With the Explorers' basketball season in full swing, the team faced a tough stretch of four games in seven days. To make matters worse, this all occurred during exam week for the students. The tough week hardly phased the Explorer lineup as they went 3-1 in their games including a huge win over nationally ranked Roman Catholic to end the week. 

Game 1 vs Neumann Goretti(L: 66-57): A closer game than the score indicates, the Explorers began the week by traveling to perennial PCL powerhouse Neumann Goretti's homecourt. While the Explorers were never able to hold a lead, senior guards Shawn Witherspoon and Dan Corr helped keep the game close by having 16 and 14 points respectively. The Explorers struggled to retain Saints' guards Lamarr Kimble and Quade Green who dominated the floor for the majority of the game. If they Explorers were to see the Saints again, I'm sure it will be a much different game.

Game 2 vs Cardinal O'Hara(W: 59-44): The Explorers entered their first game of exam week with a home match up against Cardinal O'Hara. The Explorers jumped out to a 35-23 lead at the half, playing a majority of the game without senior big man David Krmpotich due to a small injury. Senior Shawn Witherspoon took control of the first half with nine points and three steals. The Explorers went on to easily handle the visiting O'Hara, despite the effort of Lion's junior guard Zakee Griffin's 23 points. Senior guards Najee Walls and Shawn Witherspoon each added 15 points in the winning effort.

Game 3 vs Lansdale Catholic(W: 60-45): Fatigue seemed to be setting in on the Explorers on the final day of exams as they traveled to a packed Lansdale Catholic High School. At the half, the visiting Explorers were tied with the Crusaders 28-28. The Explorers' seemed to be missing open shots and just playing out of character. Coming out of the half, something seemed to click for La Salle, as they went on to outscore Lansdale 32-17 in the second half, led once again by the duo of Shawn Witherspoon and Najee Walls who dropped 17 and 16 points respectively. The game was highlighted by a break away dunk by Najee Walls who smashed it down on top of an LC defender. 

Game 4 vs Roman Catholic(W: 56-55): What a way to top off a week of basketball. The Explorers traveled to Holy Family University to take on nationally ranked and number one team in PA, Roman Catholic. The game turned out to be a PCL classic. Each team came out firing, and despite nine turnovers in the first half, the Explorers only found themselves down four entering the third quarter, 30-26. What other guard duo would be leading the Explorers other than seniors Shawn Witherspoon and Najee Walls? Walls went for nine, while Witherspoon went for 10 in the first half. The Explorers were down as much as eight points in the third, before tying the game up at 45 with 6:41 remaining in the final frame. The game was ping ponged back and forth between the two teams, before the Explorers found themselves down 55-54 with 45 seconds remaining and the ball. Shawn Witherspoon drove to the basket and dished to senior big man David Krmpotich who got fouled on his shot. He went on to hit both of his foul shots, putting the Explorers up for good 56-55. Krmpotich added eight blocks to go along with his six points on the night putting on what he called, "A defensive showcase". Shawn Witherspoon led the Explorers with 24 points, while Najee Walls added in 16. 

If this string of games means anything, it is that the guards of the La Salle team are one of the most reliable back courts in the PCL. On the week Witherspoon averaged 18 points/game and Walls averaged 14.25 points/game. Consistancy from this back court will cause the Explorers to be an extremely dangerous team and a huge threat in the PCL. Teams should not count out this extremely talented La Salle team. 

-Carter Fillman
Follow Carter on Twitter @JohnCarter_____
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

Senior forward David Krmpotich, bound for Colgate, is quite the athlete. Archbishop Ryan's tallest player is around 6'6, while Krmpotich stands at 6'8. With no one quite able to matchup against the Explorer stud, Krmpotich went on to have a field day on the young Red Raiders team. On his way to a game high 23 points, the senior forward laid down some ferocious dunks including three put backs on the offensive end through a sea of Raider defenders and a vicious one handed slam in open court. In a Philadelphia Catholic League filled with athletic players like Neumann Gorreti's Lamaar Kimble, Roman's Tony Carr, and Carroll's Derrick Jones, David Krmpotich should be a player considered to standout among the competition.  

Solid guard play by a senior led back court also helped the Explorers secure a win. Seniors Shawn Witherspoon and Najee Walls both played very well, both scoring 11 points and dishing out 7 assists between the two. Defensively they took turns locking down Isaiah Brockington and Austin Chaboot. Both players are continuing to lead this La Salle team vocally and physically. 

Opening up PCL play is always a huge plus. Overcoming a slow start to do it also had it's benefits. Early in the game, the Explorers jumped out to a 15-10 first quarter lead behind junior forward Shane Stark's eight points. Ryan was able to keep it close at the half behind junior forward Austin Chaboot's nine points, only trailing by four by a score of 34-30. 

A big third quarter push by the Explorers eliminated any type of Raider threat as they went on to outscore their opponent 19-5 in the quarter leading by as much as 18. Four different Explorers scored four points in the quarter: Najee Walls, Dave Krmpotich, Shane Stark, and Shawn Witherspoon, while Dan Corr added his only three of the game. 

On the other side of the spectrum, a young Ryan team has a lot of good things to look towards for their future. The team is led by a group of sophomores and junior Austin Chaboot. They have a star in the making in sophomore guard Isaiah Brockington, a quick guard with a nice shot on him and can shape into a deadly player. He was able to shoot over a defending Krmpotich and finish among the forwards on his way to 14 points. Chaboot is a smaller forward who hits his open shots and can finish at the rim as he also finished with 14 points. Ryan is a young team, but has the potential to take down a middle of the pack contender.

The Explorers will move onto face Father Judge this Monday in their home opener, who fell to Conwell-Egan 57-53. Another undersized team, Krmpotich will be looked towards to have another big game. Archbishop Ryan will move on to play Bonner-Prendergast on the road this Sunday. 

If you missed the game, @boblongsports was able to do a radio podcast because of internet troubles preventing a live cast. 

-Carter Fillman
Follow Carter on Twitter @JohnCarter_____
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

The La Salle Explorers have never been the type of team to put up a lot of points. Luckily, they have never been the type of team to let up a lot of points either. In the team's opener against Coatesville High School, they propelled themselves to a victory by a score of 47-33. This victory came at an extreme cost heading into the Explorers' next game against Germantown Academy. 

With just over two minutes remaining in the final quarter, senior forward David Krmpotich drove to the hoop and was fouled. The opposing Coatesville player fell to the ground bringing Krmpotich with him. A short tussle occurred afterwards, players got into each others faces, and eventually Coatesville threw the first punch. The crowd of players quickly dissipated as players from both benches came onto the floor, coaches ran onto the court, and referees pulled players away from each other. From Coatesville, senior Kevin Crutchfield and junior Rome Boyer were ejected, and from the Explorers, seniors David Krmpotich and Najee Walls were ejected as well. This comes as a huge hit to the Explorers because per PIAA rules, both players are suspended for the next game. The next game for La Salle is against a very good Germantown Academy team. 

What matters for the time being, is the Explorers ended up with a win. Krmpotich led the way with 13 points and seven boards, senior Sean Witherspoon had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Senior Dan Corr also had 11 points to go along with 7 rebounds. The Explorers shot 47% from the floor, including 57% from inside the arc, but only 20% from beyond. The Explorers defense limited Coatesville's leading scorer from last year, Kevin Crutchfield, to zero points on the night. David Krmpotich was named team MVP for the Explorers, while junior forward Justus Martinez was, who finished with a team high 12 points, was named MVP for the Red Raiders.

The Explorers will move on to play Germantown Academy in their next game, Tuesday, December 9th, at Cabrini College. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00pm. 

Explorer Stats:

-Carter Fillman
Follow Carter on Twitter @JohnCarter_____
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

The bright side of any season ending, is a new one beginning. As Explorer Football ended, it was officially time for basketball season. The Explorers are coming off an excellent season finishing with a 23-7 record and making it to the PIAA AAAA State Championship before falling to undefeated New Castle in the championship. The Explorers are primed for another successful season headed by the Inquirer's Coach of the Year, Joe Dempsey, and Colgate bound senior David Krmpotich.  

Key Departing Players: Jalen Herdsman, Sean Greenberg, Chuck Champion, Dom Cuoci, Langston Ellison, Mick Barrett

At every point of last season, one of these players stepped up in some way off of the bench. Who could forget Sean Greenberg's performance at the Palestra against Roman Catholic? What about Dom Cuoci hitting the 10th point on silent night? Or Jalen Herdsman's consistent play throughout the season? The point is, whether they were on the floor or not, each of these players was a leader that was an essential part of a young team. 

Key Returning Players: Sr. Najee Walls, Sr. Shawn Witherspoon, Sr. David Krmpotich, Sr. Dan Corr, Sr. Matt Dessner, Sr. Charlie Hemcher, Jr. Shane Stark, Jr. Ryan McTamney, So. Jarrod Stukes, So. Matt Paulus

The promising part of this team is that it returns its three top scorers and a chunk of minutes from last year. Walls and Witherspoon are arguably one of the best backcourts in the league. They compliment each other extremely well as Witherspoon changes speeds and can get to the rim efficiently, while Walls has no problem draining shots from the top of the key. David Krmpotich, a lanky 6-8 senior bound for Colgate, is the team's top scorer from last year. He excels at driving to the basket as a face up player and has added a nice touch from deep to keep defenders on their toes. Shane Stark will most likely pick up the starting spot left by Jalen Herdsman. Stark isn't afraid to get to the basket and get into it. He added valuable varsity time last season off the bench and should have no problem adjusting if last season is any indicator. 

Competing for the final starting spot are Sr. Dan Corr and Sophs. Matt Paulus and Jarrod Stukes. Each player has their different strengths and there isn't any indication towards who will take the spot. Corr is a three point threat as he came off the bench last season to do just that. Paulus is a more point guard type of player who can bring up the ball and make the mid range jumper efficiently. Stukes is more of a defensive player who can get to the rim and use his small size to draw fouls. As the season approaches, Coach Dempsey has quite a few options to go through. 

Pennsbury High School (Cheltenham High School; December 13th 4:15pm): The Explorers will face a very strong Pennsbury team in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic in one of their first challenges of the season. Pennsbury features seniors Mekhi Bryant and Cameron Jones. Jones is a sharpshooter that has interest from low D-1 schools and an offer from Rider. The leader of this team is Derrick Woods, a 6-8 senior that has committed to St. Bonaventure. Pennsbury is a team that matches up very well with the Explorers and it will be an interesting game to watch as the Exploerers' first test against a strong opponent.


Kreul Classic (Coral Springs, Florida; December 19-22): In the Explorers' first tournament outing of the season, they will head down to Coral Springs to participate in the Kreul Classic. The Kreul Classic provides competition from across 26 different states, Canada, and the Bahamas. The tournament features a number of high profile players and programs. In the first round, the Explorers will face Grandview Prep High School, Florida's 2013 2A State Champs and last year's runner ups. The Explorers will face plenty of good competition in this tournament before heading into Catholic League play. 

Triple Threat Invitational(Washington DC; December 29-30): In the final stretch before Catholic League play begins, the Explorers will travel to DC to take on another group of elite teams from three different states. The Explorers will face Riverdale Baptist (Maryland) in their first game, with opportunities to face Blanche Ely High School (Florida) and Theodore Roosevelt High School (DC). Each team is top in their states and will provide the Explorers plenty of competition.

Every Single PCL Game: The Philadelphia Catholic League is arguably the best league for basketball in the state. It features teams like Neumann-Gorreti, Roman Catholic, Archbishop Carroll, and St. Joseph's Prep. Players like UNLV commit Derrick Jones(Carroll), St. Joe's University committ Chris Clover(Prep), Tony Carr(Roman Catholic), and St. Joe's University committ Lamar Kimble(Neumann) are running rampant across the league. The best thing about the PCL is that any team can make a break out season, upset any team, and anyone can come out on top. These reasons make it the most exciting league in the state and there isn't a reason to not keep up with it.

The Explorers are set up for another successful season and possibly one of their most successful in the school's history. It is up to the seniors to lead the next set of younger players and for the trio of Krmpotich, Walls, and Witherspoon to take over games. The season will kick off against Coatseville High School on December 6th in the Famjuice Classic at Philadelphia University at 3:30. Make sure to follow @LaSalle_Sports throughout the season for team updates and follow the site for game previews and post games!

-Carter Fillman
Follow Carter on Twitter @JohnCarter_____
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports