.

.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Sunday practice schedule/Shoot-a-thon

Here is the Sunday schedule for basketball practice tomorrow.

6th grade – 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
8th grade – 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
3rd/4th grade – 3:15 p.m. – 5 p.m.
7th grade – 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

SHOOT-A-THON
Shoot-a-thon will take place at the beginning of each practice. Bring your forms if possible.

8th grade back-to-back champs, 7th grade wins first of the year


The 8th graders made it back-to-back Consolation Championships in a 16-6 victory this morning. They missed a lot of easy shots, but their defense was what won them the game. They held their opponent to 5 points in the first half and only 1 the entire second half.

When your offense is not at its best, the defense can win you the game. That was a perfect example today.

7th grade wins

The 7th grade picked up their first win of the year with a 22-10 in the final game of the CYO tournament. Tianna and Melinder (Melinda) had 8 points each. It was a big confidence boost for this team that had a tough two first games. Let's hope they can continue their success of this last game.

6th grade falls in final game

The 6th grade dropped their final game of the tournament, 17-6.

BASEBALL LATER TODAY!!!
3-5 at West Sunset.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Friday night lights

The 8th grade won the first girls basketball game of the season in convincing fashion, 30-16 in round two of the CYO preseason tournament. The girls started slow once again, but scored 4 points in the final minute of the first quarter to give them a 8-3 lead. They led 12-3 at the half and didn't look back.

The margin of victory was the most for the girls in two years. They will look to build on that in the Consolation Championship tomorrow morning.

7th Grade much better, but fall short

After falling behind 11-0, the 7th grade girls scored the next 7 points, but the hole was too deep to dig out of, as they lost their second tournament game 11-7. It was a much better effort from the girls and they showed signs of potentially become a solid team.

Tomorrow's schedule
6th grade, 9 a.m. @ CYO Serramonte
7th grade, 9 a.m. @ Mission Dolores
8th grade, 10 a.m. @ St. Emydius

BE THERE 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO GAME TIME!!!

BASEBALL PRACTICE
The first baseball practice of the year, tomorrow at West Sunset. 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. The field is located on 41st and Quintara.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

I need to buy a vowel because...O M G



And when you are done looking at that, click on this quick article...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Baylor-bound-women-s-hoopster-can-throw-it-down-?urn=ncaab,143400

6th grade loses 2nd round game

6th grade lost their 2nd round game 16-8. They play next Saturday, 9 a.m. @ CYO Serramonte.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

8th grade comeback falls short

The 8th grade dug themselves a huge hole and trailed by 17 points in the 3rd quarter, but came back to make it a close game. They ended up losing 34-25. They cut the deficit to 9, but never got any closer.

It was an incredibly slow start as the halftime score was 24-9. They played a much stronger game in the latter stages of the 3rd and a strong 4th quarter. It was a good way to fight back after a horrendous start.

TOURNAMENT CONTINUES
Thursday, February 26, 2009
6th Grade – 6 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte

Friday, February 27, 2009
8th grade – 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius
7th grade – 7 p.m. @ Epiphany

Saturday, February 28, 2009
6th Grade – 9 or 10 a.m.@ Serramonte
7th Grade – 9 or 10 a.m.@ Mission Dolores
8th Grade – 9 or 10 a.m.@ St. Emydius

Gym Locations
CYO Serramonte: 699 Serramonte Del Ray Blvd
Epiphany: 827 Vienna Street
Mission Dolores: 16th and Church St
St. Emydius: 255 Jules Ave

Practices tomorrow night

3rd/4th, 7th and 8th grade will all be practicing tomorrow night, weather permitting.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

REMINDER: Get to games 30 MINUTES before start

A kind reminder that all players should be on site no later than 30 minutes before the game. That time before the game is used to stretch and prep for the upcoming game. Anticipate traffic and get there even earlier if need be. If you know you (your child) can't get there 30 minutes before hand, please notify the coaches or myself and we can arrange other means of transportation.

When someone on the team is missing, the focus is on whether the player will show, and not the game. It is a distraction and will affect the way the game is played.

Coaches have the right to not play someone if they fail to get there before the 30 minute mark.

7th grade tournament

The 7th grade girls lost their tournament game and will play Friday, 7 p.m. @ Epiphany.

8th grade girls tournament, Baseball and Shoot-a-thon forms

The 8th grade girls start their tournament Wednesday, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius.

Baseball

Baseball permission/emergency forms were passed out today. Please fill those out and bring them back asap. Practices will begin this weekend.

Shoot-a-thon
All boys who have shoot-a-thon money, please return those asap. Girls will shoot this Sunday before their practices.

Monday, February 23, 2009

6th grade tournament results, CYO achivement game, BASEBALL

The 6th grade girls kicked off the girls basketball season earlier tonight. They were dealt a 22-13 loss, but played well for the better part of the game and were leading after the first quarter.

