Weatherly Area Boys Basketball Preppers rally past Wreckers on Hall of Fame Day

On Hall of Fame Day at Weatherly on Saturday, former four-year basketball standout Austin Gregory and the Wrecker 2001-02 championship basketball team were inducted into the Weatherly Area Sports Hall of Fame. Afterward, visiting MMI Prep mounted a second-half rally that pushed them past the Wreckers 54-38 in a non-league game that was the regular-season finale for both teams.

After a first half in which Weatherly Area climbed out of an early 12-5 hole to get within two at the break, the Wreckers inched in front 27-26 early in the third quarter.

But back came MMI, which put together an 11-0 that turned the one-point deficit into a double-digit lead. From there, the Preppers went on to their sixth win of the season.

Brendon Brobst led three MMI players in double figures with 14 points. Reed Floryshak followed with 12 on four 3-pointers and Caden Pease had 10 points for the Preppers (6-16), who will compete in the District

Lebron takes the throne

by Brandon King

It was a wild week of sports in which another Philadelphia team has lost their chance at a title. Eagles fans I know you’ve probably heard enough about it by now.

In the NBA, Lebron James passed a record which no one believed would ever be broken, Kareem AbdulJaabar’s all-time career scoring record of 38,386, set on April 5, 1984 when his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz. That record stood for almost 40 years until the third quarter with 10 seconds left of his game on February 8, Lebron James would score the 38,388th point of his career.

On the 8th, the Oklahoma City Thunder traveled to the Staples Center to take on King James and the Lakers. Many celebrities were in attendance from Kareem himself to Rhianna and Jay-Z. As the game began, Lebron was 35 points away. At halftime, he was over halfway to his goal with 20 points, but the Lakers were still down on the scoreboard. Lebron came out of the tunnel for the second half like a man on a mission getting halfway there before being subbed out. He returned later in the third and with 11 seconds left in that quarter, he would post up against a Thunder defender and take a step back, then hit a fadeaway shot and begin running down the court with his arms up and teammates following.

The game would take an intermission for about 15 minutes as a video highlighting him would play on the Jumbotron, then Kareem handed him a game ball. The night would end in a bit of disappointment as the Lakers would lose 133-130.

On the following day was the NBA trade deadline. Multiple teams made huge moves. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Russell Westbrook all were moved. Durant and Irving were dealt from the New York Nets after teaming up for just 74 games over about two seasons. Durant was sent to the Phoenix Suns to team up with all-star shooting guard

2-11 Class A subregional starting next week.

Ian McLaurin led the Orange and Black with 15 points. Freshman Corbin Wagner came off the bench to score eight, including two triples, as the young Wreckers ended their season at 1-21.

In the junior varsity contest, Weatherly rolled to a 51-14 victory behind the scoring of McKeegan (15), Wagner (11) and Niko Saldukas (10).

3-point field goals.

Thomas Buyce added three triples for nine points and Michael Pascoe and Stephen Hood chipped in eight apiece for the playoffbound Panthers (13-9), who will compete in the upcoming District 11 Class 3A tournament.

Devin Booker, all-pro Chris Paul, and an arguable top-10 center in Deandre Ayton. The Nets in return would get some young players with potential in Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and journeyman Jae Crowder, along with some draft picks.

In the Kyrie Irving deal, the Nets would get from the Dallas Mavericks point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and shooting guard Dorian Finney-Smith, along with a first-round pick and two seconds.

The Lakers made multiple moves at the deadline: a three-team trade involving with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves had the Wolves sending De’angelo Russell, Malik Beasely and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers for Mike Conley from the Jazz and three Lakers’ second round picks, while Jazz would receive Russell Westbrook and Damion Jones from the Lakers.

With all these changes, the Western Conference will be fun to watch as the new team members either work out, or flame out.

In between games during Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Gregory and the 2001-02 Wreckers were enshrined after starring on that very basketball court two decades earlier. Gregory was a four-year letterman and 1,000-point scorer, while the 2001-02 team captured the last of the program’s District 11 Class A championships.

Much more on the Hall of Fame ceremonies in next week’s edition.

MMI PREP (54) - Lispi 2 0-0 5, Pantages 3

0-0 6, Sones 3 1-1 7, Pease 3 4-8 10, Brobst 5

2-2 14, Floryshak 4 0-0 12, Lopez-Rodriguez 0

0-0. Totals 20 7-11 54.

WEATHERLY AREA (38) - Higgins 0 0-0 0, Parker 2 1-2 5, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, McLaurin 7 1-2

15, Berger 0 0-2 0, McKeegan 2 2-2 6, Saldukas 1 0-0 2, Wagner 2 2-2 8, Puzzetti 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 6-10 38.

MMI Prep............12 12 18 12 – 54 Weatherly Area.....5 17 10 6 – 38 3-pointers: Floryshak 4, Brobst 2, Lispi, Wagner 2.

Panther Valley 78, Weatherly Area 46 -

Panther Vallley’s Drew Kokinda hit for a schoolrecord 11 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 35 points as the Panthers scorched the Wreckers in non-league play last week.

Kokinda and the Panthers came out on fire, as he hit six of his 3-pointers during a 29-11 first-quarter onslaught.

PV finished the night with 17

Ian McLaurin paced the Wreckers with 12 points, Corbin Wagner contributed 11 with three triples, and Jordan Mitchell had 10 points.

PANTHER VALLEY (78) - Pascoe 4 0-0 8 S. Hood 3 1-1 8, Kokinda 12 0-0 35, Weaver 0 0-0 0, Hadley 1 0-0 2, Hoben 0 0-0 0, McAndrew III 1 0-0 3, Orsulak 1 0-0 2, Gardiner 0 0-0 0, Goida 0 2-2 2, Fisher 2 0-0 5, Buyce 3 0-2 9, Breiner 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 0-0 0, Hazzard

Panther Valley.......29 20 19 10 – 78 Weatherly Area......11 12 17 6 – 46

3-pointers: Kokinda 11, Buyce 3, S. Hood, McAndrew III, Breiner, Wagner 3, Mitchell 2, Parker.

Nativity 86, Weatherly Area 27Bailey Ziolkowski poured in a game-high 27 points and the Hilltoppers defeated the Wreckers in their Schuylkill League Division III finale last week.

Trey Keating added 15 for Nativity, followed by Tyler Borden with 14 and Keith King with 11.

McLaurin paced Weatherly with 11 points, and Wagner had six.

The Wreckers won the junior varsity game 51-49.

WEATHERLY AREA (27) - Higgins 0 0-0 0, Parker 0 0-1 0, Hoffman 1 0-0 3, McLaurin 5 0-0 11, Berger 1 0-2 2, McKeegan 1 0-0 2, Saldukas 1 1-2 3, Wagner 1 3-4 6, Jordan 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 4-8 27.

NATIVITY (86) - Messina 1 0-0 2, Grabowski 0 0-0