the BIG Deal

Sorry

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:04:00 +0000

If you happen to still have this blog bookmarked and expect District 10 basketball info, I apologize. I no longer have time to do this blog and have been laid up for the past couple months with bilateral knee replacement. I still love basketball and really miss it, maybe BigSkinny will get re-involved but not at this time.

Thank you for the nice comments,
Jim

Cochranton 66 Saegertown 59

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:08:00 +0000

Coach Greg Molnar's Saegertown Panthers went to battle tonight against Mel Dainty's Cochranton Cardinals. The Panthers however had to do battle without their tested floor General Jared Campbell due to injury. I always enjoy watching Jared play so I was somewhat disappointed but I still got to see a great game.

It became very evident early on that the Panthers would have trouble scoring inside while in their half court offense due to the shot blocking of Cochranton's 6' 7" Adam Roche. It is only a guess but I would say he had 7-10 blocks and a pile of boards. The first quarter was a back and forth game for awhile until Cochranton put together a 5 and 6 point run to put them up 16-8 at the end of one.

After the teams traded foul shots the Panthers went on the move with their fast-breaking transition game. Run, run, run and that is what Saegertown boys like to do and it is fun to watch. They outscored the Cardinals in the period 22-11 with Josh Ray scoring 11 of his game high 33 point. The halftime score was 30-27 Saegertown.

The Cardinals came out in the 3rd quarter with a hot shooting hand. It seemed like everything they put up was going in. Zac Culberston was fun to watch as he poured in 8 of their total of 22 points in the frame. He shot from 3 land and drove the lane several times with success. Saegertown could only muster 8 points to fall behind 38-49 at the end of three quarters.

The fourth quarter saw Josh Ray and Culbertson trading buckets back and forth with Saegertown trimming the lead to 57-61 with 57.7 seconds left in the game. From that point on Cochranton made their foul shots to hold off the Panthers for a 66-59 win.

BigSkinny Players of the Game: Zac Culbertson of Cochranton with 22 points and Josh Ray of Saegertown with 33 points.

Final thoughts: Saegertown's fast paced running game is fun to watch and when you play them you better be in shape because they just keep running kids off the bench at you. Cochranton on the other hand has some boys who can shoot the rock. The Culbertson kid will let it fly from anywhere and hits a good percentage of them. The Roche boy gives them an excellent inside presence especially on defense.

Hickory 48 Fairview 36

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:41:00 +0000

It was good to see coach Nies again and I was also happy to see Hickory since I never got the chance to see them last year. The game started out with very little scoring as guys on both teams seemed a bit tentative, perhaps first game nerves. Fairview put 8 on the board with four different players going in the scoring column. Nick Lackey hit the first of his two three's in this frame while Hickory's Jaymee Shephard had two buckets to make the score Fairview 8 and Hickory 6 after one.

To open up the second quarter Fairview built their lead to 11-6 on Nick Lackey's second long range three ball. The rest of this quarter was owned by Hickory as they went on a 17-0 run with Jordan Wilds scoring 10 of the 17 points. He got hot and hit two 2's and a pair of 3's. Fairview did muster one more bucket to close the half but Hickory turned a 5 point deficit into a 10 point halftime lead.

The third quarter saw Fairview get down by as much as 14 but they did crawl back in this game by the 1:30 to within 4 points with the score 25-29. That was as close as Fairview would get as Hickory went on to post a 48-36 win.

Fairview only had one player in double figures with John Zehe scoring 10. Brooks Linkoski was close behind with 9 and Lackey added 8. Hickory was led with an 18 point performance from their 6'5" senior Jordan Wilds, Jordan is my pick for BigSkinny Player of the Game. Junior Matt Durisko added 15 in the Honets victory.

I want to commend those running this Tournament for a job well done. The Avonia Tavern Chili was magnificent as was the special bread baked up by one of the player fathers. A+ to the Tourney, the chili, and the bread. I will be back for the Concession Stand, you can count on it!

General McLane 60 McDowell 57

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:29:00 +0000

If this was any indication of what this basketball season is going to be like, we better all strap in and hang on for a great ride! Two powerhouses from D10, AAAA McDowell and AAA General McLane, squared off in the opener at the Hamot Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the Fairview Tigers.

I was greeeted at the ticket booth by some very nice folks from the Fairview Athletic Boosters who promptly let me in free. Who says we are in a recession? It was very much appreciated and I might add that this is a very well run Tournament. My hat is off to those who make it possible and the long list of sponsors.

The first half ended 21-21 as each team played very hard nosed defense. McDowell was a bit intimidating to me because of their size but not to the scappy boys of McLane who even won the opening tip. Both of these teams are very well coached and it really shows on the defensive end of the floor. Bryan Baumgartner led the Lancers with 8 points in the half while Jason Keim led the Trojans with 10.

The first half was about defense and the second half was about who could get the hot hand first and there was no doubt who caught fire first. GM's Dom DiVito was it as he poured in 2's and 3's from all over. He had 8 points in both the third and fourth quarters building a Lancers lead to 11 at the 2:18 mark of the 4th quarter. Dom finshed as the games high scorer with 20 points.

At this point McDowell could have just conceded knowing they will get another shot at them in a few days but not these "never say die" Trojans. They started using their fouls and sending GM to the line where the Lancers where missing the front end of their One and one's. The tactic worked well enough to give the Trojan's the ball out of bounds with 4 seconds left on the clock with the score at 60-57. Jason Keim led McDowell with 18 points followed by Mychal Molnar with 10. A halfcourt + shot just fell short of the rim to secure the win for McLane and all their fans could be heard letting out a huge sigh of relief. Congrats to the Lancers who will face the Hickory team in the Championship round on Saturday evening.

Now to the really important stuff. My trip to the concession stand. I recieved a tip that the chili was excellent and imported from the Avonia Tavern. Taste testing being my specialty, off I went for chili. Well, the chili was superb and served with grated cheese and a piece of Bread that was simply heavenly. I was informed that the bread was baked by a father of a Fairview player.

A+ to the Chili and bread combo and I will be looking at the schedule to see when I can come back for this well run and friendly concession stand.

The BigSkinny Player of the Game goes to the smooth shooting guard of GM, Dom DiVito.

Fairview Tip-Off Tourney

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:03:00 +0000

I will be attending the Fairview Tip-Off Tourney on Friday. I am anxious to see McDowell, General McLane, Hickory, and Fairview all in the same evening. It will be a great early look at some of the D10 teams with playoff hopes. Look for my report late Friday evening.

New Season of D10 Boy's Basketball

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:23:00 +0000

Wow, it is almost here. Another season of basketball for BigSkinny to sink our teeth into. Skinny will once again be coaching the Cambridge Springs boys but Heather and I will be out and about covering D10. We are also hoping to add another blogger or two on our staff.

Our goal is to highlight some of the outstanding student athletes of D10 and to get to as many games as possible. For those who utilize our message board I just want to remind everyone that we want to keep it positive. There are other boards out there if you feel the need to trash talk.

Finally, Skippy, email me.

Go D10,

I can be reached at big@bigskinnyonline.com

Jeannette 75 North East 66

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:38:00 +0000

This Blog Post is brought to you by Craig Welker Heating & Plumbing. He paid for my game ticket and it was much appreciated.

A sold out Sharon High School was the scene of the Boys AA PIAA Western final between Jeannette and North East High Schools. I had the opportunity to sit with The Bleacher Mums of North East and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the families of the young athletes that I have been admiring for the past few years. It was very evident why these young men have represented their High School and District 10 so well. I also want to point out that fans from many other D10 schools were present and rooting for the Pickers and I think that says a lot about our area.

Jeannette's senior phenom, Terrelle Pryor, won the opening tip but it was NE on the board first with a deuce by #5 Bryan Kirsch on a nice feed from a teammate. Jeannette came right back with a long range three by Jordan Hall which turned out to be a glimpse of the future as he would hit three more of those later in the game and tie Pryor as game leading scorer with 17 points. North East tied the score at 3-3 before Pryor gave Jeannette the lead for good at 5-3 and they would continue to run the score to 12-3 before NE's Matt Triana could stop the bleeding with a hoop. The first quarter was really the story of the game as it ended 26-15 Jeannette. Div 1 football, basketball, and baseball recruit Pryor looked like a man on a mission as he led all scorers to this point with 10 tallies.

The second quarter started much like the first with NE scoring first on a three pointer by the Picker's sharpshooter Michael Rouse. Jeanette however came right back on a power one handed dunk by Pryor. Jeannette would have another strong quarter and build their lead to 16 with the score 47-31 at the half.

The second half was a whole new story as NE held the high powered Jeannette to just six points as they scored 12 of their own. NE put a tremendous amount of pressure on the ball and forced Jeannette into quite a few turnovers. Picker's Aaron Meehl seemed to be everywhere on the floor at once and seemed to come up with almost every loose ball. NE finished the 3rd quarter with a 7 point run to pull within 10 at 53-43.

The fourth quarter opened up with Jeannette's Jordan Hall hitting another three ball to put the lead back to 13. Picker's Ryan Szwejbka had a great fourth quarter by scoring 11 of his 16 points which gave him high scoring honors for NE while Rouse and Triana each added 15. NE did win the fourth quarter 23-22 but it just wasn't enough to overcome the strong first half of Jeannette. Final score: Jeannette 76 North East 67

Thoughts: While Terrelle Pryor is the real deal, he is not alone on that team. Jordan Hall (17 points), #10 Shaw Sunder (14 points), sixth man Cameron Baradzeij (13 points) are all a great compliment to Pryor and I wish them the best in the finals at Penn State.

I was very proud of our D10 fans and the North East boys this evening. Even though they did not get off to the best start tonight, they never gave up and played hard to the final buzzer. They need to hold their heads high for one day they will reflect on the marvelous run they have had together as teammates starting way back in elementary. You have been a blessing to many and you are truly blessed with each other, your school, and those "Bleacher Mums" are just the best.

David Vs Goliath (North East Vs Jeannette)

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Oh, I know the story well. David said about Goliath "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (can I say uncircumcised here?) Basically David was saying that he was not intimidated by this 9 foot tall giant and I can tell you this, North East will not be intimidated by Jeannette. I sat near the Jeannette coach at the Farrell/NE game and as he walked by me while NE celebrated on the floor, he said as though talking to NE fans, "You're gonna _________ get what you want." You can fill in the blank and you would most likely be correct. Hmmmm, very impressive. But, those of you who read my blog know I am all about positiveness so enough of that. I really do not think they are giving North East much respect at all.

Jeannette is a WPIAL powerhouse but I am here to tell you that North East is a Giant Killer. David went to a stream and gathered 5 smooth stones for his sling to use as ammunition. NE has 5 smooth stones as well plus a few extras and I expect they will put four quarters together like nobodies business.

Goliath better show some respect or he better duck because NE has been gathering smooth stones for awhile now and they will not be intimidated!

See you Wednesday in Sharon at 7:00 PM. I am hoping that we will be there in full force with Heather, me (Big), and Skinny to support NE and D10.

Girard - Jeannette

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:28:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to take in the Girard/Jeannette game this evening and I just wanted to congratulate Girard on a fine season. Jeannette proved to be a bit much for them this evening as the Yellow Jackets were not quite on their game. Sometimes the shots just don't go in but you guys have nothing to hang your heads over.

I was anxious to see the Pryor boy play and while he is a magnificent athlete, Jeannette is definately not a one man team. They executed well and shot well from the outside. Their quickness was very evident as they came up with nearly every loose ball and did well on the offensive boards. If North East or Farrell get the chance to play them they will have their hands full.

I think the Farrell Vs North East game on Saturday will be a very interesting game. The winner will probably get their chance against Jeannette and that game I want to see.

One week at the BigSkinny Hot Dog Shop

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:35:00 +0000

The BigSkinny team now has exactly one week of restaurant experience and oh boy how appreciative we are with the way our community has supported us. Our first weekend was sensational and each day has been very steady. We are learning new things every day and you should see Skinny sling those dogs while Mrs Skinny works the dining area. Our whole staff is learning more each day and they are doing well for us as we are forming into the BigSkinny Team.

It is really wonderful to see our dream being realized in such a big way. In the first week we have used up over 2500 Smith's Dogs and still counting. We worked around the clock to keep stocked with our specialty sauces. We obviously thought it would be popular but we never imagined what has taken place the first week.

Girard Farrell Thoughts

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:32:00 +0000

First of all let me say that I love watching both of these teams. This was a very exciting game and the boys and coaches of both teams handled themselves in the heat of competition with great sportsmanship. I was proud of the way the Farrell boys handled themselves in what had to be a disappointing loss.

I sat with Farrell fans directly behind the Girard bench. I learned my lesson last year about sitting near Farrell Fans when I almost picked up a couple dollars left for the referees on the floor. I thought it was a tip for a job well done but the refs didn't seem to want it. Well, I was ready this time, if any tips were thrown around I was gonna be all over it. Well, I guess everyone was feeling in a hockey sort of mood tonight. One young man even thought he saw a hat trick and threw his cap onto the floor. The security people were not in a hockey mood so out he went. He is pictured here putting his hat back on. As he walked by me I was hoping he would flip me a buck or two but his eyes told me he wanted to flip something else. Maybe that is where the term "fowl mood" came from. I don't think he was tossed but one of last years ejectees followed him out because I am sure he figured it was just a matter of time anyway. Ok, they may go a little overboard but you gotta love their passion and no one was hurt by the hat and they did leave peaceably.

Just so you know, not all Farrell fans thought the refs beat them. I overheard a woman say the refs beat us and a very fine gentlemen, also a Farrell fan, said to her, " the refs didn't beat us, #15 did". I agree with that whole heartedly! Andrew Rickard is an amazing sophomore b-baller. You can read Heathers blog to get the details of the game but let me also say that #2 Traphael Stubbs of Farrell had an amazing game as well. I am a happy camper, I got to see two of my favorite players tonight (Rickard and Stubbs) and even though I didn't get to pick up a few bucks I was thoroughly entertained.

I got some good pictures tonight so check back for a link to them as I need to upload them. Here they are: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/GirardFarrell.htm

I close by saying that I do not condone throwing anything on the court at anytime or verbally abusing the referees. These guys have a tough job and I would not last long doing it. I can't even bring myself to umpire a little league game so my hat is off to you guys. No pun intended, well, maybe a little.

Leading Scorer?

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:06:00 +0000

I am looking to find out who the leading per game scorer in District 10 is. Any help would be appreciated and it does not matter which classification. It can be anyone in A through AAAA.

Respond to: big@bigskinnyonline.com

Conneaut Valley 64 West Middlesex 52

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:59:00 +0000

I have had this date set on my calendar for a month or so because I wanted to see Troy Mild of WM before the playoffs begin. He did not dissapoint me but I saw oh so much more. Valley came to play on their Senior Night. I was very impressed with Doug Beil who tied Mild for high scoring honors as they both netted 25.

Valley won the tip but it was WM #11 Matt Murray who got on the board first with a long range 3 ball. It was quickly followed up by a two for Valley's Beil. After Mild hit for two, Valley went on a 4 point run to make the score 6-5 at the 4:16 mark. Mild then hit two free throws to give WM the lead again at 6-7. Valley's Beil regained the lead with a bucket just to watch Mild grab it back at 8-9. Valley scored the next 5 to grab a 13-9 lead with Freshman #3 Casey Baker scoring his fourth point. Mild hit another 2 but that was followed by Beil scoring 4 strait points to give Valley a 17-11 lead to end the first quarter.

This was an old fasioned shootout and boy was I enjoying it until it was marred somewhat by an ankle injury to WM guard Matt Murray while scoring in the lane. Murray would not return. Valley had a 5 point run and an 8 point run to build a 34-19 lead at halftime.

The third quarter saw Valley build the lead to 46-30 at the 1:50 mark but WM cut the lead a bit by outscoring Valley 5-2 the final 1:50 to make the score 48-35 after three quarters. Tyler Jones scored 6 in the frame for Valley and Mild netted 7 for WM.

The fourth quarter was much like the rest of the game with Valley holding WM to one shot on most possessions. At the 1:52 mark Valley held a 61-43 lead as Troy Mild's evening was over with his fifth foul. WM did end the game with a 9 point run to make the final score 64-52. Valley's Hakeem Spotswood made a WM comeback really tough as he came off the bench with a great effort to net 8 points in the final quarter.

BigSkinny Player of the Game goes to Valley's Doug Beil who had a monster night on the boards to go with his 25 points.

Observations - Troy Mild is the real deal and I am sure we will see him again in the playoffs.

Valley is certainly peaking at the right time and should make some noise in the A bracket of the D10 Playoffs. I really liked their effort and energy tonight.

More photos at: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/ValleyWM.htm

Girard 53 Saegertown 27

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:23:00 +0000

I have always enjoyed statistics and tonight I saw something in the statistcal world that I have never seen. With 38.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter Saegertown's #13, Handel, stepped to the line and sunk two free throws to give a 100% free throw effort for the whole game for both teams. The interesting part of that stat is that those were the only free throws taken in the entire contest. There were only a total of 9 fouls called the whole evening and only three of those on Saegertown, two of which were charging fouls on Panthers standout player, Ben Wetsell.

The score at the end of the first quarter was 11-10 Panthers but it was all downhill after that for the hometown squad as they only mustard 3 in the second frame and 4 in the third. In fairness, several of the Panthers were battling the flu bug including Kyle Beatty who could not even be at the game.

