February 10-11

Thursday morning: in Quarryville with Jenny for the usual lunch date at the pizza shop, after three straight nights of basketball the evening was spent in the comparative silence of home. On Friday evening we were back on the bus for the playoff game against Hempfield. Let's get the good news out first: JPM won 55-51 to claim the program's first division title since 2008. The game was at Penn Manor HS, when we arrived I put a copy of our roster at the scorer's table for the benefit of the PA announcer. The athletic director at Penn Manor is an old schoolmate of mine, his name is Jeff Roth (he played basketball at JPM from 1972-75). He said he had no PA announcer for the game and asked me if I wanted to do it. I told him I wanted to concentrate on keeping my scorebook during the game but I was willing to handle the pregame introductions. He understood completely and in the end it all worked out. The game itself was another barnburner played before a loud capacity crowd, it was no place for anyone with a weak heart. With three minutes left to play we were down 48-39 and Hempfield appeared to be in complete control. From there the game did a dramatic about-face, it was all JPM down the stretch as the boys went on a 16-3 run to pull out a stunningly incredible victory. Diante Cherry led with 18 points, Tyler Martin added 14. The club has been on a wonderful run lately with seven wins in the last eight games. In thirty-nine years of  L-L League play McCaskey has qualified for the postseason playoffs twenty-five times, this was the seventeenth division title the program has won. All told we've been to the Championship Game nineteen times and won eleven, a League record. What will happen this year is anyone's guess but what it means for now is we play Annville-Cleona in the first round on Monday the 14th. A win would put us in the Semifinals on Wednesday, the title game is Friday the 18th. Hockey in Reading over the weekend as the Royals host Trenton for a Saturday-Sunday double-dip. Take care, thanks for reading.