Boys Latin

The Math, Civics and Sciences boys' basketball team resembles a closely knit family. One could even call the Mighty Elephants brothers from other mothers. Sure, they might disagree a bit behind closed doors. But on game days, the Math, Civics and Sciences players are closer than a set of twins. "We just want to come out, have fun and play as a family," senior guard Jose Ortiz said. "Even in practice, we just want to keep it close. " Yesterday, Boys' Latin found out just how close the Math, Civics and Sciences players are. Displaying their trademark team balance, the Mighty Elephants defeated the Warriors, 72-61, in the Public League D Division game at Shepard Recreation Center.

The hot, hazy sun was baking the sidewalks along Market Street in West Philadelphia. And the 25 teens who gathered late last week in an office building meeting room could have been whiling away their time with myriad summer activities. Instead, the incoming ninth graders at Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School were so determined to get a head start at their new college-prep school that they had volunteered to spend the morning poring over John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and the thick novel Troy , about the Trojan War. Many had been showing up twice a week for the sessions since the start of July to read, discuss and write about the books they were assigned to read this summer.

After the way Boys' Latin lost on Thursday, surrendering a six-point lead with less than a minute to play, a letdown seemed likely considering the Warriors faced another game Friday night, against a Penn Wood program that had advanced to, at least, the PIAA state semifinals in each of the last three seasons. But no one told that to Maurice Watson Jr. Watson Jr. led all players with 25 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to give Boys' Latin an affirming, 61-57 nonleague victory over Penn Wood.

Freshman catcher Manny Fernandez hit a three-run triple in the eighth inning, and Boys' Latin held on to top host Germantown, 11-9, on Thursday in a Public League baseball game. Asa James posted the win with five innings of relief. Khary Redmond started for Germantown and received a no-decision with 14 strikeouts and a walk. Also in the Public League, Buddy Dessus fanned 10 in five innings and Shafeeq Coleman slammed a two-run homer in the third as host Overbrook topped Dobbins, 10-0.

Boys' Latin senior Maurice Watson made an oral commitment Wednesday to play basketball at Boston University. The 5-foot-10 point guard, who had 18 scholarship offers, ultimately picked the Terriers over Virginia, La Salle, Niagara, and Hofstra. "The reason I chose BU was because I could see myself going to the university [even] if it wasn't for basketball," Watson said. "I've been out to the city. I love the city. It reminds me of Philly so much. "I have some friends that are already on the team.

The cheers and shouts rang across the water as the Boys' Latin crew team rounded the bend in the Schuylkill. The four rowers glanced over and ripped their blades through the current, speeding their boat - the 40-foot jet-black Darth Vader - to a second-place finish in the race. It was their first competition. They were the only team of Philadelphia public school students rowing April 19 at the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association's fifth Manny Flick regatta this year.

IT'S NOT too often a guy walks onto a football field and wonders whether his hip pads can fit into a bathing suit. Add 29th Street Stadium to the list of places hit by flooding yesterday. Luckily, the newly created lake - 100-plus yards long, 10 yards wide, 3 to 5 inches deep for 70-plus yards - was not on the field of play, but instead right along the south sideline. Thus, the teams from host Ben Franklin and Boys' Latin stood on the visiting sideline for a Public AAA opener.

FISTS AND feet flew outside a West Philadelphia Market-Frankford El station yesterday morning as two groups of high-school students battled each other, with at least one student bringing out a knife or other sharp object, as blood spilled on the sidewalk. Five students from Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School were stabbed or slashed, as was one from West Philadelphia Catholic High, during the melee about 7:30 a.m. on Farragut Street near Market, just outside the busy 46th Street Station.

UPON FIRST GLANCE, there's a strong temptation to think Oumar Diawara is cool only because he has participated in five sports this school year for Boys' Latin Charter. And, indeed, that's an amazing accomplishment. But Diawara, a 6-foot, 150-pound senior, also deserves praise for his classroom feats (cumulative 3.2 GPA through 4 years), especially with one very important variable in mind. As recently as 7 years ago, English was mostly a rumor to Diawara. Though he was born in Philly, at age 5 he'd been sent to Bamako, Mali, in Africa, to live with his grandfather/namesake, Oumar Diakara.

