December 13-14

Had the usual lunch visit with Jenny on Wednesday, on Thursday night we were back at McCaskey. Most of the preseason prognostications have Hempfield, Manheim Township and Cedar Crest as the top three finishers in our division of the LL League, the order varies according to who you listen to. We are not expected to be in the running due to the overall inexperience we have at the varsity level and maybe they're right but the journey should not be dull. On this night Cedar Crest visited for the  league opener and the result probably wouldn't have surprised many. JPM lost 61-46 but for three quarters the game was competitive, CC pulled away in the fourth period thanks to foul shooting. We were whistled for seventeen fouls on the night while Cedar Crest was called for only six (in thirty-two minutes of play???). On the floor the game was dead even, each team scored forty-three points. At the line we were 3-for-5, CC was 18-for-23. It's utterly amazing how similar plays are called differently depending on which end of the court it occurs and quite frankly it's been going on for years so it's not entirely a revelation. It's simply hard to win when you have to spend all night running uphill because the floor is tilted. Isiah Speller led JPM with fifteen points, he was the only Red Tornado in double figures. The boys are back in action on Saturday afternoon for a non-league game in Harrisburg, I am absent for hockey in Reading. Take care, thanks for reading.