Panthers

We have to confess to occasionally giving in to the defeatist notion that Camden is a lost cause. Its poverty, its decay, its problems tend to dominate the headlines and, thus, perceptions. But every now and then, a bolt of energy and enthusiasm flies out of its bleakest reaches, shattering the stereotype, confounding the image. Sometimes a basketball team will do it. Sometimes a class working on a spacecraft experiment. This year it's Camden High School's Marching Panthers - band and ensemble.

Cheltenham coach Steve Daley said it was just a matter of time until senior guard Scott Feller broke loose, and Saturday night against Central Bucks West turned out to be just the right time. Decimated by injuries to guards Steve Fennal (broken finger) and Leon Johnson (torn ankle ligaments) and forward Mike Sutrynowicz (dislocated finger), the Panthers were forced to play West with a patched-up team that was proven on defense but questionable when it came to scoring. Fortunately for the Panthers, Feller scored a season-high 15 points, senior forward Ralph Richardson recorded 6 in the fourth quarter and the Panthers defeated West, 51-45, in a nonleague game at Cheltenham.

Strath Haven fired off 22 points at the start of its Wednesday night matchup against Penn Wood, but it wasn't enough to stave off the host Patriots. The Patriots rallied for a 62-59 victory over the Panthers in their third win of the year. Both clubs played Friday - Penn Wood won against Monsignor Bonner and Strath Haven triumphed against Upper Darby. The Pats are now 4-0 while the Panthers are 2-3. "We came out slow and they came out hot," said Chip Cifuni, Patriot coach.

It started when a handful of men saw children in their West Philadelphia neighborhood crying because they wanted to play football but had no teams to join. It was 1990. Instead of walking away, the men huddled. They pooled their cash - about $700 - and sponsored two football teams for 42 children ages 7 and 8. Because the men could only afford 11 uniforms, the children would pass them among themselves between games. That wasn't ideal, but it was how the teams - called the Panthers - got their start.

Cheltenham hit the road Friday in search of its first victory in state championship tournament play. The Panthers had lost their last two District 1 playoff games last week - to Downingtown and Coatesville. But coach Bob Schaefer thought the Panthers could travel to Dunmore and bounce back with a win against Tunkhannock, the top seed from District 2, in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament. When it was all said and done, it was Tunkhannock that did the bouncing, sending the Panthers home with a 53-41 loss.

Coach Chick Donnelly's top priority this season is to recapture the glory that once characterized the William Tennent boys' basketball program. After losing seven of their first nine games, the Panthers looked anything but glorious. Yet Donnelly refused to give up on the team, and his patience has paid off. Led by center Dave Wilding's 17 points, the Panthers won their fourth consecutive game Friday by defeating host Neshaminy, 51-40, in a Suburban One Patriot Division contest.

Collingswood won its fifth football game in a row last night, using its powerful defense to stop Gateway, 29-6. The Panthers, still hoping for a Group 2 playoff berth, raised their record to 6-1 overall and 6-1 in the Colonial Conference. Collingswood had been scored on in only one previous game, a 30-13 loss to Paulsboro on Oct. 1. Gateway fell to 4-3. The Gators' three losses have been to Collingswood, Paulsboro and Sterling - a trio with a combined record of 18-1. Wes Durham's 29-yard field goal got the scoring started, and quarterback Glen Ambrosius was 6 of 8 for 82 yards in the first half, when the Panthers put the game away.

The Florida Panthers showcased their new home and perhaps a new star. Mark Parrish's first two NHL goals broke a tie in the third period as the Panthers christened their new arena last night with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Parrish, who tied for the league lead with six preseason goals, scored his first career goal at 2:34 of the period to break a 1-1 tie, then gave the Panthers a cushion with another goal at 8:24. "It's nice to see a young player like that break in the way he did," said Florida coach Terry Murray, who was making his debut behind the Panthers' bench.

The odds appeared to be against Cheltenham in the PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball playoffs. The Panthers were coming out of the District 1 playoffs as the fifth-place team and had to face District 11 champion Hazleton in the opening round. And getting by that round meant a matchup with District 1 runner-up Coatesville. But the Panthers took care of both those hurdles before knocking off Dallastown in the PIAA quarterfinals. That left District 1 champion Downingtown East as the only team in their way en route to Friday's state championship game.

Strath Haven warmed up for another assault on the state PIAA Class AAA boys' soccer title by pounding Selinsgrove yesterday, 6-2, in quarterfinal action at Northern Lebanon High School. The Panthers (23-1-1) moved into the state semifinals, where they will meet the winner of yesterday's game between Dallastown and Emmaus on Tuesday. A victory in the semifinals would allow Strath Haven to vie for its fourth state championship in the last 10 years. Strath Haven buried Erie McDowell, 8-0, in last year's state finals.

