FEB. 9
CL BLUE
Carroll 65, West Catholic 37
  This game was rescheduled from yesterday after schools were closed because of the weekend snow. It was originally going to be played at night, but with another storm on the horizon, those in charge thought best to move it up to a 4 o’clock start. Fine with me! The trip from my school was a quick twenty minute ride and I arrived to Carroll’s gym with plenty of time to spare. Let’s get to some details. Ok, I have to start with the bizarre, as in the Burrs’ shooting numbers for the game. First, we have the good. West made a season-high (8) in threes and did so on just fifteen attempts. Their percentage (53.3%) from the arc was also a season high. Encouraging, right? Nah, because when they moved into shallower waters things got extremely dicey. How dicey? How about a mind-boggling 5-for-34 on two-point shots? No, Bill Russell wasn’t dressed for the Pats, so it wasn’t a block party of epic proportions. Carroll only had four snuffs as a team in the game. I’d be willing to bet that at least 25 of these attempts came within at least five or six feet of the basket. Many of them were blown bunnies from in close. There was some tough luck with spill outs, but for the most part it was a case of not bearing down and finishing a play. Very frustrating! Things were mostly competitive through the first quarter with Carroll grabbing a 16-11 lead. Even at halftime the score was reasonable, 30-18 Pats. Things really unraveled for the Burrs in the third quarter, though They were outscored, 18-4, in that decisive frame. Actually, the middle quarters were really one-sided (32-to-11) in Carroll’s favor. West shot just 4-for-23 from the field in those middle stanzas. Leading the way for that Pats early on was impressive jr. 6’3” WG Juan’ya Green, who scored all 15 of his points in the opening half. He did so on 6-for-8 shooting, including canning both of his three-point attempts. He took the role of a distributor in the third quarter, where he dealt all four of his assists. He also added 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. I just love the way this kid let’s the game come to him. Not blessed with off-the-charts athleticism, he relies mostly on savvy and a feel of when to turn things up a notch to create opportunities. Temple Head Coach Fran Dunphy was in the house to watch. As a lifelong Owls’ fan, I wouldn’t mind seeing this partnership down the line. Carroll’s other headliner is sr. CG DJ Irving (7 points). The Boston U. recruit hit his first trey of the game, but misfired on his next six attempts from the arc. I never got the sense that he was all that comfortable. Still, he helped in other areas by grabbing 6 rebounds and dealing 5 assists. He also did a good job of keeping West’s cat-quick jr. PG Aquil Younger in front of him for the most part and limiting his scoring chances. Sr. 6’3” F Ben Mingledough didn’t enter the game until the second quarter, but was solid when out there. He finished with 12 points (4-of-4 FT’s) and 5 rebounds in a 15-minute run. Sr. F Anthony Butler hurt his tailbone after crashing to the floor, but made his presence felt early with six offensive rebounds and two each of assists and blocks. This kid displayed an I-don’t-mind-doing-the-little-things attitude, and this could come in handy for his team in the coming weeks. Jr. 6’4” F Matt Donaldson grabbed six boards and is another Patriot who understands his role. Sr. WG Vince Mostardi (8 points) knocked down a pair of triples. Soph. F Lou Dominique grabbed all seven of his rebounds (4 O-boards) in the fourth quarter. He also had a pair of put-backs. Carroll pasted the Burrs on the boards to the tone of, 51-28. No Burr reached double-figures. Younger attempted just two shots in the first half and misfired on both. He finished with 8 points (2-for-3 on 3’s). I thought he actually played a decent floor game, as he didn’t really force the issue all that much. A handful of assist opportunities were lost in the poor shooting outing by the team. He finished with 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists. Sr. WG Vince Ho and soph. WG Tristin Freeman each made a pair of threes. Rebounding leaders were jr. 6’5” F Chris Dixon (six) and sr. F Kiwan Murray (five). Dixon also added four swats. Not too many students stayed around to take this one in. I’d venture to say that anywhere from 35-to-45 people were in attendance when the proceedings began.

FEB. 3
CL BLUE
West Catholic 72, Kennedy-Kenrick 34
  Prior to the game I spoke with Teddy S. and asked him what he thought the attendance over/under would be in this tilt between the Burrs and Wolverines. Ted set the number at 43. Not counting cheerleaders, JV players, administrators, etc. If you had the over, then you’re a happy camper. Though, it wasn’t by much. I’d venture to guess that roughly 60-to-70 non-had-to-be-here types were in attendance. K-K is in their final months of existence and the current roster shows this. Not sure how high expectations were prior to the season, as competing in the PCL recently has been tough sledding for the Wolverines. But whatever these expectations were, they no doubt took a hit throughout the year when the team lost arguably their three best players at separate times and for assorted reasons. Included in this group is sr. F Dave Tornetta, who has been a rotation member since his sophomore season. Dave was lost after having his appendix removed recently. Still, you have to admire coach Jack Flanagan and his club for moving forward and giving everything they have. Though the game was decided quickly, and early, the Wolverines played a full four quarters and looked to be having fun in doing so. I saw very little in the way of frustration or negative body language. That’s commendable! The Burrs jumped to a 17-0 lead on their way to a convincing 23-4 opening quarter. Jr. PG Aquil Younger (15) and sr. F Kiwan Murray (8) did all of the scoring. They combined for ten baskets in that opening quarter and I don’t think one of them came further than three feet away. Younger’s output caught me by surprise because the last time these teams met in Norristown, he took a backseat in the scoring department. He didn’t even attempt a shot until the middle of the third quarter and finished that game with just three points on as many shots. That was not the case tonight. And afterwards I found out why when I asked him about his approach. He told me that his grandmother, who is a frequent attendee to watch him play, was rather sick. We’ll keep her in our prayers. Anyway, he wanted to put forth a good game for her. Well, I think she’ll be pleased. In roughly 20 minutes of action he totaled 28 points (13-for-20 FG’s), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and a block. Not a bad night’s work, right? And for the most part everything he got came in the flow of the game. Hey, how about you dedicate the rest of the season to her? Now, the stats might not always be as gaudy as tonight, but areas like your commitment, focus, and effort are things that you control and do well for her. Just a thought!  Murray matched his eight first quarter points with another eight in the third stanza to finish with 16 total points. He also added 12 rebounds (7 offensive) and three apiece of steals and assists. He has been a solid/dependable for Head Coach Bill Ludlow all season long. He’s definitely one of those kids you have no problem rooting for. Reserve soph. G Kevin Malone was the other Burr in double-figures with 11 points. He converted a pair of 3’s in the second quarter. Other Burrs with notable stats were: Jr. 6’5” F Chris Dixon (9 boards, 2 blocks), soph. 6’4” F Anthony Fleet (7 boards, 3 blocks), soph G. Tristin Freeman (6 boards), sr, WG Vincent Ho (4 assists), and soph G Jaleel Reed (3 steals). K-K was led by sr. G John Candelore with 13 points. He made three from the arc and also added 3 steals. Freshman G’s Brent Mahoney and Jamel Stinson (4 rebounds) each made a pair of triples. Sr. G Frank Giunta led the Wolves with 5 boards, while sr. G Matt Brennan supplied three each of steals and assists. Leading scorer sr. WG Cullen Rota, who is a likable kid and competitor, never got on track after accruing some early fouls. He was held scoreless and ultimately fouled out in the final seconds.  K-K attempted 29 three-pointers and made seven of them.

FEB. 1
CL BLUE
Neumann-Goretti 93, West Catholic 61
  The Saints improved to (12-0) in league play with another convincing victory over an overmatched Burrs’ squad. The numbers the Saints are producing during their season-long rampage to date are beginning to reach the scary level. They are also starting to resemble what a great Roman team did during the ’91 season. That year the Cahillites, who were led by Marvin Harrison, Bernard Jones, and others ripped through the Catholic league from start to finish. They ended that season with 44 straight CL wins (Regular season/playoffs). In a (14-0) regular season they outscored their opponents on average, 83-to-48. In three playoff games that year they won by an average of thirty points. Yep, there was no messing around from that bunch. Well, the Saints are in a similar mindset these days. They currently have won 31 straight CL games. Ok, they did fall to Carroll last year in a state quarterfinal game, but in the regular season and playoffs, it is in fact thirty-one straight. And, so far through twelve games, the Saints are outscoring their opponents 88-to-55. Good for a 33-point margin, which is just two points off Roman’s total from ’91. Phew! We’ll see if the Saints can finish the year in a flawless manner, but for the time being you can’t help but draw the comparisons to that great Roman club. Tonight, things were competitive for a decent part of the opening quarter, but in time the Burrs started to get sloppy with the ball and the Saints wasted little time making them pay. A 31-to-6 run between the first and second quarters pushed the lead to 45-17 and that was pretty much all she wrote. The Burrs did put forth a respectable second half (Only lost it, 42-to-35), but the game was well in-hand by this point. Back-to-back-to-back treys by jr. CG Lamin Fulton help begin the onslaught. Fulton finished with 18 points (6-for-10 FG’s) and 3 assists. Sr. PG Tyreek Duren (La Salle) almost accumulated a triple-double in the opening half. After sixteen minutes of play he had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. In the second half, he hit his first five shots from the field to put his final total at 21 points (9-for-15 FG’s), but only added one more rebound and assist. He did spend the final seven minutes of the game on the bench. Still, 21-9-8 isn’t a bad day at the office. He also managed 4 steals. Oh yea, just a single turnover. I love this kid’s game! Sr. WG Tony Chennault (Wake Forest) was his aggressive self and shook off an off-shooting night to still make an impact. He ended with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. The Stewart brothers, sr. 6’6” F Danny (Rider) and soph. 6’5” F Derrick halved twenty points. They shot 8-for-9 from the field between them. The elder Stewart’s most impressive moments came on an alley-oop, where he caught the pass facing away from the rim and laid it in over his shoulder. Impressive! Later, he added a breakaway tomahawk slam where his arm down to elbow was through the cylinder. Nasty! He also added 4 boards, 4 steals, and a pair of blocks. Believe it or not, but Derrick may have been more impressive in this one. I foresee some pretty good days ahead for this kid. He too showed some athleticism when he caught an alley-oop and slammed it home with two hands. Nice! Later, he calmly stepped back and hit a right-corner trey. He also went 3-for-3 from the line. He’s probably not as explosive off the floor as his brother, but I detect there is a face-up game in their someplace and next year when he becomes more of a focal point I believe we’ll see it displayed. Sr. WG sharpshooter Mustafaa Jones (7 points) had an off night shooting the rock, but was able to add three apiece of rebounds and assists. Soph. PG Billy Shank nailed three triples for nine points. Freshman 6’4” F John Davis hustled for 6 rebounds in limited time. I predict that this kid will be the next great rebounder to come out of this area. Call it a hunch! The Burrs received a pretty good game from their headliner in jr. PG Aquil Younger, who did more than hold his own against N-G’s quartet of D-1 guards. He finished with 26 points (9-for-17 FG’s, 6-for-7 FT’s). I thought a few times he didn’t get the benefit of a call during forays through the lane. He also added 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Sr. F Kiwan Murray battled for 11 points and 6 rebounds. Jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton produced a half dozen of points and rebounds. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll mixed 5 boards and 4 swats. Soph. G Kevin Malone made every shot he took; a deuce, three, and pair of freebies for seven points. The Saints attempted 84 shots in the game, including 38 three-pointers (Ten makes). Talk about launching! They entered the fourth quarter up 27 points, but somehow still took 14 three-point shots in that final frame. Yes, most of them were from subs and West was in a zone, but in my opinion that was probably 11 or 12 more than needed to be taken. I’m all for the backups getting a chance to play and having success. But I think that can be accomplished in a more conventional fashion. I equate blowout, late-in-the-game three-pointers to a football team throwing passes up 42-0 in the fourth quarter. Are they needed? Just a thought…

JAN. 24
CL BLUE
West Catholic 58, McDevitt 51
  After the teams played to a draw in the first quarter, the Burrs opened the game up some in the second stanza by outscoring the Lances, 16-5. West would pretty maintain this type lead from here on out. A strong start to the third quarter allowed the Burrs to grab a 37-21 cushion at one point. The Lancers would play the game out, though, and by the end they were bale to make the final score respectable thanks to a twenty-three point final quarter. West was paced by jr. PG Aquil Younger who played a complete game in this one. He finished with 25 points (8-for-15 FG’s, 9-for-14 FT’s), 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block. In the second and third quarters the Burrs made eleven baskets. Every one of them involved Younger in the form of him either scoring or assisting. Sr. F Kiwan Murray was next with 17 points, including an 11-for-11 showing from the line. I’ve been doing the stats for the Burrs for a long time and I can’t ever remember another player having a game where they were perfect from the line with more than ten attempts. Murray also hustled for 14 total rebounds and actually notched 11 of these caroms in the first ten minutes of the game. Soph. WG Jaleel Reed scored six points and had two each of boards, steals, and assists. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll blocked five shots. The Lancers placed three players in double-figures with jr. WG Matt Conroy leading the way with 14 points. He also contributed 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Soph. F Gerald Scott (3 assists) was next with 13 points. He went 7-for-8 from the line. Frosh. PG Kenyatta Long scored 10 points, while adding 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Soph. F Darren Wright chipped in 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Football headliner sr. WG Drew Siegfried took a nasty fall early on that forced him to miss a good part of the first half. He did convert all three of his shots in the fourth quarter for all seven of his points. Jr. 6’2” F Chris Jarvis replaced Siegfried early on and displayed some active qualities while in there. He packed a bucket, 3 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks into limited time. For some reason he didn’t see any action in the second half. With the win the Burrs have pretty much wrapped up the PCL 2A spot in the state playoffs. There are only three PCL 2A teams. McDevitt and Kennedy-Kenrick are the other two.

JAN. 22
CL BLUE
Dougherty 59, West Catholic 57
  A couple of weeks ago I made my last trip to Kennedy-Kenrick High School. Tonight, it was more than likely my last trip to Cardinal Dougherty. Both schools are scheduled to close their doors at the end of the year. With the Cardinals being primarily a Northern Division team over the years my visits here weren’t plentiful. Still, it was always a cool place to watch a game. And though their famous Looney Bin behind the far basket wasn’t overloaded with zanies like in years past, the game itself was rather enjoyable and featured an exciting conclusion. Let’s rewind to the latter stages of the third quarter before we get into the final minute details. The Burrs led 48-42 at this time, but Dougherty scored the last four points of that quarter and the first eight of the fourth for a 12-0 run and 54-48 lead. Ok, now let’s head to the final minute. West sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll rattled home a foul line jumper to pull the Burrs within 58-57 with 33.3 seconds left. A Dougherty turnover followed moments later. Afterwards, the Burrs got a good look from soph. G Tristin Freeman from the right corner. The ball went halfway down and spun around at least twice before rimming out. At 8.9 Dougherty headliner sr. PG Brandyn Wims was fouled. His first shot missed and this was followed by a Burr timeout. He would deposit the second shot for a two-point lead after the timeout. On the inbounds play the Burrs couldn’t get the ball into speedy jr. PG Aquil Younger's hands and ultimately found sr. WG Vincent Ho. After accepting the pass Ho had some room up the right side, but was converged upon at the three-point line, which forced him to throw wildly towards the lane. A pair of Dougherty defenders appeared to get a claw on the ball and deflected it right to a wide open Carroll. Admittedly, this wasn’t the Burrs' first option, but since he was wide open Carroll took the shot. It was first three-point attempt of the year. The shot didn’t look bad, but it glanced harmlessly off the front rim where a scramble for the rebound ensued. The ball eventually went off a West player with .4 seconds left. The referees did put more time on the clock and reset it to 1.4 seconds. With a Burr defender’s back to him sr. 6’3” F Brandon Brown tossed the ball off his back and the time ticked away. The Cardinals had a handful of standouts in the game. Wims scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the first (12 points) and third quarters. He finished 9-for-18 from the field, including a trio of triples. He also added 5 boards and 2 assists. Even though the opposition knows this kid is Dougherty’s go-to player, he still manages to lull teams to sleep, which allows him to create some space. His shooting form is a little different, but it is very relaxed and under control. It was a struggle from the field for the athletic Brown (7 points), who went just 1-for-11. However, his one basket, as well as a 4-for-5 showing from the line came in handy during the fourth quarter. He was able to sweep 13 boards, though. Believe it or not, but Brown’s rebound output was not high on his team. That honor belonged to soph. F Jamal Nwaniemeka, who cleaned the glass for 18. Amazingly, he didn’t play one second in the first quarter. When he entered the game in the second quarter, his first eight rebounds came off the offensive glass. He finished with 11 O-boards in the game and was a huge reason why the Cardinals dominated the glass (51-to-37). The Cards swarmed for 23 offensive rebounds as a team and blasted the Burrs in the fourth quarter 12-to-1 in total rebounds. Rebounding wasn’t all this kid did either. Twice he converted old fashioned three-point plays. He ended with 11 points and 4 blocks. When I saw him a couple of weeks ago he really caught my attention. Though he’s probably only in the 6’2” range he really attacks the glass. Other contributors for the Cardinals were sr. G Dawan Earle who knocked down a couple of early treys. Jr. 6’3” F Sahmir Thomas hustled for 6 points and 5 rebounds. Sr. F Art Comas also had a fistful of rebounds. For the Burrs, they were without Head Coach Bill Ludlow who was bedridden with a serious bug of sorts. Assistants Marlon Belfon and Mike Bradley directed the team, with Belfon doing most of the vocal work during the action. Younger (20) and Ho (19) combined to score 39 of their points. Ho went 3-for-5 from downtown and added 4 boards and 4 assists, while Younger added 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Sr. F Kiwan Murray scored 6 points and battled for 12 rebounds. Carroll managed a half-of-dozen of both boards and blocks. Soph. WG Jaleel Reed (8 points, 2 treys) notched 4 boards, 3 assists, and a pair of steals.

JAN. 20
CL BLUE
Wood 68, West Catholic 46
  There’s a lot to like about this Vikings club and that’s even without their headliner and recent Penn commit, sr. 6’7” F Fran Dougherty available. Dougherty has been sidelined with a foot injury over the last month and has missed his team’s last ten games. Still, that didn’t stop him from signing with the Quakers recently. Not sure what the timetable is for his return (Maybe, Ted can give us clue on that after speaking with Fran today . . . maybe within three weeks), but I wouldn’t mind seeing this team at full strength when the games really start to become important. I think this team can make some noise with a little luck and full stable. Tonight, Dougherty was still walking around in a boot and crutches. A silver-lining in the injury, though, is that maybe the players who originally started out as the sixth, seventh, and eighth men all moved up a notch in the rotation during his absence. You would think this could only help down the road, right? As for the guys who were dressed tonight. Well, they were pretty good in all facets and after breaking open a close game late in the second quarter never looked back. Wood led 24-20 midway through the second quarter before ending the half with an 11-2 burst. During this spurt, sr. 6’5” WG/SF Doug Macrone nailed a trio of threes from the right corner, including one in the final seconds of the half. Prior to this he really had difficulty finding space, as the Burrs were paying extra-close attention to him. So much so, that he didn’t attempt a shot in the first quarter. Eventually, Wood held a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter. West’s sr. F Kiwan Murray scored after a steal to make 49-39 to begin the quarter, though Ok, will the Burrs be able to make a game of it? Not tonight, folks. Wood scored the next eleven points to push the lead to twenty-one and won going away. Again, it was a barrage of treys that aided their cause during this flurry, as Macrone deposited his fourth of the game and jr. WG Jack Walsh nailed his second and third triples as well. Macrone would finish with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Walsh added 11 points (4-for-6 FG’s) and hustled for three apiece of assists and steals. Setting the pace early on for the Vikes was the duo of jr. PG Joe Getz and sr. F Brian O’Grady. Man, talk about stuffing the stat sheet! It really is amazing what a kid the size (Maybe, 6’1”) of O’Grady does game in and game out. Sure, he’s an above average athlete, but his desire, toughness and obvious will to win really set him apart from a lot of other players. It was just another night at the office for him in this one. He was in a tone-setting mode early and often, as 13 of his 14 points came in the opening half. Let’s throw in 18 rebounds (11 in 1st half), 7 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist for good measure, too. Who wouldn’t like a double-double by the half? All Getz did was nearly garner a triple-double. He led the Vikings with 20 points (7-for-18 FG’s, 6-for-9 FT’s), while also adding 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. This kid is a deceiving athlete and I’m sure he lulls people to sleep who aren’t familiar with him. He’s very good at changing speeds and extremely crafty on forays through the lane. Sr. G Fran Dolan played a nice complimentary game with 5 points (Trey), 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. Wood went 9-for-18 from behind the arc and had 19 assists on their 26 made baskets. For West, Murray led with 13 points, 5 boards, and two each of assists and steals. Jr. PG Aquil Younger added 10 points and 4 rebounds. Sr. WG Vincent Ho dealt six assists. Jr. Yuri Burton and soph. WG Jaleel Reed paced the Burrs with six boards apiece. West was decent early, but really hurt themselves with multiple missed shots from in-close. A few more conversions here and it would have been a much closer game at half. In time frustration started to set in with one player getting slapped with a tech and two others get reprimanded by one of the referees. Head Coach Bill Ludlow was not a happy camper with any of this nonsense. I have seen a lot of basketball games during my years, at many levels, and not once have I seen an official change a call because a player questions it. Do yourself and your team a favor and just play the game. The distractions you bring with this type of behavior brings zero good to your team or yourself. Note to the Viking brass: I handle all Burrdome score service duties. Smile! I called when I got home and they said it was reported already. Huh? Are there two of me? I sure hope not. Just out of curiosity, I asked what extra stats were reported and was told slightly lower numbers than the ones I had compiled for the Vikings. See, always let Huck do the reporting. For his stats are juicier! Ha ha. I’m just messing around with you guys. And thanks for taking the time!

JAN. 17
CL BLUE
West Catholic 55, Lansdale Catholic 44
  Let’s face it folks, but it’s been somewhat of a trying season for Head Coach Bill Ludlow and his team so far. With players coming and going since basically the start of the year, it has been very difficult for Ludlow to get a true handle on what he has to work with. And after Friday night’s dismantling by Archbishop Carroll, one had to think that today’s game at LC was going to be an intriguing one in the, where-will-this team-go-from-here front? Would they rebound with a good effort? Or, would they fold up the tent and unravel at the seams a little more? Sure, the Crusaders aren’t a loaded team by any stretch, but they have been mostly competitive with the teams not named Neumann-Goretti and Carroll. Also, in playing at home they definitely posed a threat to a wounded team like West. Well, after a sluggish start (6-5 LC lead after 1st QT), the Burrs played rather well and were able to get out of Lansdale with their fourth league win and some needed confidence. West had two significant runs that helped their cause in the game. First, they ended the first half with a 10-to-1 run to take a 17-12 lead into the intermission. After starting the second half with two quick buckets, the Burrs lead rose to 21-12. LC would claw back, though, scoring the next seven points to make it 21-19. A lay-up at the buzzer from soph. 6’3” F Anthony Fleet (Feed from jr. PG Aquil Younger) gave the Burrs a 31-26 advantage after three and spearheaded another critical run by West. Piggybacking off the buzzer-beater from Fleet, the Burrs scored nine of the first eleven points of the final quarter. This allowed them to claim a 40-28 lead with 5:10 left. At this point, LC Head Coach Bernie Fitzgerald summoned his team to foul almost immediately once West got possession of the ball from here on out. The Burrs would stroll to the line for twenty-one chances from over the final five minutes. And though it was a struggle in making the Crusaders pay, they still did enough to never really let LC make a serious run. Leading the way for the Burrs was sr. WG Vincent Ho, who scored a team-high 15 points (5-for-9 FG’s) and tied for a team-high 7 rebounds. The scoring was nice, but his main contribution was probably accomplished on the other end, where he drew the assignment of guarding LC’s leading scorer sr. CG Mike Barr. By game’s end Barr did have 19 points, but this totaled was heightened thanks to a couple of late treys. Early on Ho really made things uncomfortable for Barr, as he only managed four points on 1-for-8 shooting in the first half. He ended the game going 7-for-20 (3-of-9 on 3’s) from the field. Sr. F Kiwan Murray spent 14 straight minutes on the pine after accruing his third foul with 5:59 left in the second quarter. He sat for the entire third quarter, too. However, he did score 10 of his 12 points in the fourth, including three straight makes from the field. He also added 6 rebounds and two each of steals and blocks. Younger was more the playmaker than scorer today. He did manage eight points on a 3-for-5 showing from the field and finished with 9 dimes. Many were of the snappy variety. Truth be told, but this number could have been raised by at least four, if not five more, were it not for some in-close misses by teammates. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll played a nice all-around game by contributing 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. Jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton provided an offensive spark off the bench with 11 points (4-of-6 FG’s), while adding 6 boards and a pair of steals. Soph WG Jaleel Reed made three steals. The one sore spot for the Burrs was their 17-for-38 (44.7%) showing from the line. Still, their defensive effort did more than help offset the poor free throw shooting game. West forced 18 LC turnovers and only allowed them to shoot 36.4% from the field. For LC, Barr is a solid player, but he could probably really benefit from another scorer to help alleviate the pressure off his shoulders. Sr. WG Brian Murphy did some sniping for three triples and 11 points in the game. The next highest Crusader was sr. 6’6” F Dan Plummer (4 rebounds) with 9 points. Sr. G Alex Kirk had some nice moments in the little things department. He finished with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Sr. F Pat O’Hara battled for 5 rebounds and dealt 3 assists. Here’s an interesting tidbit. LC administrators held a half-court shot competition at halftime. The cost to enter was one dollar. I’m not sure if it was a 50/50 set-up or not. Meaning if you made the shot you split half the pot with the school. Or if it was make a shot and take all. Anyhow, two Burr JV players made shots and each walked away with $3. So, why was it an interesting tidbit? Well, the Burrs went 0-for-8 from the three-point range in the varsity game. Smile!

JAN. 16
CL BLUE
Carroll 75, West Catholic 44
  For a quarter and a half this game was mostly competitive. The teams were getting up and down the court and making shots. Carroll led the Burrs, 29-24, with roughly half the second quarter to be played. In time, though, the Pats would frolic and the Burrs would hit a big-time wall. Carroll ended the second quarter on a 14-to-5 run to build a 43-29 halftime advantage. They never looked back, as they dominated the third quarter to the tone of 17-6. Finally, at one juncture in the fourth quarter the lead swelled to 70-35. Put that all together and Carroll’s run was 41-to-11 since the early-going competitiveness. Carroll is the defending 3A state champs and returned three important cogs from that squad in sr. CG DJ Irving (Boston U.), sr. 6’3” F Ben Mingledough, and jr. 6’3” CG Juan’ya Green. Their experience and leadership, mixed with solid complimentary play for secondary parts was more than enough to overwhelm the Burrs in time. Carroll nailed five of their seven treys in the game during the opening quarter. And it wasn’t one of the big three that got them started either. Sr. WG Vince Mostardi showed some friskiness at the outset and scored all nine of his points in that opening frame. Interestingly, Carroll’s big three attempted just seven combined shots (six makes) in that opening quarter, but Mostardi was able to unleash six himself. He made three of them, including a pair of triples. Hey, there is nothing wrong with having a fourth option, right? And I detected little hesitation from any of the big three in sending him the rock when open. In time Carroll’s main option would get rolling, though. Green was at the highest level of solid. With Temple’s Head Coach Fran Dunphy in the house for a while, he surely didn’t disappoint. Talk about letting the game come to you. Though not exactly the same player as N-G’s Tyreek Duren, they are similar in this: Both rarely, if ever, display a degree of being out of control. I just love the pacing that both of these kids play with. Tonight, Green deposited his only shot from the arc and connected on a few wonderful drives to the hole. All total, he went 8-for-10 from the field and totaled 19 points. For good measure he added 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Irving hit to early three-pointers to help jump-start his team. Eventually, he could only connect on one of his last eight shots, but still finished with 12 points. Still, with his shot off a tad after the first quarter he still helped his team in other areas as witnessed by his 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Mingledough was solid throughout scoring 16 points on a 7-for-10 effort from the field. Included in this were a nice two-handed baseline slam and a three-ball from the corner. The form on his shot needs some touching up, but this kid possesses nice slashing ability and has long arms that allow him to play a little bigger than he actually is. He added 6 rebounds and 3 assists. The Pats’ fifth starter is jr. 6’4” F Matt Donaldson, who served as a quality defensive end on the football team. This kid brings a lot of intangibles and the mindset of I-know-what-my-role-is to the team. He made both his attempts from the field for four points and hustled for 6 rebounds. All came off the offensive glass. And many were followed by made Carroll shots. Carroll was 29-for-52 (55.8%) from the field and produced 20 assists on their made baskets. A wonderful total! For West, they had a strong first quarter offensively that saw all five starters dent the scoring column. Not much would happen from here, though. Jr. PG Aquil Younger, sr. F Kiwan Murray, and jr. F Yuri Burton all totaled nine points apiece. Younger his two early threes, but was mostly icy from that point on. He did add 5 assists and 2 steals. Burton hustled for 9 rebounds (6 offensive).

JAN. 13
CL BLUE
West Catholic 65, Dougherty 63
  You could sum up this affair up with one word – Wild! Yep, it was a barnburner in the Burrdome. And then some! But let’s backtrack to about 4:30 this afternoon. I receive a phone call from West Head Coach Bill Ludlow informing me that Dougherty never scheduled buses and the JV game would be a no-go. However, the varsity was going to pile into the cars of coaches to get down to West Philly and that it was possible the game could start a little earlier than its scheduled 6:30 time. Ok, let me hustle a little and get there early just in case. I didn’t arrive until roughly six o’clock and when I got inside the gym the pre-game clock read twenty-seven minutes or so. Ok, we’re good. Game would start at regular time. Umm, not so fast! This was a make-up game from the snowstorm a couple of weeks back. Somewhere along the way no referees were assigned or they didn’t get the message. The JV refs did show up earlier, but had already taken off. A few phone calls were made and eventually three referees did show up. All were JV level officials. I think at least one, maybe two, were the refs from the cancelled JV game who had already left. I believe one came back from Jersey. Let’s just say that the Burrdome isn’t exactly the place you want to break a new crew in. Both the Burrs and Cardinals have their share of athletic players. And both have their share of kids who can get a little out of control at times. Not a good combination in this situation. Things were relatively normal for three quarters, but by the fourth quarter all hell started to break loose. The teams combined to shoot 43 free throws in the final quarter alone. During one stretch, the Cardinals made eight straight trips to the foul line. And they were the team trailing and who had been trailing since the middle of the third quarter. West put together a real nice third stanza, outscoring the Cardinals 18-to-9. They took a 47-40 lead into that final quarter. That lead swelled to 58-48 with 3:31 left. Even with 28.7 seconds showing on the clock the Burrs led, 63-55. At this time Dougherty star sr. PG Brandyn Wims made a pair of freebies to draw his team to within six. After a timeout, jr. F Sahmir Thomas stole the inbounds pass and laid it at 27.8 seconds. This made the score 63-59. Following yet another timeout, the Burrs turned it over again, but it appeared that jr. PG Aquil Younger was knocked out of bounds and fouled. No call, though. Afterwards, Wims scored on a driving floater to make it 63-61 at 18.8 seconds. Oh boy! The Cardinals had just scored six points in nine seconds. By this time the Burrs had three senior starters on the bench after fouling out. West would execute the inbound play and jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton was fouled hard underneath to prevent a layup. An intentional foul was whistled. Ok, the Burrs will find some comfort. Not yet, folks. Burton made the second of his two, but soph. G Tristin Freeman missed a pair at 14.8 seconds after he was fouled. Following the misses, jr. WG Christian Gibbs roared up court and scored on a drive to make it 64-63. However, the ball went through at 7.1, but the Cards were out of timeouts. The inbounds pass found soph. 6’3” F Anthony Fleet with 2.7 seconds left. After a miss he made the second for a two-point lead. Dougherty’s sr. 6’3” F Brandon Brown took the pass and after a couple of dribbles unleashed a shot from just inside half-court. I’ll tell you this: It didn’t miss by much. Even with the low roof and the line drive attempt the ball was relatively close to going in. Ok, let me breathe for a second. Not too long, though. It’s late and I need the shuteye. Smile! How about some details? Fifty-one fouls and sixty-nine foul shots were attempted. West only had nine players dressed and were down to six by the time the game ended. Dougherty lost two players to fouls as well. Leading the way for West was Younger, who scored 21 points (6-for-11 FG’s & 7-for-11 FT’s). He made both his attempts from downtown. He also added four apiece of assists and rebounds. He did a decent job at the line going 5-for-7 in the final quarter. Sr. WG Vincent Ho was next with 11 points (4-for-7 FG’s). He added 6 rebounds. Soph. G Jaleel Reed (9 points) showed decent offensive instincts, but failed to finish on a few drives. He did hustle for 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Sr. F Kiwan Murray mixed 8 points and 7 rebounds, but only played 16 minutes to do to foul trouble. Burton (eight) and Freeman (five) were active on the glass. For Dougherty, Wims (3 assists) showed signs of getting off early, but was dogged in the second half by Younger in a box-and-one. After scoring ten points in the first half, he needed five late points to get to 15 for the game. Overall, he went 5-for-14 from the field. Gibbs was an efficient 6-for-10 from the field for his 17 points (5-for-8 FT’s). He also added three apiece of steals and rebounds. Thomas spearheaded the Dougherty fourth quarter charge. He really showed a nose for the ball and kept things alive with quality hustle. He finished with 12 points (4-for-4 FG’s) and 8 rebounds. Eleven of his points and six of his boards came in the second half. He’ll need to convert better from the line, though. He was only able to convert 4-of-9 in the game. The Cardinals hurt themselves with a 13-for-24 showing in the fourth quarter alone and missed 17 total free throws for the game. The Burrs weren’t much better going just 10-for-19 in the fourth quarter and missing a total of 15 for the game. Brown accrued some fouls early and never got on track. He’ll have better nights. He finished with just 7 points (1-for-9 FG’s), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. I thought soph. 6’2” F Jamal Nwaniemeka displayed promise. He scored six points and impressively blocked two shots in limited time.

JAN. 11
CL BLUE
Conwell-Egan 56, West Catholic 51
  I can’t say I loved the trek to Fairless Hills for tonight’s Blue division clash between the upstart Eagles and Burrs, but by game’s end I have to admit that I was treated to a competitive and hard-played contest by both teams. The game was nip and tuck for the first three quarters. Both teams had leads at different junctures, but neither could ever pull away to get some breathing room. That all changed at the outset of the fourth quarter when the host Eagles turned a 37-36 deficit entering the stanza into a 50-41 lead with 3:09 left. During this critical 14-to-4 run C-E got two huge treys from sr. headliner 6’4” WG Issac Robinson and scrappy sr. WG Andrew Schaefer. However, the Burrs wouldn’t quit and after soph. WG Jaleel Reed canned a trey, the score was only 52-49 with 35 seconds left. Schaefer calmly sank both ends of a one-and-one to make the score 54-49 at 22 seconds. West’s star jr. PG Aquil Younger made two FT’s at 15 seconds to once again bring the deficit down to just three. With C-E still not in the double-bonus Robinson was quickly fouled at 13 seconds. His attempt came up well short, but somehow the Burrs didn’t block him out and he easily grabbed the rebound and laid the ball back in with little resistance. Did he leave the line a bit prematurely? Probably! Well, at least from my vantage point he did, but you still have to account for the shooter and that should never happen in that situation. Sr. WG Vincent Ho missed a running, contested trey at the other end and finals seconds ticked harmlessly off the clock afterwards. Robinson is a quality player who possesses slashing skills and improved perimeter ability, too. Tonight, he shot 8-for-14 (2-for-4 3’s) from the field and 4-for-6 from the line for a game-high 22 points. He also did a good job of denting the other stat columns, as witnessed by his 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Solid all-around effort! Schaefer was next with 12 points. He scored 10 of these points in the second half. Sr. 6’5” F Mike Payne played a balanced game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks. This kid is springy and a quick leaper, who can really get off the floor. His best days could be down the road. I liked the fact that he knocked down two critical freebies in the final minute. Sr. PG Devon Thomas hit his first trey, but misfired on his next seven attempts. I did like the way he ran the offense, though. He made some snappy looks early on and finished with 6 assists, while adding 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Jr. F Sean McCarthy and sr. F Kevin DeLorenzo are interchangeable and give the Eagles a couple of lunch pale type players. McCarthy made two crucial baskets on drives in the final quarter. DeLorenzo made both of his shots and added 4 boards. The Eagles went 7-for-10 from the field in the final quarter. The Burrs gave a good effort on the road, but probably lacked additional experience to see this game through. Younger had 15 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Sr. F Kiwan Murray battled for 15 points and 7 assists. He often showed a bulldog mentality in muscling over taller players. He also added 7 boards. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll led the Burrs with 9 rebounds. Reed provided a flurry late where he scored all six of his points. He also hustled for 7 rebounds (5 O-boards). Ho dealt 4 assists and added 7 points.

JAN. 8
CL BLUE
West Catholic 51, Kennedy-Kenrick 33
   Well, this was more than likely my last trip to good ‘ol Norristown to take in a Catholic League basketball game. At year’s end, Kennedy-Kenrick will be closing its doors and merging with St. Puis X. The new school will be out in Montgomery County and its athletic teams will play their games in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. For a while it appeared like the Wolverines were going to go scoreless in my last visit. They missed all twelve first quarter shots on their way to getting shut out in that opening frame. Two misfires started the second stanza, but sr. 6’3” F Dave Tornetta finally connected on a foul line jumper to break the ice at the 5:19 mark of the second stanza. Prior to this the Burrs were only marginally better. No, they weren’t building any houses with their shooting, but taking care of the ball was definitely an issue. Nine first quarter turnovers stunted their performance, and a 7-0 lead was all they could muster up after the first quarter. Sr. WG Vincent Ho made all three of his attempts (One trey) to provide all of the scoring early on. Eventually, things would somewhat settle in from a flow standpoint. However, K-K would get no closer than nine, 28-19, midway through the third quarter. West scored the next thirteen points and never looked back afterwards. It was a strange game for Burrs’ talented jr. PG Aquil Younger to say the least. Younger entered the game with 23.5 scoring average, but only managed two points in this one. Nah, it wasn’t because he had a cold shooting night. Check this one out! He didn’t attempt his first shot until 2:23 was left in the third quarter. His only basket came on a driving left-handed layup with 5:33 left in the game. Prior to this he missed a front-end of a one-and-one, and then only attempted one more shot after his only make. It was obvious that he had a pass-first mentality tonight, as witnessed by the nine assists he dropped, but there was something about his approach that still struck me as odd. I think he needs to relax a little and keep things in perspective. You’re a high school basketball player, who has a wealth of talent, but if you don’t allow yourself to have fun out there, then it’s going to be detrimental to your development. If I could offer up a little advice I’d say this. And I know it’s a cliché, but play every game like it’s your last. Play hard, as smart as you can, and with passion. Your ability will take care of the rest. Trust me when I tell you this, but you won’t get these games back. So, value and appreciate the opportunity you have in front of you. Ok, let’s jump off my soapbox momentarily (Yes, I’ll be coming back!) and get back to some game developments. Ho (3 steals) finished with a 6-for-9 showing from the field to pace the Burrs with 15 points. Sr. F Kiwan Murray (5-for-8 FG’s) was next with 12 points, while adding 5 rebounds. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll played as strong game with 8 points (4 –for-4 FT’s) and 8 rebounds. Jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton battled for 10 rebounds, with six coming off the offensive glass. The Burrs had just four bench players and all were sophomores. West out-rebounded the Wolverines 36-to-13. K-K shot just 2-for-20 in the opening half, but gave a respectful 10-for-21 showing after the intermission. After missing his first nine attempts, sr. G Cullen Rota (Quality football player) converted four of his last five, including a trio of triples. He finished with 13 points and three apiece of assists and rebounds. Tornetta made three of his four attempts for 8 points and added three apiece of boards and steals. I still appreciate how Head Coach Jack Flanagan gets after it during games. There’s a lot of fight in this guy. I also hear that he either is or is going to be named the AD and basketball coach at the new school next year. Congratulations and best of luck! Ok, back to my soapbox. The Burrs were without three players who had been with the team up until yesterday. One was removed by his mother to improve his academics. I commend mom for caring and have ZERO issue with that situation. The other two are quality football players, who have decided that a third of the way into the season is a good time to start concentrating on football. I like both of these kids. I think they are both good kids. However, I have major issues with this decision. No one forced these kids to play basketball, but once they made the commitment to play, then I feel the responsible action is to follow through on your commitment unless a serious family/personal matter prevents you from doing so. Rosters spots were held for these players. Other kids were cut because you can only have so many players in a program. Current players and coaches have been affected by their untimely decision, too. I’m not going to sugarcoat this even a little, but it disappoints me on two fronts. One, it was a self-serving decision with little regard to the other people it involved. Two, it came on the heels of a 50-point loss. And with that little tidbit added into the mix it just doesn’t shine the brightest of lights on these two individuals. To me it reeks of running away when a little bit of adversity sets in. Sticking things out would have been the tough and noble thing to do. That’s what builds character in individuals and ultimately makes us who we are and who we become. By no means do I want this to be a final indictment on these two kids. After all, they are kids and sometimes young people need experiences to learn from and to help them see/understand things a little better. My goal in mentioning this is not to beat these two kids down, but to pass along a message that maybe (hopefully?) will help another young person down the road if they find themselves in a similar situation. We all have choices to make in life. And if I can help a young person make a better one, then I’m going to try and do my part. Like I said earlier in this report, but you don’t get these games back. And you don’t get your high school days back. Live and enjoy them to the fullest. Don’t limit yourself as this or that, but try to be successful in a lot of areas; whether it is academics, athletics, or recreational activities.

JAN. 6
CATHOLIC LEAGUE BLUE
Neumann-Goretti 104, West Catholic 52
  Two football seasons ago I witnessed a Burr team rack up all kinds of impressive numbers in points and yards. By year’s end people around the school were donning shirts that read, “Enjoy the Show!” Well, tonight I just may have witnessed the basketball version of, “Enjoy the Show!” Man, but did the Saints unleash an onslaught on the Burrs tonight. This N-G team is really good, and though depth COULD be an issue as the season rolls into the latter part of February and March, it is going to take a team with REALLY GOOD guard play to knock this bunch off. The Saints are climbing up the national polls and currently have just one blemish to date, a 96-95 setback to Yates (Houston) while playing in a tournament in Hawaii. Yates is a top five national team. And speaking of shows, but they just unleashed a 100-point half on some unfortunate team before going on to win 170-35. Phew!!!! In this game the Saints rolled early, leading 24-8 after one, and 57-22 at the half. Towards the end of the third quarter they doubled-up the Burrs, 80-40, which prompted the clock to run. Though common in football, these occurrences aren’t as frequent in hoops. There was no avoiding it tonight.  The Saints use a four-guard offense and when clicking it is downright lethal. Everyone has the green light to launch, but no one seems to jack selfishly either. They really look for each other. It’s almost like they say to themselves, I’ll give it up this time because I know it might be my turn next time down. By halftime the Saints already had three double-digit scorers and that number doubled by game’s end. Highlights? Stats? Where to begin? Let’s start with the mad bomber, sr. WG Mustafaa Jones (Hartford), who dialed up long distance six times on nine tries. He finished with a game-high 20 points. Blessed with a quick release and high-arcing shot, he prefers the corners to do most of his sniping. Sr. G Tony Chennault (Wake Forest) was next with 18 points (7-for-13 FG’s, two treys). He also dealt 8 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, and made 3 steals. Still don’t know what position will best serve him at the next level, but the kid still plays with tenacity. With Explorer boss John Giannini in attendance, silky smooth sr. PG Tyreek Duren (LaSalle) did not disappoint. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Dr. John wished he had Duren right now with the point guard troubles his club has had so far this season. But he’ll have to wait a year to get his services. Duren finished 7-for-10 (One trey) from the field for 15 points. He also mixed 7 boards, 6 assists, and 6 steals. Oh, yeah, ZERO turnovers, too. I really enjoy watching this kid play, as he competes at such a relaxed pace. The Saints one true frontcourt player in the starting rotation is jumping-jack sr. 6’6” F Daniel Stewart, who is bound for Rider next fall. He supplied a few stuffs in getting his 14 points (5-for-8 FG’s), while adding 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. The one underclassman in the Saints’ starting line-up is jr. PG Lamin Fulton. And like the other starters he also reached double-digits with 11 points. He also added 4 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Soph 6’5” F Derrick Stewart, Daniel’s little bro, serves at the Saints’ sixth man. He showed nice athleticism and promise. N-G’s best player off the bench was frosh. 6’4” F John Davis. All he did in twelve minutes of action was notch a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards (5 off the O-glass). Equally as impressive was that he made every shot he took, four from the field and two at the line. Already blessed with a strong body this kid already appears to have that lunch pail mentality. He will bear watching! Some impressive team totals for the Saints were that they dealt 25 assists on 39 made baskets. They also had 18 steals, with 14 of them coming in the opening half. Carelessness with the ball really did the Burrs in tonight. Yes, the Saints had a considerable experience advantage and a swarming mentality defensively when needed, but West just gave the ball up way too easy on so many occasions. Twenty of their twenty-five TO’s came in the opening half. Jr. PG Aquil Younger paced the Burrs with 18 points (7-for-11 FG’s). He also added 4 rebounds and a pair of assists and steals. Jr. G Brandon Hollomon was next with 11 points and 4 assists. Jr. 6’4” F Jim Lynch led with 7 rebounds.

DEC. 31
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 51, West Catholic 47
  This was year two for the Hawks and Burrs in playing a New Year’s Eve matinee. Last year, the Hawks bested West on a buzzer-beating layup at the Burrdome. Though this one didn’t have the climatic finish as a year’s ago, it was still rather high on the quality meter. With a decent crowd on hand the teams competed hard and gave all in attendance their money’s worth. West may have briefly led real early, but for the most part the Hawks had the lead. Their biggest advantage came at the beginning of the second quarter, 21-12. They also led by as many as eight early in the second half before the Burrs drew closer and kept it that way throughout the final quarter. Hawks’ sr. WG sniper Joe Nardi had difficulty finding space throughout, but thrice came up huge for his team in the final stanza. First, he rattled in a right-corner trey off a feed from sr. 6’2” G Sean Brophy to push the Hawks’ lead to 47-42 with just under four minutes left. Then, he twice converted both ends of one-and-one’s in the final minute to help preserve the win. The first set came with 37 seconds left and made the score 49-44. West’s jr. G Brandon Hollomon canned a left-wing trey to make it, 49-47. After this Nardi was immediately fouled and following a Hawks’ timeout promptly sank two more at 10.5 seconds. Another left-wing three from Hollomon glanced off the rim in the final seconds and the Hawks won their seventh game in eight outings. Some of the faces have changed for Head Coach Speedy Morris, but the recipe for success remains intact. And of course that is intelligent play, unselfishness, good team defense, and multiple shooters on the floor. The Hawks didn’t bombard madly in today’s game, but the word is that they have been knocking them down routinely so far this season. Today, they went just 4-for-21 as a team, but give the Burrs some of the credit for that, as they used their quickness to contest the arc closely throughout. Nardi finished with 12 points (3-for-8 FG’s, 2-for-6 on 3’s). Today’s leader was the sixth man freshman 6’2” PG Steve Vasturia, who has the makings of being a real good one down the line. His face might resemble a freshman, but his play definitely does not. He scored all 18 of his points from the second quarter on, including 11 in that second quarter. For the game, he shot 7-for-13 (Two 3’s) and grabbed 5 rebounds. I liked that he didn’t show hesitation at either shooting from distance or making dashes through the lane. Often is the case that young players will just rely on one facet of their game. Not the case with this kid. For much of the second half he assumed advanced-the-ball-up-the-court duties and did an admirable job. The third Hawk to reach double-figures was soph. 6’3” F Gene Williams, who scored ten points and hustled for 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Brophy led the Hawks with 5 assists and 7 rebounds, while also adding 2 steals. Sr. 6’5” F Connor McIntyre is the Hawks one true post player and he looks to be a do-the-little-things player. He battled for 7 rebounds. Jr. PG Mike Fee added three assists. Morris went primarily with a six-player rotation. For West, star jr. PG Aquil Younger started off a little slow as he made nice penetrating moves, but failed to finish. But in time that changed and a few times he wowed the crowd with some electrifying blurs through the lane. He finished with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting, while also adding 4 assists and 3 steals. Only three other West players scored; Hollomon (10), sr. WG Vincent Ho (9), and sr. F Kiwan Murray (8). Murray added 7 rebounds. Ho did his damage in limited opportunities, as he went 2-for-3 from the field (Trey) and 4-for-4 from the line. Hollomon made two triples. Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll grabbed 8 rebounds and made 3 steals. Jr. 6’3” F Jim Lynch had four rebounds. If I had some advice for the Burrs’ complimentary players it would be to get yourself in good position to receive passes from Younger on his drives and be ready to finish. Opportunities will be there. A few times today the Burrs squandered what should have been easy layups and ultimately this led to the defeat as much as anything.

