“This is brand new territory for us,” stated Bucks County head coach Jim Kenny. “We’ve never been here before.”

Those were the words uttered by the man who has held the top post for the Bucks County all-stars for the past six years now. He said them after the local boys downed the Sonny Hill Juniors in double overtime in the Albert C. Donofrio Classic April 14 at Fellowship House in Conshohocken.

Earlier in the tourney, the boys from Bucks defeated Filly Sol, Don-Len, The Old School Cavs and the Sonny Hill Juniors before falling to the I-3 All-Stars April 15 in the finale.

The win over the Sonny Hill team took a pair of overtime sessions and took efforts from a couple of Pennsbury seniors to get to overtime.

Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper led the way with 39 points, including a 3-point play he pulled off with the Bucks boys trailing by 5 points with less than a minute to play.

The West Virginia-bound Pepper finished off an end-to-end drive with a reverse layup then sank the ensuing free throw to draw his team within a pair.

Then, with only seconds left, Falcon junior Jesse Krasna tied the game at 78-all, sending it into its first overtime.

In overtime, Bucks was up by 3 points with 14 seconds to go when the Sonny Hill team hit a 3-pointer that sent the battle into a second extra session.

The locals finally outpaced Sonny Hill, 12-7, in the second OT to emerge with a 101-96 semifinal victory.

The area players included Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris, Andrew Stress and Arron Goodman from Council Rock North and Neshaminy freshman Ryan Arcidiacono. Will Barrett and Greg Johnson represented CB South.
***
--Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

Labels: boys basketball, Council Rock North, Pennsbury

Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper (right of center) was honored with the MVP Award April 15 at the conclusion of the Albert C. Donofrio basketball tournament. Pepper scored 39 points in a semifinal win before surpassing that total with 45 points scored in the championship.

The tourney takes place every year at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken. Pepper was part of the Bucks County all-stars, a team that's guided by CR North teacher Jim Kenny and consists of a bunch of locals from Pennsbury, Council Rock North and CB South, among some other area schools.

Bucks made it all the way to the finals after defeating the Sonny Hill Juniors in the semis and the Old School Cavs in the quarters. The I-3 All-Stars captured the top prize in the tourney, defeating the Bucks boys, 106-90.

Pepper and Norristown's Khalif Wyatt were bestowed with MVP trophies. Wyatt was named the winner of the Tony Samartino MVP Award while Pepper won the Art Andre MVP Award.

Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris took the Little Big Man Award and Friends Central junior forward Dominic Morris won the Sportsmanship Award.

In all, there were 12 players bound for Division I schools playing in this tourney. Pepper is going to West Virginia. Dirugeris is headed for Philadelphia University. Wyatt has committed to Temple University.
***
--Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris (right) was honored with The Little Big Man Award April 15 at the conclusion of the Albert C. Donofrio basketball tournament. Eddie scored at or near double figures in each game of the tourney.

The tourney takes place every year at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken. Dirugeris was part of the Bucks County all-stars, a team that's guided by CR North teacher Jim Kenny and consists of a bunch of locals from Pennsbury, Council Rock North and CB South, among some other area schools.

Bucks made it all the way to the finals after defeating the Sonny Hill Juniors in the semis and the Old School Cavs in the quarters. The I-3 All-Stars captured the top prize in the tourney, defeating the Bucks boys, 106-90.

Pennsbury standout Dalton Pepper and Norristown's Khalif Wyatt were bestowed with MVP trophies.

In all, there were 12 players bound for Division I schools. Pepper is going to West Virginia. Dirugeris is headed for Philadelphia University.

Dirugeris has followed in his father’s footsteps; Eddie Sr., who captured the tournament MVP trophy in 1975 as a Bensalem High senior, scoring 55 points in a single game.
***
- Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

“This is brand new territory for us,” stated Bucks County head coach Jim Kenny. “We’ve never been here before.”
Those were the words uttered by the man who has guided the Bucks County all-stars for the past six years now. He said them after the local boys downed the Sonny Hill Juniors in double overtime April 14 in the Albert C. Donofrio Classic.
Before this, the furthest Kenny took the Bucks County boys was the semifinals. But that's where the road ended for the 2004 area all-stars.
Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper led the way with 39 points including a 3-point play he pulled off with the Bucks boys trailing by 5 points with less than a minute to play. The West Virginia-bound Pepper finished off an end-to-end drive with a reverse layup then sank the ensuing free throw to draw his team within a pair.
Then with only seconds left, Falcon junior Jesse Krasna tied the game at 78-all, sending it into overtime.
“We were down by 5 [points] with less than a minute to go and we had to do something,” stated Kenny. “We went with the Pennsbury backcourt--that’s what got us here; you have to go with what works.”
In overtime, Bucks was up by 3 points with 14 seconds to go when the Sonny Hill team hit a 3-pointer that sent the battle into a second extra session.
The locals finally outpaced Sonny Hill, 12-7, in the second OT to emerge with a 101-96 semifinal victory and advance to Wednesday night’s championship battle with the A-I all-stars, a team led by Norristown standout Kalif Wyatt.
Against Sunny Hill in the semis, Pepper wasn’t the only player putting the pill into the box. CB South senior Will Barrett did his part, scoring 22 points. Germantown Academy forward added 17 points together with 16 rebounds.
Philadelphia University-bound Eddie Dirugeris put 10 points into the bucket. Krasna added 7. Neshaminy freshman Ryan Arcidiacono contributed with a bucket of his own. CR North’s Andrew Stress was 1-for-2 from the foul line. And Greg Johnston added 3 points to the Bucks County team’s cause.
Savon Goodman, an 11th-grader from Academy of the New Church, led the scoring effort for Sonny Hill with 29 points. Devonte Newbill, a 6-4 guard from Strawberry Mansion High, hit for 27. Brandon Brown, a 6-3 forward from Cardinal Dougherty put 16 points into the bucket. North Catholic’s Xavier Harris was next with 13 points.
##

Bucks County 101, Sonny Hill Juniors 96
Bucks County 40 38 11 12 – 101
Sonny Hill Juniors 34 44 11 7 - 96
Bucks County
Dalton Pepper 15 5-7 39; Ed DiRugeris 3 4-7 10; Will Barrett 7 7-9 22; Jeff Holton 6 5-9 17; Greg Johnston 1 1-2 3; Jesse Krasna 2 0-0 7; Duffy Barrett 0 0-0 0; Ryan Arcidiacono 1 0-0 2; Andrew Stress 0 1-2 1. Totals 35 25-38 101.
Sonny Hill Juniors
Devonte Newbill 12 2-5 27; Xavier Harris 6 1-4 13; Saadia Berry 2 0-0 5; Mustafa Jones 2 0-0 5; Savon Goodman 13 3-8 29; Isiah Baker 0 0-0 0; Brandon Brown 6 4-6 16; Mark Houston 0 0-0 0; Jerrod Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 41 10-23 96
***
3-point goals: SHJ- Newbill, Jones; BC- Pepper 4, Barrett, Johnston

Labels: boys basketball

The Pennsbury High School basketball team’s Dalton Pepper received yet another honor this week when he was named the Associated Press’ Pennsylvania Class AAAA boys’ basketball player of the year.

The 6-foot-5 Pepper, who will be playing at West Virginia next season, made the all-state team for the third time after averaging 24.4 points on the fourth straight Pennsbury team to reach the PIAA state playoffs.

