CC 66, IHA 36

When will the Irish play a close game? Who knows. Who cares. This team is really, really good.

I was extremely happy to see this program take care of business in such a decisive fashion today. From the first quarter on, the result was bever really in doubt, and it just became a showcase for the Irish stars. I think Ra has probably played her way into first-team all-state status over the last two games, and Jasmine Crew certainly has to be in the picture as well. Crew had eight assists today, and Ra was listed with six blocks, but I could swaer she earned a couple more. Plus, there were a bunch of times when IHA players left the floor for a shot, saw Ra hovering, and decided to just take the travel rather than face rejection.

There isn't much else to say about this game, except to talk about the IHA fans seated behind press row. They started out looking for calls against Junaid, who can't help that she's bigger than everybody else. Then they worked on the Blue Eagle guards, yelling to them to "Just take the ball," from Crew and Matera, as if it were just that simple. Then they went quiet for a while, and there were mumblings of grudging admiration. Then, with CC up 30-plus and rotating its bench in, they started screaming for the Irish to get their starters off the floor. This was the funniest thing, since by the end of the game, CC was down to the JV and IHA still hadn't gone more than sis or seven deep.

The Irish are playing great, but I have a feeling this will be the last time this year they win a game by 30. The way I figure it, they're slotted for the No. 2 seed behind Shabazz. The game I'm watching right now, the Group B final, will have a big effect on the rest of the seedings since Morris Catholic is undefeated. The Crusaders don't play anybody, but the zero-loss thing will probably get them the No. 3 seed if they win today, though it could very well still go to Bloomfield Tech (if BT beats Salem). MC is up 15-6 on Trenton Catholic at the end of the first, but this game is far from over. If MC loses and BT and Gami both win, BT will probably get the No. 3 and Gami the No. 4, with Trenton Central at No. 5 and the Group 2 champ (Rumson maybe?) No. 6. Unless Salem pulls the upset of the century, the Group 2 champ is almost guaranteed the No. 6 seed, I think.

At least that's how it should go. There's a lot of basketball to be played yet, and I'm not on the seeding committee this year. All I can really give is an educated guess.

Game update: Jasmyra Saunders just chewed out a ref and earned herself a technical foul. The Iron Mikes are in a 27-8 hile with 4:12 left in the half, and I don't think TC has the coaching to come back. This game is pretty much over. I'm not so much wowed by Morris Catholic as I am unimpressed by Trenton Catholic. The TC defense didn't have a defender within 10 feet of the MC shooters in the first minute, and they're getting outsmarted at every turn.

Anyway, I'll be back again tomorrow. Should be fun.

THREE TEAMS LEFT

THREE TEAMS LEFT...

... and one will see action tomorrow. The Irish have begun to get the respect they deserve statewide, but the north will get its first look tomorrow. It's hard to keep the journalistic distance sometimes, when our area teams go up against teams from other areas, but I think that's natural. The professional in me will sit there on press row the next couple of days with a deliberately blank, even bored-looking expression, but my chest, my heart might well be pounding.

Anyway, of the three opponents SJ teams will play this weekend, I know the least about Immaculate Heart Academy. The program is a frequent visitor to this level, but Group A in the north doesn't have perennial studs like RBC and Vianney. This is a seven-loss team, and they just barely got by DePaul in the sectional semis, so I figure it's safe to say this won't be CC's most talented opponent, but strange things do happen. Superior teams do get beaten, even when it counts. Since the Irish haven't been here since 1981, I'd be shocked if they took this game too lightly, though. After all, this game is what the whole season was about.

Sunday's finals are both a little more clear to me.

In Group 1, Salem is obviously in a very tough spot against Bloomfield Tech. If the Riverside squad with Sabra and Baendu couldn't beat this team two years ago, the Rams certainly have their work cut out for them. There are a couple other factors working against them as well. First, the Trico Classic isn't the greatest preparation for a team like Bloomfield Tech, which has played Shabazz, CC, Wilson, and just about everybody else in the state top 10. The tournament is its own prep, to some extent, but the SJ Group 1 draw was Classic-dominated, and South Hunterdon -- while a nice team playing well -- isn't full of D1 talent. The other thing is Salem's style of play. The Rams tore Gloucester apart with a fast pace. They just forgot about running an offense and attacked the basket. If they try to run with BT, however, it's a recipe for disaster. In all likelihood, there is no pace in the high school girls' game high enough to take the Spartans out of their comfort zone. The team that stands the best chance against BT is the one that can change the tempo, like a pitcher changing speeds, and can do damage in a half-court offense.

