Friday afternoon, one thought crossed Tom Meakim's mind: He needed to be at Monsignor Bonner for the big announcement.

Monsignor Bonner's basketball coach, Meakim said he was at the Catholic high school in Upper Darby Township Jan. 6. That was when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia -- based upon the urging of a Blue Ribbon Commission report -- announced that Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast and three other high schools would close due to declining enrollment, among other things. So, Meakim figured, why not be there for Friday's announcement of whether the schools' appeals would be granted?

"It was the only place to be," Meakim told Delco Hoops by phone.

In a televised news conference, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput announced that the appeals of the four high schools that had been recommended for closure were granted, meaning the doors to Bonner/Prendie would remain open. St. Hubert's Catholic School for Girls and West Catholic, in Philadelphia, as well as Conwell-Egan Catholic, in Bucks County, also were saved by the archdiocese.

"Obviously we're elated," Meakim said. "Frankly, I'm very happy for the other three schools, as well. As I've told you before, my ancestors are West Catholic people. And the other two schools, I'm happy for. I'm most happy for my players, especially the juniors. They have a chance to finish where they started."

Chaput's announcement came with a caveat: Bonner and Prendie will have to merge. The all-boys and all-girls schools, respectively, had shared the same administration for the last few years, but had done so under different roofs. That will change for the 2012-13 school year.

"That's funny you ask, but weren't not changing names," Meakim said. "The school, maybe there will be other changes down the road, but I'm not privy to that yet. I was told the Friar will be Bonner's mascot and the Panda will remain Prendie's. I'm glad those aren't changing, because our team just got new uniforms last year."

When he made it to Bonner's campus Friday, in time for the 3 p.m. announcement from the archdiocese, Meakim said he ran into three seniors from this year's team -- Paul Pfeffinger, Dan McLoone and Mike Proska. Meakim said junior Pat Vanderslice greeted him with "a big hug."

"Pat took the news Jan. 6 the hardest," said Meakim (pictured), referencing the date of the original announcement, that Bonner would close. "He's probably the most-relieved I've seen because, what he was facing was, his whole family is full of Bonner people. Where was he going to go? He'd be scored at every family party that he went to. I'm relieved he doesn't have to make that kind of decision. None (of my players) ever approached me as to what their options were because, I take it, they were very hopeful that they'd be spending next year at Bonner. And, thankfully, that's the case."

"It's been a hard seven weeks, but a hard year ever since the rumor started floating around in September," Meakim continued. "It's been a hard year for any Bonner athlete. I'm one of those people that believes there's good to come out of everything. I like the plan the school has put together for academics, and that our alumni have continued to step forward. They were a sleeping giant that got woken up."

(Times staff photos / JULIA WILKINSON)

At what seemed like Monsignor Bonner's final home game in the storied history of its boys basketball program, the underclassmen on the roster donned specially-made T-shirts for warm-ups. The green threads read: "FRIARS FOREVER."

It seems that could be the case.

First reported Friday afternoon by MyFoxPhilly.com, Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast are among the four high schools that avoided closure by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia following extensive appeals processes and fundraising efforts.

The others were West Catholic and St. Hubert's in Philadelphia and Conwell-Egan in Bucks County. Those four high schools had been placed on the Archdiocese's "recommended closure list" by the Blue Ribbon Commission, which revealed the results of its report last month.

It's believed Bonner/Prendie raised more than $5 million, while St. Hubert's collected close to $1.5 million. The Archdiocese made the announcement at 3 p.m. with further details.

UPDATED: 4:21 p.m.

Chester didn't rise or fall in any of the major weekly polls that were released Monday.

The Clippers (22-0), who finished their fourth unbeaten regular season in program history, stayed put at No. 4 nationally in both the ESPN.com and USA Today rankings. They also remained at No. 1 in the state in the Harrisburg Patriot-News' poll.

Chester, the top seed, opens the District One Class AAAA bracket Friday night when No. 32 Downingtown West comes to the Clip Joint.

Prepare for a lopsided game.

****

One other note: It's worth mentioning that, barring the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's reversal of the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendation, Monsignor Bonner's appeal to remain open will not be accepted. A decision is due by Friday.

So with that said, the final bucket in the storied history of Bonner's gym belongs to Mike Proska, who scored on a left-handed scoop layup with less than 10 seconds to go in the Friars' Feb. 10 loss to La Salle.

The final point scored in that Upper Darby Township gym belongs to Nkingi Jones, a senior in his first season with the varsity team. Jones, who saw action in only nine games this season, went 1-for-2 from the free throw line late in Bonner's loss to La Salle.

