Category: Latest News

By Josh Verlin

Penn Wood and Academy Park were winding down what had been a back-and-forth, high-intensity game at Penn Wood.

And then all bedlam broke loose.

With just over a minute to play in the fourth quarter, a hard foul in the corner suddenly became a mass of people, as players, coaches and spectators turned what had been a high school basketball game into a massive brawl that spanned the entire court. It took the police and Penn Wood security several minutes to break up what became a torrent of shoving, fistfights and worse, with several people actually picking up chairs and appearing to hit other spectators and even players.

“We got fouled, and then [there was a] melee,” Penn Wood coach Matt Lindeman said. “I just saw, everyone [joined in] from over there” — he gestured towards the bleachers, from where the first group of fans ran onto the floor. “It’s disappointing, it’s really disappointing.”

I’m going to drop my “reporter voice” here for a minute and interject.

(click on this link for the full story)

Web master’s note:  We were not at the game but we support Mr. Verlin’s opinion.  We rarely publish negative articles but this is a high school game for young men 14-18 (most haven’t turned 18 yet). Coaching staffs, referees and administrators do a great job in keeping student athletes and their student body’s emotions in check during contests.  They can’t control the adults and parents.  We can’t allow our support for our kids and our teams to collapse into anger and violence.  In our opinion both teams should take the game as a loss and move on.

By Josh Verlin

La Salle College HS head coach Joe Dempsey and his Explorers don’t hide the fact that they’re very much aware of what’s going on in the rest of the Catholic League. The first two weeks of league play have seen more than a couple surprising results, both in terms of upsets and close calls, which already have scrambled any predicted order one could have had before the season started.

So they headed to Cardinal O’Hara on Monday evening for their first away game in league play well aware of just how up-for-grabs the PCL is this season, making every regular-season game even more crucial in the race to get home-court advantage in the league’s quarterfinals come February.

And after a flat start had La Salle looking like it might fall right back into the pack, the Explorers found their defensive energy and rallied for a 51-48 win over the Lions.

(click on this link for the full story)

By PAPrepLive

Chester remains undefeated in January, thanks to Brian Randolph.

The 6-3 senior scored the final seven points of the game, including a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left, as the Clippers rallied for a 55-52 nonleague basketball triumph over Newark (Del.) Monday.

The victory extended Chester’s winning streak to five games. All five wins have come in January.

Randolph finished with 15 points. Rahmee Gilbert led the way with 16 and Micahel Smith added 12.

In other nonleague action:

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

By Josh Verlin

Save just enough time, Jack Concannon implored his Bonner-Prendergast squad, for one final shot. No more.

The Friars’ coach was upset at the way his team had handled the end of the first half in a big-time Catholic League matchup against St. Joseph’s Prep, when a too-early shot allowed the Hawks to get a pair of free-throws just before the teams hit the locker rooms.

In a tie game, with first place in the PCL on the line, Concannon wanted to make sure that the Prep didn’t have any chance to win it in regulation, as his Friars held possession with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Isaiah Wong, the Friars’ star junior guard, was going to have the ball in his hands.

Wong did indeed let the clock drain down well beyond 10 seconds before making his move from the right wing. But his pull-up jumper from the top of the key hit the iron with a couple seconds still on the clock — just enough time for his teammate, Ajiri Johnson, to slam home the miss and deliver a 63-61 win for the Friars.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Michael Bullock

CLASS 6A

Speedy Morris capped a tremendous celebration Friday at St. Joseph’s Prep, where the 75-year-old head coach pocketed career victory No. 1,000 as the Hawks turned back Philly Catholic League foe Lansdale Catholic 65-42. Darius Kinnel paced the Prep with 18 points, including the 1,000th of his career. … Daivon Stephens dropped in 21 points and Corey Fulton added 19 as No. 8 Penn Hills held off Woodland Hills 68-60 in a WPIAL Section 3 scrap on Friday night. More news came after the game, when writers from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review were told Penn Hills head coach Dan DeRose and Indians players were unavailable for comment. … From the hard-to-believe category: Cedar Crest and Manheim Twp. both needed four overtimes on Friday night to defeat Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 rivals Lebanon and Warwick, respectively.

(click on this link for the full rankings)

By Matthew DeGeorge

Chester needed every bit of Michael Smith’s career-best outing Saturday.

Smith scored 31 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter and five in overtime, as Chester outlasted Bartram, 70-62.

Smith’s career-high helped spur a comeback via a 23-13 Chester edge in the fourth, going 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch. Brian Randolph, who registered a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, hit a 3-pointer to open the extra session, then Smith was 5-for-6 from the line in OT to clinch the victory.

Zahmir Carroll, who scored six points, tied the game with 37.6 seconds left on a jumper for the Clippers (5-5), who have won four straight.

In other nonleague action:

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

 

By Matthew DeGeorge

When Haverford School’s Christian Ray saw the Inter-Ac League schedule for the first time, his eyes fell to Week 1.In a span of four days, the Fords and their robust title aspirations would get a shot at both of last season’s co-champions. Ray, a junior forward, rose to the occasion Tuesday in a 14-point victory at Germantown Academy. And he had no intention of allowing Friday’s shot at rivalry-laced vengeance pass without similar devotion.

Ray poured in 16 points by halftime as the only reliable font of offense for either side, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 65-40 dispatching of Episcopal Academy in a foul-strewn quagmire.

While it wasn’t easy on the eyes, it’s the misshapen brick of an effort that paves the road to titles. When Ray factored in the tinge of revenge — Episcopal beat Haverford on its home floor last year to secure the inside line at a title shot and deny the Fords theirs — there was no doubt he’d be ready.

(click on this link for more game stories, photos and scores)

 

By Ari Glazier

Archbishop Carroll senior Keyon Butler describes himself as a “second half guy”.

“When the game needs that energy that’s the boost I’m gonna give our team to get over the hump,” Butler said. “I know sometimes we might lack a little energy, confidence, that’s what I’m here for.”

The 6-foot-4 forward’s late game boost was a saving grace for the Patriots on Friday night when they were locked in a tie game with La Salle on the road with 55 seconds to play. Butler went to the line shooting one-and-one. He sunk both.

Twenty-five seconds later. Butler drove to the lane, pump faked and shot, drawing a healthy amount of contact. After a brief discussion, the referees ruled a goal tend and a foul. Butler completed the three-point play at the line, putting Carroll up by five.

The Patriots held on to the lead and beat La Salle, 57-54. Butler scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to go along with four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Steve Sherman

Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) fell behind 15-6 midway through the first period of its boys basketball battle with Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) rival Cardinal O’Hara Friday night (Jan. 12) on the Eagles’ home court.That was OK. Egan has senior Eric Esposito on its side. The 6-6 senior canned three 3-pointers before time elapsed in the first period, giving the Eagles a 19-17 edge heading into the second quarter.

With 6:42 to go in the fourth quarter and Egan trailing 55-52, however, Esposito drew his fourth foul and had to sit. And the Eagles are just not the same team without their lanky center on the court.

With Esposito on the bench, that opened up the lane for O’Hara senior Antwuan Butler. He canned four field goals in the final frame and tallied a game-high 22 points, helping the visiting Lions escape Wistar Road with a 70-69 triumph.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Dennis Wray

There wasn’t much of a smile on Jack Concannon’s face when his Bonner & Prendergast Friars left the court at halftime of Friday night’s much-ballyhooed meeting with Archbishop Wood.The Friars had been outplayed and outscored by the Vikings and were scrambling just to get some kind of rhythm going.

Then the second half started, and Concannon began beaming like a proud new father.

The Friars put together a great second half, held their hosts to 17 points and rolled to a 62-54 win over Wood as Mike Perretta had 19 points and Isaiah Wong added 14.

(click on this link for the full story)