That said, of course, anything can happen and often has, and it never hurts to have players who believe in themselves like Brittany Smith and the girls do. They know how to play at this time of the year, and they'll fight to the final buzzer.

In Group 4, it's the Braves vs. the Bees, and I feel like Gami is almost as big a favorite as CC is in Group A. It wasn't long ago that the Asbury Park Press' Neil Schuman lampooned the Braves' habitual disappointment in the postseason, calling them Origami. Don't ask me why Neil was even worrying about Absegami, since his paper doesn't cover the school, but no matter. Those days are gone. Prince Charming kissed the Braves on the lips in the form of the Class of 2008, and the spell was broken with last year's state title. Now Gami can just play, with it's titanic front line. Bayonne's front line is a little undersized, but it has been surprising people all season. This team hasn't seen anything the size of Gami, but I wouldn't expect the Bees to be intimidated long, or at all.

The keys to the game for the Braves, in my mind, are simple and few: Take care of the basketball. Stay out of foul trouble. Get it to Booker. That's it. The rest should take care of itself.

That's it for me. I'll be heading up to scenic Dover Township late tomorrow morning in an attempt to catch the noon game, right before the Group A girls' final. I expect a lot of CC folks to make the trip. God knows they'd be camping out in the parking lot at Toms River North if it were the boys.

Gami 59. Trenton Central 44

What I'm listening to: David Bowie... Dido... Renaissance... Suzanne Vega... DMX... Bright Eyes... Stevie Wonder... They Might Be Giants... the Pixies...

I've actually got the Temple-St. Joe's game on without the sound. I was trhilled for my Owls yesterday, and now I'm hoping for a comeback. They're down 12 with 16 left. Make that 15. Ouch.

Anyway, I had so much stuff to do last night that I figured I'd postpone the post until today, and I'm just now getting to it. Of course, the stuff that's naturally fresh in my mind the night of a game is kind of fuzzy now, but one thing still stands right out: Tara Booker is pretty great. Cintella Spotwood was terrific for TC last night, and really had the Braves at a loss as to how to stop her for a while, but when Booker was on the floor, she was the best player out there.

The player I always want to compare her to in my mind is De'ree Fooks from Wilson, probably because they're about the same height, they both haul in a ton of boards, play offense facing the basket, and will be back next year. Fooks is maybe still a quicker defender and perhaps a little better at getting to the hoop, but Booker's shot has become a consistent weapon. Fooks doesn't take very many threes anymore, which is understandable when her ability allows her to drive for high-percentage looks.

The other major factor on that team right now is Connie James, who has inspired me to think about coming up with SJ all-defensive team. Obviously, if I did, she't be on it. Gami went to a zone and then a box-and-one in the second half, with James on CSpotwood, and while I think TC did plenty to hinder themselves, James really slowed her girl down. On offense, she was the Braves surest handle down the stretch, and she grabbed four huge boards in the fourth quarter.

Another thing: it's great to see Krissy Rosario playing with some passion again. She only put down four last night, but she was really big on the boards, she ran the floor, she played good D,made a couple steals. In general, she affected the game, whereas earlier in the season she'd been something of a non-factor.

I mentioned Trenton's ineptitude against the zone a moment ago. It was so pronounced that I was actually surprised when Gami went back to man-to-man, even though it's always been their primary defense. The Tornadoes were trailing, the Braves sagged off and TC just stood there, as if they were waiting for the defense to get out of the way. When they did move, it wasn't to run a play. It was streetball with refs.

By the way, Temple's still down 10 with seven left, but I think the Owls have missed like 57 foul shots in this game alone. If they're an average foul-shooting team, I think they'd not only be tied or ahead in this particular game, they might be playing for an at-large NCAA bid. At least yesterday's win over GW probably locked up an NIT invite.

