Lancers

The best thing about nonleague games is that they do not count in the league standings. Bishop McDevitt has struggled in the early going, winning a single game against three losses, including a 67-51 loss to visiting Parkway on Friday night. So McDevitt was just as glad to begin its quest for the Philadelphia Catholic League Northern Division title, a crown that many observers feel that the Lancers have a better-than-average shot to win. McDevitt started its Northern Division season on Sunday with a 54-39 victory over Bishop Kenrick.

The muffled applause behind Bishop McDevitt's bench came only after it was announced that the Phillies had taken a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays in Game One of the World Series. As far as fanfare goes, that was it for the Lancers on Saturday night. Against three-time defending Catholic League champion Archbishop Ryan, McDevitt's offense arrived too late, losing, 14-0, in a Catholic League North game at Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Entering the game, Ryan had not lost in three years to a Catholic League opponent.

What a difference a nonleague game makes for Bishop McDevitt. "It was unbelievable," Lancers assistant coach Brian Duross said. "The guys were smiling at the foul line and joking around on the bench. We were so loose nothing bothered us. I hope we play that way Friday against North Catholic. " Losers of five previous Catholic League Northern Divison games, McDevitt (4-12) found a way to win Monday's nonleaguer, although it took four overtimes. Led by three double-digit scorers, the Lancers defeated Germantown Academy (7-6)

Senior guards Tim Kelly and Mike Giuliani connected on jump shots in the final 25 seconds of play yesterday and Bishop McDevitt nipped Father Judge, 41-40, in a Catholic League Northern Division game at Judge. "We were losing so many close games that it's about time we won one," said McDevitt assistant coach Brian Duross. "We had balanced scoring. They gave us a chance to win the game, and this time, we did. I thought we really played well in all aspects. " McDevitt (2-9 league, 6-16 overall)

This has been a season of adjustment for Bishop McDevitt and football coach Pat Manzi. Manzi took over the fledgling program in 1982 and guided the Lancers to the playoffs every year until this one, winning two Catholic League championships and compiling a 74-28-2 record along the way. This year, despite featuring a Division I quarterback prospect in senior Bill Ring, the Lancers have been nothing better than mediocre and will miss the...

In its last three games, the Bishop McDevitt girls' basketball team has held opponents to an average of just 35.3 points per game. Not coincidentally, the Lancers have won all three games. It was just over a month ago, however, that McDevitt played the same three teams - Bishop Conwell, Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Wood - and did an even better job, limiting them to just 34.3 points per game. But the Lancers lost two of the three contests. The difference? "We are finally showing signs of being able to put the ball in the basket," said McDevitt head coach Tom Lonergan after his team's 42-32 win over Wood Friday afternoon.

Joe Sette probably desired a different ending to his coaching career at Bishop McDevitt than that which transpired Friday night at the Palestra. But even the Lancers' 56-47 loss to La Salle in the Catholic League semifinals didn't diminish the emotions Sette felt in his last game as head coach. "I've had good teams, I've had average teams, and I've had not-so-good teams, and I wouldn't trade any of it," he said, choking back tears. "I take that back. . . . I'd probably want one more game.

Mark Heimerdinger likens his Cardinal Dougherty basketball team to a blue- collar outfit. "We're the kind of team that goes to work on the construction site each morning with our hard hats on," Heimerdinger said. "We drink our coffee in the mornings, then go out and put in a hard day's work. That means if there is a loose ball on the floor somewhere, we dive after it. " Against Bishop McDevitt on Friday, the Cardinals put that hard-work ethic into practice and came back to defeat the Lancers, 57-52, in a hard-fought Catholic League Northern Division game at McDevitt.

Bishop McDevitt's Saturday afternoon Catholic League Northern Division encounter with Father Judge proved to be a prime-time show for the Lancers' backfields. Both the offensive and defensive backs had their day in the sun as the Bishop McDevitt downed the Crusaders in a key midseason battle, 31-15. The Lancers (3-2, 3-1) received yeomanlike efforts from junior running backs Jamal Love and Milt Alexander. Love rushed 21 times for 137 yards, and Alexander had 108 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 10 carries.

In opting to attend Central High and play baseball there, Tom Benek followed in the footsteps of brothers Jim and Larry. Tuesday afternoon, the senior might have cemented his position as best clutch performer. Capping a remarkable comeback against Public League Division A rival Frankford, Tom Benek delivered a two-out RBI single to give the host Lancers a 13-12 victory at Ogontz and Somerville. Before his deciding hit to right field, the third baseman received a few words of advice from brother Jim, a first-year assistant coach at Central.

When Ashley Logue took over as head coach of the Prep Charter girls' basketball team in December, she told the Huskies they would have to step it up. An assistant with the Huskies for the last two seasons, Logue took over for Paul Rieser, who left the position for personal reasons. Each player involved with the program did her part, Logue said, and that resulted Sunday in the Huskies' winning the Public League championship. Prep Charter earned its third consecutive title by defeating Central, 56-37, at Temple's Liacouras Center.

Bishop Eustace raced out to a 10-point lead after one quarter Wednesday before finishing with a 52-48 win over visiting Woodrow Wilson in Olympic Conference girls' basketball. Freshman Alexis Santarelli hit three three-pointers and led the Crusaders with 18 points. Natalie Alleva, with 12 points, and Taylor Hudspeth, with 13, also reached double digits for Bishop Eustace. Burlington Freedom. Tara Mason scored just five points, but Holy Cross coach Fred Philipps knew how valuable the senior was. "She's kind of our team leader," Philipps said.

TYRELL LONG was willing to do anything to help Bishop McDevitt High make basketball history. OK, so he never ran into a brick wall. But he made a headlong dive in an attempt to collar a loose ball and went sliding through a congested doorway. "All I saw was leggings and legs and pants and jeans," Long said. "Then I looked up and . . . 'Ohhhh. I hope I don't get suspended.' " The person Long hit the hardest was Mary Kirby, McDevitt's energetic first-year principal and the hoops squad's No. 1 fan, according to coach Jack Rutter.

EVERY TIME No. 12 or 34 notches a field goal in the gym at Bishop McDevitt High, PA announcer David Luby, also the junior varsity coach, breaks out his signature call. "Looooooonnnnnnng!" Out of respect, the stretch-out for No. 12 should be a little, well, longer. Those uniform numbers belong to Kenyatta and Tyrell Long, a senior point guard and junior forward/center. They're not related, but anyone who followed the Lancers in the 2009-10 season can probably report that the first of those names rings a bell.

Central's Chris Bing was giving up only two inches to Penn Charter's Mike McGlinchey. It was the nearly 100-pound difference in weight that caused the most concern. "Yeah, it was hard," Bing said. "He's a big kid. I just tried to put my body on him, push him as far away from the basket as possible. " McGlinchey fared well Saturday, collecting 25 points for the hosts, but it was the rail-thin Bing and the visiting Lancers who prevailed, 59-42, in a nonleague basketball game. "I think I've got some scars after that," joked Bing, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound junior.

  Spotlight on: Holy Cross junior Alliya Butts For the Holy Cross girls' basketball team, Alliya Butts is a feisty, ball-hawking defender, a coach on the floor, and the best outside shooter and ballhandler. At 5-foot-4, she rebounds over girls who tower over her. She can drive to the basket, pull up for a jumper, or shoot a three-pointer as well as any player in the area - and she does it all with a high-energy style that doesn't ever seem to slow down. The junior point guard is averaging 29.5 points for the 2-0 Lancers.

David Williams' touchdown gave Hammonton an early lead Wednesday night, and the host Blue Devils held on to stun crosstown rival St. Joseph, 14-6, in a nonleague football game. St. Joseph (8-1) entered as The Inquirer's top-ranked team in South Jersey. In their previous six games, the Wildcats had averaged 32.6 points. The loss snaps St. Joseph's 28-game winning streak, which dated to Oct. 9, 2010. In that span, the Wildcats hadn't scored fewer than 14 points. Williams scored on a 2-yard run to stake the Blue Devils to the quick lead.

Holy Cross rallied to tie the score in the third quarter Thursday night before falling, 28-21, at Robbinsville in a West Jersey Football League Liberty Division game. It was both teams' regular-season finale. Khari Hewlett scored on a goal-line dive late in the third quarter to bring Holy Cross (4-4 overall, 3-2 division) even at 21. But Robbinsville's touchdown midway through the fourth was enough to turn back the visiting Lancers. M.A. Ciaramella scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 8 minutes, 35 seconds remaining.