HIGHSCHOOL-BASKETBALL.COM

About This Website

Dave Kehler — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:58:16 GMT

Hi, I'm Dave Kehler, and welcome to my website, which focuses on high school basketball in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City. The site's emphasis is on high school basketball teams and team play, rather than on the recruiting of high school players by college teams. The site began in November, 2010.

Articles are presented in reverse chronological order, meaning that the most recent articles appear first. Articles are organized in a total of 18 categories that appear on the left side of this page, under the heading "Category Archives". Click on a category, and that will take you to a list of all of the articles in that category. Click on the title of an article, and that will take you to the text of that article. The quick search function that appears on the upper left corner of this page is useless, but the advance search function works--provided that you use a "key word" from the title of an article when you conduct your search. The calendar that appears on this page has no significance, whatever. For virtually all of the articles published on this site, Google's search function is very comprehensive. There are a total of 410 articles of various sorts on the site. The site will be updated almost every day from now to April, so please check back often.

A major emphasis of the site is game reports of every high school basketball game that I attend during the season. During the 2010-11 season, I attended, and reported upon, 234 high school basketball games. I try to see as many tri-state area teams as I can in competitive games, but I see stronger teams more frequently than the mediocre ones.

In the 2011-12 season, I attended 228 games involving 209 different teams--89 from Pennsylvania, 59 from New Jersey, 46 from New York, three from Connecticut, three from Delaware, three from Maryland, two from Massachusetts, one from the District of Columbia, one from Rhode Island, one from West Virginia, and one from Canada. The site has reports on most of these games.

Another emphasis is tournament schedules, which, for the regular season, are listed by month. Please check these listings often, as there are frequent schedule and venue changes that I try to update as information permits. Please note: For some reason, the site's link to the February tournaments is broken, so please scroll down to see the listing of February events.

One stylistic note: throughout the site, when I refer to a school or a team, I omit the words "School" or "High School" from the name. So, for example, I'll simply write "Chester", rather than "Chester High School", or "St. Anthony", rather than "St. Anthony High School".

This site is totally free and entirely non-commercial, and I intend to keep it that way. The site is not affiliated with any publication or entity, and it is entirely independent.

For more on the site and its purpose, please see the article under the category titled "Welcome".

I hope that you enjoy the site and will visit often. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions. You can reach me at dave@highschool-basketball.com .

2011-12 All-Eastern Pennsylvania and All-New Jersey Teams

Dave Kehler — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:57:35 GMT

Individual honors of this sort are very subjective. My criteria here is simply performance in games that I attended this season, irrespective of other considerations.

Some of the players listed below were seen many times during the 2011-12 season and others only once or twice. While I saw 89 eastern Pennsylvania teams and 59 New Jersey teams play this season, I didn't see every team, and I may have missed seeing some sensational players. Some eastern Pennsylvania teams that I missed include Holy Cross (Dunmore), Liberty (Bethlehem), Emmaus, William Penn (York), and Hershey. In New Jersey, I didn't see, for example, Raritan, Willingboro, Eastside (Paterson), East Side (Newark), and Cherry Hill East.

Of course, I may have happened to go to a game in which one player played his best game of the season, and another guy played his worst. That said, every guy mentioned here played really, really well in games that I saw and is deserving of special recognition for outstanding performance.

For each team, I have used the traditional lineup of a center, two forwards, and two guards rather than listing outstanding players irrespective of position. (By center, I mean a player who posted up, at least on occasion.) Does it make sense to name an all-star baseball squad with three first basemen, no shortstop, and no catcher?

Eastern Pennsylvania
1st Team
C--Amile Jefferson, 6' 9", senior, Friends' Central (Wynnewood)--Player of the Year
F--Savon Goodman, 6' 6", senior, Constitution (Philadelphia)
F--Erikk Wright, 6' 4", senior, Chester (Chester)
G--Jaquan Newton, 6' 3" sophomore, Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)
G--Maurice Watson, 5' 10", senior, Boys' Latin (Philadelphia)

2nd Team
C--Daniel Ochefu, 6' 10", senior, Westtown (West Chester)
F--John Davis, 6' 4", junior, Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)
F--Steve Vasturia, 6' 4", junior, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)
G--Haiishen McIntyre, 6' 2", senior, Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
G--Daiquan Walker, 6' 2", senior, Constitution (Philadelphia)

3rd Team
C--Devin Thomas, 6' 9", senior, Central Dauphin (Harrisburg)
F--Rondae Jefferson, 6' 7", junior, Chester (Chester)
F--Miles Overton, 6' 4", junior, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)
G--Brandon Austin, 6' 6", junior, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)
G--B. J. Johnson, 6' 4", junior, Lower Merion (Ardmore)

4th Team
C--Donovan Jack, 6' 9", senior, Berks Catholic (Reading)
F--Marcus Gilbert, 6' 6", senior, Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn)
F--Mike Zangari, 6' 9", senior, Red Land (Lewisberry)
G--Shep Garner, 6' 2", sophomore, Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)
G--Jamal Nwaniemeka, 6' 2", senior, Conwell-Egan Catholic (Fairless Hills)

Honorable mention: Raheem Hall, junior, Lower Merion (Ardmore); Rysheed Jordan, junior, Roberts Vaux (Philadelphia); Marquis Marshall, senior, Berks Catholic (Reading); Derrick Stewart, senior, Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia); and Dinjiyl Walker, senior, Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn).

New Jersey
1st Team
C--Mike Tobey, 6' 11", senior, Blair Academy (Blairstown)
F--Queston DeCosey, 6' 5", senior, St. Joseph (Metuchen)
F--Jerome Frink, 6' 6", senior, St. Anthony (Jersey City)
G--Kyle Anderson, 6' 9', senior, St. Anthony (Jersey City)--Player of the Year
G--Melvin Johnson, 6' 3", senior, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark)

2nd Team
C--Justin Sears, 6' 8", senior, Plainfield (Plainfield)
F--Chris Jones, 6' 5", senior, Teaneck (Teaneck)
F--Karl Towns, 6' 10", freshman, St. Joseph (Metuchen)
G--Tyler Ennis, 6' 2", junior, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark)
G--Jaren Sina, 6' 2", junior, Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone)

3rd Team
C--Dominic Hoffman, 6' 7", senior, Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone)
F--Reggie Cameron, 6' 7", junior, Hudson Catholic (Jersey City)
F--Xavier Lundy, 6' 5", junior, Paulsboro (Paulsboro)
G--Alex Mitola, 5' 11", senior, Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone)
G--Sekou Harris, 5' 11", senior, Plainfield (Plainfield)

4th Team
C--Blaise Mbargorba, 7', senior, Peddie (Hightstown)
F--Brandon Taylor, 6' 8", senior, Trenton Catholic Academy (Hamilton)
F--Malachi Richardson, 6' 5", freshman, Trenton Catholic Academy (Hamilton)
G--Josh Brown, 6' 3", junior, St. Anthony (Jersey City)
G--Ron Curry, 6' 3", senior, Paul VI (Haddonfield)

Honorable mention: Deandre Bembry, junior, St. Patrick (Elizabeth); Isaiah Briscoe, freshman, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark); Terry Taylor, senior, Trenton Central (Trenton); and Jameel Warney, senior Roselle Catholic (Roselle).

Chester's Eighth State Championship

Dave Kehler — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:41:47 GMT

With their victory over Lower Merion in the PIAA Class AAAA state championship game, played at Penn State U. on March 24, Chester has become the only Pennsylvania high school to win eight boys' basketball state titles. It is a remarkable and historic achievement for the undefeated Clippers. For some historical context, please scroll down to the next article which provides background on both Chester and the other schools with four or more state championships.

Congratulations to the Chester Clippers!

Chester Joins Farrell as Only Pennsylvania High Schools with Seven Boys' Basketball State Championships

Dave Kehler — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:35:27 GMT

Note: This article, originally published on March 27, 2011, is relocated to this spot on the website to provide context for Chester's historic eighth state championship, won last weekend.

With last night's overtime victory against Mount Lebanon, Chester became only the second Pennsylvania high school to win seven boys' basketball state championships. In all, nine high schools (two of them including predecessor schools that were merged into jointures) have won five or more Pennsylvania boys' basketball state titles. This article is intended to put Chester's latest championship into historical context.

Long before the PIAA started holding them, Penn State U. organized Pennsylvania boy's basketball state championship tournaments.* The first of these tournaments was held in 1920, and Harrisburg Tech--now defunct--won the intitial Pennsylvania boys' basketball state championship. State championship tournaments have been held annually ever since. At first, all schools competed in one class, irrespective of the number of boys enrolled in the school. These single class tournaments continued until 1945, the first year in which there were two enrollment-based classes, each crowning a champion. From 1948 through 1950, a third class was added, comprised of the smallest schools, but the teams in that class played for an eastern championship and a western championship, with no state title. Beginning in 1951, three enrollment-based classes each crowned a state champion. That continued until 1984, when the present four class system was adopted. When the enrollment-based classfication system began, the bigger school class was "A", and the smaller school class was "B". When there were three classes, they were called "A", "B", and "C". The present "AAAA", "AAA", "AA", and "A" classification names have been used for years, so, I'll use just them in this article. [*I'm indebted to Jerry Shenk for sending to me his unpublished material on the formation of the PIAA.]

SEVEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Farrell

Farrell won AAA state championships in 1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1969, and 1972.  In the years in which Farrell won those championships, there were only three classes, and AAA was the classification for the largest schools. What is amazing about Farrell's championships is that Ed McCluskey coached all seven of the championship teams. Coach McCluskey had a 698-185 record as head coach at Farrell from 1949 to 1977. Farrell defeated Chester is the state championship game in 1954, 1959, and 1972.

Chester

Chester won the AAA state championship in 1983 when there were only three classes, and AAA was the class for the biggest schools. The Clippers won AAAA championships in 1989, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2011. Cliff Wilson coached the Clippers in 1983; Alonzo Lewis was the coach in 1989 and 1994; Fred Pickett coached the team in 2000, 2005, and 2008; and Larry Yarbray coached the Clippers in 2011.

SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lower Merion

Lower Merion won four state championships in the era in which all schools competed in a single class, a remarkable achivement. Lower Merion won state titles in 1933, 1941, 1942, and 1943, and the same man coached all four state championship teams--Bill Anderson. One player, center Greer Heindel, started for Lower Merion in the 1941, 1942, and 1943 state championship games, all of which were played at The Palestra. Heindel was selected to the Associated Press all state team in 1943. Lower Merion won the AAAA state championship in 1996 and 2006, with both teams coached by Gregg Downer, the Puple Aces' current coach.

Kennedy Catholic

Kennedy Catholic won six Class A state championships in the four classification era. Located in Hermitage, they won state championships in 1986, 1987, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. Joe Votino coached all six state championship teams, and no coach, other than Farrell's Ed McCluskey, coached more Pennsylvania boys' basketball state championship teams than Votino. In 19 years, Votino's record at Kennedy Catholic was 421-120. Sadly, Votino misbehaved with some female students, was fired by Kennedy Catholic after the 2001 season, and spent some time in prison.

FIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Allentown (now William Allen)

Allentown used to have one high school, and they won five state championships, although two of those championships were later vacated for using ineligible players. In the era of the single class championships, Allentown won in 1935. The team was coached by J. Birney Crum.  In the period in which there were three classifications, Allentown won the AAA (big school) state championship in 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1951. Crum coached the 1945, 1946, and 1947 teams, and Elmo Jackson and Bill Wanish were starters on all three of those championship teams. Jackson made the Associated Press all state team in 1946 and 1947, and Wanish made it in 1945 and 1947. "Milo" Stewards was the coach in 1951. The championships of 1946 and 1947 were later vacated.

Midland

Midland won five state championships in the period in which there were three enrollment classifications. Coached by Hank Kuzma, Midland won the Class AAA state championship in 1965, when AAA was the big school classification.  Midland won Class AA state titles in 1971, 1973, 1974, and 1976. Ed Olkowski coached these four state championship teams. Midland will never win another state championship, as the high school closed some years ago, following the collapse of the steel industry in Pennsylvania and population outmigration. Kids in Midland now actually attend high school in neighboring Ohio. However, a new school, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter, now plays on what was once Midland's court, plays in uniforms with the same colors that Midland wore, and has adopted Midland's nickname--the Leopards. Lincoln Park lost in the PIAA Class A state championship game this weekend to Math, Civics & Sciences Charter.

Penn Wood (and predecessors)

Penn Wood won their only state title, the Class AAAA state championship, in 2009. However, two high schools (Yeadon and Darby-Colwyn) that merged into their school district--the William Penn district--won a total of four state championships. During the period in which there were three classes, Yeadon won the Class AAA state championship in 1953. John Naegeli coached the team. During that same three classification period, Darby-Colwyn won Class AA state championships in 1962, 1963, and 1972.

Schenley

This Pittsburgh high school won four Class AAA state championships during the period in which there were three classifications, in 1966, 1971, 1975, and 1978. Schenley won the 1966 championship by beating Chester in the title game. Schenley won the 2007 Class AAAA state championship, defeating Chester in the state final.  Schenley will never win another state basketball championship, as the school is slated to close at the end of this academic year.

Steelton-Highspire (and predecessor)

Decades before the merger with the Highspire district, Steelton won the state championship in 1927, in the single class era. Long a basketball power, Steel-High won four state championships in the four classification era. Although the school's enrollment level was always that of a Class A team, Steel-High opted to play for championships in bigger school classifications and won the Class AAAA state championship in 1992 and the Class AAA state titles in 2000, 2005, and 2008.

Chester, Imhotep Charter, Neumann-Goretti, and Constitution Win PIAA State Cahmpionships

Dave Kehler — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:22:36 GMT

As much as I love high school basketball, a four hour dive each way was too much, especially since the games were played in the middle of nowhere. So, I watched the Class A championship game on PCN, then I discovered that the games were being shown on the Internet on a pay-per-view basis, and I watched the last three championship games on my computer. The telecasts rarely showed the spectators in Penn State U.'s arena, intentionally avoiding the fact that the attendance for the games wasn't very good. Just before the Class AAAA game, the camera panned the crowd, and I was happy able to see on the screen some friends from Chester who had made the long drive to be there for the Clippers' historic eighth state championship.

The latter rounds of the PIAA tournament were quite formful in all four classes, at least the way that I had projected winners in an article that I published on this site on the night that the brackets were released by the PIAA. The major exception was Class AAA, where there were a bunch of upsets, including, to my great surprise, Berks Catholic's elimination by Abington Heights in the second round.

Major sources of some of those Class AAA upsets were Hampton and last season's runner-up, Montour. Both teams had to win a play-in game to get into the Class AAA field, then they combined to knock out three strong teams. Hampton eliminated Archbishop Carroll by one point in a low scoring quarterfinal. I thought that Carroll was capable of giving Neumann-Goretti a game for the championship--if Carroll could get that far--but Hampton killed that possibility. Montour, on their part, eliminated two previously unbeaten teams--New Castle Area and General McLane--before facing Hampton in a semifinal. Montour won that battle of longshots, and then faced Neumann-Goretti in the championship game for the second season in a row. While Montour jumped out to an early lead, Neumann-Goretti caught up with them late in the first half. After a see-saw opening to the second half, Neumann-Goretti took the lead for good in a game played at Montour's deliberate pace. Montour kept it close, but a drive late in the game by Neumann-Gorettti sophomore Jaquan Newton gave his side a 46-39 lead, and that was too much for Mountour to overcome. Neumann-Goretti held on for a 48-45 win, with Montour launching a shot for a possible tie as time expired. That's three Class AAA state championships in a row for Neumann-Goretti, and they are my pick to repeat next season, providing that they are still in Class AAA.

In the Class A title game, Constitution demolished Lincoln Park Charter, 68-49. Lincoln Park never led and fell behind 9-2 in the first three minutes of play. While both teams put up shots quickly, Lincoln Park's ball handling was poor, and they never really contended. Constitution started five seniors, so it will be difficult for them to repeat next season.

In Class AA, defending champion Imhotep Charter faced a stiff test in tall, skilled Beaver Falls. Imhotep started fast, and they had a double digit lead, 20-10, less than 10 minutes into the game. When Imhotep's Brandon Austin incurred his second foul with five minutes left in the second quarter, he went to the bench with his team leading by the score of 20-11. Imhotep didn't score another point in the first half, and Beaver Falls went on a 12-0 run to lead 23-20 at halftime. In the third quarter, Austin returned to action and Beaver Falls contented themselves with launching and missing threes, and Imhotep led by the score of 37-28 going into the last stanza. Some turnovers and misses by Imhotep and absolutely sensational play at both ends of the floor by Beaver Falls reserve Deyne Richardson sent the contest into overtime, where Imhotep prevailed. The final score in this terrific game was 56-54. Imhotep has won the Class AA state championship in three of the past four seasons.

In the final championship game of the weekend, the two teams from the District 1 Class AAAA title contest faced off again with a similar result: Chester soundly defeated Lower Merion. Lower Merion tried some different things this time, switching defenses often and using some zones and combinations, but Chester's defensive pressure and strong offensive rebounding overwhelmed the Purple Aces. I was keeping track, and Lower Merion committed 16 turnovers in the first half alone, and they had 28 miscues in the game. Based on Lower Merion's poor ball security in the District 1 Class AAAA championship game, I thought that they might have Mike Robbins handle the ball more in the state title game, since he was the only guy who could cope with Chester's pressure in that first game. For whatever reason, Robbins didn't get that assignment at Penn State, and Lower Merion kept committing turnover after turnover. By my count, Chester had 21 offensive rebounds to Lower Merion's 20 defensive rebounds. Lower Merion, though, got a bunch of their defensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, when the outcome had long since been decided. One can only wonder if Lower Merion had taken Montour's approach--playing a lot more deliberately and trying to control the ball a bit more--if they could have been more competitive against Chester. The final score was 59-33. That's eight Pennsylvania state championships for Chester; no team has ever won more. Look for Chester and Lower Merion to meet again next season for the PIAA Class AAAA state championship, provided that Neumann-Goretti remains in Class AAA.

Constitution 22 11 17 18-68
Lincoln Park Charter 11 11 11 16-49

Imhotep Charter 16 5 16 11 8-56
Beaver Falls 8 15 5 20 6-54

Neumann-Goretti 7 14 12 15-48
Montour 15 4 12 14-45

Lower Merion 11 5 11 6-33
Chester 9 13 16 21-59

Before the season began, I had predicted that Chester, Neumann-Goretti, Imhotep Charter, and Constitution would win the four PIAA state championships.

Pennsylvania PIAA Championship Tournament Predictions in Review

Dave Kehler — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:30:40 GMT

My pre-season PIAA state championship tournament predictions were:

Class AAAA--Chester
Class AAA--Neumann-Goretti
Class AA--Imhotep Charter
Class A-Constitution

The brackets for this season's championship tournament were released by the PIAA on Sunday evening, March 3. That night, I published an article predicting the outcome of the tournament in all four classes. At that time, I predicted that the finals would match:

Class AAAA--Chester vs. Lower Merion
Class AAA--Neuman-Goretti vs. somebody (I didn't make a prediction for the Western finalist in this class.)
Class AA--Imhotep Charter vs. Beaver Falls
Class A--Constitution vs. Lincoln Park Charter

So, within hours of the release of the tournament brackets, I predicted seven teams that I thought would make it to the various state championship games, and all seven of those teams will be playing for championships this weekend at Penn State U.

Chester Overwhelms Central Dauphin in PIAA Class AAAA Semifinal

Dave Kehler — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:15:11 GMT

3-21-12 @ Reading

PIAA Class AAAA Semifinal

Game 2011-12 #228 Chester (Chester, PA) 67 Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, PA) 48

Defending PIAA Class AAAA state champion Chester ended the most successful season ever in the more than half a century of Central Dauphin basketball before a standing room only crowd in Reading's big gym in a state tournament semifinal. By virtue of this win, Chester will meet Lower Merion on Saturday night at Penn State U. for the Class AAAA state championship in a game that will be televised by the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

Chester was too deep and too quick for CD, and, as usual, Chester's defensive pressure crumpled another opponent. As has been the case for years, Chester uses defensive pressure to launch bursts of scoring, increasing the pace of the game and disrupting the other team's plans on offense and defense. When a team plays Chester, all of the time outs have to be allocated to interrupting Clipper scoring runs before the Clippers get too much momentum. The strategic use of time outs clearly was not part of CD's game plan in this contest, and Chester had two significant scoring bursts in this game: a 10-1 run in the second quarter and a 12-0 run in the third frame. Chester's third quarter run was decisive in knocking CD out of the game.

CD's outstanding player--probably the best basketball player who ever wore the Rams' Kelly green and white--is 6' 9" senior Devin Thomas (Wake Forest recruit). Other than rotating various guys into the lineup to guard Thomas, Chester didn't do anything special to check CD's major scoring threat. Chester attacked the hoop on offense, and Thomas got into foul trouble. He committed his third foul in the final minute of the first half and went to the bench for the balance of the second quarter. He incurred his fourth foul, a technical, with 3:11 left in the third quarter and Chester leading by the score of 40-27. Thomas went to the bench at that point, and, when he re-entered the game, with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter, CD had fallen further behind, 51-32. In CD's offense, Thomas was in the high post for much of this game, a questionable strategy in view of Chester's formidable defensive rebounding prowess. While Thomas was able to pass the ball to teammates for some open jump shots, he wasn't often in position to attack the hoop himself at short range.

In a typical game, Chester plays 10 guys, and sometimes a starter is on the court less than a guy who comes off the bench. There are a number of guys on Chester's bench who would be starters on the vast majority of the other teams in the state, and several of these players had very strong performances in this game. For example, 6' 6" senior Zamier Geiger scored on three putbacks in the second quarter, and 5' 8" senior Shanier Cottman stole the ball from a dribbler on three consecutive CD possessions in the third quarter, the last one of which he took to the hoop for a layup. Tymier Butler, a 6' 4" senior who comes off the bench, also had a fine game.

CD had tremendous difficulty stopping Chester inside. The Clippers rotated fresh big guys onto the court, and six guys who are 6' 4" or taller saw significant action. The cumulative effect of Chester's big leapers was a decisive rebounding advantage for the Clippers, 41 to 30. Other than Thomas, CD's only other big guy is 6' 4" junior Zayd Issah, who fouled out of this game with more than five minutes to go in the final quarter.

CD had no answer for 6' 7" Chester junior Rondae Jefferson, a great passer and a tremendous leaper. Jefferson's three spectacular fourth quarter dunks wowed the big crowd, but his court vision, interior defense, and passing were superb, too.

The article below this one gives a score-by-score summary of all of the scoring in the game, but here are the highlights: Chester never trailed, and CD never had any real offensive momentum. Still, CD was in striking distance as late as three minutes into the third quarter. CD's defense stiffened early in the second half, and a three point play by Thomas trimmed Chester's lead back down to single digits, at 35-27. CD got a defensive stop, and a Ram was fouled, but he missed both free throws. The next CD player to touch the ball had his shot blocked by Jefferson, who grabbed the ball and took it coast-to-coast for a layup, launching a 12-0 run that locked up the game for the Clippers, as CD never recovered.

For the winners, Jefferson finished with 15 points, and 6' 1" junior Darius Robinson netted 10. Ten Clippers scored in the game, and six different Chester players scored in each of the first two quarters of the contest. CD was led by Thomas, who scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the final game of his terrific high school career. Also, for CD, 5' 9" junior Brian Laird added 10 points. Chester was 15 for 31 from the free throw line, while CD was 12 for 15 from the stripe. CD made six threes in the game, while Chester hit two shots from behind the arc. CD committed 16 turnovers, and Chester had a dozen miscues. Chester blocked five shots, and CD had three blocks.

I suspect that more people attended this game (it was part of a girls'/boys' doubleheader) than will go to the Chester vs. Lower Merion Class AAAA state championship game on Saturday. That game will be played in a very remote location--Penn State U.--far away (and difficult to reach) from Chester and Ardmore, where the two participant schools are located. Of the 20 most populous states in the country, none of them holds state championship basketball games in such a remote location. Whatever the PIAA is up to in having the state championship games played at Penn State U., making it convenient to attend for those who come from major population centers is clearly not one of the outfit's priorities.

Central Dauphin 7 15 10 16-48
Chester 15 20 14 18-67

Chester 67 Central Dauphin 48--PIAA Class AAAA Semifinal Linescore

Dave Kehler — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:33:50 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the scoring in the game played at Reading on March 21. By winning this game, Chester advances to the PIAA Class AAAA state championship contest against Lower Merion on Saturday night at Penn State U.

Chester                     Central Dauphin

1st Quarter

D. Robinson three from top of the key--3-0 C
   Beaver three on inbounds play--3-3
Granberry inside--5-3 C
   Laird inside--5-5
K. Robinson drive--7-5 C
Wright putback--9-5 C
Granberry jump shot--11-5 C
Cottman layup on fast break--13-5 C
D. Robinson 1 free throw--14-5 C
Thomas dunk--14-7 C
Griffin 1 free throw--15-7 C

2nd Quarter

   Laird three--15-10 C
   Laird 2 free throws--15-12 C
Wright inside--17-12 C
   Thomas drive--17-14 C
Wright jump shot--19-14 C
Cottman defensive rebound and coast-to-coast layup--21-14 C
Butler steal and layup--23-14 C
   Beaver three--23-17 C
   Thomas rebound and coast-to-coast layup--23-19 C
Geiger putback--25-19 C
Jefferson power move--27-19 C
Jefferson 2 free throws--29-19 C
Geiger putback--31-19 C
   Rossum 1 free throw--31-20 C
Jefferson 1 free throw--32-20 C
D. Robinson 1 free throw--33-20 C
   Seefeldt 2 free throws--33-22 C
Geiger putback--35-22 C

3rd Quarter

   Seefeldt floater--35-24 C
   Thomas putback plus 1 free throw--35-27 C
Jefferson blocked shot and coast-to-coast layup--37-27 C
D. Robinson drive plus 1 free throw--40-27 C
D. Robinson 1 free throw--41-27 C
Griffin inside--43-27 C
Cottman inside--45-27 C
Cottman steal and coast-to-coast layup--47-27 C
   Napierala 2 free throws--47-29 C
   Laird three--47-32 C
D. Robinson 1 free throw--48-32 C
Butler 1 free throw--49-32 C

4th Quarter

Granberry inside--51-32 C
Jefferson 2 free throws--53-32 C
   Mertz 2 free throws--53-34 C
Jefferson dunk--55-34 C
   Napierala three--55-37 C
Butler 2 free throws--57-37 C
Granberry 1 free throw--58-37 C
Jefferson driving dunk--60-37 C
   Rossum baseline jumps shot--60-39 C
Granberry putback--62-39 C
Jefferson driving dunk--64-39 C
   Thomas inside--64-41 C
   Gress 2 free throws--64-43 C
Willis three--67-43 C
   Wilk three--67-46 C
   Gress putback--67-48 C

The scorers:

Chester: 6' 7" junior Rondae Jefferson (15), 6' 1" junior Darius Robinson (10), 6' 7" junior Richard Granberry (9), 5' 8" senior Shanier Cottman (8), 6' 6' senior Zimir Geiger (6), 6' 4" senior Erikk Wright (6), 6' 4" senior Tymier Butler (5), 6' 7" senior Tavuane Griffin (3), 5' 8" senior Dennis Willis (3), and 5' 7" senior Kareem Robinson (2).

Central Dauphin: 6' 9" senior Devin Thomas (11), 5' 9" junior Brian Laird (10), 6' 2" junior Ryan Beaver (6), 5' 10" senior Tyler Napierala (5), 6' 3" junior Mike Gress (4), 6' senior Nick Seefeldt (4), 6' 2" senior Isaac Rossum (3), 6' 3" sophomore Joseph Wilk (3), and 5' 9" junior Austin Mertz (2).

Neumann-Goretti and Constitution Win PIAA Semifinals in Convincing Fashion

Dave Kehler — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:36:20 GMT

3-20-12 @ Southern (Philadelphia)

These two games--both of them rematches--were played as a doubleheader. Please scroll down to the next two articles for score-by-score summaries of the scoring in these contests.

PIAA Class A Semifinal

Game 2011-12 #226 Constitution (Philadelphia) 62 Math, Civics & Sciences Charter (Philadelphia) 37

Defending PIAA Class A state champion MCS was eliminated from this season's tournament by their nemesis, Constitution. The view from here is that, if these two teams met 100 times this season, Constitution would win every time. This was the third meeting between these squads this season, and Constitution won all three. The first time that they met, Constitution won at home, 76-66. These two teams last met--on this same floor--on February 18, in a quarterfinal of the Philadelphia Public League championship tournament, and Constitution won that one, 72-51. There was no reason to suppose that the result would be different this time, with even more on the line.

Constitution got off to a sluggish start in a sloppy first quarter in which the teams, combined, committed 11 turnovers. Every time that I saw MCS this season, the same pattern held: the more ragged the play, the better that they did. MCS had one other notable pattern this season: when they fell behind by six or eight points in a game, they were in real trouble. While bristling with individual talent this year, MCS's style of play was not very cohesive, and it sometimes didn't take much for them to lapse into a one-on-one offense. Here, Constitution played a 1-2-2 zone defense to counter driving in MCS's half court offense.

The game was pretty even for the first 12 minutes or so, with MCS holding small leads. With 4:17 left in the first half, Constitution tied the game for the first time since the opening tip, when 6' 2" senior Daiquan Walker made a couple of free throws to knot the score at 14. Twenty-seven seconds later, Constitution went up, 16-14, on a putback by 6' 6" senior Savon Goodman, and they never trailed from that point. For the rest of the half, MCS tried to trap Constitution in the corners, but Constitution did not relinquish their lead.

I have no idea what MCS planned to do in the second half, but they got buried from the start of the third quarter. Constitution opened the second half scoring with a three by 5' 7" senior Tamir Bolger, the start of a 12-0 run that took MCS completely out of contention. Constitution out rebounded MCS 14 to seven in the third frame, and, by the end of that quarter, the score was Constitution 46 MCS 26. MCS couldn't manage any sort of rally during the balance of the game, and they trailed by as many as 29 points late in the fourth quarter.

For the winners, Goodman scored 18 points, Walker netted 11, and 5' 7" senior sharpshooter Amoine Holloman added 10. Quentin Davis, a 6' 6" senior, had a nice game for MCS, finishing with a dozen points. Constitution was 13 for 19 from the free throw line, while MCS was only 1 for 9 from the stripe. Constitution made five threes in the game to none for MCS. Constitution out rebounded MCS 41 to 26. MCS committed 17 turnovers in the game, and Constitution turned over the ball 16 times. MCS blocked seven shots, and Constitution had three blocks.

Constitution was my pre-season pick to win the PIAA Class A state championship, and they will meet last season's runner-up, Lincoln Park Charter, in the state championship game on Friday at Penn State U. I expect that very few people will attend the game at that remote location. It will be televised by the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

Math, Civics & Sciences Charter 10 10 6 11-37
Constitution 9 12 25 16-62

PIAA Class AAA Semifinal

Game 2011-12 #227 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) 74 Boys' Latin Charter (Philadelphia) 43

This game was also a rematch. Neumann-Goretti defeated Boys' Latin, 66-57, on this floor on March 2 in the PIAA District 12 championship game. In that game, Boys' Latin had led at halftime by two points but succumbed to a third quarter surge by two time defending PIAA Class AAA state champion Neumann-Goretti.

With more at stake this time, Neumann-Goretti took charge of the game early and turned it into a rout. Boys' Latin was unable to sustain any sort of offensive momentum, as only twice did they score two consecutive field goals in this contest against Neumann-Goretti's sticky man-to-man defense. At the other end of the court, Boys' Latin's defense was porous, as Neumann-Goretti was able to drive, to get open outside shots, and to power up shots from inside. Neumann-Goretti's only significant run in the game was a 10-0 first quarter surge, but they had little difficulty dealing with Boys' Latin's defense at any point during the contest.

The outcome was never in doubt. During much of the first half, Boys' Latin kept the deficit in single digits, but they never had any sort of momentum in the game. By halftime, Boys' Latin was down by 11 points, and they never got within single digits for the balance of the contest, falling behind by as many as 21 points late in the third quarter. In the final frame, with spectators streaming for the exit, the game had the feel of a scrimmage.

One play in this game stood out: late in the first half, Neumann-Goretti's Laquan Coaxum, a 6' 2" senior and the team's sixth man, blocked a shot that started a fast break that was concluded by Coaxum making a layup. I've seen a number of Neumann-Goretti games this season, and Coaxum has played well in all of them.

For the winners, both 6' 4" junior John Davis and 6' 2" sophomore Jaquan Newton scored 19 points, and 5' 8" senior Billy Shank added 13. Shank made three threes in the game, all of them in the first half. For Boys' Latin, 5' 10" senior Maurice Watson (Boston U. recruit) netted 18 points, and 6' 1" senior Rahshan Wooten Miller scored 11. Neumann-Goretti was 23 for 30 from the foul line, while Boys' Latin was 8 for 10 from the stripe. Neumann-Goretti made five shots from behind the arc in the game, and Boys' Latin made one three, a surprisingly low number for them. Neumann-Goretti out rebounded Boys' Latin 41 to 33. Boys' Latin committed 11 turnovers to nine for Neumann-Goretti. Neumann-Goiretti blocked nine shots, while Boys' Latin blocked one.

Neumann-Goretti was my preseason pick to repeat as PIAA Class AAA state champion, and they will meet Mountour on Friday for the state championship at Penn State U. That game will be televised by the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Neumann-Goretti defeated Mountour in the PIAA Class AAA state championship game last season.

Neumann-Goretti 16 18 18 22-74
Boys' Latin Charter 11 12 12 8-43

Neumann-Goretti 74 Boys' Latin Charter 43--PIAA Class AAA Semifinal Linescore

Dave Kehler — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:09:39 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the game played at Southern, in Philadelphia, on March 20:

Neumann-Goretti                      Boys' Latin Charter

1st Quarter

   Watson--2-0 B
Shank three--3-2 N
   Robinson inside--4-3 B
Sutton breakaway layup--5-4 N
Stewart three form right corner--8-4 N
Sutton 2 free throws--10-4 N
Newton dunk on fast break--12-4 N
Stewart 1 free throw--13-4 N
   Watson coast-to-coast--13-6 N
Davis 1 free throw--14-6 N
   Watson 2 free throws--14-8 N
Coaxum inside--16-8 N
   Miller three--16-11 N

2nd Quarter

Shank three from left corner--19-11 N
   Taylor inside--19-13 N
   Miller 2 free throws--19-15 N
Davis 2 free throws--21-15 N
Shank three from left corner--24-15 N
   Lark putback--24-17 N
Newton inside--26-17 N
Newton 2 free throws--28-17 N
   Watson reverse layup on baseline drive--28-19 N
   Watson layup on fast break--28-21 N
Davis inside--30-21 N
Coaxum blocked shot then scored on a layup on ensuing fast break--32-21 N
Newton drive--34-21 N
   Watson pull up jump shot--34-23 N

3rd Quarter

Davis inside plus 1 free throw--37-23 N
Newton 2 free throws--39-23 N
   Watson inside--39-25 N
Davis twisting drive plus 1 free throw--42-25 N
Shank steal and layup--44-25 N
   Robinson inside--44-27 N
Newton baseline drive--46-27 N
   Miller layup on fast break--46-29 N
Davis inside--48-29 N
Davis tip in--50-29 N
   Watson drive--50-31 N
Davis 2 free throws--52-31 N
   Greenlee inside--52-33 N
   Watson layup on fast break--52-35 N

4th Quarter

Stewart putback--54-35 N
Stewart putback--56-35 N
   Robinson 1 free throw--56-36 N
   Greenlee inside--56-38 N
Davis 2 free throws--58-38 N
Shank baseline drive--60-38 N
   Miller drive--60-40 N
Newton inside--62-40 N
Newton 1 free throw--63-40 N
Newton putback--65-40 N
   Miller 2 free throws--65-42 N
Newton 2 free throws--67-42 N
   Greenlee 1 free throw--67-43 N
Kimble three--70-43 N
Harper 2 free throws--72-43 N
Harper 2 free throws--74-43 N

The scorers:

Neumann-Goretti: 6' 4" junior John Davis (19), 6' 2" sophomore Jaquan Newton (19), 5' 8" senior Billy Shank (13), 6' 5" senior Derrick Stewart (8), 6' 2" senior Laquan Coaxum (4), 6' 1" sophomore Troy Harper (4), 5' 9" junior Hanif Sutton (4), and 6' 1" freshman Lamarr Kimble (3).

Boys' Latin Charter: 5' 10" senior Maurice Watson (18), 6' 1" senior Rahshan Wooten Miller (11), 5' 9" junior Yahmir Greenlee (5), 6' 5" senior Khadafi Robinson (5), 6' 2" junior Erik Lark (2), and 6' 3" senior Carlos Taylor (2).

Constitution 62 Math, Civics & Sciences Charter 37--PIAA Class A Semifinal Linescore

Dave Kehler — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:29:54 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the game played at Southern, in Philadelphia, on March 20:

Constitution                           Math, Civics & Sciences Charter

1st Quarter

   Thompson reverse layup--2-0 M
   Powell baseline jump shot--4-0 M
Goodman baseline drive--4-2 M
Goodman 2 free throws--4-4
   Davis inside--6-4 M
   Massaley layup--8-4 M
Slade breakaway layup--8-6 M
   Davis hook--10-6 M
Goodman drive plus 1 free throw--10-9 M

2nd Quarter

   Starkes steal and dunk--12-9 M
Holloman 1 free throw--12-10 M
   Starkes layup--14-10 M
Jones inside--14-12 M
Walker 2 free throws--14-14 M
Goodman putback--16-14 C
Holloman three from right corner--19-14 C
   Stevens jump shot--19-16 C
   Starkes drive through traffic--19-18 C
Jones putback--21-18 C
   Starkes layup--21-20 C

3rd Quarter

Bolger three--24-20 C
Walker drive--26-20 C
Jones falling down putback--28-20 C
Walker three--31-20 C
Walker 2 free throws--33-20 C
   Davis pivot move--33-22 C
   Stevens layup--33-24 C
Jones inside--35-24 C
Walker 2 free throws--37-24 C
Goodman ally-oop dunk on fast break--39-24 C
Goodman breakaway layup--41-24 C
Holloman three from left corner--44-24 C
   Davis inside--44-26 C
Jones drive--46-26 C

4th Quarter

King 2 free throws--48-26 C
   Davis reverse layup--48-28 C
Goodman jump shot from top of the key--50-28 C
Holloman three--53-28 C
   Worthem 1 free throw--53-29 C
Goodman dunk on pivot move plus 1 free throw--56-29 C
   Wothem layup--56-31 C
   Davis drive--56-33 C
King reverse layup--58-33 C
King drive--60-33 C
Phinizy jump shot--62-33 C
   Stevens reverse layup on baseline drive--62-35 C
   Thompson putback--62-37 C

The scorers:

Constitution: 6' 6' senior Savon Goodman (18), 6' 2" senior Daiquan Walker (11), 5' 7" senior Amonie Holloman (10), 6' 3" senior Fajion Jones (10), 5' 10" freshman Akeem King (6), 5' 7" senior Tamir Bolger (3), 6' 2" sophomore Kamar Phinizy (2), and 6' 7" senior Craig Slade (2).

Math, Civics & Sciences Charter: 6' 6" senior Quentin Davis (12), 6' 4" sophomore Malik Starkes (8), 5' 11" junior Maurice Stevens (6), 6' 6" sophomore Basil Thompson (4), 6' 6" junior Jeremiah Worthem (3), 6' junior Abrahahm Massaley (2), and 6' 6" junior Jeffon Powell (2).

Pennsylvania PIAA Championship Tournament Predictions Revisited

Dave Kehler — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:46:06 GMT

The evening that the PIAA state championship tournament brackets were released, I published an article on this site predicting the outcomes in the four classes. I began by reiterating my preseason championship predictions of Chester (Class AAAA), Neuman-Goretti (Class AAA), Imhotep Charter (Class AA), and Constitution (Class A).

Now that all four classes are down to the final four, it's time to revisit my predictions.

In Class AAAA, I predicted a final four of Chester (District 1, 1st seed), Central Dauphin (District 3, 5th seed), Lower Merion (District 1, 2nd seed), and State College (District 6, 1st seed). Chester, Central Dauphin, and Lower Merion are in the final four. State College was eliminated in the first round by Pittsburgh Central Catholic. The spot in the final four that I had envisioned for them was taken by Cathedral Prep (District 10, 1st seed), a team from Erie.

In Class AAA, I predicted a final four of Berks Catholic (District 3, 1st seed), Neumann-Goretti (District 12, 1st seed), Archbishop Carroll (District 12, 3rd seed), and either New Castle Area (District 7, 1st seed) or General McLane (District 10, 1st seed). Neumann-Goretti has overwhelmed all of their opponents in the tournament, to date, and they are in the final four. Berks Catholic was eliminated in the second round by Abington Heights. Boys' Latin Charter (District 12, 2nd seed) defeated Abington Heights for a spot in the final four. Archbishop Carroll lost to Hampton (District 7, 2nd seed) in the quarterfinals, and Hampton is in the final four. Montour (District 7, 4th seed) is in the final four, having gotten into the tournament by winning a play-in game, then beating both New Castle Area and General McLane along the way.

In Class AA, I predicted that Roberts Vaux (District 12, 3rd seed), Imhotep Charter (District 12, 4th seed), and Beaver Falls (District 7, 1st seed) would make the final four. I did not make a prediction on the group of teams that included final four participant Quaker Valley (District 7, 7th seed). Roberts Vaux was eliminated in the second round by Pine Grove, and Holy Cross (District 2, 2nd seed) defeated Pine Grove for a spot in the final four. My other two picks, Imhotep Charter and Beaver Falls, are in the final four.

In Class A, I predicted a final four of Constitution (District 12, 1st seed), Math Civics & Sciences Charter (District 12, 2nd seed), Lincoln Park Charter (District 7, 1st seed), and Ridgway (District 9, 1st seed). All of those teams are in the final four.

So, 10 of the teams that I predicted would make the various final fours are still alive in the tournament.

Brooklyn Collegiate and Pathways College Prep Win New York City PSAL Championships

Dave Kehler — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:16:00 GMT

3-18-12 @ City College of New York

The Nat Holman Gymnasium, where these games were played, is named for the former longtime CCNY coach, the man who, in my opinion, was the second most influential person--after James Naismith, who invented the game--in the development of the sport of basketball. Holman was the first great professional player, he wrote the first book with lasting value about how to coach the game, and he was a great college coach of what was then one of the leading teams in the country. I didn't see any photos of Coach Holman or any memorabilia on the premises, which was a disappointment.

This gym has something that no other college gym in the country has or ever will have: a banner commemorating the 1949-50 CCNY team's victory in both of the post-season national championship tournaments held in 1950, the National Invitational Tournament and the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. Until the mid-1950s, the NIT tournament was the more prestigious of the two. Coached by Nat Holman, CCNY won the NIT, after which the field for the NCAA tournament was selected. CCNY was selected for the NCAA tournament and won that championship. At the time, it was termed the "grand slam", and it was never done before or since. It was such a great achievement that the principal sports magazine in the country at that time, Sport, named Nat Holman the Man of the Year in the world of sports in the United States. The CCNY starting five that season was comprised of four sophomores and a senior. Alas, some of the guys on the team were implicated in a point-shaving scandal, and CCNY's response was a sharp reduction of emphasis on basketball. In present-day terms, it was as if the University of Indiana, say, voluntarily went from Division 1 to Division 3.

I doubt that any of the kids who competed in these PSAL championship games had any idea who Nat Holman was or that CCNY was a major basketball power that once won a national championship. That 1949-50 banner that I mentioned? It's not hung in a prominent place in the gym.

However, Nat Holman's legacy lives on in New York City high school basketball. Floyd Layne, a starter on that 1949-50 CCNY national championship team, coaches, in his 80s, the team at George Washington High School, in Manhattan. Nat Holman's coaching tree has some mighty impressive branches--such as Red Holzman and Phil Jackson--but none more inspiring than Floyd Layne.

Now, about the PSAL championship games...

PSAL B Championship

Game 2011-12 #224 Pathways College Prep (Queens) 67 Newcomers (Queens) 50

Led by 6' 7" junior Jordan Washington, Pathways won their second consecutive PSAL B championship. In New York, there are three enrollment-based classifications for high school basketball teams, with AA being for the largest schools and B for the smallest.

Pathways had a significant size advantage in this game, and Newcomers had no answer for Washington's height and bulk. Newcomers only led twice, at 2-0 and 4-2, but the game was competitive well into the third quarter. Almost all of Pathways' attack was focused inside. Washington scored seven times in the game on putbacks or tip ins, and his teammate, sophomore Shaleik Ulysse, also scored on a putback. Pathways made four of their eight putbacks in the first quarter, and they led by double digits after about six minutes of play.

Newcomers had a strong second quarter, fueled by six Pathways turnovers and some quick strikes by the smaller squad. I was surprised that the Pathways coaching staff didn't react to what was happening on the court. It was clear in the second quarter that Pathways had ball security problems, and Newcomers should have pressed for the rest of the game to exploit the problems that Pathways was having. Pathways, for whatever reason, did not deploy pressure defense, the great equalizer for a small, quick team in high school basketball. Newcomers ended the first half with an 8-0 run, and they trailed by just two points, 28-26, at halftime.

Pathways righted their ship during the break. They committed only three turnovers in the third quarter, and, paced by eight points by Washington and six points by sophomore Izaha Jackson in the third frame, Pathways began to pull away from Newcomers.

Washington scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, as Newcomers interior defense faltered. A couple of Newcomers players fouled out of the game, as the contest became a rout. When a championship game becomes a blowout, every able-bodied player in good standing should get into the contest. I think that Pathways coach Harold Peaks got all of his guys in the game, but the Newcomers coach did not let the majority of the guys on his squad see action, if only in the waning seconds. Why didn't he?

There was mostly a festive atmosphere in the gym for this game. The Newcomers fans were wearing yellow, with lots of the girls wearing yellow leis. When a salsa record was played on the sound system at halftime, many in the crowd cheered, and some of them got up and danced. I was sorry to hear some of those sing-song mocking chants from the Pathways' section toward the end of the game, because the mood in the gym until that point had been a lot of fun.

Pathways has only three seniors on their roster, none of whom are starters, so they are a real threat to capture a third consecutive championship next season.

For the winners, Washington scored 28 points, junior Sam Annorh added 14, and Jackson netted a dozen. For Newcomers, junior Cristan Zapata scored 16 points, sophomore Larry Baez had a nice game and finished with 13 points, and junior Jose Fernandez netted a dozen. Pathways was 13 for 22 from the free throw line, while Newcomers was 9 for 14 from the stripe. Pathways made two threes, both by Jackson, while Baez hit Newcomers' only three. Both teams had 37 rebounds. Pathways had 16 turnovers, while Newcomers committed 13. Pathways blocked six shots in the game--all of them by Washington--and Newcomers had three blocks.

Please scroll down for a score-by-score summary of all of the scoring in this game.

Newcomers 10 16 9 15-50
Pathways College Prep 21 7 18 21-67

PSAL A Championship

Game 2011-12 #225 Brooklyn Collegiate (Brooklyn) 56 Mott Haven Educational Campus (Bronx) 53

This game matched two teams with similar styles that wanted to run, and it featured a big comeback by Brooklyn Collegiate. Mott Haven pounded the ball inside in the first quarter and used a nine to three rebounding advantage to go up by double digits over Brooklyn Collegiate. With 1:55 left in the first frame, a pull up jumper by senior Robert Lloyd gave Mott Haven their first double digit lead of the game, 20-9. That was part of a 21-4 Mott Haven run that started early in the first quarter and continued into the opening minute of the second frame. When that run was concluded, Mott Haven led by 15 points, 26-11. That would prove to be the largest lead of the game for either team.

From that point onward, Brooklyn Collegiate more than held their own on the boards, and they clawed their way back into contention. Freshman Jahlil Tripp was a major factor in Brooklyn Collegiate's resurgence. Coming off the bench, Tripp scored six points in the second frame, as did the team's star, senior Ervin Mitchell.

Brooklyn Collegiate inched closer in the third quarter, and they tied the game at 34 on a fast break layup by Tripp. The game was tied subsequently at 35 and at 37 before Brooklyn Collegiate took their first lead of the contest, 39-37, with 3:19 left in the third quarter, on a drive by sophomore Adrian Williams. Mott Haven responded with a three by sophomore Taquan Givens, and it was 40-39 in favor of the Bronx squad. Then Brooklyn Collegiate recaptured the lead on a power move by Mitchell, and they never trailed from that point. That was followed by another score by Brooklyn Collegiate's Williams on the most spectacular play of the game, a hesitation move on a twisting baseline drive. Williams was fouled on the play, and his free throw gave Brooklyn Collegiate a 44-40 lead going into the final quarter. A major factor in Brooklyn Collegiate's success late in the third quarter was that Mott Haven's able big man, senior Jessy Okeagu, went to the bench with 2:57 left in the frame after committing his fourth personal foul.

The game was close throughout the fourth quarter. With 6:25 left, Mott Haven's Givens tied the score at 46 on a remarkable drive through traffic. Brooklyn Collegiate quickly regained the lead on a free throw by Tripp. At that point, Mott Haven's big guy, Okeagu, came back into the game, but Mott Haven began shooting jumpers rather than attacking the hoop, to no good effect, as none of those jump shots were makes. With :57 left, Brooklyn Collegiate's Williams made a free throw to give his team a 54-49 lead. Mott Haven missed a jumper, and Brooklyn Collegiate grabbed the rebound. A Brooklyn Collegiate player missed two free throws, Mott Haven got the rebound, and a Mott Haven player was fouled with :20 left. The Mott Haven player missed both free throws, but his teammate, Okeagu, rebounded the second miss, and--amazingly--he was fouled! Okeagu made both free throws, cutting Brooklyn Collegiate's lead to 54-51, with :19 left in the game. Brooklyn Collegiate committed a turnover. Mott Haven then missed a field goal attempt, but, once again, Okeagu grabbed an offensive rebound---and Brooklyn Collegiate fouled him again! With less than :06 left in the game, Okeagu made the first free throw, but he missed the second. Mott Haven got their third key offensive rebound on a missed free throw in the last :20 of the game. That rebound was grabbed by senior Hakeem Grant, and he was fouled! Grant made one free throw, cutting Brooklyn Collegiate's lead to 54-53. With about :03 left, Brooklyn Collegiate freshman Davere Creighton made two clutch free throws to put his team up, 56-53. Mott Haven still had life, but an attempt at a three that could have tied the game went awry, and Brooklyn Collegiate held on for the win in this thriller.

For the winners, Mitchell scored 22 points, Tripp added 14, and Williams netted 11. For Mott Haven, Okeagu had 14 points, Lloyd scored a dozen, and Grant added 11. Brooklyn Collegiate was 14 for 30 from the foul line, while Mott Haven was 10 for 20 from the stripe. Each team made two threes in the game. Brooklyn Collegiate had a slight 35-33 rebounding edge. Mott Haven committed 16 turnovers, and Brooklyn Collegiate had 11 miscues. Mott Haven blocked two shots, and Brooklyn Collegiate had one block.

Please scroll down for a score-by-score summary of the scoring in this game.

Brooklyn Collegiate 11 16 17 12-56
Mott Haven Educational Campus 24 8 8 13-53

Brooklyn Collegiate 56 Mott Haven Educational Campus 53--PSAL A Championship Game Linescore

Dave Kehler — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:30:43 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the scoring in the game played on March 18 at City College of New York for the New York City Public Schools Athletic League Class A championship.

Brooklyn Collegiate                 Mott Haven Educational Campus

1st Quarter

   Grant layup--2-0 M
   Attkorah three from right corner--5-0 M
Harewood inside--5-2 M
Williams three from left corner--5-5
Mitchell drive--7-5 B
   Lloyd defensive rebound and coast-to-coast drive--7-7
   Okeagu inside plus 1 free throw--10-7 M
   Lloyd scoop shot on drive through traffic--12-7 M
Mitchell 2 free throws--12-9 M
   Okeagu pivot move--14-9 M
   Grant layup on fast break--16-9 M
   Okeagu layup on fast break--18-9 M
   Lloyd pull up jump shot--20-9 M
Mitchell inside on inbounds play--20-11 M
   Watts inside--22-11 M
   Givins drive--24-11 M

2nd Quarter

   Attkorah drive--26-11 M
Mitchell baseline drive--26-13 M
Harewood 1 free throw--26-14 M
Tripp baseline jump shot--26-16 M
John three from left corner--26-19 M
   Grant putback--28-19 M
   Grant baseline jump shot--30-19 M
Mitchell drive--30-21 M
Tripp putback--30-23 M
Mitchell putback--30-25 M
Tripp layup on fast break--30-27 M
   Grant inside--32-27 M

3rd Quarter

Tripp inside plus 1 free throw--32-30 M
   Okeagu drive--34-30 M
Mitchell drive--34-32 M
Tripp layup on fast break--34-34
   Lloyd 1 free throw--35-34 M
Creighton 1 free throw--35-35
   Lloyd 2 free throws--37-35 M
Mitchell inside--37-37
Williams drive--39-37 B
   Givens three on inbounds play--40-39 M
Mitchell power move--41-40 B
Williams hesitation move on twisting baseline drive plus 1 free throw--44-40 B

4th Quarter

   Givens 2 free throws--44-42 B
Tripp 1 free throw--45-42 B
Lloyd floater--45-44 B
Tripp 1 free throw--46-44 B
   Givens drive through traffic--46-46
Tripp 1 free throw--47-46 B
Mitchell drive--49-46 B
   Okeagu inside--49-48 B
Mitchell power move--51-48 B
Williams 2 free throws--53-48 B
   Lloyd 1 free throw--53-49 B
Williams 1 free throw--54-49 B
   Okeagu 2 free throws--54-51 B
   Okeagu 1 free throw--54-52 B
   Grant 1 free throw--54-53 B
Creighton 2 free throws--56-53 B

The scorers:

Brooklyn Collegiate: senior Ervin Mitchell (22), freshman Jahlil Tripp (14), sophomore Adrian Williams (11), freshman Davere Creighton (3), junior Lyndon Harewood (3), and sophomore Rashaad John (3).

Mott Haven Educational Campus: senior Jessey Okeagu (14), senior Robert Lloyd (12), senior Hakeem Grant (11), sophomore Taquan Givens (9), senior Bright Attkorah (5), and senior Akheim Watts (2).

Pathways College Prep 67 Newcomers 50--PSAL B Championship Game Linescore

Dave Kehler — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:34:33 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the scoring in the game played on March 18 at City College of New York for the New York City Public Schools Athletic League Class B championship. This was the second consecutive Class B championship for Pathways College Prep.

Pathways College Prep                  Newcomers

1st Quarter

   Zapata layup--2-0 N
Fletcher inside--2-2
   Pissioni steal and breakaway layup--4-2 N
Washington putback--4-4
Washington putback--6-4 P
Washington tip in--8-4 P
   Fernandez turnaround jump shot on inbounds play--8-6 P
Jackson three--11-6 P
Ulysse putback plus 1 free throw--14-6 P
   Zapata putback--14-8 P
Annorh inside--16-8 P
Annorh coast-to-coast drive--18-8 P
Safiedeen inside--20-8 P
   Zapata inside--20-10 P
Safiedeen 1 free throw--21-10 P

2nd Quarter

   Baez 2 free throws--21-12 P
   Baez drive--21-14 P
Washington putback--23-14 P
   Zapata inside--23-16 P
Ulysse 1 free throw--24-16 P
   Fernandez putback--24-18 P
Washington inside--26-18 P
Wicks turnaround jump shot--28-18 P
   Baez breakaway layup--28-20 P
   Pissioni tip in--28-22 P
   Pissioni 2 free throws--28-24 P
   Dai 2 free throws--28-26 P

3rd Quarter

Washington putback--30-26 P
   Baez baseline jump shot--30-28 P
Annorh baseline jump shot--32-28 P
Washington inside--34-28 P
   Baez three--34-31 P
Jackson drive--36-31 P
   Fernandez inside--36-33 P
Washington putback--38-33 P
Jackson three--41-33 P
Jackson 1 free throw--42-33 P
   Zapata hook--42-35 P
Annorh 2 free throws--44-35 P
Washington inside--46-35 P

4th Quarter

   Fernandez putback--46-37 P
   Fernandez inside--46-39 P
Annorh floater--48-39 P
Washington drive--50-39 P
Washington pivot move--52-39 P
Annorh drive--54-39 P
   Dai 1 free throw--54-40 P
Annorh 2 free throws--56-40 P
Jackson layup on fast break--58-40 P
   Baez drive through traffic--58-42 P
Washington putback--60-42 P
   Fernandez drive--60-44 P
Washington 2 free throws--62-44 P
   Zapata spinning drive--62-46 P
Washington reverse layup on drive--64-46 P
Jackson 1 free throw--65-46 P
   Zapata 2 free throws--65-48 P
Ulysse 2 free throws--67-48 P
   Zapata drive--67-50 P

The scorers:

Pathways College Prep: 6' 7" junior Jordan Washington (28), junior Sam Annorh (14), sophomore Izaha Jackson (12), sophomore Shaleik Ulysse (6), senior Kalil Safiedeen (3), junior Romario Fletcher (2), and freshman Noel King Wicks (2).

Newcomers: junior Cristan Zapata (16), sophomore Larry Baez (13), junior Jose Fernandez (12), senior Giovanni Pissioni (6), and senior Yaozhong Dai (3).

Notable Freshmen, 2011-12

Dave Kehler — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:49:13 GMT

While this site is focused on team basketball, it is also worthwhile to give some recognition to individuals. Last year, I did an article like this at the end of the season, but, this year, I thought that it would be more useful to readers to update this list as the season progresses.

Listed below are freshmen players who who were impressive, in some fashion, in games that I attended. In each instance, the player made a material contribution to his team's effort in at least one game that I attended. Of course, this is a subjective list, and players mentioned may have been seen only once. Please keep in mind that there is a pretty big range of skills among the guys on this list.

This listing is reflective of performance in high school varsity games and is not a projection of potential talent for playing college basketball. I'll leave that to the experts who consult with the college teams on high school player evaluations.

Eastern Pennsylvania

Shawn Austin, 6' 4", Haverford (the private school) (Haverford)
Mekhi Bryant, Pennsbury (Fairless Hills)
Samir Doughty, Communications Tech (Philadelphia)
Cody Fitzpatrick, 5' 10", Archbishop Wood (Warminster)
Sam Foreman, 6', Haverford (the private school) (Haverford)
Justinas Gaizelis, 5' 10", Westtown (West Chester)
Tyheem Harmon, 5' 8", Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)
Austin Harriott, 6', Boys' Latin Charter (Philadelphia)
Tyrese Hester, 5' 9", Math, Civics and Sciences Charter (Philadelphia)
Connor Jack, 6' 6", Berks Catholic (Reading)
Vincent Jackson, 5' 10", Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn)
Derrick Jones, 6' 5", Archbishop Carroll (Radnor)
Lamar Kimble, 6' 1", Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)
Akeem King, 5' 10", Constitution (Philadelphia)
Devin Liggeons, 6' 2", Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)
Michael Mohamed, 5' 11", Church Farm (Exton)
Matt Penecale, 6' 1", Abington (Glenside)
Phil Pierfy, 6' 4", Wilson Area (Easton)
Horace Spencer, 6' 7", William Tennent (Warminster)
Trevaughn Wilkerson, 6' 6", Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)

New Jersey

Nassir Barrino, 5' 11", Hudson Catholic (Jersey City)
Isaiah Briscoe, 6' 3", St. Benedict's Prep (Newark)
Ceasar DeJesus, 6' 2", St. Benedict's Prep (Newark)
Tim Delaney, 6' 8", Pitman (Pitman)
Juwan Dolbrice, 5' 11", Linden (Linden)
Theo Holloway, 6' 3", Paulsboro (Paulsboro)
Dontay Julius, 5' 10", St. Mary of the Assumption (Elizabeth)
Fran Kinsey, 6' 1", Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City)
Trey Lowe, Ewing (Ewing)
Malachi Richardson, 6' 6", Trenton Catholic Academy (Hamilton)
Marquel Sheffield, 6' 6", Paramus Catholic (Paramus)
Manny Taylor, 6' 5", Life Center Academy (Burlington)
Karl Towns, 6' 10", St. Joseph (Metuchen)

New York City

Davere Creighton, Brooklyn Collegiate (Brooklyn)
Kwame Morton, 6' 5", Abraham Lincoln (Brooklyn)
Ian Roach, 6', Bedford Academy (Brooklyn)
Jahlil Tripp, 6', Brooklyn Collegiate (Brooklyn)

Plainfield Ends St. Joseph's Magical Year

Dave Kehler — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:45:48 GMT

Guest article by Alex Schiffer.
Alex is a student at St. Joseph.

If anyone was looking for an answer on how to stop St. Joseph of Metuchen, just ask the Plainfield Cardinals. The Metuchen school's greatest season ever came to an end in the Tournament of Champions semifinal, as they fell, 70-46, snapping St. Joseph's 28 game winning streak. Jahmal Lane did it all for Plainfield, finishing with a game high 22 points for the Cardinals.

The game showed potential to be a nail-biter early on, as Plainfield opened with a 5-0 lead. Quenton DeCosey and Jimbo Long quickly got the St. Joseph Falcons back into the game. The two teams swapped baskets for most of the first quarter, as DeCosey was the focal point of St. Joseph's offense. The Temple U.-bound senior had 10 of the Falcons' 17 first quarter points. DeCosey tied the game at 13 with a layup through traffic. Lane and Justin Sears helped Plainfield build a small lead before Danny Brix and DeCosey scored to bring St. Joseph within two points of Plainfield, 19-17, at the end of the first quarter.

Lane and Dijon Allen Jordan opened the second quarter in impressive fashion for the Cardinals, as Lane made a layup then Jordan dunked. Both were upstaged by St. Joseph's Long, who pulled the Falcons back into contention with a mindblowing layup that got everybody on their feet. Long split a pair of Plainfield defenders with a pair of spins right under the basket and somehow got the ball to fall through the net. Lane, however, responded with another layup, helping to start an 11-0 Plainfield run to end the first half. Plainfield had a comfortable 37-23 lead over St. Joseph at halftime.

Plainfield met some St. Joseph resistance in the third quarter but still found ways to get to the basket. Karim Awad scored in the first minute of the second half to try to spark the Falcons, but Sekou Harris led a 7-2 Cardinal run to add to their lead. Brix tried to bring the Falcons back into the game, scoring eight points in the third quarter alone, but the Cardinals proved to be the faster of the two birds, as the Falcons had no answer for Lane or Jordan. Plainfield was up by 15 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals officially secured their spot in the Tournament of Champions title game in the last eight minutes. The Cardinals continued to do some of the things that they had done earlier in the game, forcing turnovers, getting steals, and--in a surprise to many--beating the Falcons on the boards. St. Joseph had no answer when DeCosey and Karl Towns fouled out in the game's last five minutes, which sealed Plainfield's victory. DeCosey finished with 16 points, and Brix added 15 for the Falcons.

St. Joseph Coach Dave Turco was very proud of his team throughout the year, saying, "Words cannot describe the season that we've had." St. Joseph finished the year 29-2, while DeCosey and Brix will continue their careers at the collegiate level.

Next year, the Falcons, led by Karl Towns, will look to become the first team to win four straight GMC titles. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will face St. Anthony on Tuesday in the Tournament of Champions title game, as they look to become the first team to beat the Friars in more than two years.

Publisher's note: Special thanks to Alex for his outstanding coverage of St. Joseph over the past several weeks. It was a pleasure for me to share his writing with the readers of this website.

Lower Merion Defeats Easton Area in PIAA Class AAAA Quarterfinal

Dave Kehler — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:53:28 GMT

3-17-12 @ Reading (Reading, PA)

PIAA Class AAAA Quarterfinal

Game 2011-12 #223 Lower Merion (Ardmore, PA) 66 Easton Area (Easton, PA) 54

Note: please scroll down to the next article for a score-by-score summary of the scoring in this game.

Lower Mertion never trailed in this game, paced by a sensational performance by 6' 2" junior Raheem Hall, who netted 27 points in the contest.

On paper, Easton promised to give quick, tall Lower Merion a competitive game. Easton's shortest starter is 6' 1", and two of their starting five are 6' 6". A couple of Easton's taller players are outside shooters, promising to draw at least some of Lower Merion's big guys out to the perimeter in the Purple Aces' man-to-man defense. As the game unfolded, however, Easton's attack was unbalanced, relying too much on jump shooting, and the guys from the Lehigh Valley weren't very accurate from outside in the early going. With 1:20 left in the first half, a couple of free throws by Lower Merion's Darryl Reynolds gave his side a 33-17 lead, which would prove to be the widest margin in the game. Much of the credit for building that Lower Merion lead should go to Hall, who scored the game's first six points and had 12 of his team's 33 first half points.

Easton began to find the range from behind the arc in the third quarter, as 6' 6" senior Lincoln Holley hit two threes and 6' 2" junior Ezra Gaines added another. Hall, however, was almost unstoppable, scoring on drives and layups; he had 12 of Lower Merion's 15 points in the third frame.

Easton had their one sustained offensive run of the game to open the fourth quarter, outscoring Lower Merion 10-2 at the beginning of the final period. Holley led the way, netting two more threes and a couple of free throws. Those two free throws cut Lower Merion's lead to 50-47, with almost six minutes left in the contest. Easton had all of the momentum, and Lower Merion, on the next possession, was called for traveling. Then, an Easton player was fouled, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Lower Merion got the ball and went into a four corners set. After running the clock a bit while Eason stayed in their 2-3 zone, Hall scored on a pivot move, and it was 52-47, Lower Merion. Holley countered with a hoop inside, and Easton trailed by just three points, once again, 52-49. Then, in the single most decisive shot of the game, Lower Merion's Mike Robbins, a 6' 2" senior, hit a three from the left side of the court, and the air went out of Easton. Following Robbins' three, Easton's shots were inaccurate and their defense was porous. Easton committed some deliberate fouls, but, of course, that doesn't work, and they fell further behind. In a classy move, Easton coach Jim Hutnik put the five seniors on his roster on the court as the clock wound down, so that they could play together in their Red Rovers uniforms one last time.

For the winners, Hall finished with 27 points, and 6' 5" junior B. J. Johnson added 14. For Easton, Holley had 16 points, 6' 1" junior Devante Queen added 15 , and Gaines netted 10. Lower Merion was 15 for 22 from the free throw line, and, at one point, they made 13 consecutive foul shots. Easton was a poor 8 for 16 from the stripe. Easton made eight threes in the game, while Lower Merion scored from behind the arc three times. Lower Merion out rebounded Easton 36 to 23. Lower Merion committed 17 turnovers in the game, including seven in the third quarter, the frame in which Easton made the most headway. Easton committed nine turnovers, just two of them in the second half. Lower Merion blocked seven shots, while Easton blocked six.

This game was the first half of a doubleheader. In the second contest, a quarterfinal matching a couple of Class AAA girls' teams, Lancaster Catholic (Lancaster) defeated Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 50-27.

Lower Merion 15 18 15 18-66
Easton Area 11 8 18 17-54

Lower Merion 66 Easton Area 54--PIAA Class AAAA Quarterfinal Linescore

Dave Kehler — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:46:10 GMT

Here is a score-by-score summary of the game played at Reading on March 17. By virtue of winning this game, Lower Merion will meet Cathedral Prep (Erie) in a semifinal on March 21.

Lower Merion                      Easton Area

1st Quarter

Hall spinning drive--2-0 L
Hall coast-to-coast drive--4-0 L
Hall drive--6-0 L
Dalembert 1 free throw--7-0 L
   Queen short jump shot--7-2 L
   Gaines drive--7-4 L
B. Johnson putback--9-4 L
   Queen putback--9-6 L
Robbins 1 free throw--10-6 L
J. Johnson layup on fast break--12-6 L
   Batista turnaround jump shot--12-8 L
B. Johnson three--15-8 L
   Queen set shot three--15-11 L

2nd Quarter

B. Johnson 3 free throws--18-11 L
   Gaines putback--18-13 L
Hall falling down putback--20-13 L
   Gaines three--20-16 L
J. Johnson floater--22-16 L
Reynolds dunk--24-16 L
   Walsh 1 free throw--24-17 L
Hall drive--26-17 L
Hall drive--28-17 L
McFadden three--31-17 L
Reynolds 2 free throws--33-17 L
   Queen spinning drive--33-19 L

3rd Quarter

   Holley three--33-22 L
   Queen 2 free throws--33-24 L
Hall breakaway layup--35-24 L
   Walsh putback--35-26 L
Hall 2 free throws--37-26 L
   Holley three from left corner--37-29 L
Hall drive--39-29 L
   Hightower 1 free throw--39-30 L
Hall drive--41-30 L
Hall steal and layup--43-30 L
   Gaines three from left corner--43-33 L
   Hightower 2 free throws--43-35 L
Hall baseline drive--45-35 L
   Queen drive--45-37 L
Robbins bank shot plus 1 free throw--48-37 L

4th Quarter

   Holley three from left corner--48-40 L
B. Johnson 2 free throws--50-40 L
   Walsh pivot move--50-42 L
   Holley three from left corner--50-45 L
   Holley 2 free throws--50-47 L
Hall pivot move--52-47 L
   Holley inside--52-49 L
Robbins three--55-49 L
J. Johnson 2 free throws--57-49 L
Hall 1 free throw--58-49 L
B. Johnson dunk--60-49 L
Reynolds inside--62-49 L
   Queen set shot--62-51 L
B. Johnson layup--64-51 L
Reynolds dunk--66-51 L
   Hightower three at buzzer--66-54 L

The scorers:

Lower Merion: 6' 2" junior Raheem Hall (27), 6' 5" junior B. J. Johnson (14), 6' 7" senior Darryl Reynolds (8), 6' 2" senior Mike Robbins (7), 5' 10" sophomore Jaquan Johnson (6), 6' 3" sophomore Justin McFadden (3), and 6' 7" junior Yohanny Dalembert (1).

Easton Area: 6' 6" senior Lincoln Holley (16), 6' 1" junior Devante Queen (15), 6' 2" junior Ezra Gaines (10), 6' 4" senior Noel Hightower (6), 6' 6" senior Ryan Walsh (5), and 6' 1" junior Francisco Batista (2).

Neumann-Goretti Defeats Holy Ghost Prep in PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal

Dave Kehler — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:10:58 GMT

3-16-12 @ Norristown Area (Norristown, PA)

PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal

Game 2011-12 #222 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) 64 Holy Ghost Prep (Bensalem, PA) 37

Please note: scroll down to the following article for a score-by-score summary of this game.

Two time defending PIAA Class AAA state champion Neumann-Goretti never trailed in this easy win over Ghost. Ghost came into this game with a 28-1 record and a 14 game winning streak. A member of the Independence division of the Bicentennial League, Ghost does not play a particularly challenging schedule. Their only previous loss this season was at home against division foe Lower Moreland, a team that Ghost beat on two other occasions this season. Neumann-Goretti came into the game with a 25-3 record and an 11 game winning streak. The last time that Neumann-Goretti lost to a Pennsylvania team was the first game of last season, when they fell to Council Rock North on a neutral floor.

Neumann-Goretti was too strong and too quick for Ghost. While Ghost plays deliberately on offense and their games are typically low scoring, Neumann-Goretti's defense did not try very often to pressure Ghost into a quicker tempo. However, Neumann-Goretti's defensive play in this game was terrific, and they didn't overplay in their man-to-man, so Ghost had no opportunities for backdoor cuts to the hoop. When Neumann-Goretti had possession of the ball, they got it up court quickly and did not delay in taking shots. Because of Neumann-Goretti's outstanding offensive rebounding, missing some shots here and there was not much of a problem. Neumann-Goretti had 13 offensive rebounds in this game, compared to eight defensive rebounds for Ghost. The winners scored 14 second chance points in the game. Ghost had lots of difficulty defending against Neumann-Goretti, and none of the several defensive schemes that they tried was particularly effective.

For the winners, 6' 3" sophomore Jaquan Newton had 19 points, nine of them in the second quarter when Neumann-Goretti forged an insurmountable lead. His teammates, 6' 5" senior Derrick Stewart (Rider recruit) and 6' 4" junior John Davis, had 17 points and 12 points, respectively. In his final high school game, 6' 1" Ghost senior Jeff Ainsley led his team with a dozen points. Neumann-Goretti was 7 for 14 from the free throw line, while Ghost was 8 for 12 from the stripe. Neumann-Goretti made six threes in the game, and their tight man-to-man defense held Ghost to one three. Neumann-Goretti had a big rebounding margin, 28 to 16. The raw figures are illusory, though, as five of Ghost's rebounds came late in the fourth quarter when mostly reserves were on the floor. Ghost committed 13 turnovers, while Neumann-Goretti had eight miscues. Neumann-Goretti blocked four shots in the game, while Ghost's only block was an impressive one by 6' 4" senior Tom Heston.

Several hundred Ghost students wore red tee shirts and sat together to cheer for their team. As the game wound down, these kids chanted the names of Ghost's senior players and of the coach, Tony Chapman. At the end of the game, the Ghost team and coaches walked over to where the kids in red were sitting and applauded the cheering students. It was a nice touch, and a good way to end the team's terrific season.

Neumann-Goretti will face Boys' Latin Charter next week in the semifinal round of the PIAA Class AAA state championship tournament.

Neumann-Goretti 14 13 19 18-64
Holy Ghost Prep 8 8 13 8-37