Pepper scored 2,107 career points - five short of setting a new all-time lower Bucks record - and had nearly 1,000 rebounds while leading the Falcons to a 104-20 record during his career.

During that span, Pennsbury never lost a league game and reached the state semifinals two years ago and the quarterfinals this past season.

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

Pennsbury, the fourth place finisher in District One, takes on district runnerup Penn Wood at 2 p.m. today in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals. The Falcons last faced Penn Wood in a district consolatioon matchup in the postseason last year at Norristown. The site of this battle is The Pavilion at Villanova University. The pre-game starts at 1:30.
To listen live, click here
Trenton Catholic Academy takes on St. Patrick's today at 4 p.m. That game is being broadcast live by WHWH 1350 AM. The pre-game starts at 1:45.
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

While the Falcons fell to fourth place in the District One Class AAAA tourney, Pennsbury bounced back in states with a 51-26 triumph over North catholic March 7 at Council Rock South gymnasium.
The Falcons (23-5) continue their quest for a state title at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Geigle Complex in Reading as they take on District 3 champion Central Dauphin East (27-3), who advanced over the weekend with a 59-44 vicory over Glen Mills.
The game will be broadcast live by WBCB 1490 AM starting at 7:30 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 7 p.m.
To listen live here, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

After finishing in fourth place in the district, Pennsbury still has a chance to reach its goal of earning a state title.
The Falcons (22-5) open the PIAA Class AAAA tournament at 1 p.m. today against Northeast Catholic (17-8).
The battle takes place at the Council Rock South High School gym but you can listen to the live broadcast on WBCB 1490 AM.
Tipoff is 1 p.m. with the pre-game starting at 12:30.
To listen live here, click here

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury, WBCB

Tonight, high school hoops fans can listen to Mercer County boys basketball action as West Windsor Plainsboro South takes on Sayreville.
Listen to the live broadcast on 1350AM WHWH starting at 7 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 6:45.
To listen live here, click here

Labels: boys basketball, WHWH

By Bill Kenny
For BucksLocalSports

NORRISTOWN — If Pennsbury High School’s loss to Norristown last Tuesday in the District One Class AAAA semifinals was a mere bump in the road toward a coveted state championship, then the Falcons fell into a full-fledged sinkhole yesterday.
Pennsbury sputtered its way through the tournament’s third-place game against Conestoga and essentially stalled for one eight-minute stretch of play on the way to a 54-52 defeat.
Conestoga’s Doug Jakiela supplied the winning bucket with three seconds to go as point guard Matt O’Hara fed a pass to the forward, who cut to the rim and converted an acrobatic lay-up.
Pennsbury’s Dalton Pepper then missed a half-court shot at the buzzer. He finished with a game-high 22 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
By finishing fourth in the district, Pennsbury will open the 32-team PIAA state tournament next Saturday against Philadelphia’s Northeast Catholic, the third-place team from District 12, at a time and location to be announced.
The final sequence ended a see-saw battle in which the fourth-seeded Falcons (22-5) led by as many as eight points early in the second quarter, only to see second-seeded Conestoga (26-3) reel off 16 in a row to end that period and open the third.
Pennsbury went the first six minutes of the second half without scoring and trailed by as many as 11 points, but rallied to tie the game four times in the final five minutes of play.
The Falcons never recaptured the lead.
For head coach Frank Sciolla, the bigger frustration lay not in the Falcons’ loss, but in how it occurred. Much like the Norristown game, Pennsbury settled for too many outside shots, the coach said.
The Falcons made 10 3-pointers, but failed to get to the basket consistently. As a result, they got outscored at the foul line and failed to get Conestoga’s big men – notably 6-foot-10 center Jake Cohen – into foul trouble.
“We spent 10 minutes at halftime saying that we have to shoot lay-ups. They had to spend three timeouts in the beginning of the second half to tell them we have to shoot lay-ups,” Sciolla said. “We were shooting threes against a team that we can get to the basket on anytime we want.”
Pepper hit four from beyond the arc and Eddie DiRugeris hit two. DiRugeris finished with 12 points.
“We know coming in that it would be difficult to score and there would be (difficult) stretches,” Sciolla said. “That would’ve been OK if we tried to execute (our offense).”
Defensively, Pennsbury allowed more than 50 points for the second straight game after doing it just six times throughout the regular season. The Falcons are 4-4 in those games.
Cohen finished with 19 points and Jakiela with 17 points. O’Hara recorded six of his seven assists after halftime.
Sciolla praised the Falcons’ mental toughness in bouncing back from their long scoreless spell.
“We were down big. We were out of it. We came back into it, but it’s still a loss,” the coach said.

Pennsbury (52)
Krasna 2-2-7, Devine 1-0-3, DiRugeris 4-2-12, Pepper 7-4-22, Marcinkowski 0-0-0, Healey 1-0-3, Dulac 1-0-2, Wolff 0-0-0, Bolger 1-0-3, Kumor 0-0-0. Totals 17-8-52.
Conestoga (54)
Scott 3-0-7, Shapiro 2-0-5, O’Hara 0-2-2, Jakiela 7-3-17, Cohen 6-7-19, Ikeda 0-0-0, Dolby 0-0-0, Scott 0-0-0, Mita 2-0-4, Marshall 0-0-0. Totals 20-12-54.

Pennsbury (22-5) 16 7 8 21-52
Conestoga (23-6) 8 18 12 16-54
3-pointers: Krasna, Devine, DiRugeris 2, Pepper 4, Healey, Bolger (P); Scott, Shapiro (C).

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

While the Falcons fell, 60-53, to Norristown Feb. 24 at the Liacouras Center, Pennsbury will take another step toward its goal of winning a state title when it travels to Norristown today (Feb. 28) to battle Conestoga in the consolation round of the 32-team District One Quad-A tournament.
Pennsbury (22-4), the No. 4 seed, will take on the second-seeded Pioneers in a battle for third place in District One. Conestoga lost their semifinal to third-seeded Penn Wood.
The game will be broadcast live by WBCB 1490 AM starting at 2:30 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 2 p.m.
To listen live here, click here

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury, WBCB

High School hoops fans treated to a hoot'nanny

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

AMBLER - High School hoops fans, if you weren’t at Wissahickon High School last night around 7:30, you missed a real treat.

Despite trailing Strath Haven by 20 points at halftime in a District One Class AAA semifinal, Holy Ghost Prep roared back to lock the sides at 59 points apiece and send the battle into overtime.

Only 6.2 seconds separated the Firebirds from victory in this one. Trailing throughout most of the extra session, the Ghost took a 1-point edge on Tyler Juchne’s seemingly misdirected 3-pointer that somehow bounced in off the glass, giving the Prep the lead with less than 30 seconds to go.

At the other end of the court, HGP senior John Glenn, who took control of the game with 13 points in the second half and OT, came down with the rebound after a Panthers miss.

Strath Haven wasted no time in sending Glenn to the charity stripe where he made 1-of-2 free throws to put his team up by a pair with mere seconds to go.

In the end, SH senior Calvin Newell, the player the Ghost could not stop all night, became the birds’ undoing, sinking a fade-away 3-pointer as time expired. For the game, Newell drained 40 points including a pair of free throws that sent the battle into overtime.