SJU just got to 60 points. In Temple games, it's almost always first-team-to-60-wins. Now the Owls are down 12 with under four to play. Not looking good. Man, the Owls just can't hit shots. Kind of like Haddonfield was last night, hanging around and hanging around but never able to put any offense together. My background has taught me to appreciate ugly basketball, but it can be so frustrating.

Wow. Dude just missed two one-footers that could have cut it to seven.

Anyway, I'm going to post again tonight with a rundown of the state finals to supplement to one that will run in the paper tomorrow. Till then...

Just FOUR area teams left alive...

... and two will put it on the line tomorrow.

I'm frankly shocked and saddened that Woodrow Wilson was unable to pull up out of the nose dive it began on Monday. Maybe it had something to do with Ossiera Monroe's injury, but something broke in the Tigers in the second half against OC, and it obviously didn't heal. There is almost no doubt in my mind that the Wilson teamthat beat Willingboro and Spirit would have found a way to take out Monmouth, and they surely would not have been beaten by 22 points.

Perhaps Wilson just peaked too early. Coach Dyer talked in the beginning of the season about how he didn't care so much how the team was playing in the first couple of games as long as they played great at the end, but it seems like the Tigers used up their best basketball in the middle.

I hope this doesn't cool SJ's coaches on loading the schedule up with tough games. It would be easy for folks to point at Wilson's swoon and say that it had something to do with the tough slate, that maybe the Tigers were worn down. But I really believe that the disappointing result occurred despite the tough schedule, not because of it.

In other shocking upset news, Chloe Dao won Project Runway, despite the fact the nobody -- including me -- thought she had a chance. I thought Santino's collection was the best, but they penalized him for being an ass all season. Daniel V. was the clear favorite for the overall win from halfway through the season, but he underwhelmed in the runway show and especially under examination by the judges. I felt sorry for him, but he'll be back and so will Santino.

So enough about PR. Back to basketball.

Congratulations to Salem for reaching a second consecutive state final. I haven't seen the box score, but I can imagine Brittany Smith had another big night. She's been money in the playoffs the last two seasons, one of the very best big-game performers the area has right now. Unfortunately for the Rams, they're going up against Bloomfield Tech and that hasn't been any fun for any Group 1 team in quite a while.

Farewell to my favorite out-of-area player I never saw play, the Hunterdon County Dairy Princess herself, South Hunderdon senior forward Breanna Fulper.

I'm not certain which game I'll be doing tomorrow, but I have a feeling it will be the late game, Gami-Trenton Central. it's my beat, so when there's a major deadline pressure to be faced, I'll take the heat. Obviously, I'll go and watch the Group 2 game. The Bulldogs (Haddonfield) faced the Bulldogs (Rumson) two years ago on their (Haddonfield's) way to the state championship. Rumson was highly-touted then as well, ranked in the state and hot as heck. If the Haddons are a slight underdog, Gami has got to be a slight favorite, especially since Trenton Central lost to AC, a team that the Braves beat twice.

As we've seen more than once in the last week or so, however, it's not about the team that played in January or February or even yesterday, it's about the team that gets off the bus on that particular night.

I'll see you at Southern Regional.

By the way, I'm not listening to anything this time. I'm half-watching some TV Land interview with Larry David. Hilarious.

Camden Cath. 70, Spirit 30

What I'm listenting to: Eva Cassidy... Ben Folds Five... the Beach Boys... the Moody Blues... the Police... Chopin... the Shins...

It wasn't a competitive game, but I'm glad I was there anyway. If I hadn't watched it with my won eyes, I don't think I would have believed it.

This was an old-fashioned, thorough ass-kicking, and I don't mean that as any disrespect to Holy Spirit. The Spartans had a great year and nothing will ever be able to take that away, but the team that beat RBC on Saturday simply did not make the trip to Lakewood. Combine that with a Camden Catholic performance as sharp as any I've seen and this result was inevitable.