Here's hoping Bonner survives. If it doesn't, the Friars went out with their boots on, with a great game to close out their gym.

It was tense. It was loud. And, for the first 16 minutes, at least, it was everything Monsignor Bonner expected, wanted or dreamed its final game at home would be.

The Friars lost to La Salle, 58-44, Friday night in what might have been the final basketball game at Bonner. Of course, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia - which condemned Bonner to death Jan. 6 - still has the final say and could accept the school's appeal to remain open, but that seemed to be in the rearview during this game.

Bonner's seniors -- pictured above, from left, Dan McLoone, Paul Pfeffinger, Kevin Sheridan, Mike Proska, and Nkingi Jones -- took a certain level of pride in knowing they might be the final graduating class for the Friars' storied program.

Here's what some of them had to say:
DAN McLOONE (two assists)
"I don't want to view it that way, but there's that saying: think the worst is going to happen but hope for the best to happen. I pray this place will stay open because it's a great place. Even when they told us, we all said, 'This is not possible.' It hasn’t sunk in. It’s not over until it’s over."

PAUL PFEFFINGER (11 points), who led the Friars in scoring
“This was probably the most important game of our season. We only have one more game (Sunday at Archbishop Ryan), and we expect to win. Could be the last game ever. Let’s try to get a win for Bonner."

MIKE PROSKA (5 points, 6 assists), who made the final bucket in the gym's history
"I wasn’t even thinking that. It didn’t cross my mind, but that’s big."
"I worry about (this school closing), but I know we're in good hands. Mr. Brannick (Bonner's principal) and Fr. Olsen (Bonner's president) are looking out for us. I have faith in them. Look at this: you’re talking to me, we’re in the news, we’re all over the papers, we’re raising money. It’s not over."

TOM MEAKIM, the coach
"We're not done. We have noon practice (Saturday)."

GAME STORY: Bonner keeps battling, on and off the court
McCAFFERY COLUMN: Blake, fellow alums give Bonner proper send-off



(Times staff photo / ROBERT J. GURECKI)

If you're a fan, a parent, or a player, you've probably experienced a heavy heart in the last week. The reason being, every time you've turned around, it seems as though another high school is being told it could close.

Friday night, a warm crowd filled Cardinal O'Hara's gym in hopes of Monsignor Bonner springing an upset. It didn't work. The winless Friars, who were told last week by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that their school will close, suffered a 51-25 loss to the host Lions. Matt Chandik gives us the report.

Leading up to the game Bonner players and coach Tom Meakim anticipated a return to the glory days of their heated rivalry, with a packed house full of emotions. At least that part worked out for the Friars.

On the other side, O'Hara fans gave a moment of silence in honor of Lions coach Tim Kelly's wife, Kathleen, who passed last week. Rob Parent spoke with Kelly about his side of an emotional game.

About 20 minutes to the south, Chester High is dealing with talk of its school closing. The Chester Upland School District, financially strapped, will not meet its pay period Wednesday, meaning every employee will go without pay from now until the foreseeable future.

So if Chester High closes, where does that leave the nationally ranked Clippers?

Certainly an emotional week in Delco Hoops.

I made calls Dec. 24 to a number of area coaches, trying to get to the bottom of holiday tournaments. Not that I don't understand what they're all about, but more or less asking why coaches involve their teams in them.

I think Monsignor Bonner's Tom Meakim put it best: "Heck, we're trying to win a (tournament) championship."

The holiday tournament season is upon us with Bonner opening Monday and most other teams christening their slates Tuesday or Wednesday. Here's a glimpse of my column on holiday tournaments, which will appear in Tuesday's Daily Times:

It’s not the 97-mile drive that jolts Tom Meakim. Nor is it the prospect of maintaining order among 13 young adults … in a night’s stay at a hotel … out of state.

Actually, as Meakim will tell you, it’s that ham-dinner/cookie-dessert hangover that causes him vexations.

“I’ll tell you what — that’s on my mind, but it’s not as bad as you’d think,” Meakim, Monsignor Bonner’s boys basketball coach, said with a warm chuckle. “You get your guys out there running, doing a shootaround and they’re usually OK.

“The last thing you want is for them to be lethargic because they had too much to eat the day before. But this is a happy time of the year, and I’m happy for them.”

Playing basketball in the days immediately following Christmas, as Meakim’s Monsignor Bonner team did Monday, is daunting for any coach. From gifts to girlfriends, and pastries with fillings of jelly that lead to overly full bellies, the kids have everything but a bouncing ball on their minds.

For the rest of the column, pick up Tuesday's Daily Times.