The Coaches vs. Cancer Underclass All-Star Games, featuring top non-senior basketball players from high schools in the five-county Philadelphia area, will be played Tuesday at the Fellowship House, 5th and Harry Streets, in Conshohocken. Catholic League will meet Independent Schools at 6:45 followed by Public League vs. Suburban Schools at 8:15. ALL-STAR ROSTERS GAME ONE, 6:45 CATHOLIC LEAGUE John Davis, Ja'Quan Newton and Hanif Sutton, Neumann-Goretti; Shep Garner, Roman; Yosef Yacob, Carroll; Joe LoStracco and Pat Smith, Wood; Steven Griffin and Joe Robinson, Judge; Stephen Vasturia, SJ Prep.

Freshman catcher Manny Fernandez hit a three-run triple in the eighth inning, and Boys' Latin held on to top host Germantown, 11-9, on Thursday in a Public League baseball game. Asa James posted the win with five innings of relief. Khary Redmond started for Germantown and received a no-decision with 14 strikeouts and a walk. Also in the Public League, Buddy Dessus fanned 10 in five innings and Shafeeq Coleman slammed a two-run homer in the third as host Overbrook topped Dobbins, 10-0.

Freshman catcher Manny Fernandez hit a three-run triple in the eighth inning, and Boys' Latin held on to top host Germantown, 11-9, on Thursday in a Public League baseball game. Asa James posted the win with five innings of relief. Khary Redmond started for Germantown and received a no-decision with 14 strikeouts and one walk. Also in the Public League, Buddy Dessus fanned 10 in five innings and Shafeeq Coleman slammed a two-run homer in the third as host Overbrook topped Dobbins, 10-0.

Haverford School posted its sixth straight win, as the visiting Fords topped La Salle, 11-6, Thursday in a nonleague matchup of two of the area's top lacrosse teams. Zach Rego highlighted Haverford's balanced attack with three goals and two assists. Gavin McBride added three goals, and Henry Blynn scored twice with two assists. Jake Landman played a strong game in net, as he turned away 10 shots to seal the win. The Fords defense limited Matt Rambo, La Salle's top attackman, to one goal.

TED SILARY'S FINAL CITY TOP 10 1. Ss. Neumann Goretti. . . 28-3 2. Malvern Prep. . . 24-3 3. Constitution. . . 24-8 4. St. Joseph's Prep. . . 21-6 5. Archbishop Carroll. . . 20-8 6. Roman Catholic. . . 18-10 7. Boys' Latin. . . 25-7 8. Communications Tech. . . 20-10 9. Archbishop Ryan. . . 18-5 10. Germantown Academy. . . 20-10 Honorable Mention: John Bartram (12-16), Imhotep Charter (22-8), Roberts Vaux (15-11), Engineering & Science (21-2)

THE 37TH ANNUAL Public League Coaches' All-Star Basketball Classic, featuring only seniors, will be held Monday night at South Philadelphia High School, Broad and Snyder. The tripleheader ($10 admission) will include prelims at 5:30 and 6:30 for second-tier players and the feature attraction at 7:30 for upper-echelon guys. Here are the rosters for the 7:30 game: Red Team Diante Lunsford, U. City; Eugene Lett, Randolph; Demetrius Davenport, Palumbo; Carlos Taylor, Boys' Latin; Gary Gordon, Bartram; James Cole, Vaux; Tahjere McCall, E & S; Terrell Parker, Comm Tech; Karon Keene, Mansion; David George, Phila.

Highlights of Thursday's contests can be found at: www.philly.com/rally Lacrosse BOYS Chestnut Hill 18, Wilmington Christian 2 GIRLS St. Hubert 13, Nazareth Academy 10 Springside 16, Academy of New Church 4 Shipley 17, Baldwin 12 Boys' Tennis BICENTENNIAL LEAGUE Lower Moreland 5, Holy Ghost Prep 2 CATHOLIC LEAGUE LaSalle 5, Archbishop Ryan 0...

LA'QUAN COAXUM would not mind being a footnote in city basketball history. As in, The Guy Who Kept Maurice "Doo-Wop" Watson From Going Berserk in His Final Game. Yes, the wonderful career of Watson, a 4-year star at guard for Boys' Latin Charter, is over and the end came last night at Southern High, in a sauna disguised as a gym, as the Warriors dropped a 74-43 verdict to Ss. Neumann-Goretti in the semifinal round of the PIAA Class AAA state playoffs. Watson departed with 3:30 remaining and the score at 62-40.