Month: March 2016

By Stephen Pianovich

At halftime of a five-point game, Chester’s coaching staff pointed a statistic from the first 16 minutes.

“We were 1-for-11 from three in the first half,” said senior forward Marquis Collins. “So we basically said no more threes. Their tallest guy was only about 6-foot-6 and we knew we could get to the rim.”

That game plan was evident in a dominant second half for the Clippers, who pounded the ball inside, got most of their points from the paint and the foul line and pulled away for a 74-49 victory over Spring-Ford in a meeting of District 1 teams at Cheltenham High School. Chester advanced to the Class AAAA PIAA quarterfinals, where it will face Reading on Saturday.

After shooting just 35.4 percent from the floor in the first half – which included that lousy 1-for-11 mark from distance – Chester got much more high-percentage looks in the second half. The Clippers (23-7) went 17-for-28 from the floor over the final 16 minutes, and just five of those shots were from beyond the arc (two of which found the bottom of the basket).

After Spring-Ford was able to get back in the game thanks to the long ball before halftime, Chester had eventually bullied its way to a 15-point advantage early in the fourth quarter.

 

 

Webmaster’s note:  You can listen to this entire game by going to our Game Archives.  Just click on the logo on the left side of this page and listen to the entire game 24/7.  Our sponsors (listed on the right side of this page) pay for all broadcasting and archive costs!

(click on this link for the full article)

By Jack McCaffery

When his basketball career is over, and that will not be before years in the college game, Wyatt Harkins plans a career in law-enforcement with hopes to someday join the FBI.

With the way he can read the clues, predict what is coming and handle a tough situation, the Delco Christian guard should be a natural.

After nearly carrying the Knights to a victory Tuesday in the second round of the PIAA Class A tournament with a fourth-quarter scoring outburst, the versatile 6-1 senior knew exactly what was coming.

“I have been box-and-one’d more times this year,” he said, “than I can even count.”

Ah-hah.

So after Harkins scored 12 fourth-quarter points to push the Knights toward fulfillment, he was hit with the usual trick defense, the game flattened, and the Knights were eliminated from the tournament with a 62-58 loss to Shenandoah Valley at Central Dauphin East High.

(click on this link for the full article)

By Josh Verlin

The PIAA playoff second round began on Tuesday night with the Class A and AAA brackets, and continues this evening with the AA and AAAA tournaments.

Here’s a look at all of Wednesday night’s games that involve area teams:

Chester (1-2) vs. Spring-Ford (1-5)
Where: Cheltenham HS; Wyncote
When: 7:00 PM
How they got here: Chester def. Hempfield (55-46); Spring-Ford def. Spring Grove (74-43)

Skinny: It’s a District 1 showdown for a spot in the quarterfinals as the Clippers and Rams meet for the first time this year. Chester (21-7) presents a matchup problem for any team in the state with its depth and size — no fewer than six members of the rotation stand 6-5 or taller — and Spring-Ford will need to make sure this game doesn’t get into a track meet or volleyball contest on the boards. For that, the Rams (21-7) will need strong games from the perimeter trio of Matt Gnias, Nigel Cooke and Charles Drummond, who combined for 47 points in the win over Spring-Grove, but they’ll also need a big effort from 6-6 Cameron Reid inside. Spring-Ford will have to figure out a way to slow down Chester’s big scoring wings, senior Stanley Davis and Marquis Collins, from getting loose inside, but a 3-point contest benefits the Rams.

Webmaster’s note: If you can’t make the game you can listen to it LIVE right here on Delcohoops.com.  Our broadcast will begin at 6:45. Click on the Game-of-the-Week logo on the left hand side of this page.

(click on this link for the complete preview)

By Matthew De George

For the first 30 minutes Tuesday night, Alex Marsico seemed destined to influence Bishop McDevitt’s PIAA Class AAA second-round game without the ball in his hands.

But when the rock found the senior guard in the final minute, he rose to the occasion.

Marsico buried the go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, putting the Crusaders ahead for good and ending an uncharacteristically error-prone Archbishop Carroll’s season, 62-60, at Garden Spot High School.

The shot was Marsico’s only made basket of the night on just his second attempt. But when Bryce Hall drove the lane and found his progress blocked, he fed Marsico on the left wing to bury a triple in front of the McDevitt bench and put the Crusaders ahead, 56-55.

No matter how much energy he expounded defensively as Ryan Daly’s shadow, he had no problem rising and hitting.

(click on this link for the full article and video from the game)

By Jeff Griffith

Mike Gaffey will be the first to admit his Bishop McDevitt Crusaders had some unfinished business coming into this season.

Their first goal was to exorcise their district three championship demons of a year ago; McDevitt lost the 2015 title game by just three points to Steel-High.

The Crusaders checked that one off the to-do list, earning this year’s district hardware with a dominant win over Eastern York.

The next order of business was a taller task to say the least.

“Last year, we lost with a lead in the last minute against Neumann-Goretti,” said Gaffey, the Crusaders’ head coach. “This was on our bucket list, to get a Philly team that we knew we could beat in the last minute of the game and win it.”

Instead of getting Neumann-Goretti, the defending state champions, Gaffey’s team was matched up with the Philadelphia Catholic League’s next best AAA squad, the state runners-up of a year ago, the Archbishop Carroll Patriots.

However, despite the change in opponent, McDevitt got exactly what they wanted.

A win.

Webmaster’s note:  You can listen to this entire game by going to our Game Archives.  Just click on the logo on the left side of this page and listen to the entire game 24/7.  Our sponsors (listed on the right side of this page) pay for all broadcasting and archive costs!

(click on this link for the full article)

By Josh Verlin

Bishop McDevitt (3-1) vs. Archbishop Carroll (12-3)
Where: Garden Spot HS; New Holland
When: 7:30 PM
How they got here: Bishop McDevitt def. Salisbury Twp. (75-48), Archbishop Carroll def. Holy Ghost Prep (76-27)

Skinny: Archbishop Carroll had perhaps the most impressive first-round performance of any team in the entire state, running out to a 48-9 halftime lead. Ryan Daly, a Hartford-bound senior, scored 18 points in the first eight minutes and finished with 23 despite sitting the fourth quarter; fellow senior John Rigsby added 21 for the Patriots. Last year, Carroll made it to the state final out of this same spot in the bracket, and they had to get through the District 3 champion in this exact spot, it was a fairly easy 83-54 win over Steel-High. McDevitt, powered by 30 points and 11 rebounds from 6-4 senior big man and 1,000-point scorer James Williams, had no troubles with District 11’s third seed Salisbury Twp. in its opener, but they know things will be much tougher against one of the top teams in the Catholic League. Last year, the Crusaders made it to the quarterfinals before falling at the hands of eventual champ Neumann-Goretti.

(click on this link for all the game previews)

By Matthew DeGeorge

12-3 Archbishop Carroll vs. 3-1 Bishop McDevitt, Garden Spot, 7:30

Last year, the Patriots encountered District 3 champ Steelton-Highspire at this stage in what seemed a daunting matchup. They steamrolled the Steamrollers by 29 points, a fate the Crusaders hope to avoid in the Class AAA second round.

Neither team broke much of a sweat in its opener. The Patriots (23-3) scored 26 points in the first quarter and permitted District One champ Holy Ghost Prep just 27 total in a 76-27 shellacking. McDevitt (21-6) toppled Salisbury Township, District 11’s third seed, 75-48.

McDevitt was powered by 1,000-point scorer James Williams, who poured in 30 points. He averages 21 per game, but McDevitt isn’t a one-man show. Guards Nick Gemmell and Tim Kater, the latter a sharp-shooting sophomore and defensive end who stands 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, can also supply points.

Carroll possesses a pair of Division I talents in Ryan Daly and Josh Sharkey, plus John Rigsby, who scored 21 points against Holy Ghost and has scored in double figures in each of his last five outings to raise his season average to 12.2 ppg. With Miks Antoms and company, Carroll owns a decisive size advantage. McDevitt lists the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Williams as a center.

Webmaster’s note: If you can’t make the game you can listen to it LIVE right here on Delcohoops.com.  Our broadcast will begin at 7:15. Click on the Game-of-the-Week logo on the left hand side of this page.

(click on this link for a preview of the rest of the game tonight and tomorrow)

Webmaster’s note: Mr. Lawler was kind enough, several years ago, to tape our lead back from commercial on our broadcast for Havenfootball.net.  He was again very generous by taping three different versions for our Delcohoops.com, Game-of-the-Week lead when we began our basketball broadcasting three years ago.  It is Mr. Lawler’s voice you hear on our Internet game broadcasts every time we return from a commercial break.  Our hearty congratulations on this wonderful honor for his years of sports broadcasting!  

By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times

Ralph Lawler first stood at the corner of Hollywood and Vine in the summer of 1946. He was only 8, having traveled from his family home in Peoria, Ill., to experience the Hollywood vibe because his father was a showman who would rise from usher to owner of several theaters.

Lawler returned to the spot in 1961 after graduating from college and taking a job with a radio station in Riverside owned by the legendary Dick Clark. He recognized the names of every star adorning the sidewalk on the fledgling Hollywood Walk of Fame, having essentially grown up in his father’s theaters.

Lawler came back once more Thursday, no longer the wide-eyed observer. He was the featured attraction.

“I had dreams and aspirations,” the longtime Clippers broadcaster told a throng of fans, “but I was never bold enough to dream that someday I’d be standing here today and get this star.”

(click on this link for the full article)

By Bob Grotz

Fittingly, the Green Raiders reached the school milestone with defense, Julian Wing taking charge in a 50-34 triumph over Wilson West Lawn in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament.

Wing held Bulldogs sniper Christian Sload to just one bucket in the first half and five points when the score was relevant, as the Green Raiders matched a single-season school record with their 27th victory.

The historic game was played at Strath Haven, where Ridley prevailed earlier this season during its unbeaten ride to the Central League championship.

“I told the kids that we’re playing for a state win and you guys are playing for the best overall record at Ridley High School,” coach Mike Snyder said. “It’s a big deal. When we came into the season we didn’t know what to expect. We lost some players. We knew we had some good players back but we didn’t have great size. But we play good defense and we just do as well as we can with the players we have. They’ve done a great job. I mean, to only have two losses at this point in the season is very remarkable.”

The Green Raiders (27-2) oppose Parkland, a 71-49 winner over Conestoga, in the second round of the state tournament.

Webmaster’s note:  You can listen to this entire game by going to our Game Archives.  Just click on the logo on the left side of this page and listen to the entire game 24/7.  Our sponsors (listed on the right side of this page) pay for all broadcasting and archive costs!

(click on this link for the full article)