Pennsylvania Basketball STATE RANKINGS

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THE CHOPS
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Pennsylvania Basketball STATE RANKINGS

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Hope you have time to read it all. It's a brillant deduction of major porportions:

"THE CHOPS".

PENNSYLVANIA BOYS BASKETBALL RATINGS.........................

PENNSYLVANIA STATE RATINGS:
January 2, 2006.

Philadelphia Episcopal Academy (10-3) (Philadelphia Inter-Ac League)
It has always been our policy not to rate teams that use 5th year players
and since 6-9 Mike Yocum repeated his sophomore year when he came to
Episcopal he is now a 5th year player. But since North Carolina bound Wayne
Ellington 6-4 and Duke bound Gerald Henderson 6-5 are both legit seniors we
will post what this team does every week. Also they can become only the
second pair of players for one team in the same year to become 2,000 point
career scorers as both are around 1500 or more points. Ellington did score
over 400 as a freshman at Daniel Boone. The Churchmen started the season
losing to Abington Friends 64-58. Then defeated American Christian 68-53,
Germantown Friends 61-35, Philadelphia North Catholic 59-31, Pottstown Hill
School 68-45 and Philadelphia West Catholic 59-31. Then in the City Of Palms
Classic @ Fort Myers, Florida they defeated Cape Coral, Florida 68-38,
Winter Park Lake Howell, FL 81-65 and Lake Oswego, Oregon 70-57 to reach the
final. There they lost to Nashville Brentwood Academy, Tennessee 74-68.
After Christmas they left for Charlotte, North Carolina for the Dell
Curry/Bojangles Shootout. They defeated Statesville Christian, North
Carolina 67-52 in the first round, then were beaten in the semifinals by Our
Savior New American, NY 59-55. Then took 3rd place with a 70-60 win over
Blair Academy, New Jersey.
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1. Harrisburg (10-0) District #3 (AAAA).

Cougars have just rolled through all their games this year and get the #1
nod ahead of the Philadelphia Catholic trio, because they have more depth
than those three. I would love to see them play one or all of them though.
Their two closest games were their first two in the Steelton-Highspire
Tip-Off when they defeated Cheltenham 71-60 and Hazleton Area 70-59. Then
ripped league foes, Central Dauphin East 88-59, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt
73-54, Chambersburg 83-62, Carlisle 81-57, Cumberland Valley 85-60 and Cedar
Cliff 87-53. In the Slam Fest Holiday Tournament @ Harrisburg they tore
apart Hyattesville Northwestern, MD 92-48 and a good Towson Calvert Hall
71-47. The Cougars are loaded with bangers inside in 6-5 jr Alphonso Dawson,
6-5 jr Ricardo Brown, 6-3 jr Lamar Drayton, 6-3 jr Laron Williams and 6-5 jr
Nate Brown and 6-3 soph Quincy Roberts. 6-0 sr Bryan Majors the point guard
is one of the best defensive guards in the state. Zach Runkle 6-3 also gets
in the lineup. Coach Smallwood can go 12 to 14 deep and he usually does. .



2. Philadelphia Roman Catholic (11-1) (Philadelphia Catholic League)
Has had a very good start to the season as they have played in three
tournaments to date winning championships in two of them. Started season
with a 67-43 win over Philadelphia Imhotep Charter. Won the Philly
Basketball Invitational with wins over Father Judge 65-47 and Germantown
Academy 80-62. In the Gonzaga DC Classic the Cahillites defeated Washington
St. John's 55-47, then suffered their only loss of the season to the #1 team
in Baltimore, Mount St. Joseph's 56-54. Came back to capture 3rd place with
a 69-52 win over Alexandria St. Stephens-St Agnes, VA. Then defeated city
foe Bishop McDevitt 79-46 and Philadelphia Delaware Valley Charter 85-48
before heading to Miami, Florida for the Junior Orange Bowl Classic. They
took the title there with wins over Miami Christopher Columbus 62-47, Fort
Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 70-58 and Fairfax Paul VI, Virginia 67-63 in
the final. Roman is led by 6-6 sr Mike Ringgold, 6-3 jr Bradley Wanamaker,
5-8 sr Raymond "Doodles" Sims, 6-4 sr Rockeed McCarter, 6-2 jr Brian
Wanamaker, 6-4 sr Lonnie Perry and 6-5 sr Sean Jones. Opened the New Year
with a 64-30 win over West Catholic.


