migliarese foul shots sealed the deal. Final Score 50-44. This was a monumental upset for the Explorers, who are jockeying for positioning in the CL North and needed to get on the right track. If the momentum from this game can carry over, expect big things from La Salle in the upcoming weeks.
   Player of the Game: Tyrell Marshall – In the all-important fourth quarter, Marshall stepped up big for the Explorers. He scored ten points on the night, and eight of them were in the final quarter. Marshall’s defense was also at its best, as he held star Mumford scoreless in the fourth. With teammate soph. PG Michael Topley injured, Marshall will be called on to run La Salle’s offense from start to finish. If the fourth quarter of this game was any indication, Marshall is ready for the challenge.
Curran for Three
   1)    La Salle’s sophomore sensation and the CL North’s second leading scorer Clay Penecale had another great game, leading the team with 15 points. He’s playing great this year, and there is a lot of hype going around about Clay getting MVP honors. Tonight, he lived up to that hype.
   2)   
The Explorers are looking like a M.A.S.H. unit out there with all these injuries. PG Michael Topley looks to be about for a major part of the season with a broken arm he suffered tonight. Soph. Frank Pierson is out, and sr. Bill Warrender is banged up. Also, major contributor jr. Sean “Benzino” Benz was injured in the Ryan game a week ago. I’m not going to say the Ryan kid that hurt him was a goon, but somebody check and see if he’s related to Nehemiah Ingram.
   3)    Rough start to this game. The National Anthem singer paused mid-song after mixing up the words, and let out a horrified “Oh god” before getting out the rest of the anthem. It’s a good thing she picked it up, because La Salle coach Joe Dempsey looked like he was ready to pull a Mo Cheeks and go finish the song with her.

JAN. 6
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 42, Wood 36

   The Explorers traveled to a packed house at Archbishop Wood High School on Friday night for their second league game of the season, against a winless but feisty Vikings squad. The home team would have loved nothing more than to get their first win of the season against the rival Explorers, and they came out of the gate fired up. As the game got underway it was evident that it was going to be a very physical match-up. Coach Joe Dempsey had the Explorers running their motion offense sharply from the start, and the new insert into the starting lineup, jr. SG Greg Dusing, stepped up early with a three pointer from the corner. Coach Dempsey and his staff clearly found a hole in the Vikings’ perimeter defense, and from then on nearly every offensive set created a three-point shot. Still feeling it after a 21 point outing on Monday, soph. SF Clay Penecale, hit two threes in the first three minutes. Penecale again led the Explorers in scoring, this time with 12 points. The Explorers played tough on defense, but Wood crashed the boards recklessly and when not called for the foul, they were able to create second chances on many trips down the floor. The La Salle offense was very effective in the quarter, with sr. F Bill Warrender proving effective moving without the ball and setting picks, then cashing in on a strong drive to the hoop with a great lay-in. The quarter concluded with jr. F Sean Benz nailing a three pointer to put La Salle up 14-10. The Explorers stuck to their game plan in the second, methodically moving the ball around the Wood zone until a three-pointer opened up. Two La Salle threes, one each by soph. F Joe Migliarese and jr. SG TJ Brown, were their only points of the quarter. Whatever struggles the Explorers had offensively did not carry over to the other end of the floor, where they played stingy defense limiting Wood to only 6 points as well. At the end of a quarter short on entertainment, La Salle maintained its 4 point lead and headed into the locker room. The third quarter saw both teams playing the same physical defense that kept the second quarter so tight, and sloppy passing by the Explorers kept them from getting on the board early on. Again La Salle continued to focus on the defensive end, led by Penecale’s relentless pressure. Penecale followed a steal off of a Dusing tip with a great block on the next trip down the floor, getting the whole team fired up. Unfortunately for La Salle, Wood was playing with the same level of defensive intensity, and turnovers and missed shots prevented La Salle from getting anything going offensively. With three minutes left in the quarter