ACCHS Survives Late Scare From Nazareth to Remain Unbeaten

L to R: Chad Kratzer, Dat Lambert and
Jordan McChristian

Despite being outscored 20-9 in the final quarter, Allentown Central Catholic's Boys' Varsity Basketball squad defeated the Nazareth Blue Eagles last night by a single bucket, 54-52. The Vikings are now 10-0 and perched atop the Skyline Division of the EPC. The Blue Eagles, which have lost their last two games, fall to 6-4.

Before the game got underway, I was talking to the grandfather of one of the freshman team players."We're not very good this year," he confessed. But I disagree. Whatever its record, Nazareth is always tough. We found that out playing them over the summer. Plus, these are high school kids. You never know how they are going to play. As Coach Dennis Csenscits once told me, "They're never as good as you think or as bad as you think."

Last night, Central was great and terrible, all in the same game. In the first quarter, they jumped out to a 19-7 lead, thanks in large part to four shots from downtown, with two coming from Jay Vaughan and another two from Dat Lambert. But instead of giving up, Nazareth dug in while the Vikes coasted.

PSU-bound Jahan Dotson is one reason why Nazareth stayed in the game. Also, you have to credit Noah Briggs and tireless point guard, Maihan Ramin.

In the meantime, Central stopped playing as a team. With just 16 seconds left, Nazareth managed to tie the game and were in possession. The gym exploded.

When play resumed, the timekeeper forgot to start the clock. Fortunately, an eagle-eyed ref caught what was going on, stopped the game, and took two seconds off the clock. That still gave Nazareth 14 seconds to score and win the game. But instead, Central snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat.

As Nazareth began its penetration, Central guard Chad Kratzer tapped the ball away . He raced down the court with the steal.

Earlier this year, he would have tried to win the game by himself. Earlier that evening, that's what he would have done.But he gets smarter in every game. Instead of taking the shot, he slipped the ball to Nick Filchner, who was patiently waiting by the rim, undefended.

Nick scored and the game was over.

Sorry, but I neglected to photograph the scorebook, and have no idea who was high scorer. I do know that Central's Dat Lambert had 17, including four from beyond the arc. I found out after the game that he played with a stomach virus, a small detail that he kept from his coach until the game was over and he retched in the locker room.

I told him to get sick more often.

I want to thank a Nazareth mother was kind enough to give Dat a bottle of Gatorade for the bus trip home.

Blogger's Note: On my left sidebar, you can see how other high schools fared last night.

Updated 10:50 am: Box score is here.