3. Philadelphia St. John Neumann-St. Maria Goretti (6-3) (Philadelphia Cath.
League)
The Saints have lost as many games in December as they lost all last year,
but every one of the losses have come to National Top 25 teams, so they are
still a solid top team in this state. They started the season winning the
Truman Tip-Off with wins over city foe Cardinal Dougherty 65-61 and the host
school, Levittown Harry S. Truman 73-63. Then in the New Jersey Tip-Off
Classic they were edged by Elizabeth St. Patrick, NJ 63-60. They bounced
back to down Philadelphia Southern 86-56, before heading to Houston, Texas
for the Academy National Invitational. They won their first game 59-41 over
Bellaire, Texas, then lost to both Los Angeles Fairfax 57-47 and Marietta
Wheeler, Georgia 79-63. They are led by four Division 1 recruits, but don't
seem to have developed a deep bench as yet. Derrick D.J. Rivera a 6-2 sr
(St. Joseph's), Earl Pettis a 6-5 sr, and juniors Antonio "Scoop" Jardine
6-3 and Rick Jackson 6-8 (both committed to Syracuse) are returning
starters. Jamal Wilson a 6-4 soph, Frank Biondo a 5-9 sr and Mark Hatty 6-3
jr are among the top seven. Opened New Year by defeating previously
undefeated St. Joseph's Prep 50-43.
.
4. Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep (11-1) (Philadelphia Catholic League)
What else is new, Prep doesn't have a whole lot of great talent besides
Villanova bound 6-4 sr Reggie Redding, but all Speedy Morris' teams do is
win. They started the season in the Chestnut Hill Academy Round Robin
Tournament with wins over the host school 81-23 and a good Abington Friends
56-46. Then they defeated Academy Park 83-38, Souderton 70-24, Philadelphia
Southern 81-47 and Malvern Prep 43-39. In the Main Line Classic they
defeated Simon Gratz 43-36. Then dropped Germantown Academy 71-51. In the
Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic, Prep defeated Philadelphia Central 57-33 and
Lower Merion 55-50. Ended the year by blasting Philadelphia LaSalle 90-31.
Besides Redding, Morris runs out 6-1 sr Dave Stefanski, 6-3 sr James
Oberlies, 5-9 jr Matt Griffin, 6-5 soph Larry Loughery, 6-3 sr Mike McCauley
and 6-2 soph Jim Mower. An example of the way Morris coaches and WINS is the
comment he gave for Ted Silary's previews. The comment read "Stars shine.
Teams win." Lost to Neumann-Goretti 50-43 to start 2006.

5. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (10-0) District #1 (AAAA)
The Colonels get the early nod as the #1 team in District #1, a district
loaded with some fairly equal teams this winter. They started the season at
home in the Rock The Rim Tip-Off Tournament with wins over Neshaminy 77-29
and Conestoga 76-66. Then defeated Abington 58-24 and got their biggest win
to date, a 60-57 nod over Philadelphia Simon Gratz. They followed up with
wins over Penn Wood 70-51, Upper Merion 92-40, Springfield Montco 86-36 and
Upper Moreland 80-30. In the Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic they dumped
Philadelphia Central 69-48 and edged a strong Brooklyn Grady 65-63. They are
led by veterans, Ronald Moore 6-1 sr, Lance Wilson 6-1 sr and Da'Rel Scott
6-2 sr. Add to those three, Anthony Minor 6-4 jr, Greg Maugle 6-7 jr and
Zach Thomas a 6-4 sr and P-W has more size than in past years to help them
in the tough games ahead in the New Year.

6. Philadelphia Simon Gratz (9-2) (Philadelphia Public League-District #12
(AAAA) (Over Rated ~My opinion)

The Bulldigs have played better than we first expected and get a much higher
rating than they would have in preseason. They started the season winning
the Chester Tip-Off with wins over McKeesport (minus football players) 62-28
and Chester 59-57 in OT. Then rolled over city foe Engineering & Science
59-35. Lost a tough one at Plymouth-Whitemarsh 60-57. Then defeated
Philadelphia Northeast 61-48 and Parkway 57-42. In the Main Line Classic,
the Bulldogs were defeated by St. Joseph's Prep 45-36. Came back and
defeated Roxborough 67-33 and Furness 83-34. In the Jameer Nelson Holiday
Classic, Gratz defeated Severn Archbishop Spalding, MD 51-33 and Penn Wood
68-48. The leader of the team is 6-0 sr Malik Alvin who is headed to UTEP
next year. Others are Karl Howard 5-10 sr, Velton Jones 5-10 sr, Jamal
Watson 6-3 sr, Sean Gilbert 6-4 sr, Ishmawiyl McFadden 6-5 jr and Stevie
Newton 6-1 sr..

7. Pocono Mountain East (11-0) District #11 (AAAA)
The Vikings get this lofty early rating, basically on the strength of a
62-59 win over then undefeated Brooklyn Grady on the road. The only other
good win is over a strong Hazleton Area team 62-52. But the win over Grady
is nearly the same as #5 P-W's win over the New York squad and the win over
Hazleton is nearly the same margin as #1 Harrisburg's win over the same
team. In their other games they opened the season with 54-30 win over
Abington Heights, in the Whitehall Showcase they crushed Williamsport 83-48,
then defeated Lehighton 72-43, Allentown Dieruff 78-49, Stroudsburg 54-27,
Wilkes-Barre Coughlin 55-22 and East Stroudsburg North 50-42. They won the
North Pocono Holiday Tournament defeating previously undefeated Lackawanna
Trail 73-51 and Scranton Bishop Hannan 50-41. New head coach Al Callejas
toke over a team that returned four starters, led by Villanova bound 6-9 sr
Kraidon Woods, 6-7 sr Jerusalem Strickland, 6-4 sr Mike Knepp and 5-11 sr
Marcus Little. He also features 6-6 jr Josh Powell, 5-11 sr Wardell
McCutcheon and 6-4 soph Matt Lepri.

8. Philadelphia Prep Charter (7-2) (Philadelphia Public League-District #12
CLASS (AA)
They got their first taste of PIAA and Public League play last year and
weren't happy with how things ended as they lost in the Pub finals to
Central and were ousted by York Catholic 45-43 in the second round. So they
are ready to take last years young team further this winter. They play in
the Pub Division C which is weak for now, but have scheduled some
heavyweights to make them stronger. Started out playing league games and got
a forfeit win over Nueva Esperanza. Then blasted World Communications 88-28,
Creative & Performing Arts 80-18 and Human Services (now Paul Robeson)
110-68. Next they traveled to San Luis Obispo, CA for the Mission Prep
National Classic where they lost to National Top 10 teams, Lakewood Artesia,
CA (#8) 68-36 and Los Angles Fremont (#9) 67-48. In between they did beat
Our Savior Lutheran, NY 54-50. Back in Pub C they belted Electric &
Technology 78-30. Then they went to Baltimore to play that city's #1 Public
school Walbrook in the Baltimore Walbrook Classic and came away with a 58-55
victory. In January they will face powerful American Christian, District #3
(AA) power Trinity and Chester. They are led by LaSalle bound 6-5 sr Rodney
Green, the juniors twins, Markieff 6-9 and Marcus Morris 6-8, Cullen Askew
6-8 sr, Paris Griffin 6-6 sr and a pair of top notch guards, who they did
not have last year in juniors Josh "Scrap Martin 6-2 and Doug Davis 5-11.

9. Pittsburgh Schenley (11-1) Pittsburgh City-District #8 (AAAA)
The Spartans opened the season in the Skip Coleman Tip-Off @ State College
and hooked up in a good one with District 3's Reading and came up short
61-59. They beat the host school State College 65-52 in the consolation and
have been winning every since. They defeated league foe, Allderdice 71-60
had their closest call in a 56-53 win at AA power Aliquippa, defeated
McKeesport 70-57, Carrick 91-68, Brashear 83-28, Oliver 82-67 and Langley
91-53. Then in the Blackhawk Christmas Tournament, despite figuring to be
pushed, Schenley romped to the championship by blowing away Kennedy Catholic
79-56, Elizabeth-Forward 63-39 and Beaver Falls 94-79. 6-8 jr DeJuan Blair,
who suffered a torn ACL last year in a season ending playoff loss to Erie
Cathedral Prep is back and in good shape leading the way. He is backed up by
6-5 jr D.J. Kennedy and 5-10 jr pg Jamaal "Onion" Bryant. Gerald Brooks 6-4
sr and 5-11 sr D.C. Clancy. 6-1 soph Deandre Kane, 6-2 soph Greg Blair and
6-5 sr Brandon McLaughlin all get time.


10. Chester (8-3) District #1 (AAAA )
The Clippers lost most of their team from last year, except St. Joseph's U
signee, Darrin Govens a 6-1 sr and 6-3 sr Shakiyl Reed but don't sleep on
this team as they have seven sophomores on the varsity and plan on being
there come March. And a win over highly regarded Lower Merion, who they beat
in Hershey last year is evidence of that. The Clips started the season in
the Chester Tip-Off Tournament where they defeated Philadelphia Math, Civics
& Science Charter 78-35 before losing to Simon Gratz 59-57 in the title
game. They traveled to Lancaster where they lost again 69-60, then started a
winning streak with victories over Levittown Truman 76-64, Philadelphia
Southern 74-45, Reading 80-62, Strawberry Mansion 80-67 and Penn Wood 70-67.
Then in the Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic they edged Lower Merion 53-52,
lost to Brooklyn Grady 87-74 and defeated Tatnall, Delaware 68-57. Besides
the two seniors, Lamene Church 6-2 sr, Russell Johnson 6-6 soph and Brandon
Robinson 6-7 soph have been starting. But the guy that has people buzzing is
5-8 soph pg Daron Burton who comes in and makes things happen in a hurry
with his speed and smart court play. Other sophomores who see action are
Alonzo Jones 6-1, Kevin Green-Germany 5-9, Taylor Burton 6-5 and Mark
Burrell 6-4


11. Lower Merion (9-2) District #1 (AAAA)
The Ace's reeled off nine wins in a row and figured to get the #2 PIAA nod
before they were beaten by Chester 53-52 and then by Philadelphia St. Joseph's
Prep 55-50 in overtime at the Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic. Started the
season winning the Lancaster Tip-Off Tournament with wins over Parkland
55-39 and Lancaster 63-48. Then they defeated Radnor 67-45, Ridley 73-47,
Springfield Delco 69-58, Strath Haven 57-42, Harriton 75-47, Upper Darby
64-51 and Haverford 67-40. They are led by the two players who stood out in
last years run to the state final in 6-5 sr Garrett Williamson and 6-4 sr
Ryan Brooks. Others in the rotation are, Peter Lucas 5-10 sr, Arian Thompson
5-10 sr, Ernest Moore sr, Jim Gray 6-4 sr, Eric Barefield jr and Greg
Robbins a 6-4 freshman.


12. Philadelphia Communications Tech (8-1) Phila. Public League-District #12
(AAA)
The Phoenix are a new school this year, but former John Bartram coach, Lou
Biester, had many of his Bartram players enrolled in CT before they had
athletic teams, so when they decided to field a team he just moved over as
head coach. This team is for real and a AAA state wide threat already. They
opened the season with a championship in the Springfield-Delco Tip-Off with
wins over Bensalem 73-42 and the host school 63-57 in their first two games
ever. They followed those wins up by beating Philadelphia Germantown 65-30,
Bok Tech 78-43, Coatesville 76-54, Thomas Edison 66-45 and Dobbins Tech
59-50. Then in the 2005 Boardwalk Classic @ Wildwood, NJ they suffered their
first loss to Middle Township, NJ 45-42, but came back to defeat Absegami,
NJ 63-61. Top seven players are: 6-6 jr Lance McDowell, 6-2 sr Shawn
Francis, 5-10 sr Jernardo "Jay" Lucas, 6-5 soph Andrew "Scootie" Randall,
6-2 sr Leonard Jackson, 6-2 sr Ben Whitt and 6-2 jr Shyheem Satchell.
Juniors Nagee Edwards and Orlando Ensley along with sophomore Manny Jordan
also see time.

13. Mount Lebanon (11-1) W.P.I.A.L. District #7 (AAAA)
The Blue Devils solidified themselves as the top AAAA team in the WPIAL with
two wins over North Allegheny and one over top ranked McKeesport in
December. They started the season in the Central Mountain Tip-Off beating
Central Mountain 57-49 and Philadelphia Frankford 62-53. Followed that up
with the first win over NA, 64-54. Then won the Penn Hills Tip-Off downing
Penn Hills 60-39 and NA again 60-55. Their only slipup came against
Pittsburgh Allderdice 56-47. The bounced back and defeated Peters Township
63-43, Canon-McMillan 76-71 and Washington Trinity 60-39. Over the holidays
they went to the Sunshine state to play in the Daytona Beach Sunshine
Classic. They were only in the second tier of the tournament but still won
beating Clinton County, Kentucky 70-42, Staten Island Monsignor Farrell, NY
51-48 and Sagemont, Florida 65-57. Top players are, Ryan Lang 6-4 jr Adam
Potter 6-5 sr, Andrew Devlin 6-6 jr, Evan Stokar 6-0 sr, Nate Gannon 6-3 sr,
Shane Phillips 5-9 soph and Nick Sandusky 6-3 jr. .


14. Norristown (10-0) District #1 (AAAA)
The Eagles roared through December undefeated with the most impressive wins
coming over Lancaster 74-67 and Springfield Delco 67-66. They opened the
season with a 58-42 victory over Philadelphia Overbrook, then defeated
Council Rock South 55-46, next came Lancaster, then Central Bucks East
56-54, Hatboro-Horsham 50-37, Quakertown 59-39, Springfield-Delco in the
Reading Sneaker Villa Shootout, and Central Bucks South 55-40. They then won
the Norristown Triangle Holiday Tournament with an 82-42 victory over Upper
Merion and a 70-58 win over Norristown Kennedy-Kenrick. Team is led by 6-5
sr, Mike Buckley, Adam Fusco, Adrian Golston, Anthony Johnson, Jamal
Blaylock, Richard Lancaster, Brian Organtini, Dwight Tinsley, Russ Graham
and Anthony Hill.


15. Hazleton Area (6-2) District #2 (AAAA)
Coach Bruce Leib just may have a team that is ready to make a run in PIAA
play after quite a few years without doing that. They started the season a
little slow, playing only two games in the first two weeks. And although
both were losses, they came to a couple of teams that are still undefeated
in Harrisburg 70-59 and Pocono Mountain East 62-52. Since then they have
been impressive in six consecutive wins. Started with a 50-31 win over
Wilkes-Barre Coughlin, then defeated Pittston Area 58-27, Steelton-Highspire
64-53 and Hanover Area 73-27. Then they took their own Cougar Holiday
Classic with wins over William Tennett 54-39 and previously undefeated
Pennsbury 45-42. The Cougars starters are leading scorer, Mike DeMarco 6-2
jr, Keiser Zamora 6-4 sr both returning starters, Josiah Gundry 6-4 soph
center and junior guards Jason Edmonds 5-10 and Anton DiSabella 5-10. Mark
Scarcella 5-10 jr, Ryan Roebuck 6-3 sr, Stan Teprovich a junior and Joe Kost
5-9 sophomore all come of the bench for the Hazleton Area Cougars..

16. Beaver Falls (11-1) District #7 (AA)
The Tigers ran off 11 wins in a row to run their winning streak to 22-games
before getting beaten 94-79 by Pittsburgh Schenley in the finals of the
Blackhawk Christmas Tournament. Some games in that tournament bother me
about how good this team really is and the first one is having to come from
14 points back to beat Carlisle in the first round 64-62. Then they had to
overcome a seven-point deficit to down Bethel Park 65-64 in the semifinals.
But at least the Tigers play up as all three opponents were AAAA schools.
That's how they ended December. They started by winning the Midland Tip-Off
Tournament with wins over two Ohio schools, East Liverpool 76-56 and
Youngstown Ursuline 69-51. Then they defeated Erie Strong Vincent 66-50. In
the Beaver Falls Tip-Off Tournament they topped Shenango 70-63 and came from
behind again to top AAA power Moon 80-78 in overtime. Next they beat
Westmont-Hilltop 64-49, New Brighton 77-38, Center 75-66 and Rochester 94-49
before going to Blackhawk. Again they are led by 6-3 seniors Lance Jeter and
Jack Anderson. But quickly taking his place among the all-time Beaver Falls
greats is 6-3 freshman Todd Thomas. Thomas scored 20pts in the loss to
Schenley. The other two starters are 5-11 sr Dom Henderson and 6-3 sr Kijafa
Carter. 5-9 sr Alvin Rodgers and 6-1 soph Kenny Cottman both come off the
bench.


