PHILLIES SCOOP by Dennis Deitch

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Phillies are a day away from shifting their focus from the Carpenter Complex fields and getting down to some game business at Bright House Field when they play a five-inning intrasquad game Friday.

The starting pitchers in that matchup are minor-league prospects Adam Morgan and Jonathan Pettibone, but the real interest on the pitching schedule for the week is the order of the starters when the Phillies open the Grapefruit League season with a home game against the Astros Saturday.

The starter in that one is Cole Hamels, followed by Roy Halladay Sunday in Lakeland against the Tigers, and Cliff Lee Monday at home against Detroit.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Abington battles past Penn Wood, earns spot in state tourney

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Defense, three-point shooting and rebounding. You couldn’t have asked for a better job in any of those departments from the Abington’s boys’ basketball team on Tuesday night. And most notably, you could’ve have asked for anything more from Matt Penecale.

The sophomore guard was all over the place in the first half, tallying 15 points – including four three-pointers – along with four rebounds and three blocks in the opening 16 minutes of play alone to help the Ghosts to more than double up Penn Wood on the scoreboard by halftime.

In the end, the fast start would be more than enough for the Ghosts to come out victorious, defeating the Patriots, 66-52, in a District One Class AAAA second round playoff in front of a raucous crowd at Abington High School.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Jenkintown pulls away from Faith Christian

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / SCOTT ROMAN Jenkintown’s Ethan Goldstein protects the ball from Faith Christian's Will Diaz during Tuesday's District One Class A playoff action.

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As the rain slowed outside Jenkintown High School, it started raining buckets inside the gymnasium Tuesday night as Jenkintown defeated Faith Christian, 49-31, in a District One Class A opening round playoff game.

Like the calm before the storm, both teams got off to a slow start with the two teams totaling 11 points after the first quarter. The second quarter started the offensive explosion with both teams netting 17 points apiece in the frame.

“This team shoots the basketball like none other,” Jenkintown coach Wes Emme said. “We have the capability of scoring a lot more points than we did in the past. We’re averaging 12 more points per game this year than we were last year. You don’t want to be a team that lives and dies by the three because when they’re not going, you’re in trouble.”

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Hatters fall to Coatesville despite Brown's 30

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Sometimes a raucous crowd and an incredible individual performance just aren’t enough to push a team to victory.

Despite Mike Brown’s 30-point outburst, Hatboro-Horsham fell to 10th seeded Coatsville, 65-57, in the second round of the District One Class AAAA tournament Tuesday.

Clearly a step slower than the Raiders, it was evident early the Hatters would be in for a long night. They played well and did all they could, but at the end of the day the red-hot Coatsville team just had a bit more talent and athleticism on the floor.

“It was tough,” H-H coach Dennis Steinly said. “Things that we needed to do in this game, we just didn’t get done. We could shoot and rebound better. But we only lost by eight. A basket a quarter, we are right there. They are a hot team right now and they have momentum.”

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Ridley upsets Norristown in overtime

By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / ADRIANNA HOFF Norristown's Jahad Hargrove takes a shot over Ridley's Jon McGill during Tuesday's District One Class AAAA playoff action.

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It’s unusual for a player to concede his team’s ultimate undoing so easily, but when Norristown fell to old habits and dropped to Ridley in overtime, 64-61, the forgiving tones ceded in lieu of blunt confessions.

“The Norristown reputation is to start out slow,” Norristown guard Luke Kelley said. “We dug a hole for ourselves tonight and couldn’t get out of it.”

“We were cocky, we came in with our heads high because they were a lower seed and coming into our house, they made us pay.”

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Gwynedd Mercy Academy holds off Upper Perk

By Kev Hunter
khunter@journalregister.com

A young Gwynedd Mercy Academy team overcame Upper Perkimen’s experience, its home-court advantage, and withstood a fierce, second-half comeback by the Tribe to earn a 49-44 win in the opening round of the District One Class AAA Playoffs Tuesday night.

The victory advances the ninth-seeded Monarchs to a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Villa Maria on Friday.

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SPRING TRAINING: Kendrick looks to build on last season

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

For Montgomery Media / ERIC HARTLINE Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick pitches during spring training workouts in Clearwater, Fla.

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CLEARWATER, Fla. – If not for Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay coming to the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick might never have left the Phillies' starting rotation over the last four seasons.

And if not for Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay coming to the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick might not have become a pitcher who has earned his way back into a secure spot in the Phillies' rotation for 2013.

It is the yin and yang of a curious past six seasons for Kendrick, who went from getting Rookie of the Year votes in 2007, to a Triple-A banishment in 2009, to shuttling between long relief and the rotation the past two seasons. Despite going 5-4 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 starts in 2011, Kendrick was forced to watch Joe Blanton and his bloated contract get handed the final slot in the rotation for 2012.

Still when Blanton mercifully was shipped to the Dodgers in early August, Kendrick was able to get back to life in the rotation. In 12 starts over the final two months he went 7-4 with a 3.20 ERA; if you give him a pass for needing to stretch out his arm, in his final 10 starts Kendrick went 7-3 with a 2.43 ERA.

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SPRING TRAINING: Galvis looks to bounce back

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

For Montgomery Media / ERIC HARTLINE Freddie Galvis has a laugh during Spring Training workouts.

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CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If suffering a broken back isn't the worst thing that happened to you in any given year, you had a pretty lousy year.

When Freddy Galvis went on the disabled list last June with a pars fracture in his lower back, it was an injury that would essentially scrap the remainder of his rookie season with the Phillies. Bummer.

Then, two days later the Phillies got more news from Major League Baseball: Galvis received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for trace amounts of Clostebol, which is described as a weak anabolic steroid. Galvis said in a statement at the time he didn't know how the substance got in his system. In South America, Clostebol is common in dermatological and vaginal medications. Galvis is from Venezuela.

Regardless of how it happened, Galvis paid a heavy price -- approximately $150,000 of his $480,000 salary.

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SPRING TRAINING: Horst intends to stay focused

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

For Montgomery Media / ERIC HARTLINE Phillies pitcher Jeremy Horst looks to remain focused this year.

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CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Not many relief pitchers have had a rookie season like Jeremy Horst enjoyed in 2012. Not many relief pitchers have a year like that in their entire career.

After spending most of the first half in Triple-A, Horst got called up from Lehigh Valley and was part of a Phillies bullpen that went from brutal before the All-Star break to very good after it. In 32 appearances, Horst was 2-0 with a minuscule 1.15 ERA, striking out 40 in 31 1/3 innings as he gained trust by aggressively going after hitters, regardless of from which side of the plate they hit.

"He's really deceptive. They just don't pick him up very well," pitching coach Rich Dubee said of Horst. "He's got a good package. He's a great professional -- he goes about his business, does his work. He's durable, he's resilient, he can pitch back-to-back, in multiple innings. He was a big-time strike thrower for us last year.

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SPRING TRAINING: Adams shows some stuff in bullpen

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Mike Adams threw a bullpen session in front of pitching coach Rich Dubee Thursday morning. After the final fastball powdered the mitt, Dubee wanted to make sure the guy signed to serve as the Phillies' set-up reliever knew it was Valentine's Day – and not because he was hoping for a Vermont Teddy Bear.

"(Dubee) kind of asked me at the end if that was the same intensity I've been going with the whole time," Adams said. "I didn't realize I was exerting that much."

Charlie Manuel, who usually defers to Dubee when it comes to talking about pitchers, asked the media members in the room if they saw Adams throw, then raised his eyebrows and said, "He was throwing pretty good."

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SWIMMING: North Penn sweeps Continental Conference titles

By Kev Hunter
khunter@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS North Penn's Dana Case competes in a 100 butterfly event during the Suburban One Continental Coference Girls Swimming Championships at North Penn on Saturday.

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One day after the North Penn boys swim team captured the Continental Conference title at Central Bucks South, the Maidens completed a North Penn sweep of the event by swimming to first place at the Rick Carroll Natatorium on Saturday morning.

The Maidens won eight of the 11 events on Saturday, sweeping the relays and setting a pool record in the 400 freestyle. A team of Tara Rogers, Olivia DiStefano, Kat Perkins and Emily Kosten hammered out a 3:31.51, replacing the 2008 record set by Emmaus, to wrap things up at North Penn.

The Maidens compiled 459 points, topping the 387 scored by Central Bucks East.

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GIRLS SWIMMING: Upper Dublin wins 24th straight league title

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

The last time Upper Dublin High’s girls swimming and diving team finished a season without winning a championship was a long time ago.

Want to know how long?

Well, the internet was still in its infancy, very few people had cellular phones and music like dubstep was unimaginable.

On Saturday, the Upper Dublin girls posted their 24th consecutive title-winning campaign when they placed first at Suburban One American Conference Swimming Championships with a score of 331.50.

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BOYS SWIMMING: Upper Dublin eases to American title

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

The boys of Upper Dublin High’s team could have sung the refrain from one of Prince’s hits at Saturday morning’s Suburban One American Conference Boys’ Swimming Championships — the line that says “gonna party like it’s 1999.”

It was in 1999 that Upper Dublin started a win streak that is still going strong. On Saturday, the Cardinals produced their 15th consecutive title-winning season when they finished first at the league meet with a score of 452 points.

Plymouth Whitemarsh was runner-up with 231, followed closely by Wissahickon with 225. Springfield was third, followed by Upper Moreland, Upper Merion, Norristown and Cheltenham .

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WRESTLING: Wissahickon captures American team title

By Dennis C. Way
dway@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / ADRIANNA HOFF Wissahickon's Alex Chiodo-Ortiz wrestles Matt Amy in the 106-pound weight class during Saturday's Suburban One American Conference meet.

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It’s been one of those years for the Wissahickon High wrestling team.

Picked to contend for the Suburban One American Conference title, the Trojans struggled and finished fourth.

Blessed with a solid core of returning wrestlers, they scrambled to an unimpressive 9-11 dual-meet record.

So what happens when Wissahickon finally puts it together, gets quality performances throughout the lineup and wins the team title Saturday at the Suburban One American Championships?

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WRESTLING: Ross, Price among district qualifiers from Continental Conference

By Andrew Marcus
amarcus@journalregister.com

On Saturday high school wrestlers’ dreams crept closer to a reality. The Suburban One Continental Conference championships at Central Bucks South moved four from each weight class into districts this week at Hatboro-Horsham.

For some, it was a chance to make their first-ever district appearance, for others it was the first of many pictures on the podium with the bracket in hand and a medal around the neck.

For Pennridge’s Ben Ross and North Penn’s Alex Price it was a second chance at Hershey and the state tournament.

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WRESTLING: Wertz, Wood lead Boyertown to PAC 10 team title

By Don Seeley
Special to Montgomery Media

Jordan Wertz and Jordan Wood have been glued to one another since mid-November. They work out together in the practice room, have been seen sitting next to each other during dual meets, and follow each other when it comes time to wrestle.

So it was no surprise to see Boyertown head coach Pete Ventresca having a brief chat with his prized upperweights when the inaugural Pioneer Athletic Conference Championships were winding down Saturday night.

“Coach told us we needed two wins,” Wertz said.

As requested, the J & J Boys delivered.

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PAISSA BASKETBALL: GA topples nationally-ranked Kiski School for state title

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

There aren’t many times that you can get a coach to admit that he lied for most of the postseason. But Germantown Academy coach Jim Fenerty pulled the mea culpa Saturday night.

“I kept lying to people for the last week that the most important thing was for us to win the Inter-Ac (League),” Fenerty said. “I wasn’t lying because it’s still true, but this is sure nice icing on the cake.”

The icing came in the form of a 53-47 victory over western Pennsylvania’s Kiski School in the PAISSA Championship game at Malvern Prep. The Cougars had been ranked as the number two prep school in nation by MaxPreps, but GA battled basket for basket until scoring 13 of the last 17 points in the fourth quarter, including key foul shots by Greg Dotson and Julian Moore, to claim the private school state championship.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Rawls powers Abington past Perk Valley

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Abington's Joslin Poole drives for the basket past Perkiomen Valley's Mikki Guiton during Saturday's District One Class AAAA playoff game.

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With her team coming out of the gates struggling, unable to hit a basket for nearly the first five minutes of the game, Abington guard Deja Rawls decided it was time to show why the Lady Ghosts were the higher seed entering their first district playoff game.

Rawls, a sophomore, knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored 14 of her team’s first 19 points en route to a 26-point day, leading the way for the Lady Ghosts in a 53-42 win over Perkiomen Valley in a District One Class AAAA first round playoff at Abington High School on Saturday afternoon.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Goff scores 1,000th point, leads Upper Dublin past Ridley

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Upper Dublin's Curtrena Goff (3) celebrates scoring her 1,000th career point with her teammates during Saturday's District One Class AAAA playoff win over Ridley.

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Upper Dublin knew that its District One Class AAAA first round playoff matchup with 30th-seeded Ridley was going to be a challenge all along. Despite the disparity between the two teams’ seeds and records, the Lady Cardinals needed a spark to get past a tough opponent.

Curtrena Goff’s 1,000th career point was just what they needed.

“I said to the girls before the game that this Ridley team is better than a 30th seed, so we weren’t taking them lightly,” Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten said. “The game was slow to start, but we made a great run in the second quarter. It was great for [Goff] to get her 1,000th point, that’s always special.”

After a slow start, third-seeded Upper Dublin used Goff’s 1,000th point to propel it to a 46-32 win over Ridley. Led by Goff’s 18 points, the Lady Cardinals used a big second quarter and defense to push them past a very physical Ridley team that was much better than its seed suggests.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Lower Moreland stuns Delco Christian in Bicentennial League title game

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

If Vegas had made odds on the Bicentennial Athletic League championship game, Delco Christian would have been heavily favored over Lower Moreland given its undefeated league record and the previous two meetings between the teams seeing Delco handily winning both match ups, a nine-point victory in the first game and a 12-point win in the second.

The Lions had the last laugh in the championship matchup, throttling the Knights 52-32. Entering as big underdogs, Lower Moreland played loose and relaxed and just kept watching its shots fall.

“It was the kind of outcome when you picture the game in your head. It’s what you hope happens and the girls executed,” Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker said.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: GA falls to Episcopal in PAISSA title game

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

There had been a few bumps in the road during the season for the Germantown Academy girls basketball team, but things had smoothed considerably by mid February.

The Patriots had reached the 20-win total, secured a spot in the state final and had a boat load of confidence. But Megan Quinn casts a long shadow.

Wherever the Patriots ventured Saturday evening, the Episcopal Academy star seemed to be lurking. Sometimes Quinn posted up and sometimes she took the ball at the top of the key and drove the lane. And she always seemed to be in the vicinity whenever a GA player wanted to take a shot.

Quinn scored 24 points, blocked three shots and altered dozens more and grabbed six rebounds to lead Episcopal Academy to a 56-42 win over Germantown Academy in the PAISSA Championship game at Malvern Prep.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Geatens leads Mount past Bensalem

By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com

Montgomery Media / SCOTT ROMAN Mount St. Joseph's Meg Geatens is tripped up by Bensalem’s Janessa Winder during Saturday's District One Class AAAA playoff action.

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The Mount St. Joseph girls basketball team has begun its ascension to the ultimate goal. The target, reachable by extension of hand, requires those who hope to mount the pinnacle to extend their will as much as their limbs. Each game is just one rung in the ladder, a step toward the lofty objective of a division title, a District One title and up into contention at the state level.

On Saturday afternoon, the Mount took firm grasp of the next bar with one hand, and with the other plucked the visiting Owls from their nest in a 73-37 victory over Bensalem.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: North Penn eases past Upper Merion

By Ben Reese
For Montgomery Media

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS North Penn's Jackie Bilotti protects a ball during Saturday's District One Class AAAA playoff game against Upper Merion.

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It’s good to be big in basketball.

North Penn’s girls team proved that Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the District One playoffs. The Maidens took control of the game early and beat Upper Merion 47-28.

That sets up a second round game against Souderton, a 51-37 winner over Central Bucks South on Friday night. The game will be played Wednesday night at North Penn beginning at 7 p.m.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Norristown falls to Downingtown West

By Dillon Friday
For Montgomery Media

Norristown jumped to a 2-0 lead from the opening tip-off but never led again, ultimately ending their season in a 60-47 defeat at the hands of Downingtown West.

The Lady Eagles finish the 2012-2013 season with a record of 16-7. The Whippets (17-8) advance in the playoffs to face Spring-Ford, a 70-32 winner over William Tennent.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Methacton bounces back to handle CR North

By Jon Vander Lugt
For Montgomery Media

In a game where a pesky Council Rock North team continued to nip at Methacton’s heels, the Warriors were able to find a way to win behind Jenna Carroll and Kelsey Watson, 46-38, in the first round of the PIAA District One Class AAAA playoffs Saturday.

Coming off of a disheartening 53-23 loss to Spring-Ford in Wednesday’s PAC-10 championship game, Methacton coach Craig Kaminski knew that it was important for his team to come out with a significantly different mentality.

“The last one was extremely tough,” he said about the loss to Spring-Ford. “Today, we found a way to rebound, get back to work, and take care of things.

“It wasn’t the best game, but it’s playoff time. It’s about the team that wants it more, and we wanted it a little bit more.”

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