Drew (L) and humorist Ryan Curran |
The Drew Review Return to TedSilary.com Home Page 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
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. Theyll 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 69,
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 everyones 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 69 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. Theres 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 lets just hope its closer than when these
two met on the gridiron (47-7 anyone?).