If you've never attended the Donofrio Classic, this week would be a great time to do so.

It's a long-running single-elimination tournament that features the best players and the best AAU teams from Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey (and sometimes even the North Jersey/NYC suburbs).

There's a nice twinbill this Wednesday, April 8:

• I-3 All-Stars vs. Mainstreet, 7 p.m.
• Sonny Hill Juniors vs. Positive Image, 8:30 p.m.

The early game featuring nine players from Delaware County and three members of this year's All-Delco team. There are two starters from Archbishop Carroll's PIAA Class AAA championship team and four starters from Penn Wood's Class AAAA title team:

MAINSTREET
Rahlir Jefferson, Sr. F, Chester *
Maurice Nelson, So. G, Chester
Tyree Johnson, Jr. G, Penn Wood * (pictured)
Duane Johnson, Sr. F, Penn Wood *
Shawn Oakman, So. C, Penn Wood
Thomas White, Sr. F, Penn Wood
Aaron Brown, So. F, Penn Wood

I-3 ALL-STARS
Andre Wilburn, Sr. F, Archbishop Carroll
Kasheef Festus, Sr. C, Archbishop Carroll (pictured)

The later game has just one county player – Episcopal Academy’s sophomore center Isaiah Baker, whose Sonny Hill Juniors take on Positive Image in an 8:30 p.m. tipoff.
Note: An asterisk (*) signifies All-Delco status.

# # #

Two Delco teams were shown some love in recent national basketball polls.

Archbishop Carroll is ranked fifth in the Northeast Region (Pa., N.Y., N.J. and New England) by PrepNation.com. The PIAA Class AAA champion Patriots are three spots ahead of league rival, eighth-ranked Neumann-Goretti.

In USA Today’s East Region poll, Penn Wood garnered a No. 7 ranking. Though inactive, the PIAA Class AAAA champion Patriots moved up from last week’s No. 8 rank

The All-Delco boys basketball team was unveiled in Wednesday's Daily Times. And based on the graphic at right - and the headline above - you should already know that Penn Wood junior point guard Tyree Johnson is the 2009 Player of the Year.

Johnson led the Patriots to their first PIAA Class AAAA championship and a Del Val League championship. Along the way, he became the county's best point guard and demonstrated the uncanny ability to make everyone around him play better, resulting in the school's first championship of any kind since 1992.

Four Patriots averaged in double figures this season - including Johnson - and two of them improved their scoring tallies significantly in the state playoffs. All thanks to Johnson's play, thus earning him the honor of Daily Times Player of the Year.

Here's the rest of the All-Delco team:

• D.J. Irving, Jr. PG, Archbishop Carroll (pictured)
• Calvin Newell, Sr. SG, Strath Haven
• Aaric Murray, Sr. C, Glen Mills
• Duane Johnson, Sr. F, Penn Wood
• Rahlir Jefferson, Sr. F, Chester

*Murray and Johnson are repeat All-Delco selections.

# # # #

It's been a while since I last posted - following state-championship lag from State College - here's a quick-hitting recap of what you might have missed:

• Former Chester coach Fred Pickett has thrown his hat into the political ring. He will launch a campaign for a city council spot.
• Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones was named the PIAA Class AAAA Coach of the Year. Seven Delco players earned state honors, too.
• Three-time All-Delco Tyreke Evans told FoxSports.com that he plans to leave Memphis to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

One of the best all-star games around – the All-Star Labor Classic – announced its rosters Wednesday. The game, which benefits United Cerebral Palsy, will be held Sunday, April 5, at La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena. It follows the Suburban vs. City format.

The Suburban team, coached by Glen Mills’ Craig Mellinger and Conestoga’s Mike Troy, features nine players from Delaware County (including three from Penn Wood):

SUBURBAN BOYS
Cory Goodman, G, Episcopal Academy
Marvin Holman-Little, F, Penncrest
Rahlir Jefferson, F, Chester (pictured)
Duane Johnson, F, Penn Wood
Aaric Murray, C, Glen Mills
Calvin Newell, G, Strath Haven
Khayri West, G, Upper Darby
Thomas White, F, Penn Wood
Chris White, G, Penn Wood

CITY BOYS
Kasheef Festus, C, Archbishop Carroll

Sometimes, you just can't have it all.

Five Delaware County boys basketball teams advanced to the state playoffs, and four shored up spots in the second round. Glen Mills' loss Saturday means only those four remain.

Here are the details from Saturday's games:

Chester 66, Red Land 50 - Why is Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) so excited? He and the Clippers are movin' on. In the process, Jefferson recorded his first triple-double of his career (14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and became the Clippers' all-time leading rebounder.

Penn Wood 51, Penn Manor 46: The Patriots trailed, 25-19, at halftime only to roar back in the second half. Aaron Brown and Duane Johnson had 15 and 12 points respectively for the Pats.

Central Dauphin East 59, Glen Mills 44: Aaric Murray concluded his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds but the Battlin' Bulls could not stop Demond Bates, who went off for 20 of his game-high 27 points after halftime.

Of course, you're all aware of what Archbishop Carroll and Strath Haven did Friday in the Class AAA field. Now it's onto the next round.

One more thing: here's a shot of Chester's Learon Pray (nine points) by Daily Times staff photographer Eric Hartline, who busted his tail all weekend. He shot the Chester game at HersheyPark Arena, then ran across the street to the Giant Center to take shots of the state wrestling finals.

It's safe to say we're all happy this weekend is coming to a close.

There will be no Delaware County representation at this year's McDonald's All-America Game.

Roman Catholic's Maalik Wayns (pictured), a Villanova signee, was Southeastern Pennsylvania's only choice for the game, which will be played April 1 in Miami, Fla.

Four players from Delco had been nominated for entry in the game: Glen Mills' Aaric Murray, Penn Wood's Duane Johnson, Strath Haven's Calvin Newell and Chester's Rahlir Jefferson.

Dominic Cheek, a 6-6 guard from St. Anthony in New Jersey, was Villanova's second selection to the prestigious game. Villanova, with two recruits selected, has more representatives in the game than all schools except North Carolina, which has three.

Delco was vying for a representative in the game for consecutive seasons. American Christian's Tyreke Evans made last year's game, and earned MVP honors. Archbishop Carroll's Barry Bekkedam is the county's only other rep in the McDonald's showcase.

A couple interesting tidbits about the remaining teams in the District One Class AAAA bracket...

No. 1: The final eight are the top eight seeds overall.

• 1 CHESTER vs. 8 Norristown
• 2 Conestoga vs. 7 Plymouth-Whitemarsh
• 3 PENN WOOD vs. 6 Lower Merion
• 4 Pennsbury vs. 5 Central Bucks South

No. 2: Three of these games are rematches.
Chester knocked off Norristown, 58-47, Dec. 26 at the Jameer Nelson Classic. Penn Wood dropped one, 47-44, to Lower Merion Jan. 24 at the Kobe Bryant Classic. And Conestoga took down P-W, 50-43, Dec. 6.

No. 3: The Chester-Norristown game is a look into the future at Temple University.
Clippers forward Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) and Eagles combo Khalif Wyatt are headed to North Broad Street next fall. Said Jefferson last week of the potential playoff meeting: "I didn't look (at the bracket). Khalif called me and said, 'We both win two and we'll see each other."

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As for that elusive ninth seed, here's how it'll be determined: The bracket reverses itself and plays the opposite way. There is no re-seeding. First-round games in the eight-team, single-elimination playback are as follows:

• No. 17 Souderton at No. 9 W.C. Rustin
• No. 13 O.J. Roberts at No. 12 GLEN MILLS
• No. 23 Neshaminy at 18 W.C. Henderson
• No. 14 Bensalem at No. 11 C.B. West

Chester freshman Kareem Robinson, recovering from two gunshot wounds suffered Wednesday, was released from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Thursday and plans on attending the Clippers' playoff game Friday.

Robinson, according to Chester coach Larry Yarbray and a report filed by Chester Police, was an innocent bystander and the victim of a random act of violence. He is extremely fortunate the two bullets did not pierce a major artery or major organ. The injuries were not life-threatening, though Robinson will not play again this season.

For more on Robinson, check out Friday's Daily Times.

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ALSO IN FRIDAY'S NEWSPAPER: A full preview of the District One Class AAAA playoffs, featuring a little something on all seven Delco teams involved. The weekly feature story is on Chester's Rahlir Jefferson emerging not only as a scoring leader but as a vocal leader.

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Something else to keep an eye on is the release of the District One Class AAA playoff bracket, which will be announced Friday. A safe guess is that Marple Newtown, Strath Haven and Springfield make the cut. Sun Valley could have an outside chance, too.

Check back to Gettin' Schooled Friday for the latest on the seedings.

Two of last year's All-Delco boys basketball selections - Aaric Murray of Glen Mills (pictured) and Duane Johnson of Penn Wood - were among those chosen as candidates for the McDonald's All-America Game.

Calvin Newell (Strath Haven) and Rahlir Jefferson (Chester) also were named nominees. They are among the 1,500 nominated players who are vying for 24 roster spots.

On the girls side, three Delco players were nominated for spots on the McDonald's teams: Notre Dame's Devon Kane, Cardinal O'Hara's Stephanie Holzer and Archbishop Carroll's Kerri Shields. They are three out of 1,000 who are vying for only 24 roster spots.

The teams will be announced later this month. The games will be played April 1 in Miami.

Two days after seeing the best game of the season - Penn Wood 53, Chester 52 - I was treated to another gem Thursday when the same Penn Wood team took down Glen Mills, 61-57, in double overtime.

And when sophomore forward Aaron Brown was picking apart The Mills in overtime, it got me thinking about who are the top underclassmen in Delaware County.

Here's this reporter's list:
1. Juan'Ya Green, So., PG, Archbishop Carroll: Green, 6-3, can make something happen from anywhere on the floor. He's getting high Division I recruiting interest (understandably so).

2. Aaron Brown, So., PF, Penn Wood: The Roman Catholic transfer, 6-5, is a converted center who is finding a home on the wing. His outside game is improving day by day.

3. Isaiah Baker, So., C, Episcopal Academy: The third-leading scorer for the Churchmen is 6-7 and is learning how to play within the body with which he's been blessed. Keep an eye on him.

4. Shawn Oakman, So., C, Penn Wood: A starter last year as a freshman, the 6-8 Oakman (pictured) is a talented rebounder and shotblocker. A boost in his scoring average (7 ppg.) will come with time.

5. Chazz Fisher, So., SG, Strath Haven: He started the year at JV and continues his quick ascent through coach Steve Lewis' system. Fisher is a jumpshooter with good skills around the glass, too.

6. Kurt Johnson, So, SG, Marple Newtown: Johnson, a JV call-up due to injury early on, is one of the best up-and-coming 3-point shooters in the county.

7. Montrail Talford, So, PG, Upper Darby: He is learning more and more. This is his second year of varsity experience with an upperclassmen-laden lineup.

8. Kareem Robinson, Fr., PG, Chester: The Clippers are grooming the 5-10 guard, the younger brother of two-time All-Delco Nasir, as an heir apparent to the point.

9. Rahmir Jefferson, Fr., SF, Chester: Imagine Rahlir Jefferson three years ago, except maybe just a tad more polished.

10. Norm Donkin, So., SG, Ridley: A pure shooter with decent range. He's a building block toward the future at Ridley.

Anybody I left out, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment here.
Coming up Saturday: the top juniors in Delco.

The losing hasn't worn on Tom Brennan. It affects the Sun Valley senior, of course. He'd be lying if he said it didn't.

But the 6-3, 195-pound forward has kept his head up. He averages 23.3 points per game this year, nearly identical to what he did on a game-to-game basis as a junior.

