Page 8 — LION’S EYE — March 1, 1996 ®- SPORTS ® Delco B-Ball Comes Up Short Team Looks Toward Future By Pete Ranaudo The PSU-Delco men’s basketball team ended their season with a victory over Berks on Sunday, February 25, to increase their record to 13-11 overall and 10-6 in league play. The Lions did not finish up as strong as they had hoped to, losing 3 of their last 4 games including a “do or die” meeting with York to make the ~ post-season playoffs.” One of the most important victories for the Lions came against Ogontz. “The Ogontz game was huge; they really embarrassed us in our last meeting so we were really fired up to get them at home,” said sophomore co-captain Mike Menichini. The Lion's current record stands at 11-9, and 9-5 in the CCAC. One player remarked, “We worked so hard and came so far as a team that it is a crime that we will not be included in post-season play.” The Lions know that the effort they have put into this season has not exactly paid off, but they are not discouraged. With difficulties that Players in Intramural Hockey face-off, ready for action. have plagued the team, including injuries to key players, the Lions have had to find other ways to win when they have been out-manned. Point guard Steve Spinosa commented, “With the loss of Egg (Chris Eggleston), we needed others to step up their play and make every win a team effort.” The Lions are anchored by head coach Bill Wiley who is assisted by Joe Guinta, Joe DeMaio and Dave Fisher. The team is made up of nine competitive players who are 6’3 sophomore/ captain Mike Menichini, 6'4 sophomore/ captain Pete Ranaudo, with 7 freshmen that include 6°2 Chris Eggleston, 5'11 Steve Spinosa, 63 Mike Pralle, 5'8 Jimmy Halligan, 6’3 Nick Korsornithis, 6’1 Ben Craddock, and 6’0 Jon Pettus. : With the departure of perhaps only two sophomores (Menichini could have some eligibility left.) and the consistent play of their promissing freshmen, the future of the basketball program here at Penn State Delco looks to be a positive one. Sticks Clash, Balls Swish As Intramurals Intensify By Pete Ranaudo Intramurals are already in mid- season and so far have gotten some good reviews. On Mondays and Wednesdays the main and auxiliary gyms are filled with a chaotic frenzy of floor hockey hopefuls and basketball hoopsters galore. “It is a good opportunity to showcase our basketball skills,” commented Tom Forbes, 2nd semester business major. “It’s a great way to unwind and get a good workout in between classes,” added Kevin Dorrian, 2nd semester political science. Basketball intramurals consist of eight teams that compete in a round robin tournament. Their records then determine the “seedings” or ranking of each team to be put into a single elimination playoff format that will get underway on the return from spring break. Vince Screnci, organizer of the hockey intramurals, says that the progress with the hockey program is tremendous and it has lived up to its expectations. “It’s great to come into the gym and see the crowd of people, some wearing hockey jerseys and all . holding sticks.” “The games (hockey) are as realistic as possible”, remarked John Sciotto, 4th semester, engineering, “with pads for the goalies and our sticks. Except for using ice skates, this is as real as it gets.” Intramurals are a wonderful way for students to involve themselves in some physical recreation. Whether or not basketball or hockey is their sport, Delco provides an excellent opportunity for students to experience them. Photo by Greg Jurkowski Pete Ranaudo boxes out as Mike Menichini and Ben Craddock watch Chris Eggleston drain a 3-pointer in the men’s game against PSU-Mont Alto. Photo by Greg Jurkowski Delco Men Play All-Madden Basketball In Tough Season By Robert Purdy Basketball season is over now. Our team did not get to the playoffs this year. They had eleven losses to go with their thirteen victories. But if you look only at their record you will miss an important fact about this team: they were great! People who came to the games this year know the truth about the team. In a season that had the potential for total disaster, the players overcame every obstacle and still pulled out a winning season. Although Delco may have had teams in the past that had more victories than this year’s team, there never has been a Delco team that has played with more heart. Concussions? Broken bones? Does that stop this team? Nah. Sit out a game, wrap a little tape around your broken bones, and go out there and play. If one of your best players has a bad semester and is lost to academic ineligibility does that stop this team? No, you just regroup and play on. If every team you face has a height advantage, does that slow you down? Nope! You still fight for rebounds and get hammered driving the lane...and then you hit your foul shots. In football, players who give everything they have to the game - who never quit, who don’t accept defeat, who fight through their injuries - are rewarded with the most coveted award of all: the "All Madden Team” trophy. Too bad John Madden does not give awards for basketball; he would have a whole team of trophy winners right on our campus. Everyone on this team gave maximum effort. Since we had so few players, everybody had to come to practice and work. Given the problems they had to overcome, our team should be proud of their record this season. But.of all their wins, there was one that was an absolute classic! It is impossible to talk about this season without describing the home game against Ogontz. In a lifetime of going to basketball games you may be lucky to see something like this ONCE! The game against Ogontz was close from the outset. Both teams fought for every shot, and the lead bounced back and forth from one team to the other. Finally, after struggling for every point, Delco looked like a winner: ahead of Ogontz 80 - 77 with three seconds to play in regulation time. Ogontz had possession of the ball, but it didn’t look like they would even have time for a shot. Their point guard got the in-bounds pass, turned, took one step and fired the ball at the basket. He was standing at the far side of the Lion emblem on center court, which meant he took a shot that was more than half-court. The ball slashed through the basket with such speed that it looked like it would tear off the net. This tied the game and sent it into overtime. The overtime period featured great shots by both teams but, once again, with just a few seconds left it seemed that Delco would be a certain winner. They were ahead 90 - 87 with Ogontz shooting two fouls. If they made both fouls, the score would be 90 - 89 and they would win. We were relaxed...victory seemed certain. But then the unthinkable happened. Ogontz hit the first foul shot to make it 90 - 88, but they missed the second shot. One of their players got the rebound and had the presence of mind to step behind the three-point line to shoot. Swish...three points. We had to get the ball down court and make a shot. We inbounded the ball, threw it the length of the court, tossed an off-balance shot over the outstretched arms of a defender...and we won 92 - 91! AMAZING! There were a few students who came out to see that game, and a few members of the faculty and staff, but most of the campus missed seeing the most exciting victory in the history of Delco basketball. For those of you who think "there is nothing to do at Delco", you missed out on something special. This was a night to remember. But don’t feel too bad, there is next season, and many of our players are returning. You might ~ still get to see something special...Delco Hoops!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers