Kingsway 56, Moorestown 49
Invariably, I write these blog posts while connected ears-first to my iPod, so here's a new regular feature that I'm sure will serve to embarass me. I'm calling it "What I'm listening to." I'll try to be honest, even if Barry Manilow happens to come up.
In any case, listen along if you like...
What I'm listening to: Ben Folds (Rockin' the Suburbs)... DMX... Van Morrison... Pink Floyd... James Brown...
I enjoyed seeing my former editor and boss, Diane Fuhrer, at the game tonight. Her daughter is a freshman for the Quakers, though she's currently injured. She started with the same talk that all basketball parents spout in some form -- you know: "this player should be starting instead of that player," and "why weren't you here last night?" and so on and so forth -- but she kept catching herself. It was funny because she was on the other end of lots of crazy phone calls from parents when she was the C-P sports editor.
It was an enjoyable game to watch. Not too many unforced turnovers, some good ball movement, solid defense and few first-half fouls. Both teams were dead tired and maybe that helped everybody keep it under control. Jessica Gerald was at another level, and she's gotten a lot of "best player faced" votes on the all-star ballots we've been getting back from area coaches. I think she's probably had the best year in the Trico this season, and that puts her right in the middle of All-SJ consideration. I'll have to think about that some more, though.
Both Kingsway have interesting first-round home games in the playoffs, and if they get through, I could see either of them upsetting the high seeds they'll face next. Kingsway gets Hammonton, with the winner going to Cumberland. Moorestown hosts Deptford, with the victor going down to Ocean City. As I've mentioned before, the possible duel between Gerald and Hammonton's Katie Piekielski will be worth the rpice of admission, but I was very impressed with how Kingsway's supporting cast has come along. Moorestown seemed the wearier team today, even though they were at home. If that's true, and they get back to full strength for Deptford, the Quakers will be a clear favorite in that game. Then they'll certainly have a chance against OC, especially if the Red Raiders suffer the same brand of shooting woes they faced against Trenton Central last weekend.
It's kind of a shame that the basketball squad doesn't get more lacrosse players out for the team, but I guess the laxers wouldn't be a top-three national program year after year if those athletes weren't training hard for that sport through at least one of the other two seasons. I'm really looking forward to watching Xan Weitzel, Jess Davis, Brooke Cantwell, Erika Page and the rest of the Quakes take on top-ranked Mt. Hebron of Maryland at home this spring. Kara Burnham and Julie McGrory and the rest of the Moorestown hoops team does a great job for coach Scott Atkinson, but at a lot of schools, basketball has its pick of the student body's best female athletes. The only lax name I recognized today was Virginia Weber.
When I got back to the office tonight, I got a call from Haddon Heights coach Kenny Hamburger, who reported that junior center Casey Orlando tore some ankle ligaments agains Collingswod and will be out the rest of the season. I know the Garnets aren't the deepest team around, but now we'll find out just how shallow they are. And now Sam Carter really needs to come to play, because that's a lot of boards and a decent number of points gone from the lineup. Unlike the extremely outspoken Heights parents, Kenny has downplayed his team all year, and tonight was no different. "This levels the playing field," he said. I didn't disagree with him, adding that the SJ Group 2 playing field was already pretty flat. But I wouldn't count Heights out yet. I still believe they have the best single player, at least as far as upside, in the sectional in Meredith Kennedy. There aren't many teams the Garnets can't beat if she's hot.
I also saw that Paul VI escaped Wildwood Catholic on a buzzer-beating putback by Mo Reilly. Had WWC held on there, that would have been two ranked upsets in two days. I think the Crusaders will be in the T20 come Monday despite the last-second loss anyway.
My amoeba-like weekend schedule has shifted again, and now I'm "off" tomorrow (Saturday). I say "off" because I still have to do basically all the work for a feature that will serve as the playoff preview, as well as figure out what the heck I'm going to do for my Monday column. On Sunday, I'm going backto visit one of my old beats, boys swimming, to cover the public state finals. Charlie Sprang is off in Indiana watching his son swim in the Big Ten championships, so we all need to pitch in. The playoffs kick off the next day and right now the plan is for me to cover Mainland-Washington Township, with Lower Cape May-Highland on tap for Tuesday. Wednesday I'll likely be at Glassboro to see the Bulldogs take on the Pleasantville-Sterling winner, and Thursday's frontrunner is Timber Creek-Wilson, since it's a rematch of last year's final. Those certainly won't be the only GB games the C-P wll cover, but I'm not sure where other folks are going to be.
Anyway, check back tomorrow and Sunday for the new T20 and something special I'm still working on. Those who followed the boys' soccer season might be able to guess what it is, but the only hint I'll give is that it's one of the more interesting products of my obsessive personality.
In any case, listen along if you like...
What I'm listening to: Ben Folds (Rockin' the Suburbs)... DMX... Van Morrison... Pink Floyd... James Brown...
I enjoyed seeing my former editor and boss, Diane Fuhrer, at the game tonight. Her daughter is a freshman for the Quakers, though she's currently injured. She started with the same talk that all basketball parents spout in some form -- you know: "this player should be starting instead of that player," and "why weren't you here last night?" and so on and so forth -- but she kept catching herself. It was funny because she was on the other end of lots of crazy phone calls from parents when she was the C-P sports editor.
It was an enjoyable game to watch. Not too many unforced turnovers, some good ball movement, solid defense and few first-half fouls. Both teams were dead tired and maybe that helped everybody keep it under control. Jessica Gerald was at another level, and she's gotten a lot of "best player faced" votes on the all-star ballots we've been getting back from area coaches. I think she's probably had the best year in the Trico this season, and that puts her right in the middle of All-SJ consideration. I'll have to think about that some more, though.
Both Kingsway have interesting first-round home games in the playoffs, and if they get through, I could see either of them upsetting the high seeds they'll face next. Kingsway gets Hammonton, with the winner going to Cumberland. Moorestown hosts Deptford, with the victor going down to Ocean City. As I've mentioned before, the possible duel between Gerald and Hammonton's Katie Piekielski will be worth the rpice of admission, but I was very impressed with how Kingsway's supporting cast has come along. Moorestown seemed the wearier team today, even though they were at home. If that's true, and they get back to full strength for Deptford, the Quakers will be a clear favorite in that game. Then they'll certainly have a chance against OC, especially if the Red Raiders suffer the same brand of shooting woes they faced against Trenton Central last weekend.
It's kind of a shame that the basketball squad doesn't get more lacrosse players out for the team, but I guess the laxers wouldn't be a top-three national program year after year if those athletes weren't training hard for that sport through at least one of the other two seasons. I'm really looking forward to watching Xan Weitzel, Jess Davis, Brooke Cantwell, Erika Page and the rest of the Quakes take on top-ranked Mt. Hebron of Maryland at home this spring. Kara Burnham and Julie McGrory and the rest of the Moorestown hoops team does a great job for coach Scott Atkinson, but at a lot of schools, basketball has its pick of the student body's best female athletes. The only lax name I recognized today was Virginia Weber.
When I got back to the office tonight, I got a call from Haddon Heights coach Kenny Hamburger, who reported that junior center Casey Orlando tore some ankle ligaments agains Collingswod and will be out the rest of the season. I know the Garnets aren't the deepest team around, but now we'll find out just how shallow they are. And now Sam Carter really needs to come to play, because that's a lot of boards and a decent number of points gone from the lineup. Unlike the extremely outspoken Heights parents, Kenny has downplayed his team all year, and tonight was no different. "This levels the playing field," he said. I didn't disagree with him, adding that the SJ Group 2 playing field was already pretty flat. But I wouldn't count Heights out yet. I still believe they have the best single player, at least as far as upside, in the sectional in Meredith Kennedy. There aren't many teams the Garnets can't beat if she's hot.
I also saw that Paul VI escaped Wildwood Catholic on a buzzer-beating putback by Mo Reilly. Had WWC held on there, that would have been two ranked upsets in two days. I think the Crusaders will be in the T20 come Monday despite the last-second loss anyway.
My amoeba-like weekend schedule has shifted again, and now I'm "off" tomorrow (Saturday). I say "off" because I still have to do basically all the work for a feature that will serve as the playoff preview, as well as figure out what the heck I'm going to do for my Monday column. On Sunday, I'm going backto visit one of my old beats, boys swimming, to cover the public state finals. Charlie Sprang is off in Indiana watching his son swim in the Big Ten championships, so we all need to pitch in. The playoffs kick off the next day and right now the plan is for me to cover Mainland-Washington Township, with Lower Cape May-Highland on tap for Tuesday. Wednesday I'll likely be at Glassboro to see the Bulldogs take on the Pleasantville-Sterling winner, and Thursday's frontrunner is Timber Creek-Wilson, since it's a rematch of last year's final. Those certainly won't be the only GB games the C-P wll cover, but I'm not sure where other folks are going to be.
Anyway, check back tomorrow and Sunday for the new T20 and something special I'm still working on. Those who followed the boys' soccer season might be able to guess what it is, but the only hint I'll give is that it's one of the more interesting products of my obsessive personality.
posted by SMc. @ 10:43 PM
1 Comments:
At 1:02 AM,
Anonymous said…
Sterling lost at home to willingboro by only 10. thought you would be interested in that. was at the game, although never really a question that boro would win, knights played tough all night. boro was something like 7 for 10 from behind the arc, otherwise might have been different. hope sterling stays in your top twenty.
keep up the good work!
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