Girard had four players in double figures with Andrew Rickard leading the way with 14. Carr, Ferrick, and McDonald each had 10 with Mike Droll close behind with 7. I might add that Droll has several very nice assists and Ferrick was tough on the boards. Zack Beatty led Saegertown in scoring with 13 while Ben Wetsell added 6.

My BigSkinny Player of the Game is Girard's McDonald who left pieces of himself out on the floor. While he and a couple Saegertown boys were diving for a loose ball right in front of me he chipped two of his front teeth. During a timeout the game trainer came over and recovered the two little white chickletts. McDonald was kind enough to give me a big smile after the game. I am sure he will be seeing a dentist soon.

Special Note: It was great to see some of my Farrell friends at the game this evening. I am sure everyone is getting ready for the playoffs and I am really looking forward to that. Skinny, Heather and I will try to bring you some great coverage this year.

Fairview 62 Northwestern 46

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:20:00 +0000

I found myself sitting at home today looking at all the scheduled games and trying to decide what bleacher to sit in tonight. Even though there were a couple big games tonight, I found myself led to Fairview. I took note last week that Coach Nies got his 100th win against Saegertown and I thought I would stop by and congratulate him in person. Well I am glad I did because the Fairview coach was honored this evening and presented a commemorative basketball for his accomplishment. I was very impressed that he did it in only his sixth season. Great job Coach!

The pictures in this blog are compliments of David Stolz and they are much appreciated. Thanks David! Can you find "Big" in the photo above?

The game in my mind would only be secondary as I figured Northwestern would be no match for the Fairview crew but.... I've got to tell you that the final score of 62-46 is not really an indication of how this game went. With a little over 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter the Nothwestern boys had shot their way back into this game and were only down by three points after being down by 15 or so. I don't have the actual stats but they were shooting a phenomenal percentage from the floor. They had the mid range jumper down pat and I would guess they shot around 65%, they just didn't get as many shots as Fairview due to many turnovers.

I felt that the difference in the last 4 minutes was the play of Fairviews point guard #2 Limkoski. He was playing great defense by causing several turnovers and just took the game over on the offensive end. I therefore give him the honor of being The BigSkinny Player of the Game!

I just got off the phone with Skinny and it sounds like his Spa boys of Cambridge Springs gave Region 3 leaders Girard a scare 37-39. Big sigh of relief in Girard tonight while Fairview and Mercyhurst Prep are saying, "DARN".

I can be reached at big@bigskinnyonline.com

Farrell 71 Sharon 57

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:55:00 +0000

I made the trek to Sharon this evening to see the Sharon Tigers host their cross town rival Farrell Steelers. It was a long drive home for such an old man so details and a few pics will follow tomorrow if you know what I mean. I am such a wimp and I hear my bed is calling me!

After a night of lights out sleep I am back at the computer with the game still fresh in my memory. Steelers Donald Jackson got Farrell on the board first with a couple quick hoops from in the paint followed by Sharon's Ryan Sypolt's long three ball to make the score 4-3 Farrell. That would be the closest Sharon would be to the Steelers for this evening filled with excitement and painted Tiger faces as Farrell went on a 9-0 run to make the score 13-3. After trading a couple hoops Farrell went on another run 8-0 to build a 23-7 lead. Just as I was thinking blowout, to the Tigers credit, they put on an 8-0 run of their own with Troy Phillips and Preston Jefferson each scoring 4 points to finish out the first quarter 23-15 Farrell. Marsell Holden and Donald Jackson had 9 and 8 points respectively in the frame for Farrell.

Farrell out scored the Tigers again in the second quarter 15-7 with Donald Jackson and Traphael Stubbs each scoring five. DeAndre Johnson had 6 of the Tigers 7 points in the quarter. Score Farrell 38 Sharon 22 at the half.

To open the third Farrell fouled Tiger Sam Schweiss so hard it brought a little blood to his lip. Since you cannot play while bleeding the coach called on JV star Robert Hubbard to shoot Schweiss's foul shots for him. Robert made 1 of 2. I mention Robert because I was very impressed with him in the JV game. I only saw the last few minutes but it was a nail biter and Robert took control of the game to secure a Tiger JV win. Back to varsity, the third quarter saw Farrell build its lead to 59-35. With one second left the Tigers fouled Traphael Stubbs while he was shooting a three so he went to the line and promptly knocked down 3 foul shots.

The fourth quarter saw Sharon's DeAndre Johnson put up 14 of his game high 25 points but the Tigers came up short on this night by a final of 71-57.

Observations: Farrell had four players in double figures. Marsell Holden and Myles Ransom with 19 each. Donald Jackson scored 17 and Traphael Stubbs had 10. Holden is a nice all around player with good instincts and a nice shooting touch from beyond the arc. I remember a couple nice assists that he had and one was a nice no looker. Ransom, who had the only dunk of the game, plays tough under the hoop and in transition while Jackson basically dominates the paint. He had at least 5 blocked shots. to go with many rebounds.

This was the first time I have seen Sharon this year and while they were overpowered by Farrell I did see some bright spots. They are very quick and also young. Point guard Preston Jefferson had 14 points to go with the 25 scored by DeAndre Johnson.

The obvious question I get from fans is, "How would Farrell do against North East?" Well, size and athleticism would go to Farrell but discipline and fundamentals would go to North East. Heart is something tough to measure but I know this, North East never quits and are not intimidated by anyone. If Farrell and North East get a chance to play in the playoffs, let's just say, you won't want to miss it. I also think Girard and Fairview would be a great match-up with Farrell. Oh boy, these AA playoffs will be great!

Also congrats to Skinny and his squad for picking up a win against Villa.

Fairview hitting their stride.

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:28:00 +0000

I have been having trouble getting out and about District 10 this year for various reasons but thankfully Cambridge Springs High School is just across the street so I still get to see a few teams. Fairview was in town tonight and oh boy were they hot! I saw them play Girard earlier this year but this wasn't the same team I saw then. Everyone shoots threes and rebounds while playing with a great deal of energy. They basically squashed an undermanned and inexperienced Spa squad by 30 something.

Fairview's press repeatedly created turnovers which turned into easy points. They had guys rotating in and out faster than I could keep up with and that screams of depth. I definitely see them as a player in the AA playoffs along with Girard and Mercyhurst from Region 3. Other AA schools that will be dangerous are North East, Farrell, and maybe Sharon.

The Fairview coaches noticed the BigSkinny Hot Dog Shop on their way into town but still not open. Never fear, we are getting very close. The BigSkinny is going to be an awesome place to dine and while you will get the best hot dogs around that isn't all it will serve. Many other great sandwiches will be served as well. I can almost smell the Buffalo Fries now!

Cambridge Springs 57 Meadville 43 Girls

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:28:00 +0000

I very seldom get to see a girls game but this evening I had opportunity to watch two 9-1 teams play for the Cambridge Springs Holiday Tournament Championship. Cambridge coach Clint Rauscher can be very proud of how his girls played in defeating a Dean Henderson coached Meadville squad 57-43.

BigSkinny Player of the Game goes to Annie Wilson who ran the offense from the point very efficiently and hitting 4 of 5 three pointers was very impressive.

More pictures are here: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/CS%20Vs%20MDVL%20Girls.htm

McDowell 55 North East 54

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:26:00 +0000

For the second night in a row I got to see two undefeated teams go at each other. North East at McDowell gave me plenty of reason to travel back to the McDowell Tournament and I was not disappointed. McDowell barely kept their undefeated record safe for now 55-54.

McDowell jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on buckets by Ryan Skellie and Zach Spronatti but North East ran off nine in a row to take a 9-4 lead at the 3:28 mark. The nine point run included a 3 pointer by Ryan Szwejbka followed by buckets from Michael Rouse, Bryan Kirsch (on a nice assist by Aaron Meehl) and Rouse once again. McDowells Jason Keim got in gear with a drive to the hoop and the harm followed by another 2 to tie the game 9-9 at 2:26 to go in the first. North East’s Matt Triana and Rouse took control from there. Matt hit a three and Rouse made a 3 ball to end the quarter with NE up 16-10.

The second quarter was much like the first with each team going on mini runs with McDowell cutting the North East lead to four at 26-24. McDowell’s Keim, Skellie, and Bryant Kimball each netted 4 points while North East reserve #2 David Coburn scored 5 points.

At the break I went for the Nachos and Cheese with a water combo. I really do go to the games to eat!

McDowell came out in the Second half in defensive lock down mode while scoring the first six points to lead 28-26 until North East finally got on the board at the 4:27 mark with a bucket by Meehl to tie 28-28. Zach Spronattii scored 4 straight to give McDowell an uncomfortable lead at 32-28. I call it uncomfortable because it took a couple foul shots by point guard Kimball for McDowell, who had lost the lead again, to tie it back up at 34-34. McDowell regained the lead at the buzzer with a big three pointer by Dillon Loomis. McDowell 37 North East 34

The fourth quarter was like watching a tennis match as I did my best Big Bobble Head doll impersonation. At 2:02 Loomis hit another three to knot the score at 50-50. Bobble, bobble, at 1:07 Matt Triana gave North East a 52-50 lead on a beautiful baseline move and layup. At this point McDowell did something very curious by bringing the ball up the floor and going into a stall like they might be waiting to take the last shot. They got the clock down to :33 and called timeout while I was scratching my head questioning this strategy. Out of the timeout they finally got the ball to #4 Spronatti who took aim at a three with about 19 seconds left on the clock, swish for a 53-52 lead. North East point guard Triana raced down the floor and went to the hoop hard and drew a shooting foul with :09 left. As cool as the other side of the pillow Matt made both foul shots to give his team a 54-53 lead. The inbounds pass for McDowell came to point guard Kimball as he quickly headed up the floor looking for the hot hand of Zach Spronatti who got the ball with 4 seconds left. He pumped once he pumped twice and then let it fly from just inside the three point line. The ball was in the air, the clock read :00, swish! Final Score: McDowell 55 North East 54

BigSkinny Player of the Game: Zach Spronatti and his 19 points

Observations: If that last shot had not fallen to give McDowell the victory, I was all set to call Aaron Meehl my Player of the game. That kid is everywhere! He does all the nasty work like boxing out guys a foot taller and jumping the passing lanes not to mention he made two huge threes in that fourth quarter. He was also 5-5 from the free through line. No North East player or fan should hang their head low after the game they played. McDowell just had the ball last.

I continue to be impressed with the job Coach Hetz is doing with his squad. They are very disciplined and hard working. They go 8 or 9 deep and I love their energy. Spronatti is a great shooter and they get good point play from Kimball. The big guys hit the boards and have nice touch underneath. Dillon Loomis joins Spronatti as a huge threat from beyond the three line. The best thing I see in this team is their willingness to play hard on defense.

I look for both of these teams to have a good showing come playoff time. I love D10 Basketball!

There are a few Pictures here: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/MCNE.htm

North East 72 North Allegheny 68

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:45:00 +0000

The undefeated Clas AAAA North Allegheny Tigers brought their undefeated record to the McDowell First National Bank Holiday Tournament in Erie where they took on the equally undefeated class AA North East Grape Pickers. Someone would hit their pillow tonight with one loss and that is sad because both of these teams are well coached and very talented.

The Tigers got off to a quick start when #33 Dan Kusnyer hit a 3 pointer to put them up 7-0 at the 6:25 mark and directly went up 9-0 on two foul shots by #25 Stephane Batton. The Pickers scored two buckets by #3 Aaron Meehl and #20 Michael Rouse to cut the lead to 9-4 until Kusnyer hit his second 3 ball to make it 12-4. NE scored 3 more on a bucket and free throw to close to 12-7. NA's #2 Ted Connolly, the Tigers leading scorer tonight with 16, then made 2 free throws to double up the Pickers 14-7. At this point NA's coach showed their depth by bringing in four fresh players which was his pattern for the evening as he rotated 9 good players in and out. The pickers point guard, #10 Matt Triana, then kicked it into high gear with an awesome no-look pass pass to #00 Ryan Szwejbka for an easy layup to make it 14-9. I was sitting behind the Tigers bench and I heard their coach say about Triana, "That kid is killing us". That statement would be prophetic as you will see later. The no-looker would propel the pickers to a first quarter tie at 17-17 with NE's Rouse going for 7 straight points to give him 9 in the frame. The Pickers also got some good rebounding and shot blocking from their sixth man, #50 Patrick Lafuria.

