PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | February, 2017

NEWTOWN SQUARE >> Camryn Faith’s reaction after she was fouled in the process of making a layup late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Central League championship game said it all. She was pumped. Faith rebounded a miss and dribbled the ball the length of the court. This was her moment. There was no way she would pass it up. Faith had given the Jaguars a five-point lead over Conestoga with one minute, 12 seconds to go. The game wasn’t over, but Faith’s clutch play felt like a dagger.

“I knew that we needed this win,” said Faith, shrugging her shoulders and playing things coy. “I had to do my best to help. I wanted to give it my all.”

Faith is an excellent lacrosse player who was a key member of the Jaguars’ last two runs to the PIAA championship game. Tuesday night, she came off the bench to ensure the Garnet Valley basketball team’s fourth consecutive Central League crown. Faith scored eight points and sophomore forward Emily McAteer led all players with 17 as Garnet Valley claimed a 41-36 victory over Conestoga. GV defeated the Pioneers for the second time in four days and the third time this season. The Jaguars (21-2) are 7-0 against the Pioneers (20-4) since the start of last season. All the  Jags needed was a little Faith.

“Cam was a very big part of it today,” McAteer said. “She just gave us the energy to get it going. That layup she made was one big step toward us winning today.”

Junior center Katie Mayock made her first field goal on a putback with less than a minute to go to trim Conestoga’s deficit back to three points. On the ensuing GV possession, McAteer was fouled and made two free throws to extend GV’s advantage back to five. Earlier in the period, before Faith’s heroics, McAteer drove the lane for two points to make it a 37-34 game just moments after Julia Wess swished a 3-pointer to get Conestoga within one. Following a quiet first half, McAteer netted eight points in the fourth quarter and totaled 13 in the second half.

“We had to pass around a lot more on offense. I was face-guarded a lot, so we had to work in more screens, especially in the second half,” McAteer said. “We started to get more looks in the second half as we started to screen more.”

Sydney Fail is one of two seniors, along with Katherine Eckhoff, who started the game. To Fail, winning the Central League never gets old.

“I don’t know what it’s like to not cut down this net,” said Fail, referring to the ceremonial net-cutting after the game. “It’s crazy to think it’s been four years. It’s pretty incredible.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

NEWTOWN SQUARE >> Arms interlocked, dressed in black t-shirts, Lower Merion presented a united front as the national anthem played Tuesday night at Marple Newtown High School.

“I am a Muslim,” the shirt worn by all members of the Aces boys basketball team read in white script. “I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am an American. I am an Ace.”

United in advocating for citizens’ rights in an American climate where they are increasingly under fire, the shirts were a collaborative show of defiance, crystallizing various forms of protest the Aces have displayed in recent weeks. Once the whistle blew, that unity manifested itself in another form. Lower Merion shot lights out from the field, running rampant over Strath Haven, 82-60, to claim the Central League title, the first for the powerhouse program since 2014 and evidence that once again the Aces are peaking late. The t-shirts are more than a statement to the outside world, a peaceful protest of the travel ban from seven Muslim-majority nations enacted in recent weeks via executive order of President Donald Trump; they’re a statement of consensus among a diverse group of players and what they believe in.

“People’s lives are bigger than a ball going through a hoop,” said Najja Walker-X, a senior guard who spearheaded the production of the shirts.

The Aces’ protests have taken sporadic forms in recent weeks, including sitting or kneeling during the national anthem. That has drawn attention, not always positively so, and it hasn’t communicated the thrust of the Aces message effectively enough for their liking. So Walker-X and his teammates sought a more unified and explicable front, hence the slogan crafted via a team discussion over an issue weighing on the minds of many, one they hope to start selling soon with proceeds benefitting the American Civil Liberties Union.

“What we do want to convey, however — as a full team — is that no matter where you come from, no matter who you are, you should be welcomed, respected and heard,” reads a team statement Walker-X crafted in consort with teammates. “As a team, we believe in fighting for the rights of all — protecting, defending and giving voice to those who feel marginalized, who live in fear and who face injustice.”

“Once we started wearing the shirts like this, everyone can read our message,” senior guard Noah Fennell said. “Instead of just someone kneeling and (people wondering), ‘why is he kneeling?,’ we can be like, this is our message. And we’re put on a good stage to do that. It’s humbling to be able to support something like this.”

An illustration of unity, the articulation of their cause has brought the Aces closer as a team. And that has effects on the court as well for a team that has won seven straight games. Tuesday, they simply dominated Strath Haven (14-10), the fourth seed. And the Aces couldn’t miss — like literally, in the third quarter, when they connect on 12 of 12 field goals attempts. Point guard Steve Payne, who scored a team-high 26 points, supplied 15 in the third.