As far as I'm concerned, Junaid locked up Player of the Year tonight. A friend and colleague from the Burlington County Times, John Lewis, is fond of saying that you don't pick a Player of the Year, you just wait until the playoffs and that person will make themselves known. After the regular season, I was probably leaning Tasha Cannon's way, and as unfair as it would be to torpedo her on one game, Junaid made it easy tonight. 32 and 19 is a major statement and, as somebody near me said in the third quarter, the only things keeping her from more boards where Holy Spirit's inability to get shots off and Camden Catholic's inability to miss any.

This game went just how CC drew it up.

Ra was unstoppable early, and the Irish kept feeding the beast. Crew was efficient in the first half, Matera was silent, and Spirit stayed in it. The second half comes, Spirit tries some things on D to slow Junaid, and all of a sudden: whoops! Matera is wide open. 3, 3, 3, game over. CC won the third quarter 29-6.

I think a lot of us have been guilty of underestimating Camden Catholic. I know I didn't expect them to play the way they did today, and do that to Holy Spirit. Part of it is that they don't blow many teams out. They just win games. Though many will say that inconsistency of performance is the mark of a weak team, I disagree. I think it can be the mark of a great team.

The most talented team I ever saw play, as I've said before, was the Willingboro squad of three years ago, Crystal's junior year. But that team blew everybody out by like 20 points all year until they got punched in the nose by Shabazz in the state final and didn't know what to do. They hadn't hit a truly important shot all season long, whereas this CC team has hit a ton of big shots. A lot of them came against teams that had no business pushing the Irish, but nonetheless, they were big moments that could have gone another way.

So we send CC forth as the area's first state finalist. I read on the forum that Haddonfield beat Heights for the SJ Group 2 title, and congratulations to the Bulldogs. So far, I'm 3-for-4 as far as picking winners, and I nailed the CC score at 70. Of course I thought Spirit would have 67, but that's not important. Gloucester was the only pick that didn't come through for me, but I'll get over it. I was pretty close to perfect during the soccer season.

Sometime between now and tomorrow night, I'll be posting again. As I mentioned before, I'm taking Wednesday night off from coverage, charging my batteries for the weekend. But my heart will be in Deptford.

Wilson 55, Ocean City 52

What I'm listenting to: Jay-Z... Sarah McLaughlan... Stefanie Praytor... Ash... Interpol... Midnight Oil... Tori Amos... Nellie McKay... more Jay-Z (happy now, Dennis?)... Aqualung...

I had a lot of family in the house tonight because my cousin, Danielle Brady, is a starter for OC. Now that the Red Raiders' season is over, I can say how proud I am of how she's played. She doesn't usually make much of a dent in the scoring column, but on a team with no height, she always defends the opposing center. She fouled out trying to stop Ossiera Monroe tonight, but she played as tough as anybody out there. She's one of a bunch of juniors and sophomores that will have that team back in the Top 10 next year.

I know Wilson was hoping and even expecting to blow this game out, and it would be easy for the Tigers to be disappointed. In fact, it's almost good that our photographer didn't stay until the end of the game because the reaction shot he would have gotten wouldn't have been great. Except for the crying, you would have thought OC won the game. There were a bunch of reporters there, and Wilson kept us waiting a long time while they talked things over. That usually doesn't happen with a squad that just won a championship.

One complicating circumstance, of course, was the condition of Monroe, who went to the floor hard in the second half. Apparently, she hit the back of her head hard on the floor and suffered a concussion. It was bad enough that, after the game, an ambulance was called to take her away. I sincerely hope that everything turns out OK for her. She was really hauling in rebounds tonight, and playing strong. Only a sophomore, she's deceptively quick, and she has a chance to be a real star in the next couple years. Hopefully, her 2006 isn't over.

Anyway, my Uncle Rich (a.k.a. Coach Crane) asked me at halftime if OC had a chance to come back, and being honest, I said that it didn't look good. Wilson is basically built and tested to prevent that very thing. The Tigers are trained to win tough games and stand up to pressure, so I was probably as suprised as anybody that they got a little rattled today. OC shot the ball very well, at least compared to other times I've seen them play, and they really showed what kind of team they can be if they shoot. This effort certainly would have beaten Trenton Central.

