Making it count

The Prep Charter Lady Huskies might be a second-year basketball squad, but they sure don’t play like one.

On Friday, the team forced John Bartram High into overtime and kept on pushing until losing the quarterfinal game by a hair, 53-51.

The 8-2 Prep Charter squad trailed 13-4 after the first quarter but never gave up. The most exciting moment came in the final seconds of regulation, when junior guard Crystal Enoch hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 45. The Lady Huskies started celebrating at half-court as if they had just won the Public League title.

Coach Linda Page said that taken in perspective, the two-point loss was a positive.

"I think they played their hearts out," the coach said. "I think we still got a victory today even in defeat. We still won because we gave it our all and that’s all you can ask."

Enoch led the Lady Huskies’ offense with 26 points, while junior Sabriya McDuffie added 10. McDuffie, who scored 21 points in the squad’s opening-round 56-45 win over Engineering and Science, said despite her team’s strides, she was smarting after Friday’s loss.

"It hurts because you always want to win," she said. "I am glad we made it this far."

The Lady Huskies, who will move up to the Gold Division next year, plan to use their postseason experience as a foundation for a 2005 championship run. The team’s efforts already have grabbed the attention of Gold Division coaches, including Bartram’s James Brown.

"I knew [Prep Charter] was going to come in here prepared to play," Brown said. "They have a great coach in Linda Page. I knew she was going to have them prepared because she knocked off a Gold Division team to get [to the quarterfinals]."

Neumann bowling

The Pirates were hoping to make school history by becoming Neumann’s first athletic squad to win four straight Catholic League crowns. It would have been a fitting final chapter for the team’s final year at 26th and Moore streets.

But Northern Division champ Father Judge put an end to the great run with a 3,087-2,962 win in Tuesday’s Catholic League semifinals.

Neumann coach Gene Mattioli said 2,962 was one of Neumann’s best performances all year, but noted that Father Judge was "on their A-game" Tuesday. Senior Matthew Stankiewicz led the Pirates with a high game of 237 and a 627 series. Younger brother Joseph Stankiewicz, a junior, finished with a 604 series, while sophomore Chris Pezzano bowled a 617 series.

The Pirates, who finished second in the Southern Division, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Monsignor Bonner 2,889-2,637 in Thursday’s quarterfinal match. Matt Stankiewicz led the way with a 630 series while brother Joe rolled a 604.

The loss, while disappointing, does little to diminish Neumann’s rich bowling history, which includes six Catholic League titles over the last seven years.

"I told them to keep their heads up," Mattioli said. "You’ve got a lot of good tradition and have nothing to be ashamed of."

Prep bowling

Despite Neumann’s loss, Sunday’s Catholic League bowling championship will retain a South Philly flavor: Southern Division champ St. Joseph’s Preparatory High’s squad includes local residents Mark Rubbo and Drew Beaver.

Rubbo, of the 2800 block of South Iseminger Street, is a First Team All-Catholic with a 204 average, while Beaver had a high game of 278 in Tuesday’s 2,970-2,702 semifinal win over Archbishop Wood.

Neumann basketball

After placing third in the Southern Division with a 9-5 record, the Pirates are heading to the Catholic League quarterfinals Saturday night at La Salle. Neumann is looking to avenge two regular-season losses to second-place Roman Catholic, who finished 12-2.

"We shot poorly in both games is basically what it comes down to," said Neumann coach Carl Arrigale. "Poor offense was affecting our defense."

The Pirates have won five straight league games since and defeated nationally ranked St. Raymond’s from New York in a non-league Valentine’s Day contest.

Roman has its own revenge-fueled motivation: The Cahillites lost last year’s quarterfinal game to the Pirates 55-53 at the buzzer.

Other local players

Several local athletes who play for schools outside South Philly also will be contending in the basketball playoffs.

Junior Malik Perry, of 12th and Kater streets, is playing at Roman Catholic after spending his first two seasons at Furness High. The forward is averaging 10 points per game.

West Catholic, who plays defending Catholic League champ St. Joseph’s Prep in Saturday night’s other quarterfinal match-up, relies heavily on senior guard Marshall Taylor, of 13th and Moore streets. The Division I prospect leads the Burrs’ offense with 21.8 points per game, and recently scored a career-high 31 points in a loss to the Prep.

University City’s Jeffrey Andrepoint, of Fifth and Morris streets, will be looking to help his Cinderella team — which already has upset Southern and Olney — advance to the Public League championship game. University City, which was the ninth seed in the A-B Divisions, will face Franklin Learning Center on Sunday. The winner will play the victor of the John Bartram-Simon Gratz semifinal March 7 at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. Andrepoint is averaging 11.3 points per game.

The Bartram boys’ basketball team is getting plenty of offense from senior guard Tywain McKee, who is tallying a team-best 18.5 points per game. The athlete, of 13th and Bainbridge streets, spent his first three seasons at Furness before transferring to Bartram for a chance at the Public League playoffs. Bartram will tip off against Gratz Sunday at noon in a rematch of last year’s Public League championship game.

Archbishop Prendergast senior Carlene Hightower, of 33rd and Reed streets, closed out her Catholic League basketball career in Monday night’s opening-round 58-39 playoff loss to Archbishop Carroll. The center and La Salle signee was held to seven points, well below her season average of 18.7 points per game. Hightower also earned a First Team All-Catholic nod.

Saturday
Catholic League playoffs
Neumann vs. Roman Catholic, 7 p.m.
West Catholic vs. St. Joe’s Prep, 8:45 p.m.

Sunday
Public League playoffs
Simon Gratz vs. John Bartram, noon
FLC vs. University City, 6:30 p.m.

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All basketball playoff games will be held at La Salle University.