They looked a bit rusty and had a lot of trouble grabbing rebounds and getting back on defense. That was their demise on a night where they looked a lot better than a year before. Marissa scored all 13 of the team's points. They play again Thursday at 6 p.m.

The 7th grade girls tournament starts tomorrow, 6 p.m. at CYO Serramonte.

Achievement Game Results
Perry's team in the CYO Achievement Game lost 36-35. Perry had a few nice passes and scored 2 points in the game.

Baseball
We are a few players short for a 3rd/4th grade baseball team. Every able body is needed. The deadline is this Wednesday or we will once again fail to have a 3rd/4th grade baseball team.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

All-Star Sunday Results/ Shoot-a-Thon


Thank you for everyone who came out for All-Star Sunday. It was a long, but very fun and eventful afternoon. In case you missed anything, here are the quick results. I will update it either later tonight or tomorrow with full stats and scores.

Young Stars Shootout
Winner: Justin

3-point Shootout
Winner: Tommy

Coach and Player 2-Ball

Young Stars Winner
Aaron Leung – Brandon

Senior Circuit
John Wang – Jeremy

Young Stars Game

Team Red over Team White 21-18
Team Red - Raymond, Ryan, Brandon, Daniel, Willard
Team White - Garrick, Grant Aaron, Justin, Brandon, Hartman, Steve

All-Star Game
Team White over Team Red 41-35
Team Red – Calson, Jeremy, Derek, Brandon, Elton, Kevin
Team White – Miles, Justin, Tommy, Tom, Nicholas, Perry

SHOOT-A-THON

Thanks to all those who participated in the shoot-a-thon. Please bring any sponsor money to school and place them in the envelopes that were given today. Thanks again for everyone's generosity.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

All-Star Sunday Preview and Predictions, SHOOT-A-THON!



It'll be another historic day in St. Mary's Athletics history as tomorrow will be the 1st ever All-Star Sunday. I hope everybody made plans to be there for the better part of the afternoon as we will have event after event, that should not disappoint. Here's a list of what's going down tomorrow and my personal predictions...

NOTE: Boys, DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR SHOOT-A-THON FORMS.

1 p.m.
Young Stars Shootout

(3rd -5th grade)
Shooters: Willard, Raymond, Justin, Brandon, Daniel, Hartman
Predicted Winner: Justin

1:30 p.m.
Boys Shoot-a-thon
(All grades)

2:30 p.m.
3-point Shootout

Shooters: Jeremy, Gavin, Tommy, Elton, Nicholas, Perry
Predicted Winner: Perry

3:15 p.m.
Young Stars Game

4 p.m.
Coach and Player 2-Ball

Young Stars
Timothy Lam – Willard
Tiffanie Yu – Grant
Aaron Leung – Brandon
Thanh Truong – Justin
James Chiu – Hartman
Justin Khuu - Brandon

Senior Circuit
John Wang – Justin
Clarissa Lee – Jeremy
Vinette Ly – Mark
Alex Kawashima – Gavin
Matthew Chung – Gavin
Ronnie Leung – Tommy
Philip Choi – Nicholas
Bryan Cheung – Derek

5 p.m. All-Star Game

PRACTICES TOMORROW

6th and 3rd/4th - 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
7th and 8th - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Friday, February 20, 2009

We always preach good sportsmanship...

Source: AP

The coach never considered any other option.

It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Johntel Franklin scored 10 points in the game following the loss of his mother.
Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.

Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.

Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.

The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.

Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.

The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.

Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.

Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.

He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.

His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.

They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."

They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night.
? Dave Rohlman, head coach of the opposing DeKalb team on what his players will take away from this experience.

Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.

Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.

"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."

Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.

It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."

None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.

Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

Thursday, February 19, 2009

What is 2-Ball?



Below is the schedule of events for All-Star Sunday.

1 p.m.
Young Stars Shootout
(3rd -5th grade)

1:30 p.m.
Boys Shoot-a-thon
(All grades)

2:30 p.m.
3-point Shootout
(6th – 8th grade)

3:15 p.m.
Young Stars Game
(3rd – 5th grade)

4 p.m.
Coach and Player 2-Ball
(All grades)

5 p.m. All-Star Game
(6th – 8th grade)

What is 2-Ball?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Post 7th grade thoughts

A day removed from the 7th grade game and we can all think about the game a little more clearer. So some things that we can recap about what could have been for the 7th graders.

If we look at the keys to the game from a few days ago, only 1 out of 3 were met.

--Free Throws

When you shoot 2-for-10 from the free-throw line in a championship game, you can't get away with it. They missed the first shots of the 1 and 1s as well as an intentional foul, where you get two shots and the ball. Even making half of the free-throws would've changed the entire complexion of the game.