His future looks bright, too, with either a collegiate career in either basketball (his first passion) or baseball. (Editorial Note: Brennan was the last player left off the Daily Times' baseball All-Delco team last spring. He had a stellar season in which he saved five games on the mound, batted better than .330 and knocked in 19 runs for the District One Class AAA champs.)

But I digress. Brennan is an interesting subject, in that he succeeds while his team flounders. Get a glimpse into his life on the hardwood.

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THURSDAY NIGHT RECAP
Glen Mills 60, Academy Park 38: The Battlin' Bulls (12-4, 4-2) went up by 40-18 at halftime and never looked back. They got 19 from All-Delco Aaric Murray.

Penn Wood 86, Chichester 50: Sophomore forward Aaron Brown, a Roman Catholic transfer, had his second 20-point game in the last seven to boost the Patriots (14-1, 5-1). All-Delco Duane Johnson had 16 as did super sub Will Brown, the lastest in a long line of talented bench players at Penn Wood.

Chester 69, Interboro 42: Twelve different Clippers (that's an unreal number, folks) scored at least a point to keep Chester (15-1, 6-0) undefeated in league play. Erikk Wright and Rahlir Jefferson led the way with 12.

For all the rest, check out Friday's Daily Times.

The subject comes up everywhere I go: Who's the best? When I give my answer, it usually comes with some rebuttal: Why them?

Here's a chance for me to make the best argument for the top six teams in Delaware County (in no particular order):

***CHESTER CLIPPERS
Record: 12-1 (4-0 Del Val)
Key Wins: Penn Wood, Norristown, E&S.
Key Losses: None.
More: Take a look at most of the preseason picks in Southeastern Pa. - they all had Chester out of the No. 1 slot. But the defending PIAA Class AAAA champs have rebounded and are perfect (except for a 2 OT loss vs. Reading). I still don't think we've seen the best of senior Rahlir Jefferson.


***PENN WOOD PATRIOTS
Record: 12-1 (3-1 Del Val)
Key Wins: North Catholic, Glen Mills, Bartram.
Key Losses: Chester.
More: Once nationally-ranked, the Patriots took a step back (in the league standings, too) with the loss to Chester. But they have beaten the best of the Catholic League and previously 12-0 Bartram, of the Pub. Behind junior point guard Tyree Johnson, the Pats are on course for a deep run in states.


***ARCHBISHOP CARROLL PATRIOTS
Record: 13-1 (9-1 Catholic Blue)
Key Wins: Archbishop Wood, La Salle, Camden Catholic.
Key Losses: Neumann-Goretti.
More: The Main Line Patriots are deep. They usually employ a six-man rotation, but they can use as many as eight or nine, with all of them contributing. I like their backcourt, with D.J. Irving and Juan'Ya Green. If those two are on target, these Pats are hard to slow down offensively -- they have scored fewer than 54 points only twice.


***GLEN MILLS BATTLIN' BULLS
Record: 10-4 (2-2 Del Val)
Key Wins: University City, Holy Ghost Prep.
Key Losses: Chester, Penn Wood, Frankford.
More: Senior center and La Salle commit Aaric Murray had his second career triple-double Saturday ... in a blowout win, which goes to show that as he goes, so go the Bulls. There is a nice supporting cast around him, with guards Reginald Miles and Tyrik Gass, but they need to slay some of the Del Val's big guns to be taken seriously. They have an upset (or two) in them.

***UPPER DARBY ROYALS
Record: 12-3 (9-2 Central)
Key Wins: Lower Merion, Penncrest.
Key Losses: Springfield, Conestoga.
More: It's easy to justify losing to Conestoga, the unbeaten titan of the league. But when you drop a decision to a Springfield team that is a step below in the PIAA classifications (after Springfield had lost to a one-win team only two days prior) it raises serious questions. Forward Chase Peterson and guard Khayri West need to carry the load if the Royals are to rebound.


