January 28-31

There was snow in the forecast for late Friday into Saturday, we actually had a touch of it early on Friday morning. There were some schools that opened late and postponed evening activities but McCaskey was not one of them, the game at home with Penn Manor went on as scheduled. It was Senior Night, at halftime of the varsity game the five graduating cheerleaders were spotlighted and before the game we saluted John Stewart, Nyaud Frazier, Thomas Foster, Kevin Ramirez, Grady Bachman, Shamell Burke and Hasan Williams as members of the Class of 2022. Haz and Shamell have been starters for most of the season, the others have played as reserves and on this night they comprised the all-Senior starting five. That unit combined to score seventeen points in the first quarter and forty-four for the game as JPM won going away 88-49. The result wasn't really surprising, Penn Manor has struggled through a two-win season and they were missing a few key people. In a way you feel sorry for them but at the same time you must win against teams that have poorer records because if the situation was reversed you know there would be absolutely no sympathy of any type shown to us. We had another shot of the white stuff overnight into Saturday, when I came out in the morning it was fifteen degrees and the wind made it feel like zero. We pulled out of the parking lot at McCaskey at 10:15 for the forty-mile trip northwest to suburban Harrisburg. In recent years Susquehanna Township has been a regular preseason scrimmage opponent, the boys were there back in November and Freddy commented on how strange it was to play an actual game against them so soon after. The games on this day were typical of those played against Mid-Penn Conference opponents in their gyms, the officials tried very hard to make it all about themselves. The JV game started with a technical foul issued in the pregame warmup (?), in the varsity game both coaches were T'd up. To say the afternoon wasn't an artistic success would be putting it mildly but both teams managed to bring it home, the JV won by twelve to improve to 7-10 and the varsity prevailed 60-50 to move to 9-10. The varsity played its first eleven games in the space of thirty-six days (from December 11 to January 15), from the 18th to the 29th the club played eight games in twelve days with two sets of back-to-back and one set of three-in three. The boys get to relax and get some quality practice time in before the next game on Wednesday the 2nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 27

Back at JPM on Thursday night for the first game of a three-in-three, the sort of schedule we see often in the ECHL but rarely in high school basketball. This game was almost literally added at the proverbial last minute, Freddy received confirmation on it while we were awaiting the start of the JV game on Tuesday night. For the longest time we had only twenty games on our schedule and you're allowed twenty-two, this game and the game upcoming on the 29th were late additions. The opponent on this night was Academy Park from Sharon Hill, a southwestern suburb of Philadelphia. Nobody knew very much about them but Freddy was able to find some video and formulate a scouting report. Apparently the program was dormant in 2021 because of The Circumstances, they are essentially starting over with a new head coach. The crowd was somewhat sparse but those in attendance saw the Home Team win easily 70-36. All twelve available players got into the game and ten of them scored: Hasan Williams led the way with 20, Shamell Burke had 11, Grady Bachman and Jared Kumah added ten each. De'Shaun McFadden and Jonathan Byrd had six apiece, Eric Centeno scored three, John Stewart had a field goal, Nyaud Frazier and Elias Garcia each went 1-2 at the line. The club's mark improves to 7-10 with Penn Manor visiting on Friday for Senior Night. This night also featured an example of sophomoric high school humor at its best (or worst depending on your point of view): a member of the opponent's JV squad had the surname Cheeseboro, when he entered the game the JPM student section (not surprisingly) welcomed him as "cheeseburger". I've been there and done that myself but 1974 was a hell of a long time ago. Take care, thanks for reading. 

January 24-26

 A quiet Monday started the new week, after supper I went over to practice to get the scorebook from Freddy. JPM lost to Hazleton by eleven points in that showcase event in Reading on Saturday, on Tuesday we were back on the bus for the short trip north to Manheim Township. This was the start of the second round of divisional play, the club went 2-2 in the first half including a ten-point loss to MT at home in December. On this night in Neffsville the teams engaged in an up-and-down back-and-forth affair that was decided in overtime with JPM coming out on the wrong end of a 44-42 decision. In the four-minute OT period we were outscored 2-0 with both points coming from the foul line. It's often been said that personal foul calls in basketball are not always a matter of how many are called, it's more a matter of WHAT is called and WHEN it is called. At one end of the court a man drives to the basket and is driven to the floor with no call made, at the other end every little ticky-tack violation is whistled down. In the dying seconds of overtime we had possession with a chance to tie, after a timeout an obvious hold on the inbounds play (which would have put us on the line for two shots) went uncalled as the clock ran out. After the buzzer one of our players (and I don't know who because I legitimately didn't see it happen) punted the ball into the air in frustration but luckily nobody was injured. I would say it's unbelievable but it really isn't because we've seen it too many times and after almost fifty years it's not likely to change anytime soon. The loss drops the record in 4-6 in the league and 6-10 overall. Wednesday was quiet except for lunch with Jenny and her mother but the weekend will be busy. The boys have three games in three days coming up, two of them were just recently added to the schedule. On Thursday we host a non-league opponent from the Philadelphia area, Friday features Penn Manor coming into town for a divisional game and on Saturday morning we'll be on the bus to Dauphin County. The JV game on Saturday starts at 12-noon so the three dates in full are all within less than forty-eight hours. I'll be tired just watching it, can't imagine how the kids are going to feel. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 22-23

On the road early on Saturday for a 4:00 start at the Arena and the first of a back-to-back with one of the league's newest franchises. Trois-Rivieres, Quebec (English translation: Three Rivers) had a professional hockey team in the late 1950s known as the Lions, when this new franchise joined over the summer that nickname was resurrected (the team logo is the head of a lion shaped like a Fleur-De-Lys). On this day the visitors from La Belle Province made their first-ever appearance in Reading with a roster that was unsurprisingly just about all natives of Quebec. I've often explained that nicknames to the contrary notwithstanding I personally am not French, I have no French ancestry and there is absolutely NOTHING about me that is French. As a lifelong fan of the great game of ice hockey I have a reasonable knowledge of how to pronounce French-oriented names, that allowed me to get through the weekend in good order (especially since the Lions had no broadcaster present or pronunciation guide in their media notes). In the Saturday opener the Royals were awarded a power play four seconds after the game started, Trevor Gooch cashed in fifty-one seconds later giving the Royals a quick 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until midway through the third period when Brayden Low lit the lamp, in the late going the Lions broke Hayden Hawkey's shutout bid but he and the Royals held on for a 2-1 win. On Sunday the Lions scored the game's first and third goals sandwiched around a Dominic Cormier marker to lead 2-1 at the first intermission. In the second period Jackson Cressey scored on a breakaway to tie the score 2-2 but in overtime TR struck for the winning goal and took it 3-2, Kirill Ustimenko took the tough-luck loss in net. It was a physical series, after the game angry words were exchanged on both sides with some of the Royals ire directed at the game officials. The club stands at 17-8-5 overall at 11-1-3 at home, the next five are on the road with the next home date scheduled for February 8. Take care, thanks for reading. 

January 19-21

Wednesday afternoon after supper at McCaskey for a second bus trip in as many days, the destination this time was Ephrata for another divisional crossover. Ephrata in recent years has not been a strong program but they are much improved and as we know any game in the opponent's gym is never a "gimme". The game began with an overtime JV game, JPM prevailed but it's safe to say the video of it will not be going to Springfield anytime soon. The varsity game was every bit the battle it figured to be, at halftime we actually trailed by two points but were able to right the ship and pull out a 58-47 win. Jonathan Byrd had 18 and Hasan Williams had 11 as the only two players to hit double figures. Thursday was quiet save for my every-five-weeks haircut appointment, on Friday night the boys were back on the floor at home. Elizabethtown visited for the last of the five divisional crossover games, we were supposed to play in E-town in 2021 but Circumstances cancelled it. The late Steve Powell (longtime JPM coach) used to talk about how we get every opponent's best effort, as he often said "against us the crippled can walk and the blind can see". E-town has two outstanding players, on this night it seemed like anything they wanted to do they could do and there were absolutely no answers. There are games when you look at the book afterwards and wonder how one team consistently goes to the foul line and the other doesn't, how one team's (for lack of a better term) "stars" get the star treatment and the other side doesn't. It all added up to a frustrating 49-47 loss that drops the record to 4-5 within the league and 6-8 overall. The club has a quick turnaround for a game on Saturday afternoon, they meet Hazleton in a showcase event at Reading High. That game starts at 3:00 but I will be absent, I'll be downtown at the Arena for a game starting at 4:00. Take care, thanks for reading. 

January 17-18

The storm system was gone on Monday morning, the changeover to rain occurred right around midnight as predicted. I left the house at 10:00 for the drive north, my parking lot was little more that light slush and the trip itself was no problem at all. At the Arena we started the annual Martin Luther King Day game at 1:00, the Worcester Railers visited for the fourth time in eighteen days (earlier in the season we saw Norfolk five times and Newfoundland twice through our first seven home games, over the past six we've had a steady diet of Adirondack and Worcester). On this day the Royals came out strong, goals by Brad Morrison (on assignment from the Phantoms) and Patrick Bajkov gave the Home Team a 2-0 lead in the first period. In the second Bajkov struck again to put the Royals ahead 3-0. Worcester got on the board but that score was quickly countered, goals from Jackson Cressy, Brayden Low and Thomas Ebbing upped the lead to 6-1 entering the last period. The visitors from Massachusetts took advantage of some third-period power play time to close to within two but they would come no closer as the Royals took it 6-4, Hayden Hawkey was the winning goaltender. The club stands at 15-8-5 overall and 10-1-2 at home, the next Arena date is on the 22nd when the new Trois-Rivieres Lions visit for the first time ever. On Tuesday Jenny and her mother had morning appointments in Willow Street, we picked up lunch on the way to their place. In the afternoon we boarded the bus at McCaskey for the trip to Warwick HS in Lititz and the third of our five crossover games. Over the years I've written in this blog about games against Warwick, no matter how good or bad we may be or how good or bad they may be a game against them is NEVER easy especially in their gym. That was boldly in evidence on this night, we trailed 10-0 right out of the chute and never recovered. In many ways it was like the game in Lebanon, we came out flatter than hell while the opponent started on fire and that will spell "L-O-S-S" just about every time. When the blaze was finally extinguished and the smoke cleared we were on the wrong end of a 65-41 decision and the less said about it the better. The club drops to 3-4 in league play and 5-7 overall with a quick turnaround to a Wednesday night game in Ephrata. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 13-16

Thursday night at McCaskey for the first of two straight at home, Conestoga Valley visited for another divisional crossover game. The CV school district borders on the city so a lot of the kids know each other and you know what they say about familiarity breeding contempt. There was a good crowd in attendance and they were into it all night, the atmosphere reminded me of days of yore. JPM reached the season's midpoint with a 52-33 win but it was a much tougher game than that score would indicate. We led by four after one quarter and by twelve at the half, CV battled back to within four entering the last period but JPM outscored CV by fifteen in the final quarter to put the game away. Hasan Williams led the Good Guys with 19, Jared Kumah had 15 with support underneath from Jonathan Byrd (9), Elias Garcia (4), J'Nai Ayala-Hunter (3) and John Stewart (2). It was an important win that helped to wash away a little of the bad aftertaste from the game in Lebanon. On Saturday we were back on the floor for a non-league game, Central Dauphin East visited from suburban Harrisburg. CDE has become a regular non-league opponent in recent years, this marks the sixth consecutive season we have met them (the first two meetings were in showcase events at Reading High, the last four have been the traditional home-and-home arrangement). The JPM JV started the night with a three-point victory which snapped a five-game losing streak, the varsity game required overtime before the issue was decided. A three-point halftime lead dissolved into a six-point deficit entering the last quarter, the club battled back to tie and would have won it in regulation if not for a last-second shot missed at the horn. In the extra period JPM outscored CDE 13-7 and pulled out a very tough 58-52 decision. Three players hit double-figures, Hasan Williams led with 20, Jared Kumah had 14 and Grady Bachman added ten key points in a reserve role. Jonathan Byrd scored seven points, De'Shaun McFadden had five and John Stewart rounded out the book with a field goal. The club's record stands at 5-6 overall and 3-3 within the league with a big week looming on the horizon, four games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) with three of them on the road. There was snow in the forecast for Sunday, it arrived in late afternoon. It was supposed to change to rain overnight into Monday and be done by daybreak, grand news for me since I'll be on the road first thing in the AM. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 10-12

The new week ushered in bitterly cold temperatures, daytime highs on Monday and Tuesday were barely into the 20s. On Tuesday afternoon we convened at McCaskey for the miserable bus trip north into Lebanon County, the destination was Lebanon proper for the season's first divisional crossover game. Whenever we go to Lebanon or Cedar Crest the trip is along the same two-lane road for the majority of it, on this occasion we had to negotiate around a detour on Route 72 that took us about three miles out of our way. We were scheduled to play Lebanon at home in '20-21 but that game was cancelled thanks to The Circumstances, on this night in their gym we started flat and never led in a frustrating 59-46 loss. The officiating played a role as well, it's not The Reason we lost but it certainly did not do us many favors. Sometimes it's amazing how the slightest contact at one end of the court can draw a whistle while being knocked to the floor at the other end warrants no call whatsoever. Hasan Williams was the only man in double figures with 13 as the club falls to 3-6 overall and 2-3 within the league (since apparently the crossover games are counting towards the divisional record again). For the trip home I suggested we cut across Route 322 to Route 501 in Brickerville and go south through Lititz, our driver took the idea and we got home in good order without dealing with that side-roads detour on 72 after dark. On Wednesday we had our usual midweek lunch in Quarryville, in the evening I was back at the Arena for our third Wednesday home game of the season. The Adirondack Thunder visited for the second of their nine scheduled dates in downtown Reading. On this night the club came out strong, goals from Dominic Cormier and Anthony Gagnon (recently added via trade from the Norfolk Admirals) gave the Royals a 2-0 edge at the intermission. In the middle period the lead was extended to four on scores from Patric Bajkov and Cormier (his second of the night), the Thunder got on the board before the horn to make it 4-1. Trevor Gooch's score in the third was countered by an ADK marker before Patrick McNally's rink-length empty-netter ended the scoring in a 5-2 Royals victory. Hayden Hawkey was the winner in net as the Royals hit the one-third mark of the home schedule at 9-1-2 and overall at 13-7-5. The next home date is set for Monday the 17th with the return of the Martin Luther King Day matinee at 1:00. Take care, thanks for reading. 

January 7-9

There was snow in the forecast for Friday, it arrived late Thursday night and was gone by daybreak. I shoveled my front walk when I left for lunch, it wasn't much but it was wet and heavy. I turned 65 earlier in the week (an event so meaningless I didn't even bother to mention it when it occurred) and maybe trying to do that wasn't the smartest thing to do but it all went rather easily, the whole thing took about two minutes. Got word that McCaskey's basketball game at Hempfield was postponed to Saturday, that left me out once again because I was spending back-to-back nights at the Arena in downtown Reading. The Worcester Railers were the opponent for both dates marking their second and third of eight appearances. In the Friday opener the teams skated through a scoreless first period, early in the second Patrick Bajkov lit the lamp to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. The visitors from central Massachusetts rallied to carry a 2-1 lead int the game's closing minutes, with 2:30 on the clock defenseman Garrett Cecere (not a big goal-scorer) came through in the clutch to knot the score 2-2. Into overtime we went and it lasted all of sixteen seconds before Trevor Gooch split the defense and fired home the game-winner to the delight of his teammates and the Arena crowd. On Saturday the clubs met in the rematch on Wizards and Wands Night, a theme based on the well-known writings of author J.K. Rowling. On this night the Royals scored three goals within a four-minute span in the first period, Brayden Low scored the first and Patrick Bajkov scored the other two to give the club a 3-0 lead at the intermission. In the second period Worcester took advantage of an extended power play to close within 3-2 entering the final period. In the last three minutes of regulation time the Royals exploded for three goals to put the game away, Princeton University product Jackson Cressey scored an insurance goal which was followed by Grant Cooper's empty-netter making it 5-2. Patrick Bajkov finished out the scoring with thirty seconds left completing his hattrick and putting the lid on a tougher-than-it-looks 6-2 victory. Kirill Ustimenko (back from a stint between the AHL Phantoms and the NHL taxi squad in Philadelphia) played both nights in goal and picked up the two Ws. The weekend sweep improves the record to 12-7-5 and 8-1-2 at home, we're back on the ice on Wednesday the 12th versus Adirondack. There was other good news on Saturday, JPM won the rescheduled game at Hempfield 51-49. The boys play three games in the upcoming week beginning with a Tuesday date in Lebanon. Take care, thanks for reading. 

January 1-6

As the calendar changes over into 2022 I notice that this blog has surpassed 29,000 views since it began here in November of 2010. I still keep it going after all this time largely for the mental exercise, it provides a record of my personal involvements and I like to think that I've never used it to push any personal agenda. I've always known that I have a small following for which I'm very grateful, I don't know exactly who reads the tripe, drivel and minutiae I talk about around here but obviously there are those who are interested and I appreciate it. The new year began on a dreary and wet Saturday, I never left the house because there was no reason to. On Sunday Jenny, her mother and I did our usual weekend lunch a day later than normal, that was by design because Helen made the traditional New Years Day pork and sauerkraut dinner on Saturday. On Monday I was at McCaskey after school to get the scorebooks from Freddy in advance of our Wednesday night game at home. The boys defeated Mastery Charter South in the consolation game of the holiday tournament, on Wednesday divisional play continued with Cedar Crest visiting from Lebanon County. The JV squad lost by five points (I should mention that our JV roster includes an Aiden, a Kaiden and a Zayden, that's the sort of thing that keeps people in my vocation on our toes), the varsity lost 59-55. We started well but trailed by three at the quarter, at the break the deficit was nine. The second half was like running in mud, for every positive there seemed to be a negative. We actually took a one-point lead in the final four minutes but CC had an answer to every question and held on for the victory. Jared Kumah had a big night with 21 points and Hasan Williams had 20 but there was little support underneath and the big individual nights mean little when you don't win. The club stands at 2-5 overall and 1-2 within the division. the next game is on the 7th at Hempfield. I am out of the mix for that one, the Royals are scheduled for a back-to-back at home on the 7th and 8th. Take care, thanks for reading.