--Limit the turnovers.

They were not able to do that. When they were faced with the press, too many times was the ball turned over. In a man to man press, the best thing is to either clear out or set a screen. On some instances, there would be too many St. Mary's players in the back court and that caused confusion. Also, the best way to break a press is with passing. The 7th grade did too much dribbling.

In big games, you can't get away with missing lay-ups and free-throws. In the season, when you play teams that are far weaker, the 2-for-10 free throws doesn't really matter too much.

The 7th grade was also not used to playing from behind. All season, except on maybe one or two occasions, they had the lead in the second half. Basketball is mental and
the more you look at the scoreboard, the more worried some players can get.

BUT, let's not forget. This team moved up in the divisions and still made it to the championship. There are teams before that went 8-0 one year, then 0-8 the next year. The 8-0 was a byproduct of just weak opponents. And when some teams get bumped up, they can't pass the test.

At the beginning of the year, I told the coaches a realistic goal would be to go (5-3) and make the playoffs. They passed the expectations by a mile. It was a fantastic season as a whole, only to fall just a bit short.

This was a great learning experience and this team should be primed and ready to go for next year.

ALL GIRLS PRACTICES TOMORROW AT CAMERON HOUSE

Girls Tournament Schedule Released

6th Grade
Monday, February 23, 8 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte

7th Grade
Tuesday, February 24, 6 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte

8th Grade
Wednesday, February 25, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

7th graders fall in championship

The 7th grade's quest for a repeat fell short in a 32-24 loss tonight at Mission Dolores.

After beating OLV last year for their first championship, the tables turned the other way and the 7th graders had to settle for second place.

Tommy got injured minutes into the game and that kind of crushed the spirits of the team. They needed someone to step up and unfortunately nobody did. Sloppy passes and the inability to break the press lead to a lot of unanswered points.

They were also not very good from the free-throw line, going 2-for-10. They also missed their share of lay-ups and those ultimately will come back to hurt you in a game of this magnitude.

After holding a 7-4 lead after one, the second quarter was not kind to them and they fell behind by 5 at the half. They cut the lead to 1 late in the 3rd quarter, but the team didn't have that sense of urgency. You couldn't feel like the game was changing, despite the lead only at 1.

Trailing by 4 entering the fourth, the 7th graders just simply ran out of gas. After battling so hard the first three quarters, there wasn't much left in the tank and OLV became the champions in the 7-6 division.

Despite the loss, the 7th grade was (7-1) in the regular season and reached the championship game for the third straight year. Many teams get bumped up divisions and have a terrible year. Instead, this team almost duplicated their championship season of the year before.

It was one bad game, but as a whole, this season was an astounding success, and they have a lot to be proud of. They will likely be bumped up again next season, and will need to elevate their game even more.

Unfortunately, tonight was not their night.

Game Notes:
Tom had a monster first half, scoring 10 of the St. Mary's 11 points...Tommy returned later in the game but clearly wasn't his normal 100% self...Mr. Ryan attended the game.

Birthday: Happy Birthday to Tiffy 2.0.

Practice rained out, Championship Game Tonight!!!

Practice for the 3rd/4th graders and 6th graders have been rained out for this evening.

Don't forget to go to the championship tonight. 8 p.m. at Mission Dolores (16th St and Church)

See you there!

And if you can't make it, I'll be back late tonight with a recap.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Championship Tuesday Preview

When: Tuesday, February 17 @ 8 p.m.
Where: Mission Dolores (16th Street and Church)

In just a little over 24 hours, the 7th grade will tip-off for the championship for the third straight year. They will face OLV, in a rematch of last year's championship, ironically on the same exact day 365 days ago.

Whether the 7th grade is a favorite or underdog is up for interpretation. They were the best team in their division record wise, but their one loss came against OLV. In that game, they played a great first quarter, and then a bad three quarters. The question is, which team will show up?

When on, the 7th grade was quicker, more aggressive and took care of the ball. When they were off, there was a lot of missed free-throws and careless mistakes, such as throwing the ball out of bounds, or in some cases right to the other team.

All signs will point to a close game, but here are some of the things that the 7th grade must do to secure a second straight championship.

--Limit the turnovers. They simply cannot give the other team fast break opportunities. Defensively, they are pretty solid in the half-court, but getting back on defense sometimes can be problematic. When you turn the ball over, fast break points against you come a lot quicker and a lot more often.

--No stupid fouls. In many games this year, the team has committed a lot of fouls that are simply unnecessary. Fouling in the back court or bailing other players out. They need to play smart defense, move their feet and not their hands.

--Free throws. This team is very big inside and down low and will draw their share of fouls. The free throw line has been unkind to them this year. Lately, they have been a lot better, and they will need to be tomorrow night.

As one St. Mary's coach put it, the 7th grade has a very good squad with all the components. Outside shooting, inside presence, rebounders, shot blockers, those who play defense and people who hustle. When it comes together, nobody in this division can stop them.

It'll all come full circle tomorrow night. The first championship was hard, but the second is always a bit harder. See you tomorrow night from Mission Dolores!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Post 6th grade thoughts

I've watched a good amount of games, basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer so far in these quick year plus at St. Mary's as AD and never have I felt the rush I did when the 6th grade went on that run today. (Maybe when the 8th grade girls won a volleyball game...both were pretty close.)

Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but that 8-0 the 6th graders had, storming back to make it a one point game, was as into a basketball game I've been since the Warriors playoff run of 2007.

Few things about the the game...

The team they played were in the second best division of the 6th grade to start the season. Why were they dropped? Because they lost one or two players and got smoked in their first few games. On the other hand, there was a team in the 6th grade's division that clobbered teams in their first two games. So CYO decided to make the switch.

When teams win or lose, there is no drastic drop in the upper grades. You look at the divisions the teams were in this year, they were mostly fair. But it makes absolutely no sense for a team to drop 5 divisions. It's pathetic and terrible decision made by whoever is in charge. So to begin with, every team in this division is an underdog.

You hear the saying, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game. I usually don't believe in that, because nobody wants to win more than I do, and nobody hates to lose more than I do. But today's game was an example of how you play the game, is more important than the result.

The 6th graders hustled, showed fight, determination, all the adjectives you could think of to describe how they played today. They were down and made a furious run for a comeback. They did everything they possibly could and there aren't many times where you can honestly say that. A lot of times when you say a team gave a good effort, is a way of saying, you did okay, but still not enough. I don't think anybody should hang their heads on today's game.

However...we always look to improve. What could've been:

--Matthew can't foul out. When he did, the complexion of the game changed. His height and presence changed the way the other team shot the ball. Because of his wing span, shots were altered. After Matthew fouled out, rebounds were going to be tough and this team lacks the big bodies underneath. This was a huge blow to the game.

--Free throws need to be made. Early in the game, there were numerous opportunities to make free-throws, but they were missed. If even one or two more shots went in, it could be a whole different ball game.

--Turnovers. Not being able to break the press on a few possessions in the 4th quarter really sealed their fate.

--Lay-ups. Gotta make the lay-ups. In crucial games like this, wide open lay-ups like free throws can't be taken for granted.

All these little mistakes are correctable and they come with experience. The more games you play and the harder you practice, these mistakes don't happen over and over.

It was a phenomenal effort tonight, but just a little short.

GG

6th grade comeback falls short

It was one of the most exciting games of the year, but unfortunately the 6th grade found themselves on the losing end.

Our six 6th graders played their hearts out in the playoffs tonight, but could not overcome some turnovers and bad shooting.

It's safe to say the 6th grade dominated most of the play in the first half, but could not hit the free-throws, lay-ups and open shots needed to have a lead. Instead, they found themselves trailing 13-6 at halftime.

In the 3rd, they were down 15-6 and then, a furious comeback began. They went on an 8-0 run and the 6th graders were rolling. The St. Mary's crowd was "jacked up," in one of the most incredible few minutes of St. Mary's basketball I have ever seen in my lifetime. Fans were standing, screaming and chanting defense. It was 15-14.

But the scoring stopped there, as the 6th graders seemed to have expended all their energy in the comeback, and just had no more left in the tank. They fall one game short of the championship after going winless last season.

It was an incredible effort by the 6th graders and ranks among the bests in the last few years.

Later tonight: More in-depth analysis as to what happened in the game.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

6th grade playoff preview...Practices tomorrow

Where: St. Emydius (699 Jules Ave)
Time:Sunday, 5 p.m.

The 6th grade will enter tomorrow's game as underdogs, the No. 3 seed in their division, going up against the No. 2 seed in their division, Megan Furth.

The last time these two teams met, the 6th grade was on the losing end of a lopsided game. Both of their games at Mission Dolores this season were big losses, their only losses. They have both looked pretty much the same as the team was uninspired and tired. It is doubtful the team will repeat that same mistake.

The things that did them in last game were the turnovers. They need to take care of the ball and not throw the ball away. The 6th grade plays a pretty good half-court defense and create a lot of turnovers. What they do with the ball after they get it is the problem.

Sometimes they race down the court, heads down, and bury themselves in the corner. They will need to be able to fast break effectively and score quickly.

More important than anything else, is they need to be smart with the ball. Limit their turnovers. They will need to bring their best if they want to be playing for the championship. They have the talent, now it's just time to execute.

Practice times for tomorrow
ALL GIRLS
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - 8th Grade
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - 6th Grade
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - 7th Grade

7TH GRADE BOYS
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Briefly: 7th grade game recap is below.

7th grade back in the championship

With seconds remaining in the first half, Derek double pumped and threw up a three-pointer that banked in -- Happy Valentine's Day.

The 7th grade boys are going to the championship for the third straight year, and will look to repeat as champions Tuesday night at Mission Dolores, thanks to a 32-19 win.

After jumping out to a 20-7 halftime lead, the 7th grade scored only 2 points the entire 3rd quarter. Luckily, the defense was solid as they held their opponent to only 3 in the third.

The 7th grade really took over in the second quarter, when Tom, off the bench scored 6 points to give the team some cushion. They were doing it on the fast break, and West Portal had no answer for St. Mary's.

It was a great team effort, and they will need to do exactly what they did today in the finals.

Notes: Kevin absolutely laid out a member of the other team with a screen...There was definite hustle from the 7th grade as many of the players dove on the ground, trying to get the balls...Mrs. Chan made a cameo appearance.

Championship Tuesday
Mission Dolores @ 8 p.m.

Friday, February 13, 2009

7th grade playoff preview

Game time: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Site: Mission Dolores (16th Street and Church)


The (7-1) 7th grade will play West Portal (5-3) in the semi-finals of the CYO playoffs. The last time these teams faced each other West Portal jumped out to an early lead, only to have the 7th grade storm back and win the game by one.

The game wouldn't have been that close, if it weren't for a lot of turnovers and missed lay-ups. Last time the game was held at West Portal, so being at a neutral site like Mission Dolores will help the 7th grade's chances.

The 7th grade will need to be able to break the press tomorrow. Last time, it took about two quarters for the 7th grade to get adjusted and when they did, the game was theirs.

Lay-ups will be crucial because Derek and Tom usually dominate the boards, and each lay-up and easy shot will be valuable in a game like this. They can't afford to get out rebounded.

The keys to their game will be to take care of the ball, play smart defense and no dumb fouls, and make their lay-ups. If they can do this, there isn't a team in the division that can beat them

Happy Birthday

We wish Tianna a Happy Birthday. Tianna was one of many St. Mary's students and families to come out to support the 8th grade in tonight's game. The other team had about 5-10 people, while St. Mary's brought probably somewhere close to 50-75.

13th unlucky for 8th grade

The 8th grade was eliminated from the playoffs tonight, a 41-23 loss in the semi-finals of the CYO playoffs.

It was a very slow paced game in the first few minutes, with the 8th grade failing to capitalize on some open looks and lay-ups. They gave up two 3-pointers and were trailing 6-0 midway through the first.

The 8th grade just didn't seem very aggressive, settling for outside shots. And when those weren't going in, the game slowly started to slip away. The halftime deficit was 12.

Not much changed in the second half, but the 8th grade did show some signs of life cutting the lead to 10 points in the 4th quarter. But that was as close as it got as tonight simply was not there night.

The class of 2009 will finish the season with an overall (5-4) record, good enough for the playoffs, something that has eluded them for years. The team which they lost to was undefeated, so there's no shame in losing to the best team in the division.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

8th grade playoff preview

Tomorrow at 7:30, the class of 2009, our 8th graders will play (to my memory) their first playoff game in years. They may have made the playoffs back in the 4th grade, but they have not been there since.

Their first match-up against the team they play St. Brigid was a back-and-forth contest, until St. Brigid put up a few threes in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. In that game, the 8th grade shot terribly from the free-throw line, missing 10 free-throws. They can't repeat that same mistake if they expect to win.

The 8th grade team is quick and relies on the 3-point shot, and will need to make a few to be in this game. But it boils down to the basics for this talented team. They need to do the little things like box-out, make their lay-ups and free-throws, and not allow easy baskets. A bit redundant since that's the key to almost any game.

Be there to cheer them on to the championship.

GAME TIME: 7:30
LOCATION: Star of the Sea (345 8th Ave)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: 6th grade playoff game changed

The 6th grade game has been moved to 5 p.m. on Sunday at St. Emydius. They will now play Megan Furth.

Weekend Practices

Saturday
6th grade 2:30-4:30

Sunday
ALL GIRLS

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - 8th Grade
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - 6th Grade
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - 7th Grade

6th grade practice off.

6th grade practice for tonight has been canceled. The 8th grade practice is still on.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Weekend of Playoffs, Rain Rain Go Away

This weekend will be the biggest weekend playoff in St. Mary's history. I exaggerate a little bit...But Friday, Saturday and Sunday, each of our three oldest teams will be playing for the right to move on to the championships.

Make an effort to be at ALL games, and wear RED! If you have a St. Mary's t-shirt, wear that one. If you have a shooting shirt, wear it. If you want to come in your red school sweater, wear it! We want a red sea. We want to pack each gym so it's standing room only and nobody can sit, except us.

The schedule is below, so make plans to come out. The newsletter this week along with the blog will have some interesting nuggets and previews of the upcoming playoff games.

RAIN
If it rains tomorrow (Wednesday), there will be no girls practices on Thursday. Instead, all the boys teams will practice.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Playoff Schedules

Friday, February 13, 2009
8th Grade vs St. Brigid
7:30 p.m. @ Star of the Sea

Saturday, February 14, 2009
7th Grade vs West Portal
5 p.m. @ Mission Dolores

Sunday, February 15, 2009
6th Grade vs Holy Name
4 p.m. @ St. Emydius

Sunday, February 8, 2009

3 Stars of the Weekend -- Playoff Schedules

Now the Playstation 3 Stars of the Weekend

3rd Star *** - Justin

Justin hit some clutch shots and took care of the ball pretty well in the 4th grades two victories over the weekend. He has played very good basketball towards the end of this season and is a big reason the 4th graders finished with a .500 record.

2nd Star ** - Brandon T.
Brandon is one of the most improved players this year, as he has been a solid and constant contributor to the 4th graders. He is one of the best outside shooters among the young stars we have at St. Mary's.

1st Star * - Jeremy

Jeremy led a second-half come back for the 6th grade on Friday night and played a solid first-half the next day in his team's back-to-back victories to end the season. Jeremy might be arguably the best free-throw shooter in the school as he went 6-6 from the line on Saturday.

Playoff Schedule

Playoff schedules should be out tomorrow some time and I will have the updates as soon as I get them on the blog. The playoff rounds will start this Friday, and can be played on any day this weekend.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Today is Saturday

It was a very weird Saturday to say the least. Despite coming out of it with two wins and three losses, it feels like our teams today collectively didn't play at our best and were not prepared.

3rd Grade
3rd grade finished their season with a 14-4 loss. They are simply outmatched right now, as many 3rd grade teams are, as the divisions are a toss-up at the 3rd grade level. They are getting shots, but the little things like grabbing onto a ball, making lay-ups are missing. With more experience, they should be fine.

8th Grade

The 8th grade (5-3) are slumping at the wrong time, as they have lost two straight, backpedaling into the playoffs. They were in the second spot, just a few days ago, and now they have slipped into the fourth and final spot. They lost 31-28 today. The effort was there from most of the players on the team, but when you don't have everybody on the same page, you can't expect to win games. You're only as good as your weakest player.

7th Grade
7th grade picked up a very sloppy win today 44-39 in their final game of the season. They finish the season (7-1) and win their division. They are the number one seed going into the playoffs.

The game itself was all over the place, and it took more than an hour to finish. And from what I saw, although parents, coaches and players will more than likely disagree, the referees were not that bad. There were a lot of fouls called today, some that should've and shouldn't have been called, but the 7th grade put themselves in a lot of positions where fouls were called.

They were reaching for the ball, not moving their feet, 50 feet away from the basket. Any time you do that, you're asking for a foul to be called. Move your feet, have your hands straight up, you won't get called for a foul.

The refs missed their share of traveling calls on both teams. Were the refs terrible? No. Were they great? No. And we'll leave it at that.

6th Grade
The 6th grade lead 11-0 at halftime and probably thought the game was over. They were outscored 13-7 in the second half, but still hung on to win, and improve to (6-2) on the season. They are playoff bound and are the number three seed in their division.

5th/6th Grade
The 5th/6th grade team beat the team they played before today, and they more than likely overlooked the opposition, as they lost 22-19 in their final game of the season. Despite their drastic improvement, today's mistakes showed why they are (2-6) and not (4-4). Too many turnovers, the same ones, over and over, lost the game for them. They had a lot of layups that shouldn't have been missed, and in a three point game, those baskets will hurt.

Even though they lost their last four games, this team should be ready to hit the next level. They are better than what they showed today, and they will be the first ones to admit it. Much to look forward to next season.

Practices for tomorrow are listed in previous posts...Have a fantastic Saturday evening.

Friday, February 6, 2009

4th grade closes out year with 3 wins in a row, 6th grade clinches playoff spot

It was a nerve-racking night at CYO Serramonte as our 4th and 6th graders took the court.

The 4th graders started the night off with another one point victory, 14-13. At one point, they were up 14-9, but the opposition came back with four unanswered points. And like yesterday, they hung on to win the game by one.

They finish the year on a tear, winning their last three games. Unfortunately, the magic number to make the playoffs in this division was 5, and the 4th graders fell short by a game. Nonetheless, it was a great way to finish the season after a mediocre start. After going (3-5) last season, they wrap up the year (4-4).

6th grade clinches playoff spot

The first half looked like a Mission Dolores game all over again, as the 6th grade was trailing 10-2 at the half.

Perhaps this team plays better under pressure and some urgency, as they held the other team to only two points in the entire second-half. And with good defense comes good offense. The 6th grade turned an 8 point half-time deficit into a 6 point victory, 18-12.

With the win, they have officially clinched a playoff spot and have one more game to go tomorrow to ensure the third seed.

Tomorrow's games and addresses are listed in the previous post.

Weekend Preview

Tonight, CYO Serramonte will host the 4th and 6th graders. 4th graders at 6 p.m. and 6th graders at 8 p.m., so watch one game, go to Target or McDonalds, and then come back and watch the next one.

Saturday Schedule

3rd Grade – 9 a.m. @ Mission Dolores
8th Grade – 12 p.m. @ St. Monica
7th Grade – 1 p.m. @ Herbert Center
6th Grade – 3 p.m. @ St. Brendan
5th/6th Grade – 3 p.m. @ St. Gabriel

Gym Locations
Mission Dolores
Address: 16th St and Church

St. Monica
Address: 24th Ave and Geary Blvd

Herbert Center
Address: 2222 Broadway

St. Brendan
Address: 200 Ulloa Ave

St. Gabriel
Address: 41st Ave and Ulloa Ave

Sunday NDV Practice Schedule


6th Grade Girls - 12:15 p.m. - 2 p.m.
7th/8th Grade Girls - 1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
3rd/4th Grade Girls - 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
6th Grade Boys- 3:45 p.m. - 5:30
8th Grade Boys - 5:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.
7th Grade Boys - 6:15 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

4th grade pulls it out...8th grade outmatched

The 4th grade is giving the 6th grade team a run for its money for scariest games to watch.

The 4th grade barely hung on to win 11-10, when Daniel hit a free-throw half-way through the 4th quarter to give St. Mary's the one point lead. They had numerous chances to put the game away, but they were unable to make their lay-ups.

They almost gave the game away at the end in 6th grade fashion, by throwing the ball to the other team right underneath the basket. They failed to make the lay-up, and Justin dribbled the ball out to run out the remaining seconds. They are (3-4) with one game left tomorrow night and still mathematically have a shot at the playoffs. They will need some help on the way though.

8th Grade Outmatched
Sometimes you lose and you just need to accept it. This was one of those games for the 8th graders.

The other team, who had three losses coming into this game, looked nothing like a three loss team. The team they played looked like an undefeated team, as they were stronger, faster, quicker...everything better than our 8th graders tonight.

Our 8th graders didn't play their best but they weren't terrible. They were simply outmatched. There's something strange when a team that has lost once gets thrashed by a team with three losses. It just doesn't happen too often.

The only way they could've won this game was to probably make all their shots, and that just doesn't happen ever.

If this game recap doesn't make sense, my apologies. I am still having trouble figuring out what happened.

Friday Night Games
Both the 4th and 6th grade play at CYO Serramonte tomorrow night. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. starts so try to catch both games.

CYO Serramonte is located at 699 Serramonte Del Ray Blvd.

No practice today...

Due to inclement weather there is no practice today at Cameron House for the 3rd, 5th/6th and 7th grade teams.

Be back later tonight with a recap of the 4th and 8th grade games.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

J-Rich and Matt Barnes Return Tonight, Games Tomorrow Night, Birthday!

Courtesy: Janny Hu for the San Francisco Chronicle

It was Super Bowl Sunday, about four hours before kickoff, and all was not well in the Cardinals' hometown. While the city's football team was about to air-it-out on the sport's grandest stage, its once-envied basketball team was airing out grievances in the locker room.

The Suns had lost seven of their last 10 games, their latest at home to the bumbling Bulls. A lengthy clear-the-air meeting and video session was now taking place, just hours after Steve Nash and Grant Hill huddled with team officials following their Chicago debacle.

Out came Jason Richardson, walking down the hallway behind Shaquille O'Neal. Out came Matt Barnes, whizzing by on a unicycle.

The ex-Warriors thought it would be paradise in the Valley of the Sun.

Turns out their new team is struggling much like their old team.

"I was thinking about that the other day," Richardson said. "When we used to play them with the Warriors, it was a free-for-all offensive battle, first to 140 points, pretty much. Now? It's a little different."

Now, when Richardson and Barnes return to Oracle Arena tonight, they'll serve as dual reminders of how quickly both Golden State and Phoenix have fallen from their heyday.

The Warriors are 15-34, a year after winning 48 games and two years removed from "We Believe."

The Suns are 26-20, a year after winning 55 games and three years removed from the conference finals.

Neither looks remotely like its run-and-gun predecessor. Neither has fit its new pieces together.

Asked about Golden State's descent, Richardson only can shake his head.

"It's crazy what's going on, stuff with the front office and with Monta (Ellis') situation," he says. "It's like, man, what happened? Just two years ago we were up and climbing, and now they're starting from the bottom again.

