Paul Vi

Jay Howard collected 28 points, nine rebounds, and three steals Tuesday to send host Paul VI to a 65-58 overtime victory over Camden in Olympic Conference National Division boys' basketball. Camden trailed, 54-51, before Kirk Johnson sent the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Tavaris Headen led Camden with 16 points. Camden 12 13 12 17 4 - 58 Paul VI 20 11 8 15 11 - 65 C: Kelvin Davis 4, Jamal Halloway 10, Tavaris Headen 16, Doug Hinson 5, Kirk Johnson 9, Amir Maddred 14. PV: Jair Green 2, Jay Howard 28, DeVahnté Mosley 10, Matt O'Keefe 7, Matt Risse 11, Ivan Robinson 7.

When John Innocenzo holds tryouts for the Paul VI boys' basketball team this fall, the irony will not be lost on him. Innocenzo, who graduated from Paul VI in 1987 but played only as a freshman, was named the Eagles' coach yesterday. "My sophomore year, for whatever reason, I didn't try out," said Innocenzo, 28. "I missed basketball immediately. I became a gym rat. " But when Innocenzo tried out as a junior, he played poorly and was cut. As a senior, he also was cut when the coaches decided that he was not worth taking on for just one year.

Immaculate Heart Academy was happy to see somebody - anybody - other than Camden Catholic in the NJSIAA Parochial A state softball championship. The last three seasons had ended for the Blue Eagles with losses to the Irish in the state final. But yesterday was different for the team from Westwood in Bergen County. Paul VI was the opponent. The result was different, too. Immaculate Heart won, 4-2, to capture the title at Trenton State. "After three years of seeing (Camden Catholic)

Roosevelt Cubbage, a 6-foot-7 senior from Paul VI, has accepted a basketball scholarship to Division II Wilmington University in Delaware. Cubbage made an oral commitment to the school on Wednesday. According to NCAA rules, a basketball recruit may sign a letter of intent during the second signing period, beginning April 11. Cubbage, who averaged nearly 12 points this season, is Paul VI's second scholarship player. Point guard Ron Curry has signed with James Madison. "I chose Wilmington because I love the coach, their style of play, and felt like I could become a better person on and off the court at the school," Cubbage said.

Nobody hands out any hardware in the middle of January. Nobody is crowned midseason champion. Nobody even cares, come March, what team was playing at the highest level after nine or 10 games. But some team has to be No. 1 in South Jersey just as the conference schedules start to heat up and just as everybody begins to jostle for seeding before the tournament cutoff date. Somebody has to be The Team To Beat. It says here that team is Paul VI after an impressive week in which the Eagles beat two of the top six squads in South Jersey by a combined 27 points.

All of Roosevelt Cubbage's size and strength wasn't worth anything in the second quarter, because the Paul VI senior spent all eight minutes on the bench with two fouls. "Very frustrating," Cubbage said of his front-row seat during Paul VI's clash with Shawnee in an Olympic Conference interdivision boys' basketball game Tuesday night. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Cubbage made up for lost time in the second half. He collected nine points and nine rebounds as undefeated Paul VI pulled away for a 59-43 victory before a large crowd in the Eagles' gymnasium.

Paul VI High School announced yesterday that it was searching for a head football coach to replace Steve Locilento. Locilento's contract will not be renewed, said Sister Mary Ann Gecina, the school's athletic director. Locilento's teams went 0-27 in his three seasons as head coach. On Monday, Sister Gecina had said that a decision on rehiring Locilento would not be made for four to six weeks. She said yesterday that circumstances had caused the school to change its mind. "This decision is in no way a negative reflection on Mr. Locilento's dedication, concern and care for the team members," she said in a statement.

The connection comes from almost 10 years of playing on the same basketball team. "We're like cousins," Ivan Robinson said. "Best friends," Jay Howard added. On the court, the two described their relationship as almost telepathic. "We have that chemistry," Robinson said. "We can make eye contact and know what's coming. " Saturday night's 65-57 victory over Eastern was just Robinson's second game for the Paul VI boys' basketball team. He had to sit 30 days after transferring from Camden Catholic.

In a game of wild momentum swings, Ron Curry had his own ups and downs. But like his team, the Paul VI junior guard ended on a high note. After sitting out large segments of the game in foul trouble, Curry came off the bench to control the final three minutes and lead Paul VI to a 57-46 victory over Shawnee on Tuesday in a clash of two of the top three teams in South Jersey in The Inquirer Top 10. The 6-foot-2 Curry had two assists, a...

At the plate, Bishop Eustace's baseball team managed just two hits and struck out 12 times. In the field, the Crusaders were nearly flawless. Zac Gallen pitched a complete game with zero walks and T.J. Maiorino and Chris Jones worked middle-infield magic with their gloves as Bishop Eustace clinched a share of the Olympic National title with a 4-1 victory over Paul VI on Tuesday. "The defense was big," Gallen said. "Those guys made every play, especially when we needed it. " Gallen, a junior righthander, pitched a six-hitter with three strikeouts as Bishop Eustace won its sixth in a row to improve to 14-5 overall and 6-1 in the division.