the Explorers still had not scored, until jr. SF Anthony Acey-Davis took the cap off the basket with a close-range jumper. Sr. PG Tyrell Marshall came alive for the Explorers on both ends at the last minutes of the quarter. Playing his usual airtight defense, Marshall made a play on a Viking pass and took it all the way in for a fastbreak layup. He then followed that great play with what may be the highlight of the season; an amazing no-look pass that went 30 feet on a line right into the hands of Davis under the basket. Even the Wood student section was getting excited watching Marshall operate, but then again their team did not leave much to cheer for while only scoring three points in the third quarter. Heading into the fourth, after a 6-3 shootout of a third quarter, the Explorers had a 26-19 lead and looked to put a nail in the coffin. Acey-Davis started the quarter with some great defense, tipping a Viking pass for a steal, and then later playing great help-defense to stop a Wood drive to the basket. Wood SF Chris Crawford, who led the Vikings with 11 points, took the game into his hands and attacked the Explorer defense with an array of moves to the hoop, and also was able to hit from the outside. The Explorers started to run on the tired Wood defenders in the fourth, creating turnovers and forcing the issue in transition. Wood looked slightly worn down halfway through the fourth, but the Vikings never stopped taking the ball to the basket in their comeback efforts. A series of big defensive stops followed for La Salle, highlighted by Tyrell Marshall elevating to swat a fouled Wood shot into the backboard to enthusiastically prevent the three-point play. The pressure continued from Marshall down the stretch, as he chipped in with an athletic rebound off a Wood miss, then a steal and two foul shots. The Explorers sealed the game on the free-throw line, as Dusing, Penecale, and Marshall all converted big foul shots to ice it. Final Score 42-36. This was a great win in a hostile environment, and even though it wasn’t pretty it’s still one more in the win column. The Explorers, who have since lost to a talented North Catholic team in overtime, need to take care of the beatable teams like Wood if they want to get to the playoffs.
  Player of the Game: Tyrell Marshall – This is a case of the boxscore not telling the whole story on the type of game Tyrell had. Marshall is a defensive shutdown specialist, the Explorers’ very own Bruce Bowen, but also can get it done offensively. Every one of Marshall’s 5 points came at a crucial time for the Explorers, and whenever a big stop was needed on defense Tyrell was in the mix. He also produced the only highlights in the entire game, first with his laser no-look pass then with the block against the backboard. Coming off the bench, Marshall will be an X-factor all season with his superb intensity and athletic ability.
Curran For Three
  1.) Wood’s senior center Chris Crawford did just about everything for the Vikings tonight. Crawford led his team in points, rebounds, and often brought the ball up to break a tough La Salle press. Arguably Crawford's best performance though came at halftime when he teamed up with the Wood dance team to do his own rendition of "Mentiosa" by the Ying Yang Twins.
  2.) La Salle received a much needed boost when junior Anthony Acey-Davis came off the bench and landed a few easy inside buckets for the Explorers. Acey-Davis took advantage of Crawford’s foul trouble and paired up nicely with guard Tyrell Marshall;  not to mention his brother shut down an entire Wood student section.
  3.) It was nice to see senior forward and fan favorite Doug "E. Fresh" Maxwell get some time tonight. I don’t know what was tighter, Maxwell's defense or his new haircut.

JAN. 2
CATHOLIC NORTH
La Salle 69, McDevitt 65
   The Explorers opened up 2006 and the regular season against the rival Bishop McDevitt Lancers on Monday. These two teams are very evenly matched, and every year they seem to play a close game. Last year’s contest at La Salle played out like an ESPN Classic, with ex-Explorer Brian Carlin hitting a three at the buzzer to give La Salle the dramatic victory. There are plenty of new faces for both squads this year, including La Salle soph SF Clay Penacale, who had a monster game for La Salle. The Explorers have played a brutal preseason schedule, but their 3-8 record could be wiped clean as league play begins. This one opened up with Lancer F Toure Wright looking like he’d give the Explorers some match-up problems, as he won the tip, sprinted down the floor, and followed up a missed shot with a tip-in. La Salle answered with an up-tempo offensive attack led by soph PG Michael Topley, who set the tone early with a rebound amongst the trees then a coast to coast lay-up that brought the crowd to its feet. The other two sophomore sensations for La Salle, F Joe Migliarese and Penacale, were the main beneficiaries of Topley’s great passing. Migliarese was strong down low against the undersized McDevitt defenders, and on one Topley drive he got open on the block and received a great dish for an easy bucket. La Salle’s attacking offense put them ahead early, and after a quarter they led 16-13. The Lancers responded to the speedy Explorer offense with some hard-nosed physical defense in the second quarter. Topley was bottled up by sr. PG Mike Swoyer, who followed a steal with a sweet floater in the lane that gave the Lancers the lead early in the quarter. Topley takes a beating coming off screens and creating for his teammates, but his resilience all over the floor paid off when a strip of a McDevitt rebounder keyed a fastbreak for La Salle. He also had a great steal and dish that led to a bucket by sr. G Tyrell Marshall. Following a couple of tough outings Marshall, who finished with 11 points, responded on this night with some great plays, including an amazing leap on a loose ball that showed great athletic ability and led to a La Salle basket. McDevitt evened things up with some sharp shooting by Swoyer and sr. F Bill Murphy, and at halftime the Lancers led 30-29. The third quarter was all about the three-ball for La Salle, as Clay Penacale was unstoppable from deep. Great ball movement allowed for Penacale to get good looks from beyond the arc, and he cashed in hitting three of them. Jr. SG Greg Dusing also got into the act, converting a great pull-up jumper with a hand in his face, extending the Explorer lead. McDevitt was simply out-gunned in the third, and the Explorers now enjoyed a 45-40 lead. The fourth quarter showed great senior leadership by the two upperclassmen in the La Salle rotation. Tyrell Marshall and sr. F Bill Warrender each stepped up down the stretch. Warrender hit two big shots as the teams traded buckets and his rebounding helped keep the momentum in La Salle’s favor. Marshall took over in the fourth, following a missed lay-up with a great put-back, and later getting a steal and taking it all the way for a deuce. The Explorers were relentless despite holding a slight lead, and Penacle continued his stellar play on both ends, getting his seventh steal of the night on an errant pass and taking it all the way for a basket. There was some great passing down the stretch for La Salle, highlighted by a great Dusing look inside for jr. F Sean Benz that gave the Explorers their largest lead of the game. Just when this one looked like La Salle might be able to coast in the final minutes, the momentum shifted back to McDevitt as Explorer coach Joe Dempsey was whistled for a technical on a very questionable call. Sr. SF Tom Clarke then hit a three-pointer with under 10 seconds left, and all of a sudden it was a two-point ballgame. With the score at 67-65, Greg Dusing was sent to the line with a chance to ice it. He came up big, hitting both shots and closing it out for the undefeated-in-2006 La Salle Explorers. Final Score 69-65. This win was a great way to start the regular season, and the Explorers will look to continue the success on Friday against a struggling Archbishop Wood squad.
   Player of the Game: Clay Penacale – Penacale matched an Explorer season high with 21 points, and was even more phenomenal on defense with seven steals. Penacale can score from anywhere on the floor, whether it's beating his man off the dribble or pulling up for a three-pointer. Expect the big numbers to continue for #22 on Friday against Wood.
Curran for Three
   1) Tonight’s win was a great way to start up the CL North for La Salle, look for the Explorers to keep the streak rolling on Friday when they face their winless rival. They can’t look past these guys, and everyone on the team needs to be focused on beating Wood.
   2) This game showed great hustle by Bill "I hustle like I’m this years Tom Lyons" Warrender. La Salle is going to need that kind of effort from everybody if they want to make any impact in the CL North this year.
   3) Matt "I wish I was from Rhawnhurst" Greenfield did not see the court today. In fact, no one in the gym could even find Greenfield. I decided to give him a call at halftime and he said he wasn’t going to make the game because the Wood JV girls’ game had gone into double overtime.

DEC. 27
NON-LEAGUE
Conestoga 46, La Salle 41
   Back home after a successful run in Memphis at the Wave Classic, the Explorers hosted the Conestoga Pioneers in a non-league contest Tuesday night. La Salle posted a third-place finish in the Wave Classic, thanks in part to the stellar play of sr. F Bill Warrender, who was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring 21 points in their third-place victory. Hoping this success would carry over in Wyndmoor, the Explorers needed to overcome a very tough Conestoga team. The Pioneers are led by SF Brandon Winters, an impressive offensive weapon with a strong inside game. This one opened up with the Explorers playing their trademark gritty defense, forcing tough shots and eliminating any second opportunities with great rebounding. Soph F Joe Migliarese again showed why he’s one of the best big men in the league with his solid defense of Winters and the other Pioneers inside. On one Winters drive, Migliarese quickly planted his feet on the low block and was able to force a charge. There were some sloppy moments for both teams offensively, and after a quarter the Pioneers led 10-9. In the second, La Salle continued its aggressive defense but couldn’t get anything going offensively thanks to an airtight Conestoga defensive effort. Seemingly every loose ball went the way of the Pioneers, but thanks to some inspired La Salle defense many easy Conestoga opportunities were thwarted, keeping the game within reach. Once again jr. F Sean Benz showed great hustle all over the court, including an impressive rebound in traffic that led to a La Salle fastbreak. Although bottled-up offensively in the first half, Warrender shined on defense with a nifty steal on the sideline, and another big rebound down low. The sloppy play for La Salle carried over into this second quarter, but this wasn’t the case for the Pioneers who got into a little rhythm late in the quarter. Left-handed sharpshooter PG Brendan Hager showed great touch on his passes and his shots, leading a Pioneer offense that looked to take the ball to the hole for high percentage shots. At the half, Hager and the Pioneers enjoyed a 21-14 lead, but the Explorers looked like they were a small run away from making this into a good game. The third quarter showed some great adjustments by La Salle, with the Explorers showing a penchant for running the floor on the fastbreak. This was a new look for the Explorers, a refreshing change from the motion set-up offense that the La Salle faithful have learned to love over the years. The attack was led by soph. PG Michael Topley, who looked very comfortable in the high-speed offense, setting up soph WG Clay Penacale and jr. SG T.J. Brown for easy scores. Topley also created for himself, taking a steal down the floor for a layup of his own. The Pioneers weren’t able to keep up with La Salle’s Phoenix Suns impersonation, and after three quarters we had a tie game, 31-31. The fourth quarter was all about the three-ball for the Pioneers. G Kevin O’Hara, scoreless after three quarters, hit two huge three-pointers for Conestoga down the stretch. After O’Hara’s first three, the Explorers responded by giving the ball to the hot-hand Penacale, who took the ball strong to the bucket against a man-to-man defense drawing a foul and converting on the three-point play. Penacale had a very good night from the field, scoring 12 big points for La Salle. A defensive lapse allowed Pioneer SG LeRoi Leviston an open look at the basket for three, and Leviston hit the big shot to put Conestoga up by three points. La Salle set up their offense on the other end using as much time as they needed, and T.J. Brown had a clean look at the basket from beyond the arc when he was fouled in the act. The three-shot foul can be a pressure-packed moment for any player, but Brown looked relaxed at the line, hitting all three clutch shots with ease. With the game tied at 41 apiece, O’Hara struck again from the corner, hitting a triple with a hand in his face to put the Pioneers up by three. Sr. PG Tyrell Marshall used great dribble penetration to set-up a three point attempt by Penacle, but the Explorers were unable to convert and had to foul Leviston with less than a minute remaining. Leviston, who had been called for a technical foul earlier in the game, missed both foul shots keeping the Explorers’ hopes alive. After a pair of La Salle timeouts, the Explorers got the ball on the side with 12 seconds remaining. The ball went into the hands of Marshall, but a very questionable carrying call by the referee sapped all of the drama out of this one, and two Conestoga foul shots later the game was over. Final Score 46-41. This game would have been a great win for La Salle, especially coming off of their success in Tennessee, but there is still some positive improvement to be happy about in this game. Hopefully the Explorers can build off of their success on the fastbreak and incorporate the run-and-gun style that kept them in this game into their regular offense.
   Player of the Game: Brandon Winters – It was warm Winters for Conestoga on this night, with their star player tallying a double-double, leading the team with 17 points. The small forward had his way with the La Salle defense in the paint, and Winters used every inch of his 6’4 frame to cleanup the glass. As a fellow tight end, it’s easy to see how Winters had so much success on the football field this year for Conestoga with his great hands and athleticism. Look for this guy to have continued success this season as the go-to guy for the Pioneers.
Curran For Three
(Courtesy of Ryan Curran, Drew's buddy and tennis teammate)
  First off, props to all the La Salle alumni for showing up. Especially Joe Winning for working the mike. Here’s my take from the game.
1)
     Was this the battle for the ugliest team shoes in the area? La Salle rocks the ugliest pairs of New Balances I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what Conestoga was wearing, but they should return them to the thrift store they picked them up at.
2)
     Can anyone stop #32 Winters inside? Although he was a bit lazy on both ends (think Chris Webber), not one of La Salle’s big men could stop him. I wonder how he does in his league.
3)
     12 seconds left. Where was Matt "J.J." Greenfield when La Salle was looking for that last second three?

DEC. 6
NON-LEAGUE
Germantown Academy 58, La Salle 41
  
Hot off a 59-56 overtime win over Chestnut Hill Academy, the Explorers took on cross-town rival Germantown Academy on Tuesday night. This was the home opener for La Salle, and it was clear the entire team came focused to upend a team that has had their number in recent years. Though GA graduated two of their top players last year, they still boast an impressive starting five, including Villanova-bound sr. C Andrew Ott (6’11, 235 lbs). La Salle’s success in this one would depend on their defense of Ott, who was coming off a 32-point performance in the St. Alban’s Shootout. This task fell to soph. F Joe Migliarese, who set the tone early by out-leaping Ott on the tip. As this one got underway it was clear the Patriots aimed at getting Ott his buckets inside, but Migliarese had other plans. Playing hard defense with great positioning, the 6’4” Migliarese held the standout to zero points in the first quarter, highlighted by an amazing swat of an Ott jumper. The rest of the Explorers brought the same defensive intensity to the floor, and as the first quarter ended La Salle led, 10-6, thanks to a pair of threes by soph SF Clay Penecale and PG Michael Topley. Topley took charge in the second quarter for La Salle, running the offense patiently and penetrating the zone defense to create open looks. On one drive Topley split the defense and headed to the hoop, and when met by Andrew Ott, he quickly pump-faked and dished to the open Migliarese on the block. Also benefiting from the generosity of Topley was jr. Sean Benz, who took a pinpoint pass to the hoop for a very strong bucket. Sr. Bill Warrender found his touch in the 2nd quarter, hitting a big bucket in transition thanks to a nifty steal and pass from Migliarese. Despite the Explorers best efforts in a man-to-man defense, GA was able to get good looks at the basket and cashed in on their opportunities. Ott and jr. SF D.J. Johnston each finished the half with six points each, and Germantown Academy led 21-18 at intermission. The key to the first half was shutting down the big man, but in the third quarter Ott took control and showed why he’ll be playing in the Big East next year. Displaying great mobility and a soft touch around the basket, Ott scored nine third-quarter points and seemed to grab the rebound of every shot that went up. Patriots coach Jim Fenerty came out in a 2-1-2 press, and jr. PG Kyle Griffin used great footwork and defensive awareness to create turnovers for the Patriots. The Explorers’ struggles in transition continued in this game, as their deficit grew from three to fourteen going into the fourth due to easy breakaway GA buckets. In the fourth, Topley showed a lot of heart going against the tough press. His patience paid off early-on, as he found jr. Greg Dusing for an open jumper in the corner. The Explorers showed signs of a comeback, but a turnover on an inbound pass proved to be very costly, leading to a big three by GA’s jr. sharpshooter Mike Rhoads. A balanced offensive attack from La Salle in the fourth kept the game in reach, but any bit of momentum the Explorers had was swatted away with an impressive block off the glass from Ott midway through the fourth. As the Patriot lead grew La Salle put some of their reserves into the mix, and the Explorers showed no signs of quitting. Fan favorite sr. Doug Maxwell showed great hustle on a loose ball, saving the pass from going out of bounds with a behind-the-back pass off of a GA defender, giving the Explorers possession. These are the types of plays that can win games for teams down the road, and Maxwell’s hustle did not go unnoticed by the La Salle faithful in attendance. Sr. Matt Greenfield had two great plays down the stretch for La Salle. First, Greenfield found himself matched up on the blocks with a much taller Andrew Ott, and used great positioning to force Ott to mishandle the ball out of bounds. Then as time expired, Greenfield hit a runner over his man to narrow the margin. Final Score 58-41. The Explorers should be proud of their effort in this one, as they ran evenly for two quarters against one of the top teams in the area, and were able to hold star Ott to only 18 points.
NOTES:
   Player of the Game: Joe Migliarese- On both ends of the floor Migliarese held his own against the more experienced and much taller Ott all night. Migs scored 14 in this one, and his swat of an Ott jumper proved to be a huge momentum boost early-on for the Explorers. What Migliarese lacks in height down low he makes up in athleticism and hard work, and is also capable of taking it out to the perimeter and hitting the three. Expect the scoring to continue as the season unfolds.
   Thanks to FB teammates Jerry Fillman and Chris Agnew for help with the stats. Also, congrats to star MLB George Hudson on his selection to the
Daily News All-City First Team. No one works harder or deserves the honor more than George.
   The Explorers head into the Archbishop Carroll Classic on Friday against Penn Charter. They’ll need their best effort to take down PC, and that will start with shutting down PG Sammy Zeglinski. Saturday the Explorers will take on either Overbrook or Archbishop Carroll.

DEC. 1
NON-LEAGUE
Abington Friends 56, La Salle 30
   The Explorers opened up their 2005-2006 basketball campaign Friday night in tournament play against what may be their toughest opponent of the season. In the Chestnut Hill Academy Tip-Off, LaSalle drew Abington Friends School, which proved to be a tall order (literally). AFS seniors Jason Love and Andrew Jones each measure in at 6’9, creating quite a headache for second-year coach Joe Dempsey and his staff. On paper this one was as lopsided as they get, but on that same paper the school mascot for AFS was the Kangaroos (?). Coming off a tough 4-21 season last year, the Explorers are a young team with some very talented underclassmen contributing, but have a long way to go before they can compete with teams of this caliber. AFS came into this game red-hot after upsetting everyone’s favorite duo (for Episcopal) on Tuesday.  In the first quarter Abington Friends built an early lead thanks to some stifling pressure defense and great ball movement to find the open man. La Salle played some hard defense themselves, keeping this one tight at 13-6 at the end of the first quarter. Sr. Bill Warrender, soph. Joe Migliarese, and jr. Sean Benz played hard on both ends despite the obvious height disparity against the AFS big men, and as the second quarter got underway it looked as if La Salle could do some damage drawing Jones and Love out to the perimeter to defend. Forcing a 6’9 forward like Andrew Jones out of the paint on defense seems like a novel idea, but this backfired as his long arms and athleticism created numerous turnovers for the Kangaroo defense up top. Abington Friends' second quarter run was headed by jr. Rob Keefer, who led all scorers with 18 points. The Kangaroo defense was suffocating throughout the quarter, holding the La Salle offense to only five points. At halftime the Explorers trailed 30-11, and AFS did not appear to be backing down as all five starters came out to start the second half. La Salle finally got the offense clicking when jr. T.J. Brown was able to hit some big shots over the tough defense. Brown looked very impressive at times and will be expected to carry a bulk of the offensive load for La Salle. AFS rode their first-half success right into the third quarter, feeding Love down low for easy shots within five feet of the hoop. Sr. Tyrell Marshall and soph. Mike Topley shared duties at the point for the Explorers and did their best to navigate the stingy defense of the Kangaroos, but tough jr. PG Brandon Williams led AFS’ pressure D and had a handful of great defensive stops. Williams may play in the shadow of Jones and Love, but he proved to be a very talented guard who was capable of creating shots for himself and others. The third quarter ended with AFS enjoying their largest lead of the game, 47-19. This large margin allowed for both teams to empty their benches, and the fourth quarter was an even match between the reserves of both teams. La Salle played hard until the final whistle, and outscored the Kangaroos 11-9 in the fourth. Final Score 56-30. There’s no such thing as a good loss, but this game gave the young Explorers a great first test against a much more talented team than most of the competition in the PCL.
NOTES:

-- Player of the Game: Jason Love – Abington Friends was feeling the Love in this one, running their offense through the big man. Big #34 showed great hands and athleticism for a guy his size, and was able to dominate the game whenever he chose to. Love finished with 16 points, and could have had more had he not distributed the ball to his teammates. Xavier is getting a big-time player next year.
-- Expect sr. Bill Warrender to lead the way for the Explorers this year. Although held to 4 points in the opener, Warrender played solid defense and looked like a real floor general with the younger players on the floor. Once his shots start falling, expect Warrender to put up big numbers this season.
-- After a tournament game against Chestnut Hill Academy, the Explorers will take on local rival GA on Tuesday. This is another tough test for La Salle, but let’s just hope it’s closer than when these two met on the gridiron (47-7 anyone?).