CONWELL-EGAN BASKETBALL: Conwell-Egan--in the playoffs!

Eagles end 15-year postseason drought

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

Quick, somebody pinch me.

Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) just earned a berth in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) playoffs.

Entering their Friday night contest with Kennedy-Kenrick (7-15, overall, 2-14, PCL Blue), the Eagles - at 6-9 in the PCL Blue Division - needed to finish strong in order to latch onto a playoff berth. Keep in mind that Egan hadn’t made a trip to the postseason in 15 years.

With two league games left on their schedule, there was no reason to believe the Eagles would get there this year either. Friday night’s contest was at home against the Wolverines, a team Egan barely got past (41-39) in the first battle between the schools that took place Jan. 9 in enemy territory.

Sunday night’s game was also at home but against Cardinal Dougherty (7-14, overall, 6-10, PCL Blue) a squad the Eagles hadn’t beaten in 28 tries.

According to CEC head coach Rick Sabol, Egan needed to split its weekend matchups in order to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. The Eagles did better than that, defeating Kennedy-Kendrick, 57-39, to secure their first playoff appearance in 15 years and only the third in school history.

Among others, junior Ike Robinson and senior Jonas Skovdal deserve thanks for ending the rather lengthy playoff drought. Ike led the team in scoring both nights with 17 and 21 points, respectively. And according to Sabol, Skovdal played tremendous all-around games, totaling 27 points and 22 rebounds in both pairings.

Against the Wolverines, Robinson led the way with 17 points. Skovdal was next with 12. Ryan Golin pitched in with 9 points. Andrew Schaefer and Dave Delattre contributed with 5 points, apiece.

Matt Petrizzi (4), Kyle Bonner (3) and Shayne Bonner (2) also contributed to the playoff-clinching win.

On Sunday night, Feb. 8, Egan cemented its No. 5 playoff seeding by soundly defeating Dougherty, 73-55. Up, 36-25, at the half, the Eagles went on a 22-11 third-quarter run to lead the Cardinals, 58-36, heading into the final frame.

Again, Robinson led the scoring effort for Egan, this time pouring 21 points into the bucket. Three CEC seniors pitched in with Skovdal (15), Shayne Bonner (14), and Billy Petraitis (10) each reaching double figures in the scoring column.

Ryan Golin (5), Dave Delattre (4) Kyle Bonner (2) and Matt Petrizzi (2) also contributed to the CEC cause.

Egan makes its first playoff appearance in 15 years Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Archbishop Ryan. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. against 4th-seeded Archbishop Wood (15-6, overall, 10-6 PCL Blue).