In other news, Brittany Smith was flat-out off the hook tonight. 40 points in a sectional final. Wow, I haven't seen that since Crystal three years ago. I was disappointed in how Gloucester played with the exception on DJ Havers, who seemed like she was everywhere for the Lions. McAdams was good too, and she even made a couple threes, but as a distrubtor, she needed to find Conner a little more. To me, that was the difference in the game. Last year, Salem had the dominant force down low and took advantage of it. Today that edge should have belonged to Gloucester and the Lions couldn't make it work for them. Gloucester has the talent to be back in that game next year, but unfortunately for them, Salem returns everybody. And unfortunately for the Rams, Bllomfield Tech isn't likely to slack off any time soon, so that brick wall is still out there, waiting for them in Toms River.

Wilson gets Monmouth next, just like last year. Salem, on the other hand, will face the Hunterdon County Dairy Princess herself, Breanna Fulper, and South Hunterdon. My boss has suggested I take a much-needed day off that day, and let some other folks cover those two games, and I find it's usually smart to do what mu boss says. I thought about just going to watch, but the throught of a night way from girls basketball isn't so distasteful right now. Plus, I'll get to watch the Project Runway finale, which is of the utmost importance. Tonight's action forced me to miss my second-favorite show on TV, Rollergirls, but I'll just have to catch it on one of the replays later in the week.

Anyway, I have to thank the CH East folks, especially athletic director Bob Hulme, for being so accomodating tonight. And also Wilson AD Stanley Ash for the conversation this afternoon. And lastly, to the CP desk guys for catching a misspelling in my story. Of course, I'll be known as Sena for a little while (yes I misspelled my own first name).

Congratulations, also, to Bishop Eustace and Bordentown, whose remarkable runs ended tonight, Both of those teams upset higher seeds before falling short. That should both be very proud, because they represented South Jersey admirably.

I'll be at Lakewood for CC-Spirit tomorrow night. The great thing about the basketball playoffs is that they go by so quickly. There's no down time, like in other sports. We've all been looking forward to this game since Saturday night, but that's not a very long time.

Lucky 13 area teams left alive...

... with anywhere between two and four to be eliminated Monday.

First of all, congratulations to all the teams that have made it this far, expecially Bordentown and Rancocas Valley, which don't get the coverage and credit they deserve because they're classified in Central Jersey.

The Scotties, especially, have come out of nowehere, fourth in their division behind Cinnaminson, Delran and Holy Cross and now they're just a win away from a sectional title. Way to go Latoya Taylor, Taryn Lynch and company.

Speaking of which: I was researching Bordentown's Monday night opponent, South Hunterdon, and found out their leading scorer, a girl named Breanna Fulper, is even more famous as the "Hunterdon County Dairy Princess." If you don't believe me, just google her name and see for yourself. Now, that sounds to me like some kind of beauty pageant, but it could just as easily be a little more hands-on. I keep picturing that scene in Napoleon Dynamite, where Pedro is counting the cow's nipples and Napoleon is guessing the flaws in milk. In any case, I congratulate Ms. Fulper both on her title and for her terrific play thus far in the CJ Group 1 tournament.

I'll be covering the Wilson-Ocean City game at Cherry Hill East tomorrow night, but I'm certainly going to go and watch the Group 1 game, plus I'll be thinking about what might be going on up at Cardinal McCarrick with Eustace. On top of that, I'll certainly be joining everyone in speculation about what might happen Tuesday, with Haddonfield-Heights, East-Gami and finally, the big one: Catholic-Spirit.

One interesting opinion has already been registered. Red Bank Catholic coach Joe Montano offered this prediction: "I expect Holy Spirit to be in the TOC. I think they'll beat Camden Catholic."

Now, keep in mind his team had just been stopped by Spirit in what was undoubtedly the best Spartans performance of the year, and there's no guarantee they play as well on Tuesday. But this is also no idle speculation. This is a very, very good coach who has been watching both CC and HS with a vested interest and analytical eye all year. Personally, I stuck with the Irish in my mandatory prediction that appears in Monday's paper, forecasting a 70-67 CC win.

In any case, those who believe that the Irish can just play their game and beat Spirit at its best are probably wrong. I give CC an edge, but it's going to take something extraordinary.

New C-P T20

1. CCath
2. Wilson
3. Spirit
4. Gami
5. Boro
6. OC
7. Eustace
8. PVI
9. RV
10. CH East
11. AC
12. Washington Twp.
13. Cherokee
14. Timber Creek
15. Heights
16. Haddonfield
17. Sterling
18. Glassboro
19. Pleasantville
20. Gloucester

Almost: Salem, Wildwood Catholic, Mainland, West Tech, Williamstown, Cumberland, Pitman, Moorestown, Pennsauken, Collingswood, Kingsway, EHT, Sacred Heart

This week's changes, drastic as they may seem, were pretty self-explanatory. Once you get the the playoffs, old losses lose their weight and postseason victories take precedence, hence CH East's rebound over Timber Creek. You might also be able to tell that there are very definite ranges within which teams are working. If RV beats Trenton Central, for instance, they might move up to No. 6, but to get past Willingboro, they'd have to get to the state final. And the Group 2 teams are limited in how high they can go, unless the SJ champ beats Rumson in the state semis. Gloucester is holding a place for the last team standing in Group 1, be it the Lions, Salem or Bordentown, but all three of those teams have losses that will keep them from getting near the Top 10.

So that's all the analysis I feel like throwing out there. Honestly, I'm all about getting a good night's right tonight, and starting another week of basketball playoffs fresh as possible. We've got four straight days, then a day off, then two long weekend days, and then the TOC. Almost there.

I'm going to lay down a couple of pre-Monday tidbits real quick, and then I'm on an eight-hour vacation.

CCath 83, Mon. Donovan 42

What I'm listening to: They Might Be Giants... Van Morrison... Bruce Springsteen... West Side Story... Johnny Cash... Tori Amos... Ben Folds... the Shins... Parliament... Young Gunz...

I decided to break today's action up into two posts because, 1) I went to two very different games, in two very different frames of mind; 2) the task seems less daunting that way; and, 3) an inordinately large part of my self esteem is tied to the number of posts that appear on the site(s).

I'm just kidding about the last one, sort of, but I'm serious in saying that the games felt very different. i'm not used to watching basketball at the early hour of 2 p.m. and I was a little sleepy at the beginning of the Spirit game. The action woke me right up, though. On the other hand, I walked into the Camden Catholic gym jazzed, having just finished the Spirit-RBC story, and the game put me right to sleep. I guess it was nice for the Irish that they put the game away early, and it allowed Rashidat to get her 2,000th point in front of the home crowd, but after the classic I'd seen earlier, it was like a cool down.

Which is not to say CC played badly or that MonDon didn't play hard, because that's not true at all. The Irish were very efficient, and the Griffins did all they could. I do wonder what Bishop Ahr must have been like, however, since I think Holy Cross would have given MonDon a nice game.

For the most part, the overall experience was a good one. I like Chris Palladino a lot, and have to resist taking the bait when folks badmouth that program, because I believe it's a good one. So many folks dump on CC for "recruiting" but its easy for those people to count up the players that have walked in those green doors and forget the players that have walked out. Now I'm not saying that better players haven't come through the door lately, but that team is pretty good and pretty deep. I remember one moment in the second half, when most of the MonDon starters were on the floor, and -- if I recall correctly -- the Irish had Gallagher, Sharpe, Plakis, Lane and Mahon out there. I thought to myself, "That's a CC team," meaning those are the kinds of players the program produces in vast quantities, like a factory. No matter what happened, the Irish always had and probably will always have them.

And that team was still galloping away from MonDon. Junaid, Crew and Matera were all chilling on the bench, and the Irish were still kicking Griffin ass and taking Griffin names. Send Matera back out there -- since she's as CC home-grown as they come -- and you still have a solid Top 10 team in SJ, which is more than most of the program's detractors can muster.

So that was one thing. But my visit "across the street" (as we say in the C-P newsroom) wasn't all flowers and cheer. One little thing has stuck in my mind, and reminded me why this job can be so infuriating.