***PENNCREST LIONS
Record: 12-3 (8-3 Central)
Key Wins: West Chester Henderson, Radnor.
Key Losses: Conestoga, Lower Merion, Upper Darby.
More: After 10 straight wins to start the year, the Lions' three-game slide had everyone fearing the worst. Senior center Marvin Holman-Little, who is averaging 14 points per game, has been a steadying force for a young, green crew. They lack big-game experience, but it has not come back to get them thus far. Don't sleep on the Lions.


Of course, if I let a team out that you deem worthy, let me know. As for which team is No. 1, that's yet to be sorted out. But these are definitely the big guns in Delco through the first half of the season. There's no argument there.

Last week, we debuted on here a weekly post called 'No Excuses', in which I'll give my take on a couple of the night's games. Here's the second installment of this new feature:

1. With 26 points from Rahlir Jefferson, Chester defeated Erie Cathedral Prep, the host of the McDonald's Classic where the Clippers had gone 1-5 in three previous appearances, but ... appear on the fast track toward winning this one. Today they play Archbishop Carroll (Md.), a 7-6 team, for the title.

2. Roman Catholic and Villanova commit Maalik Wayns (pictured) almost doubled up Monsignor Bonner Friday night, 83-42. The Cahillites are unbeaten in league play, but ... they still have North Catholic (8-5) and Archbishop Ryan (5-7), the league runners-up last year.

3. Penncrest has followed three consecutive losses with back-to-back wins, against Ridley and Garnet Valley, but ... could use a lengthy run to bolster their District One ranking. Marvin Holman-Little and Rodney Duncan, who are having mid- to high-double figures, have been playing great of late.

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LONGEST BASKET IN H.S. HOOPS HISTORY?

In Spain Park, Ala., last week, a player rebounded a missed free throw with less than two seconds remaining in his high school game. The player - Jake Lee - turned around and fired an 82-foot shot that banked off the glass and in to win the game.

Curiosity got the best of the opposing team's coach, who brought out the tape measure just to be certain how long the shot was. "I measured it at 82 feet," said Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) coach Marty Smith. "I had to know. I had to measure it."

See the shot for yourself here.

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DID YOU SEE FRIDAY'S DAILY TIMES?

If you didn't, you missed three full pages of Delco boys basketball coverage ... including:

• A feature story on seniors Dan Clapp and Malik Carter, who have led a mini-renaissance at Chichester
• The weekly notebook, which leads with the powerful 1-2 punch of Strath Haven's Calvin Newell and Jack Roberts
• A Central League game story. I picked the game of the week, in which Springfield stunned Upper Darby behind 15 points from Zack DeVito

Yesterday was a day to remember for fans seated in the bleachers of Widener's Schwartz Center. For me, well... let's just say I had my fill of basketball.

The Jameer Nelson/Pete Nelson Classic kicked off Friday with all three Delaware County teams involved walking away with wins:

Chester extended its dominance over Norristown, 58-47 ... Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) had a dominant outing against the team the Clippers beat for the District One and PIAA Class AAAA titles. So did Maurice Nelson, the younger brother of Chester legend Jameer.

Daily Times photographer Bob Gurecki was on hand for some video coverage of the game, so let me know what you think of it: e-mail me or post your thoughts on the blog.

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Penn Wood led the whole way against North Catholic, 78-65 ... Reserve Chris White hit six big-time 3-pointers for the Patriots, who went nine-deep but never lost the lead against the Falcons.

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Archbishop Carroll topped Life Center Academy, 55-49 ... Junior D.J. Irving had the big game for the Patriots, winning the MVP award in his hometown of Chester. The game was closer than it should have been considering LCA was without four players who were declared post-graduates. Among them was Jon DeShields, who played last year at Delco Christian.

Had LCA played all of its post-grads, who knows whether Carroll's district- and state-playoff eligibility would have been called into question down the road? The result of this game might have even been forfeited. It's a good thing this was dealt with appropriately.

