Gettin' Schooled

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2010-03-24T14:59:00.001-04:00

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ALL-DEL VAL LEAGUE TEAMS ANNOUNCED

2010-03-19T16:58:00.004-04:00

The Del Val League unveiled its postseason honorees this week, and to no one's surprise Penn Wood dominated. The Patriots placed four members of its starting five on the First Team.

For the rest, take a look:

FIRST TEAM
Aaron Brown, Penn Wood
Will Brown, Penn Wood
Tyree Johnson, Penn Wood
Shawn Oakman, Penn Wood
Brian Parker, Chichester
Maurice Nelson, Chester

SECOND TEAM
Kyrell Tyler, Glen Mills
Leonard Singleton, Glen Mills
Taylor Boulware, Academy Park
Jordan Tucker, Academy Park
Erikk Wright, Chester
Laquan Robinson, Chester

THIRD TEAM
Darian Barnes, Penn Wood
Chris Dickerson, Glen Mills
Fred Murray, Chichester
Charles Bolger, Interboro
Brian Weldon, Interboro
Vince Carnevale, Interboro

HONORABLE MENTION
Darryl Foye, Academy Park
Brandon Jackson, Academy Park
Rich Collins, Academy Park
Mike Coles, Chichester
Darius Brooks, Chichester
Dequan Pelzer, Penn Wood
Khali Smith, Penn Wood
Rondae Jefferson, Chester
Ikeam Watkins, Chester
Ronell Williams, Chester
Will Harrison, Interboro
John Helem, Glen Mills
Ellis Dickerson, Glen Mills

RECRUITING ... WITH CARROLL'S GREEN, MINGLEDOUGH

2010-03-17T00:41:00.006-04:00

It's getting tougher to argue with the sheer numbers … and Juan'ya Green is putting up big ones.

The junior guard/forward scored 21 points, had five rebounds and handed out four assists in Archbishop Carroll's 64-51 PIAA Class AAA second-round victory Tuesday over Danville.

Temple assistant coach Matt Langel was spotted outside Carroll's locker room after the game.

When asked what that meant to him, Green had this to say:
“It's exciting, but I can't give it too much thought right now. I guess it's the way I play that people like. And I think I'm getting better every day, in practice and in games. I'm just playing hard.”

It's worth noting two additional things, for those Temple fans out there: Green, who lives in Conshohocken, grew up in North Philly. The other is that Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk played for Temple coach Fran Dunphy while both were at Penn.

Green said he has offers from Temple, Saint Joseph's, Maryland, George Mason and Boston University. He has gotten interest, as well, from Georgetown, Marquette and Providence.

As for Ben Mingledough, the Patriots' 6-4 senior forward ... If I had to take a guess, I'd say he's headed to St. Peter's (N.J.) The Peacocks' assistant coach, John Morton, made the trek to CD East from their New Jersey campus to see Mingledough. Does that mean a commitment is imminent?

“I haven't made a decision," said Mingledough, who also has an offer from St. Francis (Pa.) "You could say I'm close.” How close? “I don't know," he added. "I can't tell you yet.”

Oh, the intrigue of college recruiting...

For those counting at home, that would bring Carroll's Division I count to three. Senior guard D.J. Irving is headed to Boston University. And, if we're talking total D-I kids from last year's state-title team, the Patriots have four: Kasheef Festus is a freshman at Coppin State.

NOTE: The fifth and final starter from that 08-09 title team - the only one yet to be mentioned in this long, long blog post - was in attendance at Tuesday night's game. Andre Wilburn, who plays at Delaware State, joined the team in the locker room during postgame.

ARCH. CARROLL: HITTING THE ROAD FOR PIAA ROUND 2

2010-03-16T13:47:00.005-04:00

Central Dauphin East High School, Harrisburg: 118 miles, 2 hours.

In a little while, I'll be hitting the road en route to Archbishop Carroll's second-round, PIAA Class AAA matchup with Danville at 6 p.m. It's going to take some time to get there and, according to the CD East folks, I've been told there's no Wireless in the building.

Bummer.

That being said, you can rest assured that right here on Gettin' Schooled you will see a synopsis of the game and some quotes from players and coaches within an hour after the final buzzer sounds. And, of course, you can always check Wednesday's Daily Times for the full report.

I'll keep you informed from Harrisburg. See you there.

UPDATED 10:23 P.M.
The Patriots pulled out a 64-51 victory over Danville and move into the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal round for the second time in as many seasons of PIAA eligibility.

Of course, they'll have to get through Neumann-Goretti to go further.

Juan'ya Green scored 21 points, Ben Mingledough tossed in 20 and D.J. Irving recovered nicely from the opening round, in which he posted the first scoreless game of his career at any level. The All-Delco point guard finished with 13 points.

Carroll (24-4) overcame a hot spell by Danville, during which the Ironmen made 11 straight baskets in a 9-plus minute span. The Patriots trailed at the break but poured it on after halftime.

For more check out Wednesday's Daily Times.

(Photo by Varsity365.com)

WHO'S GOING WHERE, WHEN

2010-03-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

The PIAA brackets have been updated for each of the respective classes. Here's what we're looking at for Tuesday's and Wednesday's pairings:

On Tuesday....
BOYS CLASS AAA
Archbishop Carroll vs. Danville
At Central Dauphin East HS, Harrisburg, 6 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAAA
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Central Dauphin
At Governor Mifflin School, Shillington, 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday....
BOYS CLASS AAAA
Penn Wood vs. Neshaminy
At Norristown HS, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAA
Archbishop Carroll vs. Oley Valley
At Spring-Ford HS, Royersford, 6 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS A
Delco Christian vs. Tri-Valley
At Governor Mifflin School, Shillington, 7:30 p.m.

CHESTER SHOWN THE DOOR IN PIAA FIRST-ROUND GAME

2010-03-15T00:13:00.004-04:00

Just like that, Chester's season was over.

With the flick of Troy Hockaday's right wrist (pictured), La Salle took its first lead of the game Sunday - with four seconds to go - and topped Chester, 42-41, in an opening-round contest in the PIAA Class AAAA bracket. The Clippers suffered their first, first-round exit from states since 2004.

Hockaday, who was wildly inconsistent, shot 4-for-14 in the contest. Three of those buckets, resulting in 8 of his 13 points, came in the final 4:33 of the game. Hockaday almost single-handedly whittled away Chester's nine-point lead.

Here's what some had to say afterward:
SENIOR FORWARD RONELL WILLIAMS
"It's a life-learning experience. I just have to prepare for the future and prevent this from happening again. ... They're going to be back next year. Chester's going to be back."

SENIOR GUARD LAQUAN ROBINSON
“What I'll remember about this year is the young guys, and playing for them. Hopefully they can have a better season than we had."

JUNIOR GUARD MAURICE NELSON
“I tried to get the ball up the court as fast as possible and I saw Laquan, so I got it to him. And he got off a good shot. He just missed it. It hurts more than a normal loss.

“(Hockaday) wasn't making those shots. He was taking it to the basket the whole game. He just made a good shot there at the end.

“We talked about that, getting back here. It's a young team, that's all. We took our bumps and bruises all season. It was a roller coaster. We have to play some summer league games, some AAU ball, get back in the gym and get over this."

COACH LARRY YARBRAY
“I wasn't surprised with (Hockaday's) shot. I'm just surprised it went in.

“We had a lot of youth, and with it comes a lot of problems. You're trying to get them to play your style. Most of them are used to playing an AAU style. As far as their knowledge, we had to put a lot of time in to get them to understand. When we execute, good things happen. We get layups, uncontested layups. We get jumpers. When they play for their self, that's a problem. They just want to stand around, not set your screen or play good team defense or help out on the backside or do this or that. It's one- or two-minute breakdowns at the wrong time."

########

The Clippers graduate only two seniors from their 16-11 team - Laquan Robinson (pictured) and Ronell Williams. They played six sophomores and five freshmen this year. So, like Yarbray and Nelson said, Chester will be back next winter.

LIGHTS GO OUT ON CHESTER'S STATE-PLAYOFF DEBUT

2010-03-13T18:17:00.003-05:00

The torrential winds and three-inch rainfall Saturday forced power outages across Radnor Township. They left Archbishop Carroll's gym in the dark.

And they left Chester without a game.

The Clippers' PIAA Class AAAA first-round meeting with La Salle at Carroll was postponed because of the power outage. The prior game - a Class AA matchup - was stopped in the third quarter and will be resumed tonight at Archbishop Wood.

What does this mean for Chester?

The District One eight seed will take on La Salle Sunday at 3 p.m. at Norristown. For more on the rescheduled game, check out the Sunday edition of the Daily Times.

#######

Elsewhere in Delco hoops:
Penn Wood knocked off Penn Manor, 76-57, and Penncrest's season came to a close in a 47-46 loss to Bethlehem Liberty.

CARROLL, GREEN MOVE ON

2010-03-13T00:17:00.002-05:00

To be short and sweet, here's what you should know about Friday night: Archbishop Carroll can win (and will win) with a half-effective D.J. Irving, left.

Absent from the Patriots' two previous outings, Irving was one of several difference makers in their 37-30 win over Holy Ghost Prep in a PIAA Class AAA first-round game. Irving, who didn't score, had four steals, two rebounds and two assists.

But he wasn't alone. Junior Juan'ya Green , right, was wildly effective. He scored 14 points, picking and choosing the best shots to choose in order to maximize his effectiveness. He also had five rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

Because Irving – limited because of his still-tender hand – wasn't 100 percent, Green took the reins. He was all over the court, soaring from behind to block shots, dishing out eye-popping assists and doing much of the clock-killing dribbling in the game's final minutes.

Ben Mingledough led the way with 15 points and Vince Mostardi had eight to round out the scoring leaders. Needless to say, those who doubted the Patriots because of Irving's hand … think again.

Here are other results from the PIAA Class AAA bracket:
Eastern York 68, Coughlin 42
Dobbins 57, Springfield 52
Mifflinburg 51, Pottsville 38
Abington Heights 58, East Pennsboro 28
Neumann-Goretti 64, Susquehanna Township 45
Holy Redeemer 59, Steel-High 39
Danville 68, Allentown Central Catholic 59
Archbishop Carroll 37, Holy Ghost Prep 30
Lancaster Catholic 52, Pottsgrove 44
York Suburban 61, Johnstown 46
Chartiers Valley 96, Erie Central 66
West Allegheny 42, Hickory 41
West Mifflin 81, Oliver 65
Bradford 45, Trinity 43
Hampton 63, Huntingdon 41
Montour 49, Erie East 42

####################

Next up: Archbishop Carroll vs. Danville
When and where: Tuesday night, TBD
What to know about Danville: The Ironmen went 18-6, have won five in a row and have won an opening-round PIAA game each of the last two seasons. They won Friday night, partly, because ACC showed up late to the game and weren't loosened up. Danville forced 10 first-half turnovers and the rout was on.

STATES. TONIGHT. GO TIME.

2010-03-12T16:35:00.003-05:00

Five. It's a number that separates Delco's state playoff teams from history.

The Class AAA (Archbishop Carroll, Springfield) and Class AAAA (Penncrest, Chester, Penn Wood) teams need only five wins to claim a state championship in their respective brackets. Five wins? That's a good 10-day stretch for some of these teams. What's five more wins?

It's the difference between being remembered and being forgotten. The PIAA playoffs commence tonight. And we'll have the scores here on Gettin' Schooled.

Check back throughout the night.

QUOTABLE: HOLY GHOST LIKES ITS UNDERDOG LABEL

2010-03-10T21:14:00.006-05:00

After Holy Ghost Prep put the finishing touches on Springfield Saturday, it began to settle in that HGP would draw the defending PIAA Class AAA champion in the first round of states.

Needless to say, the Firebirds weren't thrilled with that prospect. Fair enough, right? The District One champion deserves a little better a draw than Carroll. But that's how the bracket worked last year, too. Another year, another bracket ... In hindsight, perhaps PIAA should employ a power-rankings system for states.

In any case, here's some of what those around Holy Ghost had to say about Carroll:

COACH TONY CHAPMAN
"The shoe will be on the other foot, too, a little bit. More will be expected of Carroll. Even though we are district champs, we'll probably go into that game as an underdog."

"It is what it is. In a perfect world, you have a seeding thing with the PIAA and maybe you play someone not as dominant. We'll look at them and get ready to go. We're going to play hard and we're going to play a real good basketball game. If that's good enough to win, great. If it's not good enough to win, than it's not. We're going in confident."

SENIOR GUARD MICHAEL BYRNE
“We look forward to being the underdog a little bit. “Through the districts, we were the one seed. Now, we can play a little bit looser. Most people probably think we’re going to lose, so it will be nice to be the underdog.”

#############

So... yeah, it should be a good game. I don't predict any sort of trash-talking or bad blood. Nah, none of that. (Thanks to Bucks County Courier Times' Kevin Cooney, for the Byrne quote.)

START THE CARS! PIAA PLAYOFF SITES, TIMES SET

2010-03-08T01:18:00.003-05:00

The PIAA playoff brackets were released Sunday night. Some of Delaware County's five boys teams have brief drives; others, well, aren't so lucky.

Here's the breakdown...

PIAA CLASS AAA - FRIDAY
***Springfield (18-8) vs. Murrell Dobbins (16-8)
At South Philadelphia High, 6 p.m.
What to know: The Cougars, District One's runnerup, probably has a better draw against their opponent from the Public League than district-champ HGP. Yeah, about that...

***Archbishop Carroll (22-4) vs. Holy Ghost Prep (24-3)
At Norristown High, 8 p.m.
What to know: The Firebirds, who won the District One crown, were rewarded with a first-round draw against the reigning state-champion Patriots. Fair? No. But it is what it is.

########

PIAA CLASS AAAA - SATURDAY
***Penn Wood (23-3) vs. Penn Manor (17-10)
At Norristown High, 3:30 p.m.
What to know: The newly-crowned District One champion Patriots knocked off the Comets, of District Three, in the first round of states a year ago. Probably enough said.

***Penncrest (24-5) vs. Bethlehem Liberty (22-5)
At Freedom High, Bethlehem, 4:30 p.m.
What to know: The Central League champion Lions have a 90-minute drive that covers 70-plus miles for this game. Liberty has a three-mile drive that takes eight minutes. Fair? No. But it is what it is. (See above.)

***Chester (16-10) vs. La Salle (19-5)
At Archbishop Carroll High, 4:30
What to know: The Clippers are in the unfavorable spot of losing three straight heading into states; meanwhile, the Explorers won a hotly-contested District 12 title game. It seems like the teams are going in opposite directions.

COUGARS LOOKING FORWARD TO SECOND SEASON

2010-03-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

Yes, Springfield lost the District One Class AAA championship game Saturday. Yes, it was within reach. Yes, the Cougars have won only two district titles since 1945.

But, hey - why hang your head about a five-point loss to top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep? There's still the PIAA playoffs. It's new life for these Cougars.

"Maybe in a day or two, we can start talking about it and getting ready for it," said junior forward Adam Washington, who scored 15 points. "This was the game we wanted to win. We just didn't do it."

Junior guard Zack DeVito was so stung by the loss that, on two occasions in post-game interviews, he forgot the questions he was trying to answer.

"This one hurts because this was a goal of ours from the beginning of the season," said senior forward Wally Rutecki. "It didn't happen for us, but we can focus on states now."

Springfield (18-8) begins its PIAA journey Friday.

SPRINGFIELD STUMBLES IN DISTRICT TITLE GAME

2010-03-06T22:40:00.002-05:00

And just like that, Springfield's district-title aspirations were dashed.

The Cougars dropped a back-and-forth District One Class AAA title tilt to Holy Ghost Prep, 47-42, Saturday night at Villanova's Pavilion.

Adam Washington scored 15 points (on 6-for-10 scoring), Dave Carpenter had eight and Zack DeVito and Wally Rutecki had six apiece for Springfield (18-8), which faces District 12's Murrell Dobbins in the first round of the PIAA playoffs next week.

More to come...

VIEWS FROM THE PATRIOTS' DISTRICT VICTORY

2010-03-06T15:49:00.004-05:00

Friday night, Penn Wood put the finishing touches on its first District One Class AAAA championship in 18 years ... and the Daily Times was all over it. (Game story and column can be found here.)

The Times was on the baseline, too, with staff photographer Bob Gurecki nabbing some shots of the action:
Penn Wood reserve forward Jeff Kyem pulls down a rebound in front of Plymouth-Whitemarsh's C.J. Aiken in the first half.

Shawn Oakman (center) embraces Aaron Brown (left) and Will Brown (right) in the moments following the Patriots' upset of the Colonials.

Reserve guard Jerry Price (No. 1) rushes to the court after the buzzer to meet Will Brown and Aaron Brown (back) following the Patriots' first district championship victory since 1992.

AROUND THE STATE
In a major upset, Reading dispatched Hempfield, 54-46, Saturday in the District Three Class AAAA title game. Hempfield, the top seed, had gone 27-0 en route to the title game.

What that does is make Penn Wood's road to a repeat as state champion a little more bumpy, with Reading winning and going to the West side of the PIAA bracket. The weekend is long, so let's see how the rest of the bracket shakes out before we reach any conclusions.

AROUND THE COUNTY
In the District One Class AAAA seventh-place game. Penncrest toppled Chester, 56-53, at West Chester East High School. The Lions' Rodney Duncan went off for 31 points, a career high. The Clippers trailed by 10 with two minutes to go before closing the gap. According to Penncrest coach Mike Doyle, Duncan's point tally is the best for any Lion in more than eight years.

PENN WOOD CLAIMS THE DISTRICT ONE CROWN

2010-03-05T22:47:00.005-05:00

Congratulations, Penn Wood Patriots: You are the 2009-10 District One Class AAAA champions.

For the first time since 1992, the Patriots own that distinction, after having beaten Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 54-49, Friday night at the Pavilion.

The Patriots needed an overtime session to overcome a deficit that seemed to last the entire game ... and overcome the top-ranked team in the state and top-seeded team in the district.

Here's what we know about the Patriots:
***They still haven't lost to a team from Pennsylvania.
***They needed every ounce of veteran leadership and playoff experience against the Colonials.
***And, most importantly, they will face District Three's seventh seed, Penn Manor, a team the Patriots beat by five in the opening round of states a year ago.

Ahh, states --- now, the real fun begins.

HAVERFORD HIGH HAS FUN DURING LAST PRACTICE

2010-03-05T20:02:00.004-05:00

Haverford High coach Terry McNichol and the Fords had a rough go this season, finishing with only two wins.

Still, the longtime coach and his players decided to have some fun last month during their last practice of the season. Per tradition, the Fords arrive at Juenger Gymnasium wearing retro clothes. That's retro look AND retro fit, as you can tell by the photos. It's a nice way to turn the page on a tough year. (Though, it is worth noting that Haverford High won two of its final five games.)

The other photo here is of McNichol, right, and senior Dan McWilliams, who arrived to practice trying to replicate what his coach wears. (Pretty good guess on McWilliams' part.) Anyway, McWilliams missed the whole season due to injury ... but he didn't miss any practices. Retro Day certainly was no exception.

Kudos to the Fords for keeping a good attitude during a tough season.

RELYING ON ITS YOUTH, CARROLL HOLDS ON

2010-03-04T00:07:00.004-05:00

So Archbishop Carroll, minus two of its best players, hung on for a 48-43 victory Wednesday over Simon Gratz. The win does a number of things for the Patriots:

*** It assured them of District 12's third and final slot in the upcoming Class AAA tournament.
*** It guarantees that they'll have a chance to defend their state title.
*** It grants extensions to the careers of seniors D.J. Irving and Ben Mingledough, who missed the play-in game for varying reasons. (See previous posts)

Without Irving and Mingledough, the Patriots had to go young. Just how raw was Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk's lineup?

A first-time starter, freshman Yosef Yacob needed to be coached on how to bump fists with the game's officials following introductions. At first, he broke the huddle and went back toward the Carroll bench.

"He went to shake my hand," Romanczuk said. "It was obvious he had never started before."

And junior guard/forward Juan'ya Green, a first-time captain, knew little of the goings-on in the pregame meeting at midcourt.

"There was a funny exchange at center court, with the captains and coaches there," Romanczuk continued. "(The officials) asked who the speaking captain was for us and Juan'ya was the only one out there who was going to play and D.J was the other one, so Juan'ya raised his hand and said, 'I'm No. 10.'

"The officials said, 'We still need to see your jersey.' So usually the captains pull up their (warmups) and show their jerseys. But Juan'ya didn't grasp that concept because that's the first time he's ever been out there for a captains' meeting."

Either way, the Patriots move on. And, according to their coach, "they matured" Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD, CARROLL BOTH EXTEND SEASONS

2010-03-03T21:40:00.002-05:00

Springfield knew that, had it lost Wednesday, it still had one more game in the District One Class AAA bracket. Archbishop Carroll didn't have that luxury.

But both took care of business in the respective brackets.

Springfield knocked off Octorara, 46-44, at West Chester East. The Cougars move into the district final Saturday against Holy Ghost Prep.

Carroll had to erase an eight-point deficit late to beat Simon Gratz, 48-43, at Archbishop Ryan. A win helps the Patriots stave off elimination, by winning District 12's No. 3 seed and move into states to try to defend their state crown.

That's it for now. More to come later...

PENN WOOD ADVANCES TO DISTRICT TITLE GAME

2010-03-03T01:13:00.002-05:00

Penn Wood made it all the way back to the District One Class AAAA championship game.

A year after winning the PIAA title, the Patriots get a shot at winning the one crown that eluded them during a magical 2008-09 season. The Patriots solidified their return trip to the district title game Tuesday with a 71-49 win over Souderton.

Shawn Oakman (pictured), a junior center for coach Clyde Jones' team, had a breakout game. The 6-9, 245-pound Oakman scored a career-best 22 points, pulled in 10 rebounds, dished three assists and blocked three shots in the rout of the Indians. He was one of four players to score in double figures.

And about that championship game...

Everyone with any knowledge of District One has been saying since November that it's going to be an all PW title game. Now, that's official. Top-seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh knocked off West Chester Rustin to move on to play Penn Wood for the crown.

And we're not just talking about the best two teams in the district --- they're the best two in the state. More incentive to get your tickets ASAP for Friday's final.

CARROLL WITHOUT TWO STARTERS FOR PLAY-IN GAME?

2010-03-01T23:43:00.003-05:00

Who would've thought Archbishop Carroll losing Monday in the Catholic League championship would be the least of its problems?

Already coping with All-Delco point guard D.J. Irving sidelined with a fracture in his shooting hand, the Patriots have another problem afoot following their 75-59 loss to Neumann-Goretti at the Palestra.

Senior forward Ben Mingledough (pictured) was ejected from the game after stepping in to break up a confrontation between teammate Vince Mostardi and the Saints' Tony Chennault, a Wake Forest-bound guard who is four inches taller than Mostardi. That means the Patriots will be without both Mingledough and Irving (assuming he doesn't cut off his cast) when they take on Simon Gratz Wednesday in the District 12 Class AAA play-in game.

A year ago, Carroll beat Gratz in the play-in on its way to the PIAA crown. Still, you have to imagine the Patriots would like their odds against the Bulldogs a whole lot more with their second- and third-leading scorers on the court instead of on the bench.

PLAYOFF SITES ANNOUNCED

2010-03-01T13:24:00.003-05:00

The locations and times for upcoming District One boys basketball playoff games have been announced. If you're a fan of a team in Class AAAA, you're staying close to home. If you follow Springfield, you better gas up.

Here's what you're looking at:
Tuesday - Class AAAA
Semifinal: Penn Wood vs. Souderton, Villanova, 6 p.m.
Fifth-place playback: Penncrest vs. Pennsbury, Norristown, 6 p.m.
Fifth-place playback: Chester vs. Neshaminy, Norristown, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Class AAA
Semifinal: Springfield vs. Octorara, West Chester East, 7:30 p.m.

VIEW FROM THE BASELINE

2010-02-28T16:02:00.003-05:00

In case you didn't pick up the Sunday Times, the Daily Times sports staff was ALL over the District One Class AAAA, AAA and A playoffs. We had a writer at all six boys basketball postseason games.

We also had staff photographer at a few of them. Here's Bob Gurecki's view from the baseline:

Marple Newtown's Soutiri Sapnas drives past a Harriton defender Wednesday during the Tigers' District One Class AAA first-round victory.

Penncrest's Rodney Duncan eludes Plymouth-Whitemarsh's C.J. Aiken Saturday in the Lions' loss to the Colonials in a District One Class AAAA quarterfinal.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson tries to bring in an offensive rebound in the Clippers' District One Class AAAA quarterfinal loss to Souderton.

INJURY COULD SIDELINE IRVING IN CATHOLIC FINAL

2010-02-27T11:22:00.003-05:00

Archbishop Carroll's D.J. Irving has never missed a game in his four-year varsity career, though it seems likely the senior will sit out Monday's Catholic League championship game against Neumann-Goretti.

Irving broke the middle finger on his right shooting hand Wednesday during the Patriots' 51-47 Catholic semifinal victory over La Salle. His hand is set in a cast. Irving said he will make a decision Monday based on how he feels.

Here's more from Irving on the injury:

Q: How do you feel about your team playing without you?
A: I'm pretty confident and we haven't even had practice yet, because of the snow the last two days. Everybody's going to step up and do what they need to do to be successful.

Q: How did you know your finger was broken?
A: I felt something and I heard a little crack. I thought it was just my knuckle cracking. I knew I never felt anything like that before. Usually I could just shake it off, but this was killing me.

Q: So why did you try to get back in the game?
A: I had to test it. I told the trainer that I felt fine and I checked myself back into the game, basically. When I first got in, I could dribble a little with my right hand. I drove to the basket with my right and missed a layup. Later, I shot a 3. I was wide open and I missed it. I knew it was something serious when that happened.

For the full story, check out Saturday's Daily Times.

SURPRISE! NO DISTRICT PLAYOFF GAMES TONIGHT

2010-02-26T15:29:00.002-05:00

Did that subject line shock anyone? It shouldn't have, seeing as the only Delaware County school that held classes Friday was Springfield (with a two-hour delay, of course).

Anyway, here's what you need to know about the District One playoffs:
**All Friday boys games were moved to Saturday, same times and same places
**Only exception to the above statement: Marple Newtown vs. Holy Ghost Prep at 4 p.m. (rather than 7:30)
**Two Saturday girls games slated to be played at Harriton High were moved to Plymouth-Whitemarsh.

And this is the entire Delco slate, including girls games:
Boys Class AAAA
Chester vs. Souderton, Norristown High School, 6
Penncrest vs. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Norristown High School, 7:30
Penn Wood vs. Neshaminy, West Chester East High School, 7:30
Boys Class AAA
Springfield vs. Phoenixville, West Chester East High School, 1
Marple Newtown vs. Holy Ghost Prep, Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, 4
Boys Class A
Delco Christian vs. Christopher Dock, West Chester East High School, 6
Girls Class AAA
Radnor vs. Villa Maria, Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, 1
Springfield vs. Merion Mercy, Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, 2:30
Girls Class A
Delco Christian vs. Sacred Heart, West Chester Rustin High School, 1

Check here for the full report.

ALL-STAR LABOR CLASSIC ROSTERS ANNOUNCED

2010-02-25T22:37:00.002-05:00

The All-Star Labor Classic rosters are here.

One of the best all-star games around, the game benefits United Cerebral Palsy -- a very worthy cause. The showcase will be held Sunday, April 11, at La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena. It follows a Suburban vs. City format (click photo below to view an enlarged view of the whole roster.)

SUBURBAN TEAM. The 16-man team, coached in part by Penncrest's Mike Doyle, features 10 players from Delaware County (including three from Penn Wood):
***Will Brown, Penn Wood
***Tyree Johnson, Penn Wood
***Dequan Pelzer, Penn Wood
***Brian Parker, Chichester
***Soutiri Sapnas, Marple Newtown
***Ryan Hanley, Marple Newtown
***Cameron Gunter, Ridley
***Laquan Robinson, Chester
***Rodney Duncan, Penncrest
***Andrew Radomicki, Penncrest

CITY TEAM. The 16-man team, coached by Neumann-Goretti's Carl Arrigale, has only two Delco representatives:
***D.J. Irving, Archbishop Carroll
***Ben Mingledough, Archbishop Carroll

It's sure to be a competitive game. I've been there and the past - it always has been, always will be. Save the date and check it out.