The second quarter started out like the first with NA scoring the first two to make it 19-17 and the score would see-saw throughout the quarter until the Pickers Szwejbka hit his only three of the night at the buzzer to give the Pickers a lead at 34-30.

At halftime I kind of wondered if NA depth would wear down what seemed like an undermanned Pickers squad as they played 6 or 7 against 9 all evening. But.......

At the 4:30 mark of the third quarter the score was 50-37 North East. Wow, can that Rouse kid shoot. He hit two 3's and three 2's for 12 points in a very short period of time. Most of his buckets came off of steals by teammates Triana, Meehl, Szwejbka, and Kirsch. A total team effort! That was fun to watch but just as I began expecting a blowout, swoosh, here came NA shooting the lights out with five 3's with Jeff Finke hitting two of them. NA came to within two at 55-53 to end the quarter and set up an exciting fourth quarter.

The Tigers continued their hot shooting into the fourth on a bucket by #15 Damian Founds and a 3 pointer by Stephane Batton to give them the lead at 58-55. NE tied it at 58 on free throws and then NA's Jeff Finke hit another three to regain the lead 61-58. NE tied the game again at the 2:11 with both teams at 63. Holy cow! NA missed the first of a one and one free throw opportunity and the Pickers #50 Patrick Lafuria made his only field goal of the night to take the lead at 65-63. Back came NA's Connolly with a drive to the hoop for two and the harm for an old fashioned 3 point play to give the Tigers a one point lead, 66-65. Folks, it was at this point that I wondered if North Allegheny's depth had taken its toll on the Grape Pickers. The last few plays I had noticed that they were not getting to loose balls like they had earlier and I just thought they looked tired after a long battle.

This is when I remembered the NA Coach saying, "That kid is killing us", and just as that thought entered my head Matt Triana pulled the trigger and stole the inbounds pass and in one motion got the ball to Rouse and rouse hit a streaking Meehl for a layup and the lead 67-66. NA would take the lead again at the :51 mark 68-67 but Triana pulled the trigger again by diving hard to the hoop and drawing a two shot foul. Swish, swish 69-68 NE with :38 on the clock. After NA called timeout to set up a play they were called for traveling and were forced to foul Mr. Triana and he made both again for a 71-68 lead with 12 seconds to play. NA took a 3 pointer but it was partially blocked and Bryan Kirsch came up with the ball while being fouled with 1 second to go. He knocked down the first one to give North East the Victory 72-68. Whew, those kids will sleep well tonight. What a great effort it was an a great win as well.

View some pictures here: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/NE%20Vs%20NA.htm

Observations: North Allegheny is a very talented team and they are very deep with 4 quality kids off the bench. I was very impressed by the calm demeanor of their coach yet I could see those kids played hard for him.

This was the first time I have seen the 2007-2008 version of the Pickers and all I can say is, "WOW", are they ever fun to watch. When the Lafuria kid comes in off the bench he gives them a nice inside presence as he blocks shots and rebounds. I also need to mention that when Triana got in foul trouble in the second period, Cory Rossman gave NE some valuable minutes and he played well. I noticed that when rebounding against NE you better not take the ball to your waist or Meehl will take it away from you. He did it time and again.

I think this may be the first time I have ever awarded BigSkinny Player of the Game to two players but tonight it goes to the North East Duo of Michael Rouse and Matt Triana. The M&M Boys, they don't melt, period! Michael was the games leading scorer with 30 points. He scored inside and ouside, he hit turn around jumpers and runners, he made three 3's and nine 2's. This kid can flat out shoot, best shooter I've seen this year. Matt Triana, 17 points, is what I call a true point guard. He sees the floor and controls it like nobodies business on defense as well as offense. He is very quick and will rob your dribble at the blink of an eye. At games end he put it away at the free throw line where he went 7-9 in the fourth quarter and 10-13 overall.

Congrats to the whole team and coaching staff on a great win.

I also might add that I stayed until halftime of the McDowell/Milliken Mills game but spent the whole second quarter at the concession stand. Those are some nice gals at that concession stand. I had a hot dog and pretzel combo meal and I think the halftime score was McDowell 28 Milliken 21. Anyway, I know that McDowell went on to win 56-39 to set up another undefeated match up with North East Friday at 7:30pm. That should be a great game!

Girard Vs Titusville Score Needed

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:26:00 +0000

If you have the score of the Saturday game between Girard and Titusville please email it to me at big@bigskinnyonline.com I heard that Girard won but no score has been able to be found on any news source. Thank You!

McDowell 46 General McLane 35

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:02:00 +0000

I arrived at General McLane at the end of the first quarter of the JV game with the Lancers up 17-4. I thought this was going to be a laugher but McDowell's coach wasn't laughing. As a matter of fact he encouraged and challenged his team to not give up and boy did they rise to his challenge. After 3 quarters McLane's lead was only 5 at 36-31 and at :38.3 of the fourth it was all tied at 44-44. With :o1.5 left on the clock, McDowell missed two free throws and went on to lose a tough one 54-49 but I was very impressed with McDowell's comeback and kudos to the coach.

Now on to the main event. Both teams were playing pressure defence all over the floor and points were hard to come by. McDowell jumped out to a 4-0 lead but McLane came back and tied it 4-4 on a bucket by Shawn Walker. Jason Keim gave McDowell a 9-7 lead at the 1:04 mark on a nice 3 point play the old fashioned way but McLane quickly knotted it up at 9 to end the first quarter.

The second quarter was much like the first with pressure defense by both squads and blocked shots by McDowell's big man Keim. McDowell outscored McLane by one point 10-9 with Shawn Walker netting 5 for the Lancers and five different players for McDowell getting 2 each. Halftime score 19-18 McDowell.

The third quarter was the key for McDowell as they turned up the heat and the offense scoring 21 to 10 over the Lancers. Several of their points came as a result of GM overplaying on defense and getting backdoored. Their 21 points were more than the 19 they scored the whole first half. Score after three was 40-28 McDowell.

The fourth quarter was basically Coach Hetz slowing it down and using clock as they only mustered 6 points but they held McLane to only 7 and breezed to a 46-35 victory.

Observations: McDowell is strong and play a very disciplined game. The Keim boy rebounds well and blocks shots to give McDowell a presence in the paint. They move the ball very well and attack the lane. I also noticed that they have a strong bench.

McLane's Shawn Walker is a man under the basket but he also hit two 3's tonight to lead all scorers with 14 points. After a tough 3rd quarter these kids never gave up and played hard to the end which I have come to expect from an Andy Shultz coached team.

BigSkinny Player of the Game: McDowell's Jason Keim who scored a team high 13 and rebounded well with at keast 4 blocked shots.

Pictures are here: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/McLaneMcDowell.htm

Girard 56 Fairview 50

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:26:00 +0000

This game epitomizes the reason Skinny and I do this web site. I was told by a very nice Fairview Grandmother to write nice things about the kids. Not to worry, it is all good. In front of a packed house Girard won the tip but it was Fairview's Tyler Sargent that got on the board first with a bucket in the paint. Girard quickly tied it at 2-2 with a bucket by Coltin Ferrick. Sargent made two free throws to put Fairview up by two again but it did not last long as Mike Droll hit a long range 3 to put Girard up 5-4. Girard scored six more points to finish out the first quarter 11-4 by holding Fairview scoreless the final 5:57.

There are a few pictures of the game posted here: http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/Girard%20Vs%20Fairview.htm

Girard opened the second quarter with some very crisp ball movement but again Fairview was the first to score at the 6:47 mark with a foul shot by Justin Haney. This was Justin's first action since being injured in the Tigers last football game. He played well by scoring all five of his points in this quarter bringing his team back to within two at 11-9 with 4:30 left in the frame. Yellow Jackets Ferrick then put them back up by four 13-9 with a strong move under the basket. Whew, I could hardly keep up but buckets by Gary Corbin and Brooks Lankowski's coast to coast effort knotted it up at 13 with 3:40 remaining in the half. The half concluded with the teams exchanging buckets and Fairview gaining a two point advantage 19-17.

The third quarter saw Fairview build a 10 point lead 29-19 with 4:15 to go in the frame on strong play by Sargent who hit a couple 3's and scored 11 of his 20 points in this quarter. Three pointers by Andrew Rickard and Jeff McDonald closed the gap to five with the score Fairview 34 Girard 29 at the end of the quarter.

This is the point in the game, start of the final frame, that last year's outstanding freshman became this year's Sophomore Phenom. Andrew Rickard is truly an amazing young athlete. After both teams starting slowly, Andrew stole the ball and while falling out of bounds saved the possession by tossing the ball to a teammate. It was as though Rickard said enough of this and took the team on his shoulders and would not be denied. At the 5:09 mark he hit a three to tie the score 36-36. Sargent answered with a three of his own to regain the lead at 39-36. Girard's Ferrick added two free throws to pull within one but that was followed by another coast to coast job by Lankowski who by the way I was very impressed with. With Fairview ahead 41-38 and 3:10 to go in the game, guess who hit another three to tie it up. That's right, number 15 in your program, Andrew Rickard. That three was followed by a three from Yellow Jackets Brett Smith at 2:27 to give them a lead that they would not relinquish 44-41. Girard's Droll then found himself wide open underneath for two to give them a 46-41 lead. At this point Fairview would score and then foul. The only problem is, guess who Coach Mayes made sure the inbounds pass went to. Right again, Andrew Rickard! He proceeded to make 8 of 8 from the line and none of those even touched the rim, swish, swish, swish. Final score Girard 56 Fairview 50

Girard Box: Smith 1 1-1 5, Rickard 7 8-8 25, Ferrick 7 2-4 16, Droll 2 0-0 5, McDonald 1 0-1 3

Fairview Box: Lankowski 5 0-0 10, Haney 2 1-2 5, Corbin 1 0-0 2, Patton 1 0-0 3, Glecos 4 2-2 10, Sargent 7 4-7 20

BigSkinny Player of The Game - Andrew Rickard (I should have made you guess)

Observations: Both of these teams are very good and played with great emotion. They are extremely well coached. There were several times this evening where there were no points scored for long stretches and it wasn't because of poor shooting. The defense was really good.

I was expecting Fairview's Tyler Sargent to be good and he did not disappoint. I was also very impressed with the Tigers Brooks Lankowski. He brings the team a lot of energy and I loved to watch him get a rebound and do the coast to coast thing.

For Girard, Coltin Ferrick plays way bigger than he is. He had a great game with 16 points. Mike Droll has a nice stroke from beyond the 3 line. Let me see, am I missing anyone, oh yeah, Andrew. My own basketball skills have diminished over the years to the point that all I can still do is box out. But, I think Andrew and I could beat anyone in a 2 on 2 contest. (Don't laugh, the older I get, the better I used to be.) Seriously, for a Sophomore, he is a phenom and his family can be very proud of him.

It was great meeting some of the folks with kids playing, I really enjoyed myself this evening and I didn't even have a hot dog. I'm slipping.

I can be reached at big@bigskinnyonline.com

Farrell 65 Kennedy Catholic 50

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:38:00 +0000

I had a very enjoyable first time ever visit to Kennedy Catholic High School to see their Golden Eagles host the crosstown rival Steelers of Farrell. I was very impressed with their Gym and comfy bleachers and I even had the privileged to meet the AD, a very nice gentleman.

As you can imagine, the stands were practically filled as the first quarter began. The Farrell Steelers seemed like they were on a crusade by hopping out to a quick lead after a 4-4 tie they scored 16 straight points to make it 20-4. The score after one was 22-8. Donald Jackson and Myles Ransom blocked almost every shot the Golden Eagles brought into the paint and Farrells defense caused more turnovers than I could count. But, it was the play of Traphael Stubbs that caught my eye. He scored 10 points in the frame and Ransom added 8. Whew, were they ever playing with high energy!

The second quarter started out much the same as they continued their run to build a 31-13 lead at the 3:41 mark. At that point the Kennedy boys started to cause some turnovers of their own and mounted a comeback behind 12 points by the Golden Eagles Randall who was the games high scorer with 24 points. The revitalized Golden Eagles closed the gap to enter halftime at a 34-22 score.

Farrell came out cold in the third quarter but Kennedy's Ponzurick did not. he gave his team a boost by scoring 6 points in the quarter but no one else was able to hit the scoring column. Finally at the 4:09 mark Farrell scored their first points of the second half with a bucket by the Steelers Chapman. From that point Farrell ran off 8 straight points to win the quarter 10-6.

The final quarter started off with the score of 44-28. This would be the only quarter that Kennedy would outscore Farrell 22-21. For the Golden Eagles it was Jones and Randall that provided the bulk of the scoring by combining for 18 of the 22 points. For Farrell this is where big man Donald Jackson made sure that there would be no comeback by scoring 16 of his team high 18 which was one more than Stubbs who added 17 for the game. The final score was 65-50 in favor of the Steelers.

Observations: The Stubb's boy has the best hands of any high school player I have seen since the early 70's. He just swoops rebounds out of the air with one hand and then for effect slaps it hard into his other hand. He is a great player and fun to watch. He is BigSkinny Player of the game.

Like last year, Farrell definitely has the horses to challenge for the District 10 title but I am sure there will be some teams up North that will have something to say about that. They have a wide open style of play and it is fun to watch. My only question is, How will that translate when they meet a very disciplined and deliberate style like Girard or a shoot the lights out Northeast. I don't want to hurry the season but the playoffs in AA are going to be very good again this year.

As for Kennedy, I was very impressed at how they played pretty even with Farrell the final three quarters. The Randall kid is very quick and shoots well off the dribble. The 6'5" Jones really came to life in the 4th quater and I understand another 6'5" boy didn't even play this evening. The Golden Eagles played all kinds of defenses and switched them often. I would think that they will be the #1 rated Class A team in D10. The Kennedy coach will have to sit out the next game because he had two technical fouls.

I enjoyed sitting with Farrell Super Fans Jake, Dustin, and Tyler. They were able to answer any questions I had about the rivalry.

Kudos to The River Radio station. I sat behind the guys broadcasting the game and then listened to them when I got in my truck to head home. They do a nice job plus when they were done with their program they gave me some nice Christmas music for the ride home. Nothing like a Burl Ives tune to make a trip shorter. I lost the signal at Meadville but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

One last comment: There were no Hot Dogs but then again, I was only a couple miles away from the Sharon Hot Dog Shop. So did I or didn't I?

Also, I mistakenly referred to the Kennedy Boys as Crusaders instead of Golden Eagles. I apologize for that brain cramp, I knew better.

I can be reached at big@bigskinnyonline.com

Franklin 55 Meadville 41

big@bigskinnyonline.com (Big) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:02:00 +0000

You can only imagine the shock I experienced as I gazed upon The House of Thrills concession menu. No Hot Dogs? Needless to say, no Thrills here. Apparently you need a license to sell dogs but not popcorn or candy, hmmm, you learn something every day. The only saving grace was that I learned the stand is completely run by the Student Council and for that I give them kudos and a short stint as #2 in my rankings.

It was difficult to concentrate on the game without my normal game time fuel dog but I tried. Meadville's James Ness got the first bucket of the game to take a 2-0 lead but that was about it for the Bulldog's. Franklin's press started forcing turnovers and Knight's point guard, Eric Caffrey, was diving all over the place but his floor burns turned into points for teammate Tim Maleski. Tim scored 6 of Franklin's 14 first quarter points to lead 14-10 after the first frame.

Meadville got the first two points of the second quarter but much like the first quarter Franklin took over and outscored the Bulldog's 12-7 the rest of the way giving them a halftime lead 26-19. Eric Caffrey led the frame with five points.

The third quarter stated like the first two with Meadville scoring first on a bucket by Ray Hamilton while drawing to within 5 of the Knight's 26-21. Tony Phillips scored 6 of his game high 15 points in this period but Tim Maleski matched his 6 and Bryan Smith added 5 as the Franklin squad once again won the quarter 16-12 to build their lead to 42-31.

In that 3rd quarter Meadville actually started to make a run at the Knight's only to have it stalled due to turnovers and more floor burns for Franklin's Caffrey. The fourth quarter was a stall as Franklin became much more deliberate on offence to use some clock and at 3:42 to go the knight's took the clock down to 2:37 with the lead at 52-35. Final Score: Franklin 55 Meadville 41.

Observations: Franklin played with high energy and their play was very disciplined. It is clear that coach Hagar has this team going in the right direction. I was impressed with this win over a much larger team. Caffery 13 points, Maleski 12, and Smith 10 for the Knights.

Meadville has some big boys. They started 3 players at 6'5'' or taller. I enjoyed watching James Ness battle on the boards all evening. I believe coach Price may have a team to be dealt with as this season proceeds. Tony Phillips had a game high 15 points for the Bulldog's and he was joined in double figures by Ness with 10.

Player of the Game: Eric Caffery of Franklin. This kid was horizontally air born at least 3 times tonight.

Pictures of the score book and the game can be viewed here:

http://www.bigskinnyonline.com/meadville_vs_franklin_pictures.htm