"I can just imagine what the fans are going through, going from bottom of the cellar for 10 years to finally making the playoffs and having a really good year last year."

For Richardson, it's a sympathetic trip down memory lane. After spending his first six seasons with the Warriors, finally making the playoffs in his last, he's on his third team in less than three years.

He was traded to Charlotte for Brandan Wright on draft night in 2007, then traded to Phoenix on Dec. 10 for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw.

Barnes, who had signed with the Suns as a free agent, was among the first to text Richardson and welcome him to Phoenix.

Their reunion, though, has had its bumps.

Barnes, who celebrated the birth of twin boys in November, has had his minutes and effectiveness diminish after beginning the season as the Suns' starting small forward.

Richardson was cited on suspicion of DUI two weeks after his arrival, and his three-point percentage, once tops in the league, has dipped to 38.9 with the Suns.

Despite fielding two future Hall of Famers in Nash and O'Neal, Phoenix is only six games over .500.

"We're struggling right now," Richardson says. "We're having some hard times, but we have a great team. We're just trying to find our stride right now. Once we get started, we'll be pretty good."

And no matter what, they'll always have "We Believe."

"That was history," Barnes said. "Everyone says your team is your family, but at Golden State, that was really the truth. We all loved each other, and it was hard because they broke it up so fast."

"We both talk about it like, 'What if they just had that whole team for a whole other year?' " Richardson added.

"I mean, we know the money situation with Monta and with Baron (Davis), but if they could have just put it aside to give our team one more chance, if we would have had a whole season with everybody healthy, playing together the way we played, it would have been amazing to see the things we would've done."

Thursday Night Hoops
4th Grade @ S.V.D.P. 5 p.m. (2350 Green St)
8th Grade @ Holy Name 6:15 p.m. (40th Ave and Lawton)

And we wish this guy...a Happy Birthday to...do you know who he is?

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Girls CYO Preseason Tournament Schedule

Here is the CYO Girls Tournament Schedule for 6th, 7th and 8th Grade. Weeknight games are anywhere from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

8th Grade

Game # 1 - Wednesday, February 25
Game # 2 - Friday, February 27
Game # 3 - Saturday, February 28


7th Grade

Game # 1 - Tuesday, February 24
Game # 2 - Thursday, February 26 or Friday, February 27
Game # 3 - Saturday, February 28


6th Grade

Game # 1 - Monday, February 23
Game # 2 - Thursday, February 26
Game # 3 - Saturday, February 28

Monday, February 2, 2009

Super Bowl Fallout

Happy Monday folks...

After watching the Super Bowl and reading a little bit about it today, one thing stuck out more than anything else. It had nothing to do with the game, but to do with Jennifer Hudson lip-synching the national anthem.

"That's the right way to do it," said Ricky Minor, who also produced Whitney Houston's powerful 1991 rendition of the anthem. "There's too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live, because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance."

I don't care.

I hate it when people fake things. Picture this. At Awards night this year, I will record my voice and then pretend to talk on stage, because something could go wrong...

Pathetic. I am so sick and tired of people who lip-synch. Hannah Montana does it all the time and so does Hilary Duff. It's terrible. If you really suck and can't sing live, don't be a singer. That's all I have to say. I just wish Jennifer Hudson could've told them she can do it, and she can sing live. Instead, we just watched another faked and staged performance.

Tomorrow I'll have a bunch of new things I am working on for the rest of the school year. Coming to a classroom near you.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

3 Stars of the Weekend and Happy Birthdays

It was a great Super Bowl, so we should be thankful for that. I didn't want either team to win, but someone had to. I would've preferred Arizona, but what can you do? Hope you got a chance to see it.

3 Stars of the Weekend

3rd Star *** - Elliot

This year, I have personally given Elliot a hard time, in a joking way, of course, that he was not a big factor in games. Elliot is as talented as any of the players we have, but something doesn't translate to game time. He had 3 points Saturday, but an impressive three. He drove to the basket, something he hasn't done much all season and hit 1-of-2 free throws.

2nd Star ** - Daniel

Daniel scored 9 points in the blow-out victory. The youngest brother in the family looks to be an up and coming player for years to come.

1st Star * - Justin


Justin scored a career-high 12 points in the 36-4 blowout victory. Justin is one of the best shooters we have in the younger grades and he displayed it yesterday in the win.

Cameron House Practice This Week


Cameron House schedule for this week is in a previous post from last week. If your coaches didn't let you know, it's on this blog.

And on Super Bowl Sunday, we wish a Happy Birthday to a boy, now man, I used to call Rodrigo. I took care of this little guy when he was a kid in S.M.I.L.E. and now he's 27 years old...(sarcasm)

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

LATEST LIGHTS

3/15-3/23 Lights

6th Grade Championship

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP