Earlier Reports

FEB. 28
CL SEMIFINAL
Neumann-Goretti 73, North Catholic 45
      It was great to see the Catholic League finally return to the Palestra, the Mecca of Philadelphia basketball, for the first time since 1998. Tonight’s doubleheader pitted the top two teams from each the Southern and Northern Divisions crossing over to play one another. The hope of many onlookers was that a competitive twinbill would be had. Not to be! Behind a tremendous defensive performance Roman stormed past Dougherty in game one. Then, Neumann-Goretti shredded a little early rust and eventually sprinted past North (22-6) for an easy triumph. Now, the Saints (24-4) will clash with the Cahillites for the third time this season with the CL Title and some shiny hardware at stake. The teams have already split this season with two highly competitive tussles. This will also mark a rematch of last year’s title game. The Saints, who are winners of the last two CL championships, will be looking for the trifecta this Sunday. This is also their sixth title appearance in eight years. Not bad! Ok, now for the game. At the onset the Falcons displayed a good amount of brass and confidence. They even grabbed a lead midway through the first quarter as the Saints looked a little uncomfortable. However, behind the play of sr. 6’2” PG Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, the Saints seized control and led 19-13 after one. Jardine scored 11 points in that opening quarter and really gave his team a boost when they needed it. Both teams sputtered some in the second quarter and by halftime North was still hanging around. They trailed by only 31-23. Slowly, but surely the Saints took control, increasing their lead to twelve (51-39) after three. It was a great team effort by the Saints that was beautifully orchestrated by Jardine. Six different Saints scored at least one bucket in the quarter. Jardine, who did not have an assist in the opening half, dealt six dimes in the third. By the time the fourth quarter started the Saints were rounding into form. They added the exclamation point was a dominating 22-to-6 final stanza. In the second half they outscored their counterparts 42-22. Part of N-G’s problem in the opening half was that they went just 11-for-22 from the line and committed nine turnovers. In the second half they turned the ball over just two times. Sr. 6’9” C Rick Jackson was a tad off early, but he didn’t let that discourage him for too long. In yet another dominant performance the big guy unleashed carnage on the stat sheet. He finished with 26 points (11-for-17 FG’s, 4-of-8 FT’s), 17 rebounds, 8 blocks (7 in 2nd Half), and 3 assists. Sensational! I know you’re probably getting tired of hearing this, but no one player wreaks more havoc in this talented and deep league. No other player can dominate the game on both ends of the court like he can. For as good as his close buddy Jardine is, even he can’t provide the fury on the defensive end that Jackson does. Make no mistake though, as Jardine can place the dagger in the hearts of opponents as well as anyone. When he’s playing the right way there might not be a better player in the city. After an assist-less first half he dealt a total of ten in the second half. A handful of them were simply pristine! Included in this was a toss off the glass to Jackson for a slam. It was very crowd-pleasing to say the least. He did miss his last seven shots from the floor (5-for-15 FG’s for game), but still managed 17 points. He deposited two treys and was also 5-of-7 from the line. Not to go unnoticed was his work on the boards where he claimed seven. In the end, N-G’s dynamic duo combined for 43 points, 24 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, and 8 blocks. Holy-fill-the-stat-sheet!! The Saints also got solid play from the supporting cast. Jr. 6’4” WG Jamal Wilson scored all eight of his points in the second half. He added a late-in-the-game high-rising two-handed slam. He also contributed 8 rebounds and solid defense. Frosh. CG Tony Chennault was his complimentary-self with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Sixth-man, sr. 6’4” Mark Hatty (4 rebounds) provided two timely and athletic follows amongst his six-point effort. He later missed a slam, and undoubtedly caught some heat from teammates afterwards. To this point he was 6-for-6 in the two playoff games. Damn, might have been on his way to highest field goal percentage in playoff history, smile! If I didn’t say that I expected a little more from North then I wouldn’t be telling the truth. I knew N-G was the better team coming in, but I thought that there was a chance that the Falcons could cause them to sweat just a little. Never happened! I just didn’t agree with their approach. Way too much individual play and way too much lack of patience. These two stats that I’m about to give you just about some it up. North attempted 63 shots and had ONLY two assists on 16 made buckets. By the way, that’s a 25.4% showing from the floor. Icy!! During warm-ups I thought they looked relaxed and loose. Maybe they were a little too relaxed though, as least one player warmed up wearing an ipod. Maybe it’s the old school in me, but I didn’t particularly get this. Still, they trailed by just twelve to start the fourth quarter, but missed their first sixteen shots. They ended the frame going just 2-for-20 from the field and a not-so-pleasant 2-of-9 from the line. Offensively, it was dysfunctional all night. Sr. 6’6” F Chris Edwards, who I like, struggled mightily. He was just 1-for-12 from the floor and scored just two points. He did hustle for 12 rebounds and 3 blocks and that was encouraging. North’s other prominent senior, 6’3” F Andrew Pomager, scored just 8 points on a 3-for-11 outing from the floor. He too hit the glass hard and pulled ten boards. Keeping North in it early was brassy jr. PG Velton Jones (3 rebs.), but he picked up his third foul at the 6:36 mark of the second quarter. This caused him to sit the rest of the half. Not good for the Falcons. He finished with 11 points, but went just 2-for-10 from the floor in the 2nd half (4-for-13 total). Equaling Jones with 11 points (2 treys) was jr. 6’2” WG Lenny Young. He ended just 4-for-14 from the floor. Are we sensing a pattern by now? Off the bench, sr. WG Jason Mendez played well with 9 points (3-for-4 FG’s) and jr. 6’4” F Shahid Paulhill grabbed 4 rebounds.  The Falcons might not be happy with tonight’s results, but they had solid year and accomplished a lot. I won’t hesitate in saying that Sunday’s final features the two best teams in the Catholic League. I expect nothing short of a war filled with passion and spirited play. Slow time of year, folks, in the quality sports viewing department, so a great turnout should be expected. Again, at the Palestra!

FEB. 24
CL QUARTERFINAL
Neumann-Goretti 81, Bonner 57
     Thirteen days ago the Friars (17-10) went to South Philly and lost a thrilling game in overtime to the Saints (23-4) that saw their star sr. 6’4” WG Jeff Jones pour home 41 points in defeat. Four days ago Jones was awarded the MVP of the Southern Division by the coaches at their end-of-the-year All-Catholic meeting. I won’t hesitate to think that these two recent occurrences didn’t help the Friars much in their quest to knock off the talented Saints on such a huge stage. With Bonner’s potential and Jones’ individual honor fresh in their minds, it was easy to see that the Saints, specifically their two stars sr. 6’9” C Rick Jackson and sr. 6’2” PG Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, would play with passion and possibly a chip on their shoulders to see that they moved onto the CL semifinals. (Side note: Credit to Bonner’s inability to sneak up on the Saints because of the close game two weeks ago comment goes to Mike Conaboy, a SJ Prep sophomore, former St. Dorothy’s legend, and past student of my good friend John “Lefty” McCauley. Both Mike and Lefty approached me after the game to make this point. I believe garnering a little TS.com ink was at the forefront of their minds. Smile!) Ok, back to the waxing, and a waxing it was on behalf of the Saints. You got the sense that the Saints were on a mission right from the opening tap. They quickly grabbed an 8-0, and even though the Friars scored the next eight points to tie it, the tone was definitely set. I told TS.com colleague Amauro Austin very early that Bonner better be careful because things could ugly fast. They did!! After Bonner tied it, the Saints scored the last eight points of the opening quarter and led 16-8. They followed this up with a sparkling second quarter that saw them outscore the Friar 27-to-12. Thus, ending the half on a 35-to-12 spurt and building a commanding 43-20 lead. During this quarter Jackson unleashed quite possibly the most exhilarating two-to-three minute stretch of dominance I have ever seen at this level. Within a flash he transformed himself into what some might describe as a comic book superhero figure. For now, let’s refer to him as Dr. Dunkenstein! Jackson took six shots, without a miss in this flurry. Five came on an array of dunks, which again, I doubt was ever seen before at this level in such short period of time. Incredible! Partner-in-crime Jardine sparkled towards the end of the quarter where he deposited his last three shots (two treys), including a top-of-the-key horn-beating triple to end the half. In this amazing quarter the Saints went a steamy 12-for-15 from the field and knocked down all three of their shots from beyond the arc. Bonner put forth a decent stretch in the third quarter to cut the lead to sixteen, at 53-37, but the Saints quickly responded. They ended the third quarter with 13-to-4 run and took a 66-41 lead into the final stanza. Ballgame! For the game, the Saints shot a solid 54.8% from the floor, but they were a sweltering 28-for-41 (68.3%) through three quarters. Jackson finished with 22 points and was an uncontainable 11-for-12 from the floor. He made his first ten shots and his only miss came when Bonner’s sr. 6’2” F John Sheehan sneakily blocked a shot from behind. Amauro commented -- It’s a good thing too, because he may have just brought John into the basket with the ball if he had seen him. The big fella also added 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jardine equaled Jackson’s total of 22 points, on 7-for-15 shooting (3-of-7 on 3’s) and 5-for-5 from the line. He also dealt 7 dimes, while mixing three apiece of boards and steals. He made a few lovely/snappy passes that led to lay-ups or Jackson slams. Playing third fiddle, but equally as impressive, was emerging jr. 6’4” WG/F Jamal Wilson who notched 15 points (7-for-13 FG’s), 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. Wilson’s production ranged from a dribble-down, pull-up trey from the top-of-the-key to an easier-than-it-should-be reverse slam. His most important efforts more than likely came on the defensive end though, where he dogged Jones all game long. Yes, he had help, as the Saints often ran two people at the CL all-time scoring leader, but he was responsible for the brunt of the work. Wilson SHOULD BE one of the elite players in the Catholic League next season. He has the body/athleticism to be a very good defensive player and offensively seems to be improving with each passing game. Freshman CG Tony Chennault played well beyond his years with a good all-around performance. He finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He showed some niftiness around the basket amongst bigger players for a few hoops. Jr. 6’5” F Rashad Savage scored just two points, but banged for 9 rebounds. Sr. 6’4” WG Mark Hatty deposited all three of his shot attempts for six points off the bench. For Bonner, Jones scored 20 points and ended his sensational high school career with 1,923 career points. Quite an accomplishment! Today, he had a tough go of it as the Saints defended him nicely and pushed him further and further away from the basket. He shot just 5-for-16 from the field, including 2-of-9 from downtown. He was 8-for-9 from the line, and also added 4 boards and 3 assists. Sr. WG Nagbee Saylee did some late-game sniping and was next with 14 points. Overall, he was 4-for-7 from deep. Sr. PG Rob DiNicola was next with 8 points and sr. WG Ryan Cummings hit two late treys for 6 points. This was second game of a doubleheader at Cardinal O’Hara. Both games went off without incident. The first game between SJ Prep and Roman was probably 80% full to capacity. I would think this tilt was close to sold out. In the CL semifinals, to be played Wednesday night at the Palestra (7 & 8:45), the Saints will tangle with North (second), while Roman will spar with Dougherty (first). I expect a very good night of CL basketball.

FEB. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 PLAYOFF
Simon Gratz 76, Southern 63
     There was a time not so long ago that when my appearances at Public League clashes was a familiar one. Things have changed over the last five or so years and because of my employment (Philly elementary school teacher) situation, attending Pub events is difficult. This is especially true because most of the games begin as my work day ends. Still, I can say that part of me does miss it some, so when an opportunity arose today to check out a playoff battle between to two schools from opposite ends of the city, I quickly snatched the bait. This game was one of two 4A (large enrollment) tussles today in the field of sixteen.  Earlier in the year this same two teams met on this same court, as Gratz walked away with a slim 52-49 victory. So, it was easy to think that another tight one could take part today. And for a decent stretch, it was indeed tight, until the Bulldogs (20-5) pulled away some in the third quarter. After leading 35-32 at the intermission, Gratz used a 10-2 run to start the second half and the lead swelled to 45-34. The Bulldogs would keep the Rams (19-7) at bay from this point on. Head Coach Leonard Poole made a couple of subs in the first half, but all five original Gratz starters played the entire second half. Showing juice right from the get-go was sr. 6’3” F Tommie “T.J.” Sykes. He ended the Bulldogs’ first possession with a two-handed flush, but this was just the beginning of his day. He went on to shoot 9-for-11 (One rushed missed at end of 3rd QT) from the field and 7-for-10 from the line for a team-high 25 points. He plays for keeps and always seemed to be in the right spot. I’m pretty sure every one of his baskets came within four or so feet from the rim. He also added four rebounds. Supplying him the rock most often were G’s sr. Josh “Scrap” Martin and jr. Charles White. Each lent a hand in the giving department with eight dimes apiece. Martin particularly had a table-setting look to him today. As he sacrificed shots to get others involved. He did go 3-for-5 from the field and made all three of his freebies for 9 points. White scored 10 points, with six coming from a pair of high-arcing treys. He also hustled for 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Sr. 6’4” F Ishmawiyl McFadden picked up his second foul with just over two minutes left in the first quarter and sat the rest of the half. He provided a spark in the second half where every one of his stats aside from five points occurred. He ended with 15 points (8 in 4th QT), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and steal. He appears to be the calming influence for this Bulldog squad and I like his approach. Jr. 6’3” WG Alibaba Odd managed 11 points, 7 rebounds, and two apiece of assists and steals. Gratz shot a nice 28-for-48 (58.3%) from the field and dealt a solid 19 assists. One area for concern for Poole and his club, at least in this game, was that they committed 23 turnovers. Many of them were unforced and were the result of poor decision making. This team is very capable of lowering this total and I’m sure it will be a focal point in practices to come. The Rams were in the game for one reason and one reason only today, and that was because of the play of franchise sr. 6’4” WG Ramone Moore, who went for 38 points. Interestingly enough, Moore misfired on his first six shots of the game and went just 1-for-8 in the first quarter, finishing with 4 points. It appeared that he was just a tad uncomfortable and out of whack during the initial coldness. He rushed a few shots too. However, things for him would heat up and he went on to display the offensive prowess that has to make the people at Temple smile. In the second quarter he scored fifteen straight points for the Rams on 5-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line. Then, with just four ticks left in the half Moore picked-up a tic-tac foul along the baseline, his third of the game. He would garner is fourth on another foul 30-feet from the basket with 2:21 left in the third quarter. He would sit the rest of the quarter and at this point he had 28 points. His team trailed 51-43. He would return to start the fourth and his team would only trail by ten, but I have to think that two-plus minute stretch on the pine didn’t help him or his team’s cause. He added ten more points in the fourth quarter, but his team really never threatened. In the end, he went 12-for-23 from the field (1-of-4 on 3’s) and an excellent 13-of-14 from the line. Not a bad day, especially when you consider how it began. It looks like he prefers going to his left. When doing this he often opts for the quick, step-back baseline jumpers. Very nice! In a Seattle Supersonics Ray Allen-like way. Area of concern: He only managed two each of rebounds and steals in the other statistical categories. The next best Ram was HIGH-RISING sr. F Robert “Jay” McKee, who undoubtedly supplied one of my personal favorite highlights of this basketball season. After Moore scored 15 consecutive points in the second quarter he supplied the final two Ram points of the stanza in GRAND fashion. After a miss by a teammate, McKee soared for the rebound, grabbed it with one hand, sort of pulled back from a defender and I mean RAMMED the ball back. I don’t like to curse in my reports and I believe this may be a first, but HOLY SH*T!!! The ho-hum crowd to this point just went ballistic. Very cool! As for his overall game, everything appears to come in-and-around the basket. He only finished with 8 points, but did hustle for 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. The only other Ram in double-digits was jr. PG Anthony “Crip” Reese with 11 points (5-of-12 FG’s). He also contributed 4 rebounds. His twin brother jr. Antoine (3 steals) had rough day from the floor going just 2-for-14 and 4 points. The Rams managed just five assists on 23 made baskets. Not good! A lot of this probably had to do with that Moore often was isolated on one side of the court and was allowed to work his magic. I’m sure the other Rams have had good moments during the season, but I had the feeling that aside from Moore they were out of sync in this one. It probably would have made sense to have let their star create even a bit more. Oh well. A scary and unfortunate incident occurred with 2:22 left in the game. With Gratz leading, 67-55, Sykes, who was stationed directly under the basket, took a feed from a teammate. On his way up he fouled a little hard by frosh. G Shaquille Gaskins. The foul wasn’t over-the-top, what he did next was, though. The momentum of the play brought both players to the ground and for some reason Gaskins kicked Sykes, who reacted with a push. Meanwhile, Southern fans, which were situated at this end of the court, got up out of their stands and started to come onto the court. The Gratz benched immediately followed to defend their teammates. Thankfully, the referees and coaches on both sides did a TREMENDOUS job of putting the fire out quickly. Nothing of consequence happened in a physical nature after the Gaskins kick. There was a police presence in the gym and they also assisted in the melee. Unfortunately though, an officer told both coaches the game would not continue until the gym was cleared. About five or ten minutes later, with just a handful of people left, the game resumed and finished without incident. Good job by the referees to bring both clubs to midcourt for a brief discussion before resuming play.  In the end, Gaskins was hit with a regular foul, a flagrant foul, and a disqualification. Both teams were assessed techs for leaving the bench. In fairness to both teams I’ll say this: I didn’t see any Southern kids leave the bench and they were to the left of me. I doubt I would have missed this, but I guess it’s possible. Concerning Gratz, they reacted to seeing five of their teammates in the midst of a dozen or so people (some adults) coming at them. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and we avoided what could have been an ugly incident.

FEB. 18
CL SOUTH
Bonner 79, West Catholic 64
     Overall, the most important thing accomplished in today’s game by the Monsignor Bonner basketball team was getting the victory. This win, coupled with Carroll losing to Neumann-Goretti, allowed the Friars (17-9, 7-7) to clinch the fourth and final Southern Division spot in this year’s playoffs. They avoided a possible play-in game with Carroll and can now have the rest of the week to prepare for the top-seeded Saints of N-G, a team they took to overtime, on the road, just a week ago today. With the team goal in place, an individual milestone moved to the forefront. The other developing story in the game surrounded Bonner’s sr. 6’4” WG Jones Jones, a Virginia recruit, who needed just 29 points to become the Catholic League’s all-time leading scorer. Holding the record was former Roman Catholic star Reggie Jackson (’78) with 1,895 career points. A mere win would ensure another game for Jones. So, considering his twenty-plus points per game average, it was quite possible that Jones would eventually eclipse this number his next time out if he fell short in this one. Still, playing at home, in front of family and friends, and on Senior Day would just add to this special moment if it could be had today. A 19-point first half by Jones was more than enough to send him on his way. Then, with exactly two-minutes left in the third quarter he scored his 29th and 30th points. It happened like this: On a clear-out, Jones drove hard to right and missed wildly on a running shot. The ball was rebounded by sr. 6’2” WG John Sheehan underneath, who quickly threw back out to sr. 6’6” WG Tim Vanderslice standing near the foul line. With an open shot at hand, ‘Slice instead found Jones who circled around the basket after his shot attempt. Upon receiving the ball Jones was by himself on the baseline, from about 12-feet away. He studied for a second and then let go with the record-breaking shot that found nothing but twine. A 29-year old record stands no longer! The game was stopped immediately and Jeff was awarded the ball. He received congratulatory wishes from all his teammates, coaches, and parents. It was a tremendous moment for a really solid kid, who has been nothing but humble throughout the whole chase. Great job! Jones went on to score three more buckets and finished with 36 points, on 14-for-25 (3-of-7 on 3’s) shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from the line. He nearly ended with a triple-double by sweeping 13 rebounds and dishing 8 dimes. He also added 2 steals and a block for good measure. Head Coach Brian Daly might want to tell Jeff that he has a chance to break record before the rest of their games, especially if he’s going to produce a statistical line like the one today. Smile! The fifteen-point margin of victory is a little misleading, even though the undermanned Burrs (9-17, 2-12) played hard throughout. Bonner led 18-to-2 after one quarter, as West was an ANEMIC 0-for-20 from the floor. Ouch! Ouch!! Ouch!!! They increased that lead to 30-4, and led 35-16 by half. When Jones got the record the score was 53-27 Bonner. Vanderslice was the only other Friar to reach double-digits with 14 points (5-for-9 FG’s). He deposited two quick treys to start the game and sent the tone. He also banged for 10 rebounds and dealt 2 assists. Jumping-jack sr. 6’4 F Rob Wyley was active throughout. He had an impressive one-handed wolf off a loose ball where he was WAY up there. He ended with 9 points, on 4-of-6 shooting. He had two other dunks if my memory serves correct. He blocked five of his six shots in the opening quarter and claimed 7 rebounds. Sheehan made all four of his shots from the field for 8 points. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Sr. PG Rob DiNicola had four assists. Soph. 6’7” F Lijah Thompson managed 6 points and 4 boards in very limited minutes because of Senior Day. The Friars were a gaudy 32-for-56 (62.5%) from the floor. Take away the first quarter and the Burrs outscored the Friars 62-to-61, but a basketball game consists of four quarters, not three and one practice session. Man, did things get bad in that opening frame. It wasn’t from a lack of hustle, but they just couldn’t buy a hoop. Soph. PG Rob Holloman scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. However, he shot just 7-for-24 from the field. He was also a rough 5-of-11 from the line. Holloman battled throughout, but often found himself in no man’s land and had to force shots. Despite the rough shooting day I still admire his fire and competitiveness. If the Burrs can find a few more players to put next him over the next two seasons then good things may happen. He also added 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Jr. 6’6” F Eric Brennan also shook-off a slow start and finished with 16 points (6-for-16 FG’s, 2-of-6 on 3’s), 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. West got a real solid performance from soph. 6’3” F Abraham Bah. He finished with 13 points (6-of-8 FG’s, 1 trey), 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. He also made a nice steal near half court that ended with a pretty two-handed flush. I think this kid has chance to be pretty good with some additional hard work, as he is still a bit green. He has a good basketball body and he might not be done growing. Sr. 6’3 F Leonard McKlaine hustled for 8 rebounds. Sr. F Mike Williams contributed 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. At the end of the game I tallied up the stats for Head Coach Bill Ludlow like I have done for years now. In a nice gesture, Luds gave the Bonner stat sheet to Jeff’s father (Jeff Sr.) as a keepsake. Pretty cool! Probably the first time in Luds' tenure that he had given the original stats away. We made copies in the past, but never an original. Ha ha…. Damn, and I forgot to sign it! Ten years from now Tom “Puck” McKenna will be telling people he did the stats for Jeff’s record-breaking game. Weasel!! Smile!!

FEB. 16
CL SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 89, West Catholic 65
     The first half of this game had a real cat and mouse feel to it. Playing the role of the cat were the mighty Saints (21-4, 12-1). They were in control, but were just playful and distracted enough to let the mouse-like Burrs (9-16, 2-11) stay somewhat close. The score was a reasonable 40-28 at the intermission. However, like every game of cat-and-mouse, things eventually come to an end. Usually it’s the mouse paying the ultimate price, and tonight was no different. The Saints ripped off a 33-to-14 third quarter to build a commanding 31-point lead. All total, the Saints placed four players in double-figures and another just outside with nine. Leading the way was sr. 6’9” F Rick Jackson (Syracuse) who claimed 19 points (7-of-10 FG’s, 5-for-7 FT’s) and 13 rebounds in just short of three quarters of work. Last time the teams met eleven of his twelve baskets came on dunks. Tonight, he managed four rim-shakers. Syracuse-bound buddy sr. 6’2” PG Antonio “Scoop” Jardine was next with 15 points and 7 assists. He finished 5-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line. Jr. 6’5” F Rashad Savage scored 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field. He also claimed 7 rebounds. This kid is strong and has an active body. I look forward to watching him develop more next year when he’s more of a focal point. Jr. 6’4” WG Jamal Wilson went 5-for-8 from the field (1 Trey) for his 11 points. Including in this were a couple of highlight film slams. One came early off a half court pass from Jardine that led to a vicious, high-rising alley-oop. Spectacular! Later, he threw down a mini reverse off a pass from frosh. PG Tony Chennault. Wilson is definitely starting to grow on me some. He’s supremely athletic and I like the fact that he doesn’t force the issue with senior stars around him. He’s a pretty good on-the-ball-defender and a better than you would think shooter. Ball-handling needs to improve, but there’s time for that. We’ll see he progresses, but I can see him doing well on one of the better Colonial squads. That league is much better than people think and is full of athletes in the mold of Wilson. Chennault just missed double-digits with nine points, going 3-for-4 from both the field and line. He also hustled for 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals in a well-rounded effort. Soph. 6’8” F Andrew “Scooter” Gillette managed 6 points and as many rebounds in just five minutes of playing time. The heir-apparent to Jackson is still a work-in-progress, but like a former 76er head coach once said – You can’t teach size! Sr. 6’4” WG Mark Hatty scored 5 points (1 Trey) and had three each of assists and rebounds off the bench. For the game, twelve Saints reached the scoring column. They combined to go 35-for-70 (50.0%) from the field and dealt 22 assists. Considering their recent charity stripe woes they went a respectable 17-for-26 (65.4%) from the line. With the win I believe the Saints have clinched first place in the CL South regular season regardless of the outcome in the season finale versus Carroll. The Burrs played hard and gave effort from start to finish, but they just don’t have enough horses to stay with a powerful club like the Saints. They do have one young colt in soph. PG Rob Holloman that plays for keeps on a routine basis. Tonight, he poured home a career high 30 points on a 13-for-23 showing from the field. He was 3-of-4 from downtown. It could have been even more if it wasn’t for a 1-of-6 outing from the line. Still, he played with brass throughout. Early on he scored on an assortment of drives through the N-G defense. Very nice! He also added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Jr. 6’6” F Eric Brennan was next with 12 points, but he had a hard luck 3-for-14 performance from the floor. A handful of misses went either in-and-out of were a fraction off. He also played very hard in defeat and added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Jumping-jack sr. F Mike Williams scored 11 points and swept 14 rebounds. Eight of his boards came off the offensive glass. However, he probably could have at least doubled his scoring output. He went just 4-for-15 from the floor. Every shot he took was within two feet of the rim. Sure, a few were in traffic among bigger defenders, but many misses were rushed when he had more time. This kid really gets off the floor. He’s only 6’0” and part of me wishes he was three inches taller, if for nothing else than he probably be a tremendous dunker. Smile! Sr. WG Rory Brennan battled for 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Lastly, and I don’t want to get into a long editorial about this, but it really baffles me when people don’t stand and acknowledge our country during the playing of the national anthem. I really wish people would change this about themselves. I see this often and I see it everywhere. Are you not citizens of this country? Show a little pride and respect by doing the right thing and honoring our country when the time calls. Thanks!

FEB. 11
CL SOUTH
Carroll 59, West Catholic 35
     OK, I’m sitting in my car after just watching a dandy of a game featuring Bonner and Neumann-Goretti. An overtime clash, filled with great individual performances and exciting plays from start to finish. It’s time to leave South Philly and head on up to Radnor where the Patriots will host the Burrs. I’m thinking --- Triple OT, buzzer-beaters, packed house, and atmosphere to boot. NOT!!! No folks, the basketball Gods didn’t bless me with two gems in one day. Oh well, I’m grateful for the one and just appreciative to have seen two games. This game was mostly lacking, especially in the second half. The Burrs (9-15, 2-10) just had to know it wasn’t going to be their day with how the first quarter ended. West jr. 6’6” F Eric Brennan just hit a floater in the lane while being fouled with two seconds showing on the clock. He sunk the free throw and his team trailed 12-10. Encouraging, right? Not so fast, as Carroll freshman D.J. Irving took the inbound pass and let go a 60- to 65-foot shot that banked in at the buzzer. Can it get any worse for the Burrs these days? Anyway, West stayed within arm’s reach by halftime, trailing only 27-19. How about the second half? Totally different story, as the Patriots (10-14, 6-6) ran away and hid. They established control almost immediately and outscored West 32-16 in the second half. They did it in total team fashion too. Five players scored between nine and eleven points. Eleven Patriots saw action today and ten of them had between two and four rebounds. Talk about spreading the wealth. Sr. WG Pete Clancy scored 11 points (5-for-7 FG’s, 1 trey). This kid is gritty and plays a tough brand of ball. He also contributed three each of assists and steals, and two apiece of boards and blocks. After spending all but five minutes of the first half on the bench because of foul woes, jr. PG Lamar Jackson scored nine of his eleven points in the second half. He was definitely catalyst in helping his mates pull-away. In an effective third quarter he scored 8 points (two – 3’s) and assisted on three other buckets. He also added 4 boards and 2 steals in the game. Jr. WG Ellis Rogers scored 10 points (4-of-8 FG’s). Soph. 6’2” WG Andre Wilburn added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. He too had four rebounds and 2 steals. After his long heave at the buzzer Irving connected two more times from distance for his nine points. Sr. 6’6” F Kevin Jones (4 points) added 4 boards and 2 blocks. The Pats played without soph. 6’5” F Kasheef Festus, who has a stress fracture in his right foot. I didn’t get a timetable on a possible return, but he was on crutches. If he’s lost for the remainder of the season this won’t help Carroll’s quest for the fourth and final playoff spot. Festus is their one true inside presence. The Burrs struggled again and quite honestly this season probably can’t end soon enough. The year started out with some promise, but as the final week draws near it has become a MAJOR struggle. Soph. PG Rob Holloman scored 15 points, but was just 4-of-17 from the field. He was an icy 1-of-10 in the second half. He did convert 6-of-8 free throws and that was encouraging since it has been a sore spot for him this year. He also added 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. E. Brennan was next with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He only took seven shots today. I would think that taking more shots should be expected with the state of the team being what it is. He might be a tad unselfish right now. Sr. F Mike Williams grabbed six rebounds. West was just 5-for-24 from the field in the second half.  The JV game started late because the referees failed to show up. I think Carroll Head Coach Paul Romanczuk said that a couple of Carroll students officiated the beginning of the contest. Eventually, the varsity referees arrived and took over. They got extended duty too, as the game went to overtime when West hit a left-wing trey as time expired. I’m sure they loved that!

FEB. 11
CL SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 79, Bonner 75 (OT)
     When I cover high school athletics I always enter the game with the belief that something wonderful could happen on any given day. That this could be the day I witness a game that reaches epic proportions, or maybe a terrific individual performance by a special player. After all, there are kids involved, who more times than not play for the love of the game. So, what happens when you have passion, determination, and competitiveness all rolled into one? You get exactly what the Saints and Friars provided today. A masterpiece!! At least in entertainment value, it was. I know I thoroughly enjoyed it and it would be hard to imagine that anyone else in attendance left thinking otherwise too. For dramatic purposes let’s head to the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. Bonner’s (15-9, 5-7) franchise sr. 6’4” WG Jeff Jones, who simply wowed the mostly pro-Saints crowd on multiple occasions, grabbed a floor rebound off his own missed foul shot. He went right back up for the score while absorbing contact. The successful free thrown made it 67-64 N-G. A few moments later Bonner’s soph. 6’7” F Lijah Thompson tapped home a Jones miss and we had a 67-66 game. N-G’s Antonio “Scoop” Jardine converted two free throws to make it 69-66 with 1:24 left. Freshman guards, MB’s Jamal Melvin and N-G’s Tony Chennault, traded traveling calls on respective possessions. Jones made it 69-68 on a difficult, well-contested 17-foot right-wing jumper. Big time shot!! Jardine would again deposit two freebies at :18 seconds for a 71-68 advantage. However, just prior to this, he launched a very questionable shot with his team leading by one. For some reason, he took a fading, 16-foot baseline jumper that was swatted out-of-bounds by Thompson. Why? He’s too good of a player to let this happen. Part of me felt like he was trying to out-do what Jones did on the other end. I hope not. Anyway, he did knock down the crucial free throws. And boy would they prove to be critical. Let me set the stage. Bonner scurried up court and called a timeout with 10.4 left. Obviously, we all know who is supposed to get that last shot, but would it happen? Initially, it didn’t look like it, as Melvin dribbled out front and near is own bench waiting for Jones to get loose. Finally, he broke slightly free coming towards Melvin, who flipped him the ball. He took two hard dribbles to his right and launched a 27-foot bomb that rattled down as time expired. Big time shot, AGAIN!!! Off to overtime, where the Saints (20-4, 11-1) scored right off the tap when sr. 6’9” F Rick Jackson tipped the ball ahead to jr. 6’4” WG Jamal Wilson for an easy layup. The Saints would go up four when jr. 6’5” F Rashad Savage rebounded a Jones’ miss and found a streaking Jardine for an uncontested layup. Bonner’s sr. 6’6” F Tim Vanderslice (8 points) knocked down two free throws to make it 75-73 with 1:22 left in OT. The Saints kept the door open by only making 3-of-8 freebies over the next minute. However, the Friars could never find the mark in the extra session, going 1-for-9 from the field. Jones missed all five of his attempts. They did manage to make the score 78-75 when Thompson stole a pass and laid the ball in. With no timeouts for Bonner remaining, N-G’s sr. 6’4” WG Mark Hatty, the Saints’ quarterback in the fall, hit Jackson deep with a pass. He was fouled and made the first of two with 1.1 seconds left to give us our final. What a game!! I’m so glad I decided to attend. Early on it was Jardine setting the tone as he knocked down his first three shots. He was creating much havoc on the defensive end. Once he made a steal of the pick-pocket nature, and then crossed over the same player before scoring on a drive. I thought at times the Syracuse-recruit (Jardine) was trying to do too much though. Shot selection was iffy, especially in the third quarter. To me, he so much better when looking pass first. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a scorer too, but he’s a better basketball player when he distributes and then lets the scoring come naturally and in the flow of the game. Still, he provided many lifts when his team needed it. He ended with 26 points on 7-for-16 (0-of-3 on 3’s) from the floor and 12-of-18 from the line. I don’t think he’ll be happy with the five turnovers, but did contribute 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists. Jackson had something done to him early that I doubt he has experienced often in his high school career. He was dunked on! No, it wasn’t a high-flying, hang-on-the-rim-while-the-player-swings-on- your-head assault, but it was noteworthy nonetheless. Doing the dunking was Thompson off a feed by sr. PG Rob DiNicola (4 assists). Jackson got a little ball, possibly a little wrist, and some body as the ball rattled home. Yes, Thompson was fouled on the play. Prior to the foul shot Jackson (Syracuse) took his headband off and whipped over the baseline, as if to say, ok it’s time to play. And play he did! He finished with 26 points, scoring 15 after the intermission. He was 11-for-18 from the field and 4-for-9 from the line. He also claimed 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 assists. A couple of times he knocked down turnarounds from the baseline. He even had to play with a little adversity after picking up his fourth personal foul with 7:10 left in the game. When he left the score was 58-53 N-G, and when he returned at the 4:26 mark the score still favored his team 63-57. In my opinion, Savage was N-G’s MVP of the overtime session, even without scoring. He did an excellent job dogging Jones on the defensive end, grabbed four of his 11 rebounds, and made one of his two blocks. With many searching for a burst in OT he exhibited plenty of energy. Wilson (5-for-7 FG’s) finished with 12 points. For now, he is no better than a third option, so consistent shots aren’t always there. In time, they will be though. I like his mid-range game, where most of his damage came from today. He gets dynamite lift off the floor when shooting these types of shots. Chennault played well with 6 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. His decision-making today was pretty good for the most. The Saints were 29-for-53 (54.7%) from the floor, but just 21-for-37 (56.8%) from the line. For Bonner, Jones equaled the school record for most points in a game with 41. He tied Ashley Howard (’99). Today’s total gives him at least 1,829 career points. (Ted's checking into some possible glitches from his freshman year, when Bonner also had a player named Rasheed Jones). The all-time Catholic League record of 1,861 is held by Roman’s Reggie Jackson (’78). The Friars have two more regular season games left, with the possibility of additional games in the playoffs. This afternoon he was often great, if not spectacular! He did take 35 shots, making 14, but I never got the sense that he forced the issue until overtime when little choice was available. He went 3-for-11 from distance and 10-for-13 from the line. The Jones I saw today was aggressive and tenacious. Without a doubt the most active I have ever seen him. He hit the boards for 12, including 7 off the offensive end. He also added 2 assists, a steal, and a clock. He scored 15 of his points in the final quarter on 6-for-9 (2 treys) shooting. This kid’s offensive skills are exceptional and if can consistently improve on the defensive end and the little things departments, then he will be that much better. Thompson was a relegated to the bench after picking up his second foul five minutes into the game. He responded with a very good second half, finishing with 15 points (5-for-8 FG’s, 5-of-6 FT’s), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Twelve of his fifteen points and all eight of his boards came during the second half. Sr. 6’4 F Rob Wyley scored 7 points and added 5 boards and 3 assists. One of his hoops came on a slam off a lovely pass from Melvin (3 assists). Bonner dropped 18-of-24 (75.0%) from the line. With the loss and a Carroll victory over West Catholic the Friars remain one-game behind the Patriots for the final playoff spot in the CL South. These two teams will meet this coming Friday at Bonner in a pivotal match-up. The winner of this game will more than likely capture that final spot. Bonner ends at home versus West and Carroll closes out on the road against Neumann-Goretti.