I was milling around after the game talking to folks. My CC ties are well-known to a lot of people, starting with the fact that practically my whole family graduated from there (thought I didn't). And I've done a lot of stories about CC teams and athletes over the last several years, so there's a convivial pre-existing rapport, and I have maybe four or five casual two-minute conversations in between interviews with Chrissy, Ra and Jaz, who were all great.

Anyway, I'm walking through this loose crowd and I hear off to my side, something like "So the Reilly Factor didn't work out so good for you, huh?" referring to the pre-playoff feature on the three Reillys of Paul VI. I couldn't tell exactly who it was and I thought it best not to respond anyway, so I didn't. I guess some people thought that, by writing the story, I was pegging the Eagles to go a long way. People can read into things what they want, but it wasn't that way at all. I did think the Eagles had a chance to give Spirit a better game than other people did, but that doesn't even matter. And to some extent, I can understand a little school-rivalry bitterness with Paul VI, especially since two of the Reillys did leave CC.

But the thing that gets under my skin is the smallness.

Your team is undefeated and ranked No. 1, it just kicked the crap out of some poor squad to get into the sectional final. You have three of the best players in SJ and a bunch of others who would start for the rest of the T20, and a style of play that is both exciting and effective.

You're on top of the world, relatively. If ever there is a time for magnanimity, this is it. But it's not possible for some in CC land. You're worried about Paul VI's ranking, and the attention that Paul VI got last week. It's petty and small and it doesn't make sense, and I could more easily dismiss it if it weren't in line with other stuff I've seen "across the street" over the years. At least when it comes to its major sports teams, CC can be more than a little provincial.

In other words: There are other points of view out there, Irish. It would be nice if all the members of the CC family could enjoy their incredible and much-deserved recent success in a way that inspires the rest of us to be happy for them.

That's all I've got. I'll post the new T20 sometime Sunday.

Spirit 60, RBC 52

What I'm listening to: the Dresden Dolls... Van Morrison... Europe ("The Final Countdown")... U2... James Taylor... the Beach Boys... Suzzanne Vega... Noreaga... Liz Phair...

Awesome game. So impressive, in fact, that I'm having trouble remembering most of the details. I have everything scribbled down, but I don't want to rehash it. That's the kind of game that I just want to leave there in my memory to age like wine. Jordan Sykes actually put it very eloquently when she said, "I don't want to ruin it with words." The AC Press' Mike McGarry offered a joking response to that comment a few minutes later, saying, "No Jordan, that's our job." And I'll have to wait for the morning to find out what sort of job I did there because writing the story for the paper was kind of blur too.

In any case, congratulations to the Spartans. Among the aftershocks of the game is the fact that Sykes has solidified her place as a first-team All-SJ player. She was borderline in my mind until today, but of course, that's why you wait until the playoffs. Most of the fretting duringt the regular season is for nothing because when it counts, the players make it easy. Another upshot of the game is that the South Jersey Non-Public A final becomes a kind of Courier-Post Cup championship game. Of course, the TOC could change everything, but the winner of Tuesday night's game will be No. 1, pending a victory in the state final.

I have to thank McGarry and the Asbury Park Press's Neil Schuman for making the game more enjoyable, if that's possible. The girls' hoops beat is peopled by about the nicest bunch of guys you'd want, starting with Neil and Gregg Lerner from the Star Ledger. McGarry does both boys and girls basketball for AC, but he's at almost all the big games, it seems. Plus, he knows the area inside and out, so when he said the goal at the far end of the Spirit gym has "the softest rim in South Jersey," I believe him. And he's probably right; it's way old, even though the rim at
the near end -- by the entrance -- is of a much newer style.

We were all sitting where i usually sit, behind the visiting team, and so we got an earful of the RBC fans. It was hilarious and annoying at the same time, but the funniest part I remember was late in the game, when Holy Spirit pulled the ball out and tried to kill some clock. The Casey fans were livid, and one guy screamed out, "Come on! That's not basketball!" As if killing the clock was a form of cheating. I guess he felt RBC was being robbed of its rightful chance to pull the miracle comeback that we all still half expected them to make.

Anyway, let's all shed a tear for the poor Caseys, who had to go home tonight and console themselves with all their past championships and the knowledge that the whole goddamn team will be back next year to kick everybody's ass.

OK, that's over. Let's move on.

