KEITH GROLLER TALKS TO CENTRAL BOYS COACH

From Keith Groller

Had a chance to talk to CCHS boys basketball coach Jim Rodgers on Sunday morning and not surprisingly, he was hoarse.

He said it was a touch of bronchitis, but I imagine it also had something to do with the time of year as well as the fact that he spent part of Saturday afternoon straining what was left of his voice to get through his team's win over Wilson.

CCHS was real leery of Wilson and why not?

The Warriors were known for their defense and have historically played Central tough in the 3A bracket.

Just two years ago CCHS had to go overtime to pull out a 34-32 victory over Wilson in the semifinals.

"Our game was typical of the one we had with them two years ago," Rodgers said. "You know never what you're going to get from them and Coach [Bob] Frankenfield doubled down on Shane [McNeely] just like he did against Carlos Pujols two years ago."

But McNeely, an all-league selection, still had the athleticism and playmaking ability to score 19 points and grab 11 rebounds.

This game was won at the defensive end by CCHS, however. The Vikings (12-11) overcame shaky 16-for-29 foul shooting held Wilson without a field goal and to just four points in the fourth quarter.

"Someone told me that Wilson was 0-for-21 from the field in the fourth quarter," Rodgers said. "I don't know if that was accurate, but they didn't have a field goal and we went into our bag of tricks, made some adjustments, and played pretty good defense."

Rodgers said that his team took its preparation for Wilson "very seriously." The Vikings hadn't played in exactly two weeks since the regular season finale against Allen.

"Even though we got in some scrimmages against Notre Dame, Northampton and Catty," he said. "I think the kids were sick of practicing. They needed to play a game again."

Now, they'll get right back into it with a semifinal battle Tuesday at 7:30 against No. 10 seed Saucon Valley, which has pulled two surprises so far in the district tournament against Colonial League foes Southern Lehigh and Northern Lehigh.

"I'm sure they're going to be viewed as the underdog and that's something they will have going for them," Rodgers said. "We had done a lot of homework on Northern Lehigh because as the Colonial League champ we thought we'd have a good chance of facing them. But Saucon is playing really well. When [6-8 center] Eric Frans asserts himself, he can be an effective offensive player and with his size and wingspan, he's also a force defensively. Plus, their point guard John Clark is a terrific player and they have other kids who can shoot 3s."

It's going to be a tough matchup, but just like two years ago, CCHS had to work hard to get into districts with a late surge and seems determined not to let that hard work go to waste in the tournament.

"These kids are excited and want to keep going," Rodgers said. "There was a point late in the regular season after we lost to Northampton when I began to question whether the kids really wanted to continue to keep playing. Now, there's no doubt about that."

And Rodgers has found surprising resolve from the strong contingent of football players on his basketball roster.

"You'd think they'd be tiring and wearing down at this point of the season, but instead they're getting stronger," Rodgers said. "They realize they can do something quite rare and specialand that's become district champs in both football and basketball in the same year. Our kids are always excited about playing at Allen and they're looking forward to Tuesday night's game."

It should be an interesting, entertaining week ahead.

From Keith Groller