Here's a look at Delaware County's free-throw shooting leaders for the 2011-12 season, with only two stipulations to make the cut: Players must have attempted an average of four free throws per game (88 for a 22-game season and so on) and must have knocked down at least 50 percent of them.

Without further ado, your leaders:

84.3 ... Dan Rutecki, Springfield (75-89, 22 G)
75.4 ... Kevin Gladstone, Haverford (98-130, 22 G)
75.3 ... Jerry Price, Penn Wood (61-81, 20 G)
73.2 ... Ryan Kelly, Garnet Valley (71-97)
71.5 ... Shawn Church, Ridley (63-88, 22 G)
69.2 ... Ryan Furst, Marple Newtown (72-104, 22 G)
68.1 ... Rob Pittman, Chichester (96-141, 19 G)
67.6 ... Alec Stavetski, Arch. Carroll (71-105, 21 G)
65.9 ... Malcolm Richardson, Penn Wood (56-86, 21 G)
64.2 ... John Fender, Strath Haven (68-106, 22 G)
63.3 ... Yosef Yacob, Arch. Carroll (76-120, 22 G)
62.4 ... Rondae Jefferson, Chester (73-117, 22 G)
58.3 ... Christian Irons, Interboro (84-144, 22 G)
55.9 ... Erikk Wright, Chester (52-93, 22 G)
55.4 ... Sammy Foreman, Haverford School (51-92, 22 G)
51.6 ... George Walker, Glen Mills (62-120, 22 G)

The performance Thursday night by Interboro's Christian Irons triggered a thought: Who leads the county in single-game scoring for the season?

I hit my statbook and came up with this list - topped, of course, by 32-point outings from Irons and Ridley's Shawn Church. Take a look:

32 ... Shawn Church, RID (Dec. 15, 46-58 L, vs. CON)
32 ... Christian Irons, INT (Jan. 19, 60-47 W, vs. AP)
31 ... Raheem Harvey, GM (Dec. 17, 56-66 L, vs. RID)
29 ... Chuck Dorsey, AP (Dec. 17, 64-55 W, vs. SH)
29 ... Matt Fox, SPR (Dec. 20, 53-48 W, vs. CON)
29 ... George Walker, GM (Jan. 12, 70-71 L, vs. AP)
28 ... Shawn Church, RID (Dec. 10, 63-31 W, vs. AP)
28 ... Jon Vandenberg, GV (Jan. 5, 57-62 L, vs. CON)
28 ... Ryan Furst, MN (Jan. 13, 69-58 W, vs. HARR)
27 ... Shawn Church, RID (Dec. 30, 46-55 L, vs. Boys Latin)
27 ... Shawn Church, RID (Dec. 17, 66-56 W, vs. GM)
27 ... Christian Irons, INT (Jan. 5, 71-43 W, vs. Twin Valley)
27 ... Ryan Kelly, GV (Dec. 28, 65-52 W, vs. Collingswood)

Some additional notes for this list:
Raheem Harvey's 31-point game was his first game of the season, as he required doctor's clearance stemming from past injuries before beginning the year. ... Ryan Kelly's outing triggered Garnet Valley's first win of the season in its eighth game. ... From everything I've heard from those in the building, Ridley vs. Glen Mills was in the background and Church vs. Harvey became the story that Dec. 17 evening. Impressive.

In case you were curious:
The county's single-game scoring record belongs to two individuals - Sun Valley's Tom Hauer (1995) and Chester's Zain Shaw (1991) dropped 69 points in their respective games.

Here's a look at Delco's top 10 leading scorers, through Wednesday's games.

(Through Wednesday)

Name, School ... Avg (Point, Games)

1. Chuck Dorsey, Academy Park ... 20.2 ppg (121 p, 6 g)
2. Malcolm Richardson (right), Penn Wood...19.0 ppg (95p,5g)
3. Shawn Church, Ridley ... 18.8 ppg (169 p, 9 g)
4. Alec Stavetski, Arch. Carroll ... 15.0 ppg (75 p, 5 g)
5. Rob Pittman, Chichester ... 14.5 ppg (116 p, 8 g)
6. Ryan Furst, Marple Newtown ... 14.4 ppg (130 p, 9 g)
7. Matt Fox, Springfield ... 13.8 ppg (110 p, 8 g)
8. George Walker, Glen Mills ... 13.7 ppg (82 p, 6 g)
9. John Fender, Strath Haven ... 13.4 ppg (94 p, 7 g)
10. Tyree Bynum, Penn Wood ... 12.6 ppg (63 p, 5 g)
CLOSE CALLS: Ryan Kelly (Garnet Valley) and Mike McKale (Springfield) each average 12.3 ppg and Pat McGee (Marple Newtown) averages 12.0 ppg.

Some things to consider here:
**It's a three-horse race. Beyond Dorsey, Richardson and Church (pictured), there's a great disparity in the players' averages.
**Penn Wood has two representatives in the top 10, in Richardson and Bynum.
***Glen Mills' Raheem Harvey does not qualify because he hasn't played in two-thirds of his team's games. The 6-8 center, who missed four games, is averaging 26.5 ppg through two games, however.

One final note: The location and time of Chester's game New Year's Day against Christ the King (N.Y.) have changed. The game, between teams that opened the season ranked in nearly every national poll, tips off at 7:45 p.m. at Widener.

After reading that headline, I know what you're thinking: "Who cares about Delaware County's leading scorers? We're only five games into the season!"

But I'll tell you who cares: The people who call me, email me and ask me at games...that's who.

So here are the county's leading scorers, through more than two weeks of the regular season:
1. Shawn Church, Ridley ... 21.0 ppg (126 points, 6 games)
2. Malcolm Richardson, Penn Wood ... 19.8 ppg (79 points, 4 games)
3. Chuck Dorsey, Academy Park ... 19.0 ppg (95 points, 5 games)
4. Rob Pittman, Chichester ... 17.0 ppg (85 points, 5 games)
5. Ryan Furst, Marple Newtown ... 15.5 ppg (93 points, 6 games)
CLOSE BEHIND: Penn Wood's Tyree Bynum, Strath Haven's John Fender, and Marple Newtown's Pat McGee, all of whom average 14.0 ppg.

When I arrived at Marple Newtown High School Friday night, I figured I was in for a decent basketball game between two teams expected to figure into the mix for the Central League playoff picture.

Turns out there was even more going on along Media Line Road.

Sure, Marple Newtown knocked off Springfield, 54-38. But the real story was Marple Newtown's gym, a newly renovated arena that may have vaulted into the short list of my top-five places to see a game in Delaware County. (More on that below.)

Here are a few reasons why: Marple Newtown does it right, with its chorus singing the national anthem, its marching band (yes, the marching band) playing tunes between quarters and during timeouts, the west end of the gym bouncing with student fans and a packed atmosphere.

Oh, and Marple Newtown coach Jerry Doemling's got a great team on his hands. Pat McGee scored 18 points, Ryan Furst had 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Andrew Brandt had eight points and eight rebounds.

Furst said it best about Marple's new digs: "It's easy to play well in a place like this."

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Now, that being said, here are a few of my other favorite places to take in a boys basketball game in Delaware County (in no particular order):

**Clip Joint, Chester High. It doesn't get any better. Being that Chester routinely fields the area's top team, you're in store for solid play, no question. But don't forget about some of the most animated fans ... and the cheerleaders doing the Chester Train. The place is a history lesson, too, and the 1,000-point scorers list is a veritable who's-who in Delco hoops. Timeless.
**Marple Newtown. For the reasons listed above, it's absolutely the place to be. I especially liked the band playing during timeouts. Total college feel.
**Harrison Gymnasium, Glen Mills. Just because the student body is obligated to go doesn't mean it's obligated to be into the game. But the students cheer, and chant, and sing, and stomp ... all game long. And the P.A. guy often plays "Apache" by The Sugar Hill Gang. Absolute throwback.
**Penn Wood. That bandbox of a gym is the epitome of high school hoops. You walk in on a brisk winter night, you walk out a sweaty mess. That's because what goes on in the cozy confines along Essex Avenue is good, fun basketball in the tightest of quarters.
**Penncrest. If only for the look of the place, it rates among the best, with an above-the-court track that provides a top-tier sightline. The always-involved student section makes this a special place, too.

(Times photo / ERIC HARTLINE)