CH East 60, AC 41

For the second day in a row, I watched a great career end in frustration. Yesterday it was Erin Floyd and today, Tasha Cannon. For the sake of Jordan Sykes and Cheslea Conner, I hope the trend doesn't continue.

Everything was going to plan today until Cannon picked up her third foul six minutes in. The way East played, it would probably have been a great game. Vespe played great, Abiona and Tejada as well. As Laurie Carter said, "They made all the shots they needed to make."

Tejada has some attitude, which I really like. East coach Kim Keyack pointed out that a little edge is valuable in a points guard, and I think that's true. I saw a couple of moments during the game, way before it was decided, that Tejada was jawing with the AC guards, and she played a very emotional game, in the best possible sense. What I mean is that she used her anger contructively. For example, over his career Tiger Woods has been like twice as likely to make a birdie right after bogeying a hole. Tejada seemed like she was twice as likely to make a steal or can a three right after she got the ball stolen or was burned for a hoop. And she gave a little better than she took today.

Player by player, I wasn't unimpressed with Atlantic City today. In fact, I thought the 10 minutes the Vikings spent without Cannon in the first half were pretty close to the best I've seen that supporting class play. They just had a lot of trouble solving Abiona's interior D. The last time I covered AC, the win over Trenton Central, a reserve named Monique Garcia was a bolt from the blue in the season half, and she was even more today. She and Aliyah Montague each had a drive and a basket that was pretty awesome, and Garcia might have been the quickest non-Cannon player on the court today.

Anyway, it's sad to think I'll never get to see Tasha play for AC again, though I'm sure I'm far from alone in that sentiment. She seemed pretty upset, and I didn't get a chance to talk to her, which is kind of a shame for a couple reasons. The first is that she's a trip to talk to, and not in a bad way. Some kids are very honest and you have to protect them from what they say. But Cannon is honestly a nice girl, with a cool personality. I guess all those questions about having to carry her team on her back have taught her to take the high road without even thinking about it, even now that her team doesn't need the kid gloves so much anymore.

But there's another reason it would have been good to talk with her. At halftime, I got a visit from Shannon Gantt's cousin, who said that the Woodbury junior would be willing and even excited to play a game of one-on-one against Cannon, fulfilling the curiosity of the SJ basketball community. He said she'd planned on going to watch the Al Carino game anyway, and was looking forward to the possibility of the challenge. Now that Cannon's season is over, it's time to take up that drum beat again to try to get this thing done. I'm not certain how much actual legwork would have to be done, as far as getting the permission from all the right people, but I think it's a win-win for everybody. If publicized correctly -- and I can take care of that -- it certainly couldn't hurt attendance at one of the SJ Basketball Club's biggest fund-raising events.
Who knows, it could even start a little tradition.

In other action, congratulations to Haddonfield, Haddon Heights and Absegami for getting through to the sectional finals as well, and especially to Rancocas Valley and Bishop Eustace for pulling upsets. Chelsea Cole messed around and got a triple double tonight, lifting the Red Devils into a showdown with Trenton Central. Wouldn't it be awesome if there were two all-area publid state semis, in Group 3 and Group 4. Eustace stunned St. Rose Belmar tonight, so in conjuction with the demise of Sacred Heart, there goes the perennial big dogs in Group B. It may be Trenton Catholic's year, but BE is playing great basketball and Dom Reitano has himself on a short list for SJ Coach of the Year. I haven't thought hard about who else might be on that list, but he'll certainly get some consideration.

Before I sign off until tomorrow, I wanted to thank Andre Watson and especially Charlie Sprang for covering games tonight. At this time of the season, every game is worthy of special attention, and every one that gets it helps my peace of mind. Also a big thank you to Jen Rybacki for the music suggestion. I'll definitely be downloading some Matismayu in the near future.

Speaking of which, what I'm listening to: Coldplay... Otis Redding... Nellie McKay... Jethro Tull... the Magic Numbers... Aimee Mann... the Talking Heads... Barry Manilow (with the shuffle mode it had to happen sometime, the law of averages and all... the song was "I Made it Through the Rain"... at least it wasn't "Copacabana")... Jay Z...