17. Cheltenham (10-1) District #1 (AAAA)
The Panthers lost their first game of the season to #1 Harrisburg 71-60, but
then were a perfect 10-0 the rest of the month. They defeated Neshaminy
67 -43, Coatesville 59-44, Oxford 61-56, Steelton-Highspire 78-59,
Wissahickon 62-55, came from behind to beat Reading 49-47, beat Upper
Moreland 71-60 and Upper Merion 62-20. Finished 2005 by winning the
Spring-Ford Holiday Tournament with victories over West Chester Bishop
Shananan 75-63 and Spring-Ford 82-47. Their top players are Patrick Mansell
6-1 sr, Bryan Aruthur 6-2 sr, Christian Christopher 6-3 sr, Austin Johnson
6-6 soph, Anthony Young 5-11 sr, Andrew Young 6-7 jr, Steve Tolliver 6-2 jr,
Nick Olliver 6-3 sr, Charles Coleman 6-3 sr and Brandon Bing 5-9 jr.


18. Allentown Allen (7-2) District #11 (AAAA)
It's been awhile since this one time powerhouse has had a team they can be
really exited about. The beginning was not that exciting as playing without
their leading scorer they lost to Bethlehem Liberty 62-61 to start the
season. But they got on the right track with a 62-57 win over Bethlehem
Freedom, beat highly regarded Allentown Central Catholic 69-58, Whitehall
68-54, Parkland 70-33, Nazareth 76-55 and Emmaus 85-50. Then in the William
Allen Holiday Classic they smashed Bergen Catholic, NJ 86-73 before losing
the championship to one of the top teams in New Jersey, Linden 70-61. The
top player is 6-4 sr Terrance Roderick. Others starting are 6-2 sr Darnell
Braswell, 6-2 sr Adrian "Ace" Brown 5-7 sr, Anthony Hernandez, 6-3 sr, Barry
Joyner These players also see time, Mark Stewart 5-10 sr, Kyle Stewart 5-10
sr and Nate Reinoso 5-10 sr.

19. Pennsbury (8-1) District #1 (AAAA)
The Falcons got a late start to the season because of a teachers strike. But
once they got started they rolled into the Cougar Holiday Classic @ Hazleton
undefeated. They defeated Methacton 66-43, Philadelphia Conwell-Egan 45-36,
Philadelphia Northeast 51-43, Pennridge 45-28, Trenton, New Jersey 56-48,
Bensalem 37-36 and Mariana Bracetti 42-30. In the tournament they defeated
Pleasant Valley 61-46, then lost in the final to Hazleton Area 45-42.
Juniors Ross Lenzi 6-1, Brandyn Corker 6-3, Derek Wright 6-0 and 6-8 Laovoy
Allen are returning players. Dalton Pepper, a highly touted 6-4 freshman
guard, the team's leading scorer, rounds out the starting lineup. Coming off
the bench are 6-0 Mike Avilles, 6-2 Kenny Veal and 6-9 Kevin Gallagher all
juniors.

20. Erie Cathedral Prep RAMBLERS (8-1) District #10 (AAAA)
The Ramblers lost to Lower Merion 65-54 in last year's state semifinals and
with the addition of Preston Harris 6-3 sr transfer from Erie McDowell and
some holdovers, they expect to go far again this winter. Started the season
with wins over Erie Mercyhurst Prep 54-48, Franklin 65-62, Erie East 59-51,
St. Francis 77-54 and Fort LeBoeuf 69-56. They then went to Chicago to play
in a Chicago Shootout, where they defeated Chicago Quigley Prep 65-39 and
Chicago St. Rita 54-49. In between they lost to Oak Park Fenwick 61-59. Came
home and defeated Warren on the road 62-59. Other top players for Prep are:
6-5 sr Mark Demski, 5-9 jr Ryan Heidt, 6-0 soph Mark Blazek, 6-3 sr Matt
Pluta, 5-10 jr Josh Licata and 5-10 sr Adam Kaiser.


21. Altoona (8-1) District #6 (AAAA)
The Mountain Lions opened the season with a 63-43 loss to Philadelphia
Frankford in the Central Mountain Tip-Off Tournament, but they were playing
without Uruguay exchange student, 6-4 sr Joaquin Osimani in the lineup.
Since he has been in the lineup they have won eight games in a row,
including a stunning 60-57 victory over AAA power Johnstown. They defeated
the host school, Central Mountain 54-47 in the consolation game, then
defeated Butler 62-57, Milton Hershey 60-43, Ringgold 62-54, Pittsburgh
Brashear 52-36 and Johnstown. Then they won the Great Chevy Shootout with
wins over Philadelphia West Catholic 75-47 and Magruder, Maryland 48-29.
Other's playing are: Quentyn Ferguson 6 -1 jr, Matt Dukery 6-3 jr, Jesse
Betar 5-11 jr, D. J. Patterson 5-10 jr, Alphonso Lewis 6-2 soph, Matt Gehret
6-5 soph and Denwood Howard 6-5 sr.

22. Johnstown (7-1) District #6 (AAA)
The Trojans lost to Steelton-Highspire last year in the state final and
returned 4 starters so they expect to have another fine team. They started
the season with an 82-47 romp over Bedford, beat Richland Township 81-45,
Johnstown Bishop McCort 73-54. Then they won the U. of Penn State Johnstown
Tip-Off Tournament with wins over Forest Hills 77-56 and Bishop McCort
63-54. Then came a 75-47 win over Somerset, before the 60-57 loss at
Altoona. Came back to defeat Forest Hills again, 80-61. The top players this
year are: 6-6 sr Kurt Hoffman, 6-2 sr Aireon Jefferson, 6-0 jr Demetrius
"Ace" Young, 5-11 sr Xavier Thomas, 6-2 jr Derek Rose and 5-10 sr Justin
Maser.

23. Moon (7-1) District #7(AAA)
The defending WPIAL (AAA) champions appear to be better this year than last
and when I saw them they looked better than the team that won the state
title. They won the Moon Tip-Off with wins over Sewickley Academy 82-41 and
Pittsburgh Brashear 74-59. Then they defeated Brentwood 74-56. In the Beaver
Falls Tournament, they defeated New Castle 71-38 and pushed Beaver Falls to
the limit before losing in overtime 80-78. Came back to beat Upper St. Clair
63-52, Blackhawk 66-62, Quaker Valley 71-63 and West Allegheny 65-48. In the
Moon Holiday Tournament they defeated Peters Township 80-59, before being
upset by Brentwood in the final 55-50. The Tigers starters are 6-1 sr Danny
Walsh, 6-4 soph Brian Walsh and 6-5 sr Tyler Hersperger, 6-8 sr R.J. Rush,
6-7 jr Chris Jeannot. Others are juniors, Alex Laipple, Andy Dowdell, Mike
Battles, Vince Valenzi and Tyler Goehring.


24. Central Dauphin (9-1) District #3 (AAAA)
The Rams started the season playing without two starters and lost in the
finals of the Hershey Tip-Off to Hershey 59-56 after beating Lancaster
Mennonite 76-62 in the first round. Then they defeated Steelton-Highspire
57-50, Central Dauphin East 59-47, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt 59-39, edged
Chambersburg 61-59, beat Carlisle 53-41 and Cumberland Valley 66-57. In the
Central Dauphin Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament they took the title with wins
over Manheim Township 81-74 and Dallastown 72-56. Returning players for the
Rams are: Mark Mackey 6-5 sr, Casey McMasters 6-5 sr, Jalon Bransford 6-2 sr
and Andrew Rotz 5-10 jr. Others who were there last year are, Vince Browning
5-10 jr, Marcus Sewell 6-0 sr and Mike Dietz 6-3 sr.


25. Philadelphia Cardinal Dougherty (9-3) (Philadelphia Catholic League)
The Cardinals look to be the #1 team in the Catholic League North this year
and coach Mark Heimerdinger needed only 16 wins to reach the 400 mark for
his career. Started off season in the Truman Tip-Off Tournament and lost to
Neumann-Goretti 65-61 and then defeated Paul Robeson 61-40. In the Aaron
Wolf Roundball Weekend they romped over Philadelphia Math, Civics & Science
77-50 and lost to Abington Friends 55-52. Then they defeated Academy of New
Church 55-51, Monsignor Bonner 58-49, Cardinal O'Hara 55-39, Holy Ghost Prep
55-54 and Penn Charter 86-76. In the Boardwalk Basketball Classic they
defeated Camden Woodrow Wilson, NJ 85-68, but got blown away by Atlantic
City, NJ 70-28 in the finals of the Cape May County Freeholders Boys
Bracket. Top seven players are: 5-10 sr Vincent Simpson, 5-9 jr Kahlil
Mumford, 6-2 jr Justin Minter, 6-2 jr Roberto Townsend, 6-3 jr Tim Gates,
5-6 sr B. J. Lennon and 6-0 soph Isiah Mason. Opened the 2006 with a 45-33
win over Archbishop Wood.

"THE CHOPS".
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