###

A couple other tidbits from the Nelson Classic:

• DeShields, who watched his LCA teammates from the bench, was walking with a limp. He said its the product of a toe contusion. DeShields led the county with 24.4 points per game in 2007.
• Freshly retired coach Fred Pickett was on hand throughout the day and was seen videotaping the Penn Wood game for Chester coach Larry Yarbray. "I'm a scout now," he said with a smile. Pickett took in the Chester-Norristown game from the far end of the Clippers' bench.
• Penn Wood looks like it has its most success when it rotates players in and out of the game with regularity. The Pats scored 10 points in the second quarter, when coach Clyde Jones stuck with a six-man set. "With foul trouble, you have to do that sometimes," Jones said. "The game of basketball is a lot easier when you have the players you want on the court all the time, but it doesn't work like that."

There's more to come Saturday from the Nelson Classic. Staffer Matt Smith is there for the Chester-Atlantic City game.

The basketballs have been bouncing for two weeks now, since winter sports teams opened their practice schedule Nov. 17.

It's basketball season.

Most teams will christen their campaigns Friday, on opening night. That's also when the Daily Times' boys basketball preview will hit newsstands.

In the meantime, here's what you should know about the 2008-09 season:

***Chester, which lost all but one player (F Rahlir Jefferson) from their PIAA Class AAAA state-championship starting five, have a long way to go to get back. But you can never count out the Clippers (pictured).

***Penn Wood, which lost four meetings with Chester, looks to be the heir apparent to the Del Val League championship. The Patriots return their entire lineup - including All-Delco F Duane Johnson, So. PG Tyree Johnson, So. C Shawn Oakman and Sr. F Thomas White. They also have Roman Catholic transfer Aaron Brown, a 6-6 sophomore. Look out, District One.

***Ridley, co-Central League champion, is one of many teams vying for the title in a wide-open race. Conestoga and Lower Merion, the other co-champ, are early favorites. Penncrest, which doesn't have much of a hoops legacy, will surprise folks.

There's more to come on Friday. Stay tuned.

This week marked the first installment of the boys soccer notebook, which will print weekly every Thursday in the Daily Times.

You can always count on the Super 7, which has Thomas Arkue and the Upper Darby Royals, pictured, at the top of the county rankings.

In this week's notebook, we take a look at Penn Wood's Menuh Wiah, a Liberia native who leads the county with 12 goals in the early going. There's also good stuff about Haverford coach Jorge Severini, who notched his 200th win, and much more.

Keep an eye out every Thursday for the latest in Delco boys soccer.

ON THE GRIDIRON:
There are plenty of intriguing matchups to keep an eye on tonight, Week 4. (Can you believe it? We're already a quarter of the way into the season.)

For starters, the Central League game between Strath Haven and Garnet Valley has the makings of being the game of the week. Haven needs a huge game from Lonnie Richardson, a running back/safety, if it is to upset the Jaguards.

For the rest of the games, here are the quick-hitters and our expert panel's picks. (Note our loose use of the word 'expert'.)

ON THE HARDWOOD:
The Daily Times was the first to report on the college commitments of Chester's Rahlir Jefferson and Glen Mills' Aaric Murray to Temple and La Salle, respectively. Here are the official stories, found only in Friday's edition of the Daily Times.

Have a good weekend and check back next week for more.

Another day, another Big 5 college commitment.

Chester senior forward Rahlir Jefferson gave his word Thursday night to Temple and coach Fran Dunphy that he will continue his career with the Owls. This comes on the heels of Glen Mills' Aaric Murray and Jefferson's Chester teammate Karon Burton picking La Salle.

I spoke with Jefferson, former Chester coach Fred Pickett and first-year coach Larry Yarbray tonight and here are some the extras from the interview with Pickett and Yarbray. (Look for a full report in Friday's edition of the Daily Times):

FRED PICKETT ... On Rahlir's mode of picking Temple:
"At the end of the day, I was shocked he committed like that. I'm happy for him, because we teach our kids to really thoroughly look at this and be selfish with it. We tell them to have a relationship with the head coach and know the style of play and the players they're bringing in and that you have to fit into it."

On Rahlir's role at Chester:
"For this team to be as good as they became, they all had to sacrifice something. He sacrificed a whole lot. He was quite often the third, fourth or fifth option and that's basically because (of where) he kind of just would fit in with our game. There were times when he would go a quarter or a quarter-and-a-half without getting any shots up. He was the consummate team player."

On getting extra looks because of his teammates:

"No question about it. When those guys were being recruited, (the coaches) would come to see them and they'd be impressed with Rahlir. It worked out for him because he loves Temple. Something clicked with him and coach Dunphy. Temple is a marvelous school, very diverse. They have everything."

LARRY YARBRAY ... On Rahlir's decision:

"You take a lot of visits and hear a lot of coaches talking. He heard what GW and Penn State had to say and liked Temple's pitch more. He's a quiet guy who doesn't give you a lead as to where he's leaning toward, but something told us he always had Temple at the top."

On making his choice before the season:

"I think a lot of guys want to get it out of the way before you start working out (for the upcoming season). That was his intention, I guess."

Chester forwards Russell Johnson and Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) attended Sunday's Temple-St. Joseph's game at the Palesta. But the 6-foot-5 Clippers had reasons to be there other than to watch an instant classic Big 5 game.

Johnson, a senior, considers Temple among his college choices. The others are Robert Morris, La Salle, Niagara and George Washington - all of which have offered a scholarship. Temple has yet to do so, but Johnson liked what he saw.

"They run the court and just play ball," he said before Chester's practice Monday. "They don't call that many plays. They play man-to-man (defense) most of the game. They run it a lot, up and down the floor, just like we do. They move the ball well. They're fun to watch."

Jefferson, a junior, was at the Palestra to see St. Joseph's. The Hawks have expressed an interest in Jefferson. So, does Jefferson have interest in the Hawks?

"It's a good school, a good team and a good program," Jefferson said. "What's not to like?"

Chester plays Harrisburg Wednesday in a PIAA Class AAAA second-round game at the Geigle Complex in Reading.

You wouldn't be able to tell by the clear lack of snow, but February is around the corner. And that means the district and league playoffs will soon follow. Here's a look at where your team stands and what that could mean for the playoff picture:

Del Val League
Chester ....... 8-0, 18-1
Penn Wood ... 6-2, 15-5
Glen Mills ....... 5-2, 12-8
Acad. Park ... 5-3, 11-11
Chichester ... 4-4, 10-10
Interboro ....... 2-5, 5-14
Harriton ....... 1-6, 7-13
Sun Valley ... 0-8, 1-20

Central League
Ridley ...... 13-2, 18-3
L. Merion ... 12-3, 15-5
Conestoga ... 12-3, 17-4
Haverford ...... 9-6, 12-8
Up.Darby ... 9-6, 11-10
Penncrest ....... 7-9, 9-12
Strath Haven ....... 6-9, 8-12
Marple Newtown ... 5-10, 9-14
Radnor ....... 3-12, 6-14
Springfield ....... 1-14, 3-18

Catholic League Southern Division
Roman Catholic ....... 9-0, 12-2
Monsignor Bonner ....... 6-3, 14-5
Archbishop Carroll ....... 6-3, 12-7
Neumann-Goretti ........ 5-4, 10-8
St. Joseph's Prep ....... 4-5, 10-9
Cardinal O'Hara ....... 3-6, 9-10
West Catholic ....... 3-6, 12-7
Kennedy-Kenrick ....... 0-9, 3-16

Inter-Ac League
Germantown Academy ....... 5-1, 14-8
Chestnut Hill ....... 4-1, 16-5
Malvern Prep ....... 3-3, 12-8
Penn Charter ....... 2-2, 4-14
Episcopal Academy ....... 2-3, 12-8
Haverford School ....... 0-6, 7-13

Independent
Christian Academy ....... 13-6
Delco Christian ....... 12-7
Garnet Valley .......10-9

And from the hardwood, where just two teams played Sunday:
Monsignor Bonner drew the short straw (again). The Friars lost for the third time in six games, with the defeats coming by a combined five points. Ouch. And Chester improved to 19-1 behind four scorers reaching double digits. Rahlir Jefferson's 16 points led the way.