DEC. 23
CATHOLIC LEAGUE BLUE
West Catholic 65, McDevitt 43
  The Lancers hung tough for a little while, but eventually West’s edge in overall talent and quickness took over and allowed them to win rather comfortably. Here’s a stat you probably don’t see often. Of the 65 points the Burrs scored, 64 of them came on two-point baskets. The Burrs missed all five treys they attempted and went just 1-for-3 from the line. However, from two-point range the Burrs went an efficient 32-for-48, which was good for a paltry 66.7%. Head Coach Bill Ludlow’s squad is still a work-in-progress and it could stay that way for another couple of weeks. Of the ten guys dressed tonight, five of them were recent additions from the football team. A sixth in jr. G Brandon Hollomon is set to join the team on Saturday. Eight of the ten players dressed tonight were underclassmen, including four sophomores. The one constant is still cat-quick jr. PG Aquil Younger, who paced the Burrs with 18 points (9-for-13 FG’s), 7 assists, 7 steals, and 4 rebounds. Most of his scoring came on whirlwind drives to the rim. Sr. F Kiwan Murray bagged 16 points on an 8-for-10 showing from the floor. The baseline area is this kid’s comfort zone. He also hustled for 6 rebounds. Jr. G Julian Lee was the other Burr double-figure scorer with 10 points (5-for-7 FG’s). Sr. 6’4” F Tim Carroll managed 6 points and 4 rebounds, while football teammate jr. 6’3” F Jim Lynch added 6 apiece of points and rebounds, as well as 4 assists. This pair will be depended on to add some grit and toughness, but if they can find some interior space, then they could be the recipients of feeds from Younger in time. Soph G’s Jaleel Reed (4 points, 2 assists), Kevin Malone, and Tristin Freeman all show promise and all are fresh off the football field, too. For McDevitt, Head Coach Jack Rutter is working with a young squad. The starting line-up featured one senior, a junior, two sophomores, and a freshman. Just one Lancer made it into double-digits and that was frosh. PG Kenyatta Long, who displayed some skill and a touch of fearlessness. He finished with 12 points and thrice converted running floaters in the lane. He also hustled for 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Jr. WG Matt Conroy was next with 9 points and 3 steals. Sr. G Steve Dominello (4 assists) made his first three attempts, but failed to score thereafter. Jr. WG Luke Grimaldi provided 8 points off the bench. There was an interesting development prior to the game. With the warm-up clock running down McDevitt’s scorekeeper had to scurry to get the names in the book. His method of doing so was to hit the lay-up line and have the players themselves write their names and numbers in the book one after another. Classic, but I loved it!

DEC. 13
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 55, Ryan 49 (2OT)
  Ok, the Burrs scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to build what appeared to be an insurmountable lead at, 38-22. They will win going away, or at minimum have comfortable breathing room in the game’s final moments, right? Umm, not exactly! Ryan ended the game on methodical 17-to-1 run (Over final six minutes) to draw even and send the game into the ever-popular overtime session. Smile! Here’s how the final stages played out in regulation. Jr. WG Eric Fleming nailed a left-corner trey (Feed from sr. G Anthony Magallanes) to deadlock things with 5.6 left. After a Burr timeout, whirlwind jr. PG Aquil Younger was off to the right with a running three-point attempt from out top. In the initial overtime not much happened. Ryan had the final opportunity, but soph. PG Tim Rauchesein trey missed and the rebound was secured by West’s jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton as time expired. In the second extra session, Younger seized control by scoring 10 of the Burr 12 points in that period. An early outburst by him made the ending mostly anticlimactic. Included in his foray was a 6-for-7 showing from the line. This was a bit of redemption for him because he missed three of four freebies, including a pair of front-ends in the late-going of the final quarter. For the game, Younger finished with 30 points (10-for-23 FG’s, 2-for-4 3’s, and 8-for-14 FT’s), 5 steals, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. He didn’t commit his first turnover until the second OT period. Additionally, his court demeanor has been very good. On more than a few occasions during the first two games teammates have either fumbled or failed to score off snappy passes. I have noticed little-to-no negative reactions when this has happened. Not always the easiest thing to do when you are by far the most talented player on the team. Keep this up, for this is something that college coaches do pay attention to. This is not to say that other Burrs didn’t contribute because they most certainly did at different junctures of the game. Sr. F Kiwan Murray (3 steals) was next with 8 points, but also hustled for 10 rebounds before fouling out in the first OT. Sr. G Vincent Ho made two huge buckets in the first overtime. He also managed 4 apiece of rebounds, assists, and steals. Sr. 6’3” F Teron Johnson battled for 7 rebounds. Jr. G Julian Lee blended a nice mix of 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Burton (6 rebounds) added a couple of significant plays in the second overtime. Tomorrow is an off day for the Burrs on both the game and practice front. However, come Tuesday it will be a second tryout session for Head Coach Bill Ludlow. With the football team falling in Saturday’s PIAA Class AA eastern final, there are expected to be more than a handful of kids jumping to hoops on the fly.  We’ll see what develops here. You have to give Head Coach Bernie Rogers and his troops credit for battling to the very end. It would have been real easy for this team to roll over after falling behind by sixteen. Rogers is working with a young team (Only two sr.’s in the ten that saw action today) and has just one returning starter (Fleming) on the current roster. Five sophomores saw action today. Sr. 6’4” F Brendan Ostazewski showed a decent skill set and the ability to maneuver along the baseline. He was a sparkplug during Ryan’s comeback where he scored 9 of his team-high 16 points (6-for-6 FT’s). He knocked down a pair of triples, as well as hustling for 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Fleming had an off day and will ultimately have better outings. He ended with 11 points (3-for-12 FG’s, 3-for-5 on 3’s). Magallanes hit three 3’s for his nine points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and dealt 3 assists. Soph. 6’3” F Chris McMonigle exhibits policeman like qualities. He scored six points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and made 3 steals. Ryan had trouble taking care of the rock and committed an alarming 29 turnovers. The Burrs weren’t a whole lot better with 20. Signs that show us that it is still only mid-December.

DEC. 11
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 64, O’Hara 53
  Admittedly, I have trouble settling into the hoops action when the football season is still ongoing. But hey it’s a PIAA era for the Catholic League in this day and age and with the Burrs’ football squad advancing to the sixteenth and fifteenth weeks in the last two years, it is kind of hard to avoid the seasons running together. What further complicates matters is with West being a small school it is not uncommon to have multiple players participating in both sports. This year is no different, as anywhere from four-to-eight FB players could go onto become part of hoops program. Head Coach Bill Ludlow dressed just nine players as he waits for reinforcements, but fortunately one of his current nine is budding star jr. PG Aquil Younger. The ultra-quick and I mean ultra, was a dynamo at times in this game, especially in the open court. He scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, including 11 in a 24-13 fourth quarter that favored the Burrs. All total, he shot 11-for-20 from the field and 5-for-9 at the line. He also added four steals and a couple of assists. At least three times he made dazzling drives through traffic to convert lay-ups. Younger couldn’t do it alone to fend off a gritty bunch of Lions, though. Sr. G Vincent Ho had an encouraging outing with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Jr. G Julian Lee hit multiple pull-up jump shots for his 10 points. He also added 5 boards and 2 steals. Sr. handyman 6’1” F Kiwan Murray hustled for 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, sr. 6’3” F Teron Johnson (five) and jr. 6’3” F Yuri Burton (six) had admirable efforts on the glass. O’Hara Head Coach Tim Kelly and his club struggled mightily last year in his first go-around. The Lions won just two games in twenty-one outings, but they had a young squad. Well, nearly all of those guys from last year’s team are back and there is hope that future good times can be had. If tonight’s effort can be duplicated throughout the year, then the Lions should be able to dent the win column a little more often. Sr. WG Dan Kearney displays a quick release and mad bombing potential. He was a slightly off tonight (5-for-17 FG’s), but did nail three triples in leading the Lions with 13 points. Sr. 6’4” F Ryan Howarth (4 rebs) showed some niftiness around the basket to score his 11 points. Sr. WG Mark Sharkey also reached double-digits with 11 points. Sr. PG Anthony Bertolino played a solid floor game with 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Jr. 6’3” F Sean Mayo hustled for 6 boards and 3 blocks. O’Hara had 15 assists on their 19 made baskets, while the Burrs only managed four on their twenty-five deposits. A foul shooting exhibit this was not! The teams combined to go 24-for-51 from the line. Ouch! Long-time Burr clocker operator Jim Creighton, who had manned the clock for the last twenty-five years, has stepped down from his post. Everyone affiliated with the Burrs’ basketball program thanks you for your service and dedication.