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

The Conestoga senior 145-pounder earned his 100th career win Feb. 8, pinning Ridley’s Jacy Shaak in 1:15 to bring his career record to 100-28.  As a junior, he compiled a 33-4 record, won the Central League Championship, finished first at Sectionals and placed fifth at Districts. As a sophomore he compiled a 24-11 record and placed fourth  at Districts, and as a freshman he was 22-10. He also plays varsity baseball for the Pioneers.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Springfield fell short of winning a Central League title, but the Cougars are feeling pretty good about themselves as they prepare for the District 1 5A playoffs. Following a 19-3 regular season, and a trip to the Central League semifinals, the Cougars earned the No. 1 seed in their district tournament, which is slated to begin Tuesday, Feb. 21. The unofficial district tournament brackets were announced Sunday following the seeding meeting at Penncrest. Springfield opens the tourney with No. 16 Pope John Paul II (10-12), one of five teams with losing records to qualify.

“This is a special team, a special group, and we’ve had a great season together,” Springfield coach Kylynn McNichol said. “We would have liked to play for a Central League championship, especially for our seniors … but as I said to the team, the season is not over yet. We’ll be playing a lot of basketball in the next couple weeks. We’ll need to regroup, get our focus back and be ready to go next week.

“Take today away and we’ve had a tremendous season. They earned this No. 1 seed, they’ve beaten a lot of good teams to get here. They’ve really come together. They’ve won game in and game out as a team. I’m excited for districts and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

Radnor (16-6) is the fourth seed and will play Del Val League co-champion and 13th seed Interboro (12-10). Elsewhere in 5A, 14th-seeded Penncrest (9-12), which was aided by a late-season forfeit win over Chichester, meets No. 3 Villa Maria (14-8).

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

LOWER MERION >> Katie Mayock was not on the Conestoga team that lost to Springfield in last season’s Central League semifinal. “There was a huge amount of revenge,” said Mayock, who transferred from Academy of Notre Dame.

Mayock did her part to ensure the Pioneers would not experience a bout of déjà vu Sunday afternoon at Harriton. The 6-4 junior center scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished two assists, had two blocks and made two steals in the Pioneers’ 34-25 victory. Conestoga (20-3) will play Garnet Valley (20-2), which finished the regular season unbeaten in the Central League, for the championship Tuesday at Marple Newtown. Springfield (19-4) will have to wait more than a week to play its next game in the opening round of the District 1 Class 5A tournament. The Cougars earned the No. 1 seed. Mayock asserted herself after halftime following a relatively quiet first half. She scored nine points and hauled in seven rebounds in the second half, when the Pioneers outscored the Cougars, 21-11.

“They take a long time with their possessions and as a defense, that can kind of wear you down,” said Mayock, who went 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. “The big thing for us at halftime was, we couldn’t let them dictate and stop us from what we wanted to do. We had to take our shots and we really needed to get rebounds. We weren’t doing that in the first half.”

The Pioneers carried a 6-0 run to close the first half — they trailed by a point at intermission — into the third quarter. Lindsay Erickson made a pair of free throws and Emma Powell (10 points, seven rebounds) hit a 2-pointer to give the Pioneers a three-point edge. They would never relinquish that lead.

Springfield maintained its tempo for most of the opening half — holding the ball and not trying to force bad shots — but the Pioneers were able to knock the Cougars out of their rhythm late in the second quarter. Due in large part to freshman guard’s 10 first-half points, including eight in the first period, Springfield jumped out to leads of 8-2 and 10-4.

“Tempo wasn’t as much as an issue for us as, ‘Who’s leading the game?’ They can be much more patient when they’re winning,” Conestoga coach Chris Jeffries said. “We talked at halftime, if you don’t want the fourth quarter to feel like the last two minutes of that second quarter, you have to play with a lead. So the first couple of minutes of the third quarter became very crucial for us. We came out very strong in the third quarter, scored the first six points and gave ourselves a lead. That kind of made it difficult for them because they’re a very different team when they have to play from behind.”

Ultimately, Springfield struggled to make its shots. With the exception of Long, who was 5-for-10 with a game-high 14 points and four steals, the Cougars were anemic from the field. They shot 2-for-17 over the second and third quarters, and finished 8-for-39 for the game.

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

LOWER MERION >> For four years, John Harrar said Sunday, he’s been waiting for an opportunity like what was before him and his Strath Haven teammates: A Central League title shot, with the bonus of a little retribution against the Conestoga albatross that has plagued the last two resurgent years. Harrar channeled every ounce of anticipation into a magisterial performance that left the Pioneers floored. Harrar scored 25 points to go with 17 rebounds, two assists and two blocks as the Panthers controlled Conestoga, 62-54, in the Central League semis at Harriton High School Sunday.

The win moves fourth-seeded Haven (14-9) into Tuesday’s final against Lower Merion, which topped Penncrest, 53-51, in the nightcap. Tipoff at Marple Newtown is 8 p.m. If Harrar played like a man possessed, then it was history monopolizing his attention. The Panthers lost in overtime to Conestoga this season and by one point in their regular-season meeting last year. At this stage of the Central League playoffs a season ago, the Pioneers clipped a 19-3 Panthers team, 42-40.

Six days later, Haven’s season abruptly ended in the first round of the District 1 tournament. Add in Conestoga’s regular-season crown and Strath Haven earning the fourth seed only through Garnet Valley’s loss Friday as Haven did the same vs. Harriton, and the us-against-the-world rhetoric was finely polished. This time, Harrar assured with one domineering rebound at a time, would be different.

“We came back hard,” Harrar said. “I needed to step up. A couple of other people stepped up. We played our best.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Upper Darby wrestling coach Bob Martin has seen some talented kids come through his program in 35 seasons of coaching. Whenever former athletes come back to the wrestling room, they like to compare themselves to the current crop.

Senior 138-pounder Colin Cronin has heard the jabs from alumni when they stop by.

“They know I can beat them all,” said Cronin, who has won 131 matches in his career. “They like living in their time and comparing themselves because they know we can never actually wrestle each other.”

Upper Darby’s current trio of seniors is one of the most talented group Martin said he has seen. Cronin and Max Livingston, who wrestles at 152 pounds, both have more than 100 wins, while 220-pounder Brian Kennerly isn’t too far away and hopes to get there by the end of the season. Martin’s only team to have three 100-match winners from the same class is the 2000-2001 squad, when Andrew Helms, Joel Edwards and Shannon Meehan all recorded 100 career wins.

“I would have loved to have seen Brian wrestle Joel Edwards,” Martin said. “Joel is a little lighter, but that would have been a battle. Helms was a little bigger than Cronin or Max. But him and Max would have had battles too.”

Cronin, Livingston and Kennerly are trying to do something that group or any other Upper Darby team has never done.

“We’re not looking at the wins,” Cronin said. “We just want to all place at states and at least get two state championships this year. That’s what we’re really working for right now.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Upper Darby wrestlers Max Livingston (left), Brian Kennerly (center) and Colin Cronin.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

CONCORD >> Cole Palis and his Garnet Valley teammates know both ends of the bargain in a late-game situation like Tuesday’s. Call them Plans 1A and 1B. With the clock ticking under a minute in overtime, trailing Ridley by one point, everyone in the gym knew the ball would find Garnet Valley’s Austin Laughlin, the high-scoring guard looking to wiggle out the sliver of space he needs to launch his effective jump shot. That’s Plan 1A. But as Laughlin ran a pick and roll with Brandon Starr near the top of the key and defenders in green shirts gravitated toward him, Palis, idling on the left wing, knew to be ready. Palis received the feed from Laughlin without a defender near him and swished home a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, powering Garnet Valley’s 61-60 Central League win.  Plan A, it might not have been. But when afforded the spotlight, Palis was ready to step up for a Garnet Valley team headed to the District 1 Class 6A playoffs.

“He’s a good teammate,” Palis said of Laughlin. “You’ve got to always be ready when you’re with him. Hands have always got to be up and ready for the ball.”

Ridley had two chances to answer Palis’ shot, which made the game 60-58. A Starr missed free throw with 16.5 seconds remaining handed Ridley the final possession to tie, but Damir Fleming elected to take a 14-foot runner, with the clock expiring before the Jags had to inbound after it fell home. The Jaguars (14-7, 9-6 Central) aren’t exactly poster children for scoring balance, with Starr and Laughlin accounting for 68 percent of their points this season. But Tuesday, contributions materialized from throughout the roster.

Laughlin played the central role with 23 points, including the final seven of regulation. But he deferred in overtime. Starr (nine points) started the extra session with a 3-point play. Palis, Danny Guy and Jacob Buttermore each contributed two made 3-pointers to the 11 the Jags splashed home. Connor O’Brien supplied one of the most consequential shots, a 3-pointer on the first possession of the fourth quarter assisted by Starr that arrested a 13-2 Ridley run.

“They had the momentum coming into the fourth,” Palis said. “Connor hits the 3, rejuvenates the bench, gets the crowd going. The momentum helps so much.”

“I think it’s their defense keying on me and Brandon the most,” said Laughlin. “And these guys were left open. When they’re left open, I have faith in them to knock down the shot. Pretty much when they’re left open, they’re going to hit it.”

The Jags did so early on, leading by 11 at the break, aided by two Laughlin free throws on a questionable Ridley bench technical followed by Laughlin dishing to Guy for a corner triple. (Equally regrettable: An 8-for-17 shooting performance at the line for the Green Raiders).

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)