Highland 46, Lower Cape May 38

What I'm listening to: Pink Floyd... Tracy Chapman... Liz Phair... the Beatles... Johnny Cash... the Cars... the Talking Heads... Company (the Sondheim musical)... Jimi Hendrix...

C-P sports copy deskman Aaron Bracy requested that I rip his editing job so that he could see his name in lights, so even though I haven't read what he did to my game story yet, I'll oblige him: I apologize to all my readers for the piece of crap that appeared in print underneath my byline in the March 1 paper, and especially to the Lower Cape May and Highland folks who hoped for so much better. I feel compelled to mention that the story was a thing of beauty until a certain unnamed copy editor's ham-fisted ministrations transformed it into a gutless blob of inky pulp. It deserved better, and so did you.

It was so strange to see Jessica Leoni and Denise Hemerka play today, because I remember them both from two years ago, the last time I covered a lot of girls' basketball. They've both come such a long way. When Leoni was a sophomore and Hemerka a freshman, they were in the sometimes-uncomfortable position of being nice young players on a court full of superstars, which made them targets every time they touched the ball. But I can't help thinking that all the big games alongside those stars tempered the younger players, helping turn them into the fierce and confident ballers I watched tonight.

Here are some stat lines that didn't make it into the story that will be in tomorrow's paper: Hemerka had four points, three assists, seven boards and three steals. Jessica McDevitt had 12 points for the Tartans, adding five boards , an assist and a block. For Lower, Stephanie Agger had 16 points, four steals, five rebounds and two assists.

I was very happy to see Lower before the season ended, and Agger in particular. She's a terrific talent with one more season to get everything figured out. The Tigers are a very solid team, and will certainly improve. Unfortunately, there's another undersized, all-underclassman team in their own division: Ocean City. I think Agger can be a bigger factor than any one Red Raider, but OC have themselves figured out a little better. I'm going to have to try to get down to see an OC-LCM game next year, possibly hitting the boards for some pizza beforehand.

It was also good to meet Roy Wright for the first time. I know a lot of coaches I trust have the greatest respect for him and what he's getting done at Lower. A playoff berth is a great first step, and if Wright is in for the long haul there, he should do well.

I've also been impressed with what Dan McGettigan has been able to do with Highland this year. The Tartans have improved as the year has gone on, which is a sure sign of a good coaching job. After the Steele-Hemerka years and the one-year Zoll whirlwind, a lot of folks seemed to believe he was just along for the ride, and I'll admit I had my doubts about what would happen to the program. But though Highland isn't a Top 5 regular, a win over Pinelands could get the Tartans back in the T20. And it's hard to argue with their second-half results. They went 4-4 the first time through the Trico Royal and 6-2 the second time through.

I have little or no idea what Pinelands is about, but I'll be rooting for Highland on Thursday.

The other games went basically as expected tonight. Jessica Gerald bolstered her All-SJ case with another awesome game, and I think she's probably at least a second-teamer now, no matter what happens at Cumberland Thursday. That will be a real moment of truth for the Colts, who beat Kingsway 51-49 a month ago, when the Dragons weren't breathing nearly the fire they are now.

That's it for me tonight. I'll be at Sterling-Glassboro tomorrow night. Cant' wait. See you there.