Friday night forecast and a get-well wish for Chuck Dibilio

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Before we get to our Friday night forecast for high school boys basketball, a get-well wish to one of the best kids to ever play high school sports in the Lehigh Valley -- Nazareth grad and Princeton freshman Chuck Dibilio.

Colleague Steve Miller and me have been in touch with various people since learning the news and we've learned that he's improving as the day has gone on after undergoing a procedure to remove that clot that caused the stroke. Now, the major concern is finding out what caused the stroke and how it can be prevented.

Anyone who knows Chuck knows that he'll bounce back from this. This young man was unstoppable on both the football field and basketball court at Nazareth and had a record-breaking freshman year at Princeton.

He's not going to let this health setback stop him, now, there's no doubt.

Nazareth basketball coach Joe Arndt and Chuck's brother, Ryan, were on their way down to see him in Philadelphia and hopefully we'll get an update from them later this afternoon.

Here's a portion of what Princeton released:

Chuck Dibilio, the 2011 Ivy League Football Rookie of the Year, was recovering Friday morning at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia after suffering a stroke overnight, said his father.

"They removed a clot in the main artery of his brain early this morning," said Chuck Dibilio Sr. "He is currently recovering. They are trying to find out what caused it, so they can prevent it in the future. As far as a long-term prognosis, we are a long way from knowing, but we appreciate all of the support Chuck has received."

Now on to the games where I was just 10-4 last week after going 10-1 the previous Friday:

LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE

Nazareth 60, Allen 53 ... Blue Eagles can get back to .500 with a win and may want to dedicate this one to their former teammate and a current player's brother. Weave going with his beloved Blue Eagles -- natch -- but by a more lopsided, lower-scoring 45-33 score.

Whitehall 58, Becahi 52 -- Zephyrs snapped three-game skid by beating Dieruff on Tuesday night.

Central Catholic 74, Northampton 62 -- Vikings losing to Liberty didn't surprise, but the 14-point margin did.

Liberty 64, Dieruff 50 -- Hurricanes have a big one against Emmaus on Tuesday.

Emmaus 52, Easton 44 -- Green Hornets should be breathing fire after that disappointing effort at Parkland.

Freedom 49, Parkland 48 -- Trojans defense keeps Patriots down, but Freedom finds a way -- again.

COLONIAL LEAGUE

Wilson 50, Bangor 47 -- Upset special.

Northern Lehigh 63, Southern Lehigh 58 -- Bulldogs scheduled game against Blue Mountain on Saturday night is still on.

Salisbury 66, Palmerton 50 .... Falcons scheduled game with Mahanoy Area on Saturday has already been postponed until Saturday, Feb. 4.

Catasauqua 58, Palisades 53 ... An absolute must-win if Roughies still have hopes of reaching districts.

Saucon Valley 36, Northwestern 30 ... Both of the conference championship games on Sunday will outscore this one.

Notre Dame 61, Pen Argyl 52 ... Don't know how much of a distraction it has been, but a hard-to-believe parent situation has certainly made life interesting for the Green Knights.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Pleasant Valley 60, ES North 58 ... Bears have quietly put together a solid season. Not sure if their game with Parkland on Saturday is still on.

Pocono Mt. East 73, Lehighton 43 ... Cardinals had better start winning if they hope to return to districts.

Pocono Mt. West 63, Stroudsburg 55 ... Mounties have had some tough luck late in games and are better than 3-10 record indicates.

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