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.

By all accounts, Dan Vanderslice had a great game Friday night.

The senior forward for Monsignor Bonner rebounded well, coming down with five. He provided an inside attack, scoring five points. He even rejected three shots, taking away Cardinal O'Hara's game in the paint. Vanderslice made a palpable difference in the Friars' 53-42 win over the Lions.

But there's one thing he regrets about the victory in a neighborhood rivalry game.

During the waning moments of the fourth quarter, with the game's decision not in question at all, Vanderslice ran along the baseline to inbound a ball under O'Hara's basket. But prior to that, the Lions had been whistled for an offensive foul. By PIAA rule, a player can move along the baseline if a basket precedes the inbound play. If it doesn't - as is the case with a turnover, and as was the case here - he cannot.

"Dan had a great game for us," said Bonner coach Tom Meakim, laughing, "except for that one play at the end. I think we can forgive him."

Added Vanderslice: "I don't know what happened. I guess I wasn't thinking. At least it didn't affect the outcome."

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He's 6-foot-9. He's the second-best power forward in the nation. He's committed to Tennessee.

That's probably all you need to know about Tobias Harris. Other than his involvement in Chester's 82-72 loss Saturday at West Virginia University. The Clippers were eaten alive by the inside game of Harris, who carried Half Hollow Hills West, of Long Island, N.Y., in the Primetime Shootout.

Harris made 12 buckets, shot 10-for-13 from the free-throw line and finished with a game-best 36 points. Needless to say, he had earned the Clippers' praise.

"He's not selfish in nature," said Chester assistant coach Terry Thomas, Delco's finest high school scorekeeper with an astute eye for talent. "He takes shots he knows he can hit and he looks for other guys on the floor."

The Clippers got 19 points and five rebounds from Maurice Nelson and 18 points and 10 boards from Erikk Wright, a sophomore who was named Chester's game MVP.