Evgeni Nabokov made 26 saves, defenseman Andrew MacDonald scored the winning goal, and the host New York Islanders defeated the Florida Panthers, 3-0, Sunday night. After losing their three previous home games by faltering in the third period, the Islanders shut down the Panthers, who have the NHL's worst record at 9-18-6.   Caps top Rangers Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin scored in the shootout and regulation to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the host New York Rangers as the Caps extended their winning streak to three.

HERSHEY - Pretty fitting that this town's primary basketball venue is called the Giant Center. Friday night, it was the scene of the latest in a string of you-got-it accomplishments. Even though an enrollment increase caused Imhotep Charter to creep upward this season from Class AA to AAA in the PIAA's scheme of hoop things, dominance was achieved and excellence was continued. The final score in the all-District-12 championship game was Imhotep 54, Archbishop Carroll 45. The Panthers have seized four state titles in the last five seasons (lone exception: 2010)

The Panthers acquired defenseman T.J. Brennan from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Florida's fifth-round selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The fifth-round pick was originally acquired by Florida from Los Angeles on Feb. 8. "T.J. is a young and mobile defenseman with a hard shot, who we are pleased to have acquired," said GM Dale Tallon of the 23-year-old Moorestown native. "He is a hard working player with an offensive upside, who has averaged almost a point-per-game in the American Hockey League this season.

After a season-long battle playing in the Catholic Academies league, St. Basil was well prepared for postseason play. The Panthers' experience played a major factor Tuesday night when the District 1 champions defeated District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic, 47-40, in the second round of the PIAA state Class AA girls' basketball tournament at Coatesville. "Our league is our best preparation for something like this," St. Basil coach Terry Mancini said. "Those games are invaluable. " A slow start by both teams left St. Basil (19-7)

After a season-long battle playing in the Catholic Academies league, St. Basil was well prepared for postseason play. The Panthers' experience played a major factor Tuesday night, as the District 1 champions defeated Delone Catholic, 47-40, in the second round of the PIAA Class AA girls' basketball tournament at Coatesville. "Our league is our best preparation for something like this," St. Basil coach Terry Mancini said. "Those games are invaluable when you get into a situation like this.

Camden's Tavaris Headen didn't get off to the quickest of starts while his team did the opposite, but when the Panthers slowed down, Headen showed his explosive scoring ability. Headen scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half Tuesday night as the second-seeded Panthers defeated No. 4 seed Timber Creek, 67-54, in the South Jersey Group 3 basketball championship before an overflow crowd at Camden. It was the second consecutive sectional title for the Panthers (20-10), who will face Lawrence in Thursday's 4 p.m. state semifinal at Eastern.

There always are echoes of old times in Clarence Turner Gymnasium, where the center circle is painted to commemorate 11 championship seasons and the tiled walls are adorned with banners that honor some of the best players and teams in state history. But the past truly comes alive when Tavaris Headen takes the court for the Panthers. It's not that Headen, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, has the same skill level of some former Camden greats, although the clever lefty generated 20 points, six steals, and six assists in Saturday's 71-59 victory over Moorestown in the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals.

Fifteen days of ballhandling drills. Fifteen days of wind sprints. Fifteen days of free throws, shooting drills, and defensive slides. According to junior Kate Skalski, that was the difference for St. Basil on Friday night, as the Panthers defeated Delco Christian, 47-28, to win the PIAA District 1 Class AA girls' basketball title at Villanova's Pavilion. Entering the final, the Panthers hadn't played a game in 15 days, and in that period spent a lot of time getting better, especially on defense.

Don't count Pope John Paul II's Brent Mahoney among those who view accounting as a boring field of study. "I took it in high school," he said. "I actually enjoyed it. I'm probably going to major in accounting in college. " Wednesday night at Plymouth Whitemarsh, Mahoney crunched some serious numbers. He collected 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists and helped the third-seeded Panthers pull past second-seeded Glen Mills, 48-42, in a PIAA District 1 Class AAA boys' basketball semifinal.

TOMAS KOPECKY recorded his first career hat trick and Tomas Fleischmann had the go-ahead score for his 100th career goal, lifting the Florida Panthers to a 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla. Brian Campbell and Marcel Goc also scored and Fleischmann added two assists for the Panthers. Scott Clemmensen stopped all 15 shots he faced in the third after replacing Jose Theodore during the second intermission. Theodore stopped 15 of 19 shots through the first and second period.