Dual Effort Propels Bonner to Win Over Woodbury

Senior Jamal Melvin and junior Joe McGinn each scored 17 points as Bonner defeated Woodbury 57-52 on Monday in Wildwood. Scott Slade had 10 points and also had 8 rebounds in the winning effort. The Friars improve to 3-2 overall, and will take on Cherokee High School Tuesday, again in Wildwood.

Cantando Records Hat Trick in Bonner Win

Rob Cantando recorded a hat trick, and Dave Brewer scored two goals of his own in Bonner's 9-4 win Thursday night over Conwell-Egan. Mark McGrory started the scoring seven minutes into the first period. Four minutes later, Billy Gregg tallied, giving Bonner a 2-0 lead. The Eagles got on the bored with two minutes left in the stanza, with Rick Syzgiel tallying for Egan. Cantando scored his first of the night with five seconds left to extend that lead to two after the first. The Friars scored 4 times in the second period. Cantando had two goals, Gregg had another, and Dave Brewer also tallied, giving Bonner a 7-2 lead after two periods of play. The third period saw two goals by Bonner. Corey Cahill put the puck in the net three minutes into the period, and Brewer closed the Friars scoring line with his second goal of the night with three minutes left. Egan got two late goals to make the final score 9-4. Friar goalie Steve Gallo 22 saves on 26 shots to record the win. Bonner is now 6-4-1 overall, and 6-1 in the division, remaining in first place. The hockey team will be off for Christmas until January 11th, 2010. They'll have a second date with Cardinal O'Hara. Bonner suffered a rough loss to the Lions earlier in the year, and seek revenge on their neighborhood rival. The puck drops on January 11th at 7:30 at the Skatium in Havertown.

Francis Scores 25 As Bonner Wins

Bonner senior Keefer Francis had a game high 25 points as the Friars rolled to a 66-49 win Thursday night over Chichester. The green and white dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points in that stanza alone. The small, but extremely quick Jamal Melvin had 13 points for Bonner, and Scott Slade had 14 of his own to get the Friars second victory of the season. Mike Coles had 18 points for Chichester, who falls to 3-1 on the year. Meanwhile Bonner improves to 2-1 on the 2009-10 campaign, with the Catholic League schedule looming. The team opens up PCL Red Division play on Wednesday, December 23rd, at 7:30 pm. St. Joe's Prep, led by former LaSalle University coach Speedy Morris, travels to the Bonner gym to take on the Friars. The two rivals will meet just before Christmas Eve, and both teams look to get a head start in league play. Don't miss this great Catholic League rivalry.

McGrory Sparks Bonner in 8-2 Win

Mark McGrory scored two goals and Bryan McLauglin made 22 saves in net, leading Bonner to an 8-2 victory over Archbishop Carroll on Monday night. In the first period, Carroll's John Ahern scored off a Mike McGuire assist to give the Patriots an early 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, junior Terry Jacobs took a wrist shot from the point that found its way past Carroll goalie Sal DeGrazio to tie the game at one. Early in the second period, Carroll took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Chris McCabe. That lead would not last long. Senior captain Rob Cantando tied the game at two less than a minute later off assists by Dave Brewer and Dan Schwartzman. This goal seemed to spark the Friars. Two minutes after, Schwartzman put the puck in the back of the net, this time off assists by Brewer and Cantando. Corey Cahill lit the lamp with six minutes left in the period on the power play to give Bonner a 4-2 lead. Late in the second, Dan Stone's shot was blocked by DeGrazio, but McGrory put the loose puck past the line for his first goal of the night. After two periods, Bonner held a 5-2 lead. The third period was all Bonner. Schwartzman scored his second goal of the night off an assist by Nick Martin with six minutes left. Thirty seconds later, McGrory stole the puck in the slot and took a wrist shot to for his second goal. Brewer ended the scoring with a minute left, giving Bonner their eighth goal on the evening off an assist from brother Kevin Brewer. The Friars dominated every aspect of the game, and defeated the Patriots 8-2. McLaughlin played well for the Friars and did not allow Carroll to get back in the game. Bonner improves to 5-4-1 on the year, and 5-1-0 in the division. They lead Archbishop Wood by two points. Meanwhile Carroll falls to 2-6, and 1-3 in the division. They sit in fourth place behind Roman and Wood. Up next for Bonner is a date with Conwell-Egan Thursday night at 8:00pm. The game will be played at the Skatium in Havertown. Bonner defeated Egan earlier in the year by a score of 7-2.

Bonner Earns First Victory

Bonner traveled to Cardinal Dougherty on Sunday in hopes of earning their first win. They accomplished that goal, defeating the Cardinals 54-49. Coach Tom Meakim earned his first win as head coach of the team, since taking over for Brian Daly. Senior Keefer Francis had a game high 12 points, pacing the Friars to the win. Junior Scott Slade had 11 points, and Karonn Davis scored 7, while grabbing 9 rebounds. Art Comas had 11 points to lead Dougherty. Unless the two teams meet in the playoffs down the road, this was the last basketball game between Bonner and Dougherty. The Archdiocese announced a couple months ago that Dougherty, along with North Catholic, will close at the end of the year due to low attendance. Kennedy-Kenrick will also close. Both the Friars and Cardinals even their record at 1-1 on the year. Bonner's next game will be another non-league meeting with Chichester on Thursday, December 17th at Chichester.

Prendie Defeats Merion; Wins Haverford Tournament

Jenna Gassew scored 12 points and had 7 rebounds, as Prendie defeated Merion Mercy 46-30 to win the Haverford High School Tournament. Tournament MVP Jess Rotella totaled three points, but also had 7 steals in the winning effort. Ingrid Fitzgerald chipped in 10 points for the Pandas, who are now 2-0 on the year. Natalie DiCocco scored 8 points to lead Merion. Prendie's next home game will be a home match up with Lansdale Catholic.

Prendie Basketball Dominates; Earns First Win

The Prendie Pandas dominated the first quarter, scoring 21 points, and picked up