HS Hoops: The ACCHS Chain Gang?

Coach Andy Weaver

Last night, Allentown Central Catholic Boys' Basketball team defeated the Nazareth Blue Eagles, in Nazareth, by a lop-sided 64-46 score. I want to tell you about the game, but before I do, I have to confess I really miss high school hoops and the contagious excitement during a game,

Most of the games I attend now are college games. Although the athleticism is much higher than at the high school level, there's no real enthusiasm until the final games of the season. You'd think a 30-second shot clock would spark everyone, but colleges level refs are much more likely to call fouls. This slows things down. Moreover, unless they are playing themselves, college students are unlikely to attend because they are preparing for their futures. This week, most colleges have no games at all. Instead, students are taking their finals. So last night was a perfect opportunity for me to watch Allentown Central Catholic Boys' Basketball team take on the Nazareth Blue Eagles in Nazareth. What a difference!

The price was great. Senior citizens, aka old farts, get in for free.But I still made it a point to talk to Coach Andy Weaver, who is the official ticket taker. He proudly showed me the gold medal he received when the Blue Eagle football team won a district championship. He was also operating with a brand, spankin' new wheelchair, thanks in large part to one of my readers.

When I arrived, the JV game was in its closing minutes. The Blue Eagles managed to win by six, but the score mattered little to me. What impressed me was the enthusiasm shown by players from both sides. The bleachers were full, too, with lots of roaring fans.

I felt a little guilty about being there without paying, so when three little brats came by to sell 50-50 tickets, I spent $5 to buy 6. So did a friend of mine who came all the way from the western portion of the Lehigh Valley just to watch the kids play. Like me, he's a senior citizen. Like me, he bought six tickets for $5. Unlike me, he's a terrible Hearts' player. But I go to his house because his wife is a superior cook and is nice to me.

Now whenever I go to a game, I usually buy 50-50 tickets. Not out of guilt but greed. I've never won. In fact, I'm pretty sure the fix is in. After all, this is Nazareth  Get this. My friend made the mistake of entrusting his six tickets to me, a disbarred lawyer, when he hit the can at halftime. That's when the number was called. This meant I had 12 tickets and was bound to win. I would just tell my friend, who is barely competent, that he lost. On top of this, the little juvenile delinquents who sold me my tickets assured me I was a winner.

I lost.

The winning number probably went to ex-Mayor Carl Strye, who is no longer on ARD for skimming gaming machines at the Vig and now intends to run for Mayor.

The ACCHS Chain Gang

I tried to have the little brats arrested but they conveniently disappeared.

No wonder people want a curfew in Nazareth.

Before the game got underway, the teams come out and warm up, doing drills and shaking hands as hip hop music echoes throughout the gym. The Blue Eagles looked very sleek. But I did a double and triple take when the Vikings ran into the gym.

They have new warm-up uniforms, and they all look like they just escaped from a state penitentiary. They are a frickin' chain gang.Well, they are from Allentown. Whoever decided on that as a warm-up uniform should be excommunicated. Seriously.

As for the game, all I can say is Central is back, baby. The team dominated in an away game against the very talented Blue Eagles.

You can never count Nazareth out. One regular told me that he witnessed a game, many moons ago, in which the Vikings had a 50-point lead ... and lost. But last night, no lead was squandered. After a close first quarter, 6'7" Senior Nick "the gentle giant" Filchner exploded in the second with 10 points, including two treys. At the end of the first half, Central was up, 34-20. The Vikings kept it up in the second, and finished the night with a lop-sided 64-46 victory.

Filchner finished the night with 21, and was 7-7 in free throws. Liam "the Irishman" Joyce  had 11, and was great under the boards. Other scorers included Andrew Csentsis (8), Thomas Tyson (8), Leroy Johnson (6), Christian Spugnardi (4), Aidan Burmeister (3), Brendan Reed (2) and Colby Faust.

The team scored 8 three-pointers, and was 14-22 on the line.

Nazareth's lead scorer was 6'10" Senior Zach Umar, who wants to major in Accounting. He scored 15, including two treys. Other scorers included Anthony Harris (6), Latif Elam (6), Ryan Kressge (6), Chris Bonser-Santos (4), Dan Novak (2), Andrew Stapert (2), Ben Houchin (2), Joseph Adames (2) andMatt Bugbee (1).

The team scored 5 treys, and was 6 for 9 in free throws.

The ACCHS Chain Gang will be hosted by Parkland Thursday night, while Nazareth visits Whitehall.