“There’s only so much you can do to contain a guy like that,” stated HGP senior John Glenn. “Even in the first half, he wasn’t missing any of his shots. And that just carried over to the second half.”

“He was unbelievable; he is faster than anyone on our team. He’s got everything you need to be to a Division I [recruit].”

A disappointing ending for Firebirds fans, sure. But how the Ghost came back in this one, well, you had to see it to believe it.

After outpacing second-seeded HGP, 18-9 in the first quarter, Strath Haven posted a 10-0 run to open the second period and extend the lead to 28-9. Part of the Panthers run included a pair of threes by--you guessed it--Newell.

Holy Ghost pretty much went bucket-for-bucket with No. 6 seed Strath Haven throughout the remainder of the first half but the damage had been done.

“I just told them to try to get the [Panthers] lead down to 10 points--to the point where it was more manageable,” said HGP skipper Tony Chapman. “Don’t try to chew it all up at once.”

The ‘birds did just that, chipping away at a seemingly insurmountable Haven edge by opening the second half with an 8-2 run that knocked six points off the opponent’s lead.

A jumper by Mike Byrne and a 3-pointer by Glenn closed the gap down to Chapman’s magic number 10. And Byrne’s 3-pointer at the buzzer trimmed the Panthers’ edge down to seven by the end of the third period.

The Ghost erased the Panthers’ edge with an 8-0 spurt to open the final frame. Glenn hit the first of two free throws to put HGP up 49-48. The ‘birds soon found themselves down by 3 points after a putback basket by Chazz Fisher and a much-too-easy layup by Newell off an inbounds pass.

Trailing, 57-53, after another 3-pointer by Newell, the Ghost bounced back again, this time on a jumper by Byrne and an inside bucket by Glenn following an HGP steal at mid-court.
When junior Owen Kirby notched a pair of free throws, the ‘birds had themselves a 59-57 edge with 1:20 to go.

In the end, the Ghost just got too far behind in the first half. To see how differently the ‘birds played in the first half, witness the points differential by each player.
HGP’s points leader for the game with 15, Glenn tallied a single field goal in the first period and was held off the board in the second.

After draining a single shot--a 3-pointer in the first period--before the intermission, Byrne poured 9 points into the bucket after the break. Phil Pastor was another player held off the board in the second period. He went on to tally 10 points for the game after netting just a single field goal in the initial period.

After notching just a single foul shot in the first half, senior Duffy Barrett went on to score 8 for the game. Even Kirby doubled his first-half points total of two in the first half.

The only HGP player whose first half total actually came close to mirroring his second half was junior Nate Lorence.

Nursing along a sore knee, Lorence didn’t enter the game until the second period. The big center tallied 7 first-half points including 5-of-6 from the foul line before adding 6 points after the break.

In the end, it was the Firebirds’ inability to contain Newell that narrowed their chances of victory in the district semifinal matchup.

“There’s only so much you can do against a player like him; we tried doubling him but he split off the double teams,” explained Glenn. “He gets to the basket; he has good body control.
“He’s just an incredible player.”

Holy Ghost gets another chance to extend its season at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 back at Wissahickon when the ‘birds take on 12th-seeded Harriton, which lost 52-41 to Phoenixville in the other semifinal. Meanwhile, Strath Haven will battle top-seeded Phoenixville for the District One AAA championship at Villanova University. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at The Pavilion.


LINESCORES
1 2 3 4 5 Final
Strath Haven 18 19 11 11 9 68
Holy Ghost 9 8 24 18 8 67
(Feb. 25 at Wissahickon HS)

Strath Haven
Player Points
Calvin Newell 40
Avatar Jones 8
Chazz Fisher 7
Jack Roberts 6
Patrick Fisher 3
Dan Morris 2
Joseph Raymond 2
***
Holy Ghost Prep
Player Points
John Glenn 15
Nate Lorence 13
Mike Byrne 12
Phil Pastor 10
Duffy Barrett 8
Owen Kirby 6

Labels: boys basketball, Holy Ghost Prep

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

This is big news in the high school basketball community.
The Rick & Chris Block Memorial Alumni Classic basketball game will NOT take place this year. The Block family had hosted the game at Pennsbury High School East for the past 14 years.
Oh, the Block family is still hosting a March 7 fundraiser that helps fund a scholarship named for Pennsbury High hoops standouts Rick and Chris Block.
But the game has been canceled.
The reason is the red hot Pennsbury boys basketball team. When Block family members made a recent decision to cancel the game, the Falcons hadn’t lost a game to a regional opponent. Of course, by now everyone’s heard that 4th-seeded Pennsbury lost their district semifinal match to No. 8 seed Norristown.
Still, the Blocks wanted to support the orange and black.
“Our supporters are people who follow high school basketball, mainly Pennsbury,” said family matriarch Jan Block. “The question was ‘how do you do this when the entire community is hepped up over the team?’”
The annual event will still be held Saturday, March 7, only now it will take the form of a beef-and-beer to be held at DaBar on New Falls Road in Fairless Hills.
And the Block scholarship will still be awarded, though according to Ms. Block, family members aren’t exactly sure when and where that announcement will take place.
“The [scholarship] will not go away,” said Jan Block. “My sons will still be honored with this scholarship, no matter what.”
The Block Memorial Classic and the night of family fun and entertainment that surrounded it was begun initially as a way for the Blocks to remember family member and Pennsbury hoops standout Rick Block (Class of 1980) who died tragically in a plane crash in 1994.
Chris is a 1985 Pennsbury graduate and hoops star who was inducted into the PHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. For more than a decade, Chris was instrumental in organizing the alumni basketball game as a way of honoring his brother Rick, who was also a member of that prestigious club.
But then three-and-a-half years ago, Chris died suddenly from a condition known as Hypertrobic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), also known as an enlarged heart. So the name of the game was changed in 2006 to memorialize both brothers.
Fourth on Pennsbury's FG percentage list for his high school career, Chris was just 38 years-old when he died in his sleep in July 2005, leaving behind wife Lisa and four children. Rick still holds the record at Pennsbury for both season and career field goal percentage.
The Blocks hope that the memory of their loved ones will live on in the form of the scholarship award given to a Falcons varsity basketball player who most closely emulates the play of the Block brothers on the basketball court.
Both Rick and Chris were standout students so scholarship winners have to do more than exhibit expertise on the hardwood. They must also demonstrate the ability to perform in the classroom. To qualify for the award, athletes must have a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Last year, the award went to point guard Sarah Thorn, who now plays basketball at St. Francis University.
Past Block Memorial scholars include Bradie Vaughan, Meghan McDavid, Brian Besecker, Lindsey Krasna (Cornell), Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman, Matthew Kettles, Meghan Sweeney, Kurt Bergmann, Jeff Piscadlo, Michael Collins, Mark Hentosh, John Maxey and Jared Birnbaum.
The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. March 7 at DaBar. Door prizes include iPods, flash drives, gift certificates and sports memorabilia. The cost is $7 for adults, $3 for children.

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

It’s been a tough year for the Bristol boys on the basketball court.
For awhile, it looked like the Warriors were holding their own.
A late season skid that saw Bristol drop four in a row however to Christopher Dock, Lower Moreland, Holy Ghost Prep and Devon Prep really hurt the Warriors’ cause.
“We just have to get a couple more W’s,” said Bristol head coach Tom Ryan on Jan. 28, a day after his team lost a heartbreaker to Dock.
To their credit, the Warriors did string together a few W’s, three in the regular season and the last, a playoff-opening win over Jenkintown in the first round of districts.
Two players have contributed significantly to the late-season tear, specifically seniors Shane Davis and Eric Wade.
On Tuesday night, Davis poured 28 points into the bucket in the Warriors’ district tournament win over Jenkintown. Last week, he drained 20 points in Bristol’s double overtime triumph over New Hope-Solebury (NH-S).
“Shane has played really, really well down the stretch and that has really helped us out,” stated Ryan.
The Warriors finished up their regular season Feb. 10 at home in dramatic fashion, posting a double overtime win over NH-S.
Wade helped by penetrating the Lions’ defense and scoring points from down low. Eric also notched 20 points on the night.
“Eric [Wade] had his way; he posted people up. We did a good job getting him the ball,” stated Ryan. “And he did a good job of making his layups.
“He was cooking!”
The battle, according to Ryan, should have never came to the extra periods as the Warriors were leading the Lions by 5 points heading into the final frame.
“We had a lead and we got silly - we turned the ball over,” said Ryan. “We took bad shots we didn’t close them out.”
New Hope sent the game to an extra session, outpacing Bristol, 15-8, in the last period, hitting a 3-pointer as time ran out to lock the sides at 54-all.
“We played pretty well, overall,” stated Ryan. “We just had our moments when we lost people and couldn’t find them
“And they hurt us - they stuck the three.”
Four players reached double figures against New Hope including Davis and Wade, Carl Strand (14) and Derek Torres (10). Mike McGuire and Anthony Pinelli added 4 points apiece to the Warriors cause.
While it took six periods to complete, Bristol played good enough to win, said their coach.
“We didn’t play real intelligent throughout the whole game,” Ryan explained. “But we played with effort and we were able to get to the basket.
“Plus, they didn’t have an answer for Eric [Wade (20 pts.)]
After winning at Springfield (MontCo) - albeit sloppily - in a game that was marred by 64 fouls, the Warriors strung together back-to-back wins over BAL Independence rivals MaST Charter and New Hope-Solebury, a team that Bristol lost to the first time around.
“We’ve had a few sloppy games coming down the stretch,” admitted Ryan. “But we’ve been able to somehow weather the storm and win.”
In a mid-season battle against Dock that took place late Jan. at their place, the Warriors actually held a 7-point lead with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter only to see the Pioneers outscore them, 16-8, on its way to a 48-44 win.
“We played really, really hard. [It was] probably our best defensive effort all year,” stated Ryan.
“But down the stretch we couldn’t put it away. Too many turnovers, defensive lapses--we let them back in and they took it away”
The sloppy play continued last Saturday Feb. 7 at Springfield when the Warriors needed an extra period to get past the Spartans, a team that entered the contest with but one win (1-20).
Bristol actually led 16-2 in the first half while Springfield didn’t record its first field goal until midway through the first quarter.
Poor shooting, turnovers and fouls hurt the Warriors’ effort in this one. Bristol turned the ball over 28 times and sent the Spartans to the charity stripe 38 times. Springfield didn’t help its cause however, making good on just 17 shots from the foul line.
“That set basketball back about 40 years; it was an absolute ugly game--it had no rhythm to it at all,” said Ryan. “It’s a theme we’ve entertained this season--winning ugly games.
“But a win’s a win.”
The Spartans actually held a 4-point lead late in the fourth period while allowing Bristol to knot the score at 42-all by the final buzzer in regulation. Senior Shane Davis, who recorded a team high 26 points, scored all four points for the Warriors in the extra period.
On Feb. 9 at home, nine players reached the scoring column for the red and white as the Warriors cruised to a 68-54 win over MaST.
Senior Shane Davis led the way with 18 points. Swing-man Mike McGuire posted up with 11 as did Carl Strand, back playing Bristol boys hoops in his final campaign.
Eric Wade also reached double figures with 10 points. Andre Simmons added 9 while Tom Bradley (4), Anthony Pinelli (2), Torrey Adams (2), and Wayne Keys (1) also recorded points for the Warriors.
“We were the better team that night,” stated Ryan. “Everyone contributed; it’s good to get as many kids into the flow as you can in a game like that.”
***
Bristol might have had an easier time getting to a late-round district matchup playing against top seed Faith Christian, fifth seeded Calvary Baptist, Church Farm (No. 4) and Friend Select (No. 8).
“Playing a second seed and a third seed-that’s a tough road to go,” said Ryan.
Of course, the Warriors would still have to beat Faith Christian Academy, a formidable task as Faith is the defending champion and most likely the frontrunner to win the Class A tournament.
Ryan is still scratching his head over Church Farm’s designation as a four seed. While the No. 4 seed finished 13-7 (after starting out 3-7), Ryan says the team didn’t meet the requirement of playing 10 PIAA affiliates in order to gain entrance to districts.
Should Bristol get past Dock tomorrow night, the Warriors would then take on Girard College Tuesday Feb. 4 at a location TBA.

Labels: boys basketball, Bristol, Bristol boys basketball

By BILL KENNY
For BucksLocalSports

FAIRLESS HILLS — The deeper that Pennsbury High advances in the District One Class AAAA tournament, the easier things seem to get for the Falcons.
Four nights after routing first-round foe Council Rock South by 31, Pennsbury blitzed visiting Owen J. Roberts High of Pottstown, 70-48, last night as senior Dalton Pepper poured in 29 points in his final appearance on his home floor.
Though the final margin was less than in the CR South game, Pennsbury’s victory was no less emphatic as the Falcons led by 32 before subbing deep throughout the fourth quarter.
The victory clinched a PIAA state tournament berth for fourth-seeded Pennsbury (21-3) and set up a district tourney quarterfinal match-up with fifth-seeded Central Bucks South (21-3) on Friday night at a neutral site.
“I was a little nervous for our first two (playoff) games because if we lost, we wouldn’t qualify for the state playoffs,” Pepper said.
Actually, Owen J. Roberts (20-4) has one more shot at the state tournament. The Wildcats will enter an eight-team consolation bracket with the district’s ninth and final state berth available to the winner.
Nonetheless, if Pepper was nervous, neither he nor the Falcons showed it as he scored the team’s first seven points, as well as its final 11 of the first half. Pennsbury closed the half on a 17-6 run to take a commanding 61-32 edge.
Pepper, a 6-foot-5 wing forward, punctuated the rally with a two-handed dunk on a feed from senior guard Eddie DiRugeris with one second on the second-quarter clock.
In the third quarter, Pepper added 15 more points before sitting virtually all of the fourth. DiRugeris contributed nine points and five assists in the game.
Pennsbury approached the game as if it were facing an elite opponent, according to Pepper, even if the real competition was several notches less than that.
“We want to come out of every single game with as much intensity as anybody out there,” Pepper said. “That really helps us out a lot.”
And in the third quarter: “My teammates got me really involved with a lot of back-cuts and inside stuff. We made the extra passes and that really put them away.”
Pennsbury took the Wildcats out of everything they hoped to do offensively by getting 6-8 center Kevin Henry in foul trouble early and closing down their three-point shooters for the most part.
“We knew that they had a lot of shooters, that they play up and down the court,” Pepper said, “(that) they weren’t going to play much defense and they had a big man inside. We wanted to go to the basket as much as we could early to get him fouls and to get our big men involved early.”
Henry was whistled for two fouls in the first 1:06 of the game and sat until midway through the second quarter. Seconds later, he fouled again and sat until the second half.
He scored 13 points after intermission to lead the Wildcats for the game.
***
LINESCORES
Owen Roberts (20-4) 13 9 10 16 — 48
Pennsbury (21-3) 18 23 20 9 — 70
OWEN J. ROBERTS (48)
Vining 3-1-9, McNaughton 2-0-6, Setzler 2-0-6, Brumfield 1-0-2, K. Henry 4-5-13, Lawler 3-4-10, Costanzo 0-0-0, Ponto 0-0-0, M. Henry 0-0-0, Tammaro 0-2-2. Totals 15-12-48.
PENNSBURY (70)
Krasna 1-2-4, Devine 2-2-6, DiRugeris 4-1-9, D. Pepper 11-6-29, Marcinkowski 1-2-4, Healey 2-0-6, Wolff 0-1-1, Dulac 2-0-4, Kumor 1-0-2, Bolger 1-0-3, Sibel 0-1-1, B. Pepper 0-0-0, Jabat 0-0-0, Ciotti 0-1-1. Totals 25-16-70.
3-pointers: Vining 2, McNaughton 2, Setzler 2 (OJR); D. Pepper, Healey 2, Bolger (P).
***

District 1 CLASS AAAA
Playoff Scores

Central Bucks South 51, Glen Mills 44
Chester 66, Souderton 58
Norristown 62, West Chester Rustin 41
Penn Wood 65, Bensalem 32
Pennsbury 70, Owen J. Roberts 48
Lower Merion 45, Central Bucks West 41 OT
Conestoga 65, West Chester Henderson 36
Plymouth-Whitemarsh 63, Neshaminy 47
**
Friday’s Matchups

(at neutral sites)
Chester vs. Norristown
Pennsbury vs. Central Bucks South
Penn Wood vs. Lower Merion
Plymouth-Whitemarsh vs. Conestoga

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury, Pennsbury boys basketball

By Rick Fortenbaugh
For Buckslocalsports

The Pennsbury High School basketball team was missing two starters last night because of injuries.

The Falcons also got limited playing time from top sub Dante Devine because of an illness and were forced to temporarily pull standout Dalton Pepper from the game after he landed awkwardly on his shooting wrist.

So does this mean Pennsbury (20-3) was involved in a competitive game against Council Rock South in a PIAA District 1 Class AAAA opener?

Forget about it.

In a game that was every bit as lopsided as the final score would indicate, top-ranked Pennsbury annihilated Rock South, 76-45.

With the victory, Pennsbury advanced to a home game against Owen J. Roberts on Tuesday night and is now just one more victory away from qualifying for the state tournament.

“We were like a walking M.A.S.H. unit tonight," said Falcons coach Frank Sciolla. “It was nice to see some of other guys really contribute."

At the beginning it was all Pepper as the University of West Virginia-bound senior blitzed Rock South with 15 first-quarter points.

Pepper poured in a 3-pointer on the first shot of the game and later scored on a sensational alley-oop layup on which he was fouled.

With the Pennsbury lead at 22-12 after the first quarter, Pepper more or less shut it down from there and finished with a game-high 23 points. He also slightly injured his wrist in the first half.
“With Pep we just wanted to be careful," said Sciolla.

Enter a whole host of other Falcons, including freshman Kieran Bolger, who impressed by connecting on three treys. You’re going to be reading that name a lot in the future because he’s a player.

“On any other team Kieran would be getting a lot of playing time," said Sciolla. “You hear all about some of the other freshman in our league, but he’s up right there with the rest of them.
“To be honest Kieran is as good a shooter as we’ve had come through here. And he has a tremendous desire to improve."

The Pennsbury lead grew to 38-19 at the half when senior guard Eddie DiRugeris finished the second quarter with a long three-pointer. He had six points in this quarter and finished with 13.

By the end of the third quarter the Falcon lead up to 58-27. Guard Jesse Krasna (10 point) finished off that period with a three-pointer of his own after Pepper had thrown down a dunk.

The fourth quarter was all about Sciolla reaching even further down his bench in an effort to not completely massacre the Hawks.
***

LINESCORES
Council Rock South 12 7 8 18 — 45
Pennsbury (20-3) 22 16 20 18 — 76

COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH
Boyd 9; Nowlin 9; Merron 6; Matthews 6; Chickin 4, Clopton 3, Silverthorn 2, Brightcliffe 2; Thomas 2, Dipaolo 2.
PENNSBURY
D. Pepper 23, DiRugeris 13; Krasna 10; Bolger 9, Devine 7; Citto 5; Kumor 3; B. Pepper 2, Ryann-Wolff 2; Sibel 2.

PIAA District 1
Class AAAA Scores

Bensalem 38, Great Valley 36
Central Bucks South 68, Avon Grove 42
Central Bucks West 60, Radnor 31
Conestoga 53, Cheltenham 38
Glen Mills 62, Council Rock North 54
Neshaminy 58, Penncrest 50
Owen J. Roberts 66, Downingtown West 53
Penn Wood 70, Chichester 30
Pennsbury 76, Council Rock South 445
Plymouth-Whitemarsh 69, Methacton 55
W. Chester Henderson 66, Coatesville 59
Chester 40, North Penn 34
W.C. Rustin 62, C. Bucks East 50
Lower Merion 48, Quakertown 28

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury, Pennsbury basketball

WBCB to broadcast area playoff games

Pennsbury will take its first step toward its goal of winning a state title when it hosts SOL National rival Council Rock South tonight (Feb 13) in the opening round of the 32-team District One Quad-A tournament.

Pennsbury (19-3), the No. 4 seed, is expected to breeze through the first round, having beaten CR South (11-11), the No. 29 seed, twice in the regular season by an average 18.5 points.
The game will be broadcast by WBCB 1490 AM.

To listen live here, click here

In tonight’s other Lower Bucks playoff encounter, No. 14 Bensalem (17-5) will host No. 19 Great Valley (17-5).

That game will be broadcast live on WBCB1490.com.

To listen live here, click here

Meanwhile, No. 21 CR North (13-9) will visit No. 12 Glen Mills (15-6) and No. 23 Neshaminy (13-8) will play at No. 10 Penncrest (18-5).

Labels: Bensalem, boys basketball, Council Rock South, Pennsbury, WBCB

By Bill Kenny; For Buckslocalsports.com

The Pennsbury High School boys basketball team may be the most dissatisfied bunch ever to win a conference championship with an undefeated record.

That’s because Suburban One League National Conference perfection has become the norm for the Falcons over the last four years with all-everything senior Dalton Pepper leading a repeatedly underrated supporting cast throughout that time.

So when the Falcons clinched their fourth straight unblemished SOL season with a win over their school’s chief football rival, Neshaminy, last Friday, the celebration was actually quite subdued. Much like any other home game, the Falcons patted one another on the backs, shook hands with their defeated foes and began answering questions from the news media.

The obligatory cutting down of the nets was literally an afterthought.

And even while they set up a ladder underneath one of the backboards and scaled it one-by-one with scissors in hand, there was little reflection on what had just been accomplished. Rather, the most popular topic was what still lay ahead — the current group’s final chance at claiming a coveted PIAA state title.

“To all of us, that’s the one thing we want to do,” Pepper said after the final league game of the season against Neshaminy, one in which he scored 28 points to surpass 2,000 for his career. “If we get anything less, we’ll be disappointed.”

Pennsbury will take its first step toward that lofty goal tonight when it hosts another SOL National team, Council Rock South, in the opening round of the 32-team District One tournament. (Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m.

Pennsbury (19-3), the No. 4 seed, is expected to breeze through the first round, having beaten CR South (11-11), the No. 29 seed, twice in the regular season by an average 18.5 points.

In tonight’s other Lower Bucks playoff encounter, No. 14 Bensalem (17-5) will host No. 19 Great Valley (17-5). Meanwhile, No. 21 CR North (13-9) will visit No. 12 Glen Mills (15-6) and No. 23 Neshaminy (13-8) will play at No. 10 Penncrest (18-5).

Because District One is so dominant at the state level in Class AAAA, Pennsylvania’s large-school bracket, the district gets nine automatic bids in the forthcoming PIAA tournament. So, a team need only win two district games to get to states.

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

Plans are underway for the 6th annual Jimmy V CYO Basketball Tournament to be held Feb. 19 through the 22 at St. John the Evangelist's parish center in Yardley.

This event was established six years ago, based on a young girl's - Kaity Moonan's - wish to make a difference and the relationship that she and the St. John’s Parish Community have developed with the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

The tournament provides an opportunity for nearly 400 CYO basketball players to play in a fun environment. Players are introduced before the games.

There will be a silent auction, commemorative T-shirts and a Remembrance Wall. A disc jockey will be playing music for your listening pleasure.

Jim Valvano’s famous 'Never give up' speech that he gave at the ESPY awards shortly before he passed away from this dreaded disease will be playing in the lobby.

Last year, over 2000 people came to the event over the four days it was held and over $22,000 was raised for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Each year, the event recognizes an individual or family who has been affected cancer. This year, will be dedicated to the Berry family of Yardley.

Family patriarch Chris Berry lost his battle to Leukemia at age 43 last spring. His daughter Nicole is fighting Osteosarcoma, which she contracted early last year and is responding well to treatment.

Nancy Berry and her children--Nicole, who is a Junior at Villa Joseph Marie, Lauren who is at Temple University and Matt, who is a 5th-grader at St. Ignatius--are wonderful people as well as our neighbors and friends.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the event, donating money or items to be used for a raffle or silent auction, please call Linda Carl at (215) 428-1777.

Labels: boys basketball

The Conwell-Egan Catholic troops on their way to Ryan to battle the Vikings.

Eagles end 15-year postseason drought

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor


Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) came up short in its first playoff appearance in 15 years last night (Feb. 11) at Archbishop Ryan.

Fourth-seeded Archbishop Wood (16-6, overall, 11-6 PCL Blue) outpaced the Eagles, 49-37. Fran Dougherty led the way with 13 points and four of the Vikings reached double digits including Brian O'Grady (11), Joe Getz (11) and Tim Fahy (10).

Isaac Robinson led the effort for Egan with 14 points. Jonas Skovdal and Dave Delattre added 7 points apiece. The Eagles finish their season at 11-12 overall, 8-9 in the Catholic League-Blue.
Oh but what a year it was for Egan, which made a name for itself in the annals of Eagles hooplore.

***
CEC senior Jonas Skovdal is to his team as Donovan McNabb is to his Eagles. If Donny is having a bad day (and he's had them), you know the birds are going to struggle.

It's the same way with Egan's Eagles. Skovdal struggled to score points early on in the season. And the CEC Eagles had a hard time winning games in the Catholic League, dropping their first five league contests.

"Jonas has struggled; I don't think he had the season he anticipated early on," stated CEC head coach Rick Sabol. He's really come on strong of late.

"As a team, as Jonas goes, we go."

Conversely, Skovdal has been hitting double-digit scoring of late and Egan won four of its last seven in the Catholic League skirmishes, earning a No. 5 seed in the PCL tournament, which began Feb. 11 against Archbishop Wood.

The Eagles got smoked by the Vikings the first time these two teams faced off with Wood winning, 70-39, Dec. 15 in Warminster. But on Jan. 19 back home in Fairless Hills, the Eagles reversed their fortunes in a 50-47 victory.

The Eagles went on and took wins over Catholic League rivals McDevitt (in OT), Kennedy-Kenrick and Cardinal Dougherty and Egan earned its first berth in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) playoffs in 15 years.

Among others, Skovdal and junior Ike Robinson deserve thanks for ending the rather lengthy playoff drought. According to Sabol, Skovdal played tremendous all-around games, totaling 27 points and 22 rebounds in the two pairings against K-K and Cardinal Dougherty.
"Jonas does all the little things--[he's] a great defensive player, brings the ball up the court, takes care of the basketball,” said Sabol.

"But offensively, he just wasn't playing as well as he thought he could be early in the year.
“He's really stepped his level up and that's why we've been so successful."

Robinson led the team in scoring both nights with 17 and 21 points, respectively.

"Ike has been bringing it night in and night out--he's had a tremendous season," stated Sabol.
Against the Wolverines, Robinson led the way with 17 points. Skovdal was next with 12. Ryan Golin pitched in with 9 points. Andrew Schaefer and Dave Delattre contributed with 5 points, apiece.

Matt Petrizzi (4), Kyle Bonner (3) and Shayne Bonner (2) also contributed to the playoff-clinching win.

Entering their Feb. 6 contest with Kennedy-Kenrick (7-15, overall, 2-14, PCL Blue), the Eagles--at 6-8 in the PCL Blue Division--needed to finish strong in order to latch onto a playoff berth. Keep in mind that Egan hadn’t made a trip to the postseason in 15 years.

With two league games left on their schedule, there was no reason to believe the Eagles would get there this year either. Friday night’s contest was at home against the Wolverines, a team Egan barely got past (41-39) in the first battle between the schools that took place Jan. 9 in enemy territory.

The Feb. 8 battle was also at home but against Dougherty (7-14, overall, 6-10, PCL Blue) a squad the Eagles hadn’t beaten in 28 tries.

According to CEC head coach Rick Sabol, Egan needed to split its weekend matchups in order to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. The Eagles did better than that, defeating Kennedy-Kendrick, 57-39, to secure only their third playoff berth in school history.

"The best part of what's going on is that we're playing our best basketball right now,” said the coach before his team set out for its playoff opener.

"We went through some ups and downs earlier in the season. But right now they have really jelled together and are playing with a great amount of confidence."

On Feb. 8, Egan cemented its No. 5 playoff seeding by soundly defeating Dougherty, 73-55. Up, 36-25, at the half, the Eagles went on a 22-11 third-quarter run to lead the Cardinals, 58-36, heading into the final frame.

Again, Robinson led the scoring effort for Egan, this time pouring 21 points into the bucket. Three CEC seniors pitched in with Skovdal (15), Shayne Bonner (14), and Billy Petraitis (10) each reaching double figures in the scoring column.

Ryan Golin (5), Dave Delattre (4) Kyle Bonner (2) and Matt Petrizzi (2) also contributed to the CEC cause.

Labels: boys basketball, Conwell-Egan

By Bill Kenny
For Buckslocalsports

Pennsbury High School made out like something of a party crasher last Sunday in the PIAA District One boys basketball committee’s version of Selection Sunday.

The event’s hosts were obligated to give the Falcons a place at the table. Yet, they weren’t about to name them the guests of honor.

Rather, defending champ Chester High School — with its first-year head coach in Larry Yarbray and lone returning starter in Temple University-signee Rahlir Jefferson — kept its hold on the captain’s chair for another year. Pennsbury, undefeated against Pennsylvania opponents this season and ranked No. 1 in the most widely recognized state poll, got the No. 4 seed.

The Falcons will host a familiar foe in Suburban One League National Conference rival Council Rock South in the first round on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale at Pennsbury at 5 p.m. that day.

If Pennsbury beats CR South for a third time this season, it will host either Owen J. Roberts or Downingtown West. Neutral sites will begin in the third round, when the Falcons could face No. 5 Central Bucks South (19-3) or a tough No. 12 in Glen Mills (15-6). Pennsbury could then see Chester in the semifinals in a re-match of last year’s state semis won by Chester in a 75-64 thriller at The Palestra.

Among other SOL National schools, Bensalem (17-5) is seeded 14th in the 32-team bracket. CR North (13-9) is 21st and CR South (11-11) 29th.

Bensalem stumbled late in the regular season with back-to-back SOL losses to Neshaminy and CR North. But the Owls returned the favor at North, 54-53 in overtime, on Feb. 4, then thumped Abington, 71-55, on Feb. 6.

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

By Bill Kenny;
For BucksLocalSports

It was with mixed emotions that Dalton Pepper and his Pennsbury High School boys basketball team took the court last night for their final regular- season home game.

With Pepper on the verge of eclipsing the magical 2,000-point plateau, the Falcons tantalizingly close to their fourth straight undefeated Suburban One League National Conference championship and a standing-room-only crowd in the house to witness it all, the anticipation couldn’t have been any greater.

Yet, there had to bit more than a touch of sadness, too, as perhaps the best basketball player ever to grace the Lower Bucks County hardwood was about to make one his final farewells.

Pepper wasted little time getting his milestone out of the way as he scored his team’s first five points to reach 2,001 for his career. Then he added another 23 to his total to lead the Falcons past Neshaminy, 67-45, and complete a 14-0 SOL campaign.

“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said when asked to sum up Pepper’s impact on the Falcons’ program. “He constantly talks about winning a state title. He’s been fortunate to have a lot of guys to help him along the way. (There were) guys who came before him as great players and Dalton has been able to take it to the next level.”

“It’s a great feeling. This right here is a great atmosphere,” Pepper said.
Pepper, a 6-foot-5 wing forward, became just the sixth Bucks County player to reach, 2,000, following Tyrone Lewis (Harry S Truman, 1996), Chad Hoppenwasser (New Hope-Solebury, 1995), Martin Salley (Harry S Truman, 1984), Wayne Keys (Bristol, 1986) and Mike Vreeswyk (Morrisville, 1985). Salley began his career at Neshaminy before transferring.

Pepper also became the 11th player in District One history to reach the mark, led by Kobe Bryant’s 2,883 for Lower Merion from 1992 to 1996. District One includes all of Southeastern Pennsylvania, excluding Philadelphia.

Bryant is ninth on the all-time Pennsylvania list. A.J. Natasi of Northern Bedford scored an amazing 3,833 from 1994 to 1998.

Natasi went on to play college ball at West Virginia University. So will Pepper.
“It’s a good accomplishment because only (10) guys in District One got it before,” Pepper said. “Guys like Kobe Bryant and Matt Carroll (a 1999 Hatboro-Horsham graduate). There are a lot of good guys in there.”

Neshaminy had no shot of pulling off an upset last night.

Pepper started off the game with a driving lay-up. Then with two minutes gone in the contest, his pull-up three-pointer from just right of the key got him to 2,001.

Pennsbury never trailed as its suffocating defense forced 17 first-half turnovers from the Redskins. Yet, the Falcons’ lead was a surprisingly narrow 11 points at intermission.

Pepper shot 7-for-15 from the floor in the first half, including 2-for-6 on threes.
After halftime, he took just seven shots, but made five to total 28 points.

Pennsbury’s lead got to 17 midway through the third quarter. Eddie DiRugers’ 3-pointer with one second left in the third put the Falcons up, 53-30.

Because the Falcons honored their seniors before and during the game, team manager Sean Simon got to suit up as a player for the first time ever. The senior got several minutes of playing time to conclude the rout. He did not get off a shot.
The mild-mannered Pepper, meanwhile, typically gave most of the credit for his personal accomplishment to others.

“I’ve met a lot of people who influenced me and made be a better player, a better person and a better student,” he said. “Especially Coach Sciolla. He’s guided me through my whole career.”
***

LINESCORES
Neshaminy (13-8) 14 6 10 15 — 45
Pennsbury (19-2) 16 15 22 14 — 67
***
NESHAMINY (45)
Carrezola 5-1-11, Deeter 3-2-9, Warhola 1-1-3, Emig 1-0-3, Arcidiacono 5-2-13, Williams 2-0-4, Katz 0-0-0, Adams 0-0-0, DeAngelis 0-0-0, Mendola 1-0-2. Totals 18-6-45.
PENNSBURY (67)
Wolff 1-0-2, DiRugeris 5-1-12, Pepper 12-2-28, Healey 1-1-3, Marcinkowski 3-0-6, Krasna 3-0-7, Devine 4-1-9, Kumor 0-0-0, Simon 0-0-0, Jabat 0-0-0. Totals 29-5-67.
3-pointers: Deeter, Emig, Arcidiacono (N); DiRugeris, Pepper 2, Krasna (P).

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

Eagles end 15-year postseason drought

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

Quick, somebody pinch me.

Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) just earned a berth in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) playoffs.

Entering their Friday night contest with Kennedy-Kenrick (7-15, overall, 2-14, PCL Blue), the Eagles - at 6-9 in the PCL Blue Division - needed to finish strong in order to latch onto a playoff berth. Keep in mind that Egan hadn’t made a trip to the postseason in 15 years.

With two league games left on their schedule, there was no reason to believe the Eagles would get there this year either. Friday night’s contest was at home against the Wolverines, a team Egan barely got past (41-39) in the first battle between the schools that took place Jan. 9 in enemy territory.

Sunday night’s game was also at home but against Cardinal Dougherty (7-14, overall, 6-10, PCL Blue) a squad the Eagles hadn’t beaten in 28 tries.

According to CEC head coach Rick Sabol, Egan needed to split its weekend matchups in order to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. The Eagles did better than that, defeating Kennedy-Kendrick, 57-39, to secure their first playoff appearance in 15 years and only the third in school history.

Among others, junior Ike Robinson and senior Jonas Skovdal deserve thanks for ending the rather lengthy playoff drought. Ike led the team in scoring both nights with 17 and 21 points, respectively. And according to Sabol, Skovdal played tremendous all-around games, totaling 27 points and 22 rebounds in both pairings.

Against the Wolverines, Robinson led the way with 17 points. Skovdal was next with 12. Ryan Golin pitched in with 9 points. Andrew Schaefer and Dave Delattre contributed with 5 points, apiece.

Matt Petrizzi (4), Kyle Bonner (3) and Shayne Bonner (2) also contributed to the playoff-clinching win.

On Sunday night, Feb. 8, Egan cemented its No. 5 playoff seeding by soundly defeating Dougherty, 73-55. Up, 36-25, at the half, the Eagles went on a 22-11 third-quarter run to lead the Cardinals, 58-36, heading into the final frame.

Again, Robinson led the scoring effort for Egan, this time pouring 21 points into the bucket. Three CEC seniors pitched in with Skovdal (15), Shayne Bonner (14), and Billy Petraitis (10) each reaching double figures in the scoring column.

Ryan Golin (5), Dave Delattre (4) Kyle Bonner (2) and Matt Petrizzi (2) also contributed to the CEC cause.

Egan makes its first playoff appearance in 15 years Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Archbishop Ryan. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. against 4th-seeded Archbishop Wood (15-6, overall, 10-6 PCL Blue).

Labels: boys basketball, Conwell-Egan

Pennsbury 61, Norristown 54 (overtime)
Jan. 31 at Villanova

Pennsbury used a 9-2 overtime scoring advantage to outlast Norristown in the Primetime Shootout that took place Jan. 31 at Villanova University’s Pavilion.
The Falcons led for the first 31 minutes of the game before the Eagles finally tied the game at 50-all with 90 seconds to play.
Senior Dalton Pepper, battling flu-like symptoms, hit a driving layup to give the Falcons a two-point advantage with 13 seconds to go. Norristown countered with a layup of its own in the waning seconds of regulation to send this heated rivalry to an extra session.
The Eagles scored first in overtime, but the Falcons finished the game on a 9-0 run to seal a 61-54 victory. Pennsbury was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the extra period, and shot a fantastic 18-for-21 from the stripe for the game.
Senior guard Eddie DiRugeris played a terrific game at both ends of the floor, defending and pacing the Falcon offense. Eddie totaled 10 points and was named Game MVP. Pepper scored a game high 22 points and hauled in 9 rebounds.
The game was the first overtime contest for the Falcons since falling to Putnam City (Oklahoma) in the 2007 Bay Ball Classic Final in Lewes, Delaware.
It was also the first overtime win for the Falcons since falling 51-42 in OT to Penn Wood in the second round of district play in 2006.

Labels: boys basketball, Pennsbury

South slide continues

Pennsbury senior Eddie DiRugeris led the Falcons with 17 points in a Jan. 29 SOL National triumph over Council Rock South. Tom Marcinkowski and Dalton Pepper also reached dowuble figures for Pennsbury with 14 and 10 points respectively as the Falcons went on to a 57-35 win, their second of the season over CR South and 56th consecutive triumph in the SOL National Conference.
Pat Fitzsimmons led the Golden Hawks' scoring effort with 11 points. Cody Knowlin recorded 10 points for South, which dropped its fifth consecutive league game and sixth overall. The Hawks fall to 9-9 overall with the loss.
Pennsbury pushed its record to 15-2, overall, while remaining unbeaten in league play at 11-0.
The Falcons tallied yet another huge win Jan. 31 with a 61-54 triumph over perrenial PIAA boys hoops power Norristown. The battle, which took place at Villanova University and needed an extra session to determine a winner, was broadcast on Levittown based WBCB radio 1490 AM with the play-by-play conducted by none other than Merrill Reese, voice of the Eagles and co-owner of the station.
- Sports Editor Steve Sherman


LINESCORES 1 2 3 4 - Final
Pennsbury 14 15 15 13 - 57
CR South 5 12 13 5 - 35
(Jan. 29 at Pennsbury)

Pennsbury
Player Points
Eddie DiRugeris 17
Tom Marcinkowski 14
Dalton Pepper 10
Dante Devine 8
Jesse Krasna 6
John Ryann-Wolff 2

Council Rock South
Player Points
Pat Fitzsimmons 11
Cody Nowlin 10
John Thomas 4
Tom Boyd 4
Justin Thomas 2
Jake Clopton 2
Rus Chichkin 2

Labels: boys basketball, Council Rock South

Dan Costello and Aaron Morgan each scored 13 points for the Indians helping Council Rock North to a 59-48 SOL National triumph over Bensalem Jan. 30 in hostile territory.
Tim Filer also reached double figures with 11 points for the Rock, which pushed its record to 11-8 with the win.
Dyron Edwards poured 25 points into the bucket for the Owls.
- Sports Editor Steve Sherman


LINESCORES 1 2 3 4 - Final
CR North 6 13 23 17 - 59
Bensalem 12 7 7 22 - 48
***
CR North
Player Points
Dan Costello 13
Aaron Morgan 13
Tim Filer 11
Arron Goodman 9
Andrew Stress 7
Ty Bostain 6
***
Bensalem
Player Points
Dyron Edwards 25
Nick Christian 11
Ivan Flores 5
Rob Schreiber 5
Alex Agyedu 2

Labels: boys basketball, Council Rock North

The good news is that the Firebirds are still 6-2 in the BAL Independence Division, though they've dropped two of their last three division games, including a Jan. 23 loss to Christopher Dock.

In last night's game, Phil Pastor led the HGP scoring effort with 14 points. Mike Byrne and Duffy Barrett added 7 points, apiece. John Glenn and Mike Destefano chipped in with 6 points, each. Nate Lorence contributed with 3 points. Owen Kirby and Tyler Juchno scored 2 points, each.

The Pioneers handed the Ghost its first league loss of the season Jan. 23 by shooting 25-for-30 from the free-throw line and outscoring the 'birds by 13 points in the final quarter to win it, 50-40.

Owen Longacre led the way for Dock with 22 points, including 12-for-15 from the line, while Brett Moyer had 13 and was 9-for-11 from the line.

Mike Byrne was the high scorer for Holy Ghost with 11.

***************************************************

Marcinkowski rocks South

Pennsbury used a career high 14 points from senior forward Tom Marcinkowski and a season high 17 points from senior point guard Eddie DiRugeris in recording a 57-35 triumph over Council Rock South.

Marcinkowski also did a solid job on the backboard by pulling in six rebounds and knocked down a three pointer.

For the Falcons, it was their 56th consecutive SOL National Conference win.

Senior Dalton Pepper registered his tenth double-double of the season with a total of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

DiRugeris and Dante Devine each netted a pair of triples and both wrecked their usual havoc on the opposing team’s ball handlers.

Junior Jesse Krasna handed out five assists and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Pennsbury jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, extending its lead at the end of each quarter of play.

A seven point lead (14-5) at the end of one period extended to a 12-point edge (29-17) at the half.

By the end of the third frame, the Falcons held a 14-point lead (44-30) before capping off the contest with a 22-point margin of victory.

With the Jan. 29 win over the Hawks, Pennsbury pushed its record to 15-2, overall (the team dropped a pair of games over the holidays in South Carolina’s Beach Ball Classic), 12-0 in the SOL National Conference.

The Falcons also defeated CR South just eight days earlier with a 70-55 triumph in enemy territory.


-Steve Sherman, sports editor

Labels: boys basketball, boys hoops, Holy Ghost Prep, Pennsbury