Springfield coach Kevin McCormick assures that, during a two-game stretch earlier this year, his team shot less than 25 percent from the field.

Based on what I saw Friday night, I find this hard to believe.

The Cougars shot 25-for-52 in a blowout win over Marple Newtown, a 64-46 decision that left things a little more dicey in the Central League standings ... assuming one team (Upper Darby) doesn't finish the season unbeaten.

Springfield was spot-on from the floor against Marple Newtown. The Cougars made seven consecutive shots to start the second half, rolling to a huge lead.

And they got contributions from everyone. Brendan McNamee picked clean the offensive glass, going for five of his 10 boards on the scoring end. That led to easy buckets. Outlet passes from Steve Baker and Dave Carpenter made things easy for wingers Adam Washington and Zack DeVito.

That explains the 48-percent shooting night had by Springfield. It doesn't explain how McCormick's crew could possibly have had 25-percent shooting nights in the past.

"It's a work in progress," McCormick explained afterward.

Well, everything looked A-OK from my vantage point.

Couple things I pulled from the box scores of Tuesday night's boys basketball games:

*** Senior Taylor Wright scored 15 points and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds in Episcopal Academy's 67-58 victory over Bishop Shanahan. Wright, known earlier in his career as an outside shooter, had 10 of those rebounds before halftime. Also an exceptional pitcher, Wright is in the midst of his best season.

*** Upper Darby shot 35 percent in the first half and 70 percent in the second half. What's more stunning? The Royals shot at an 80-percent clip (8-for-10) in the fourth quarter, beating Haverford, 56-40. (For more on this game, check out Wednesday's Daily Times.)

*** Sun Valley's Bill Hudson made more free throws (12-for-17) than Academy Park attempted (5-for-11 as a team), in the Vanguards' 69-61 victory. Sun Valley was 23-for-31 as a team.

*** Chester's Lamon Church (nine) and DaQuann Walker (eight) combined for 17 of the Clippers' 21 fourth-quarter points during their 71-64 win over Reading. Having faced two of the perennial Pa. powerhouses in the last week - JP McCaskey and Reading - the Clippers are 5-0.

*** All three of the shots knocked down by Springfield's Dave Carpenter were beyond the arc in the Cougars' 62-50 takedown of Marple Newtown. He made more 3-pointers than the Tigers did as a team.

*** Cardinal O'Hara shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line ... none more important than Sean Mayo's two with two seconds to go in the Lions' come-from-behind, 65-64 win over Spring-Ford.

And just like that, Springfield's district-title aspirations were dashed.

The Cougars dropped a back-and-forth District One Class AAA title tilt to Holy Ghost Prep, 47-42, Saturday night at Villanova's Pavilion.

Adam Washington scored 15 points (on 6-for-10 scoring), Dave Carpenter had eight and Zack DeVito and Wally Rutecki had six apiece for Springfield (18-8), which faces District 12's Murrell Dobbins in the first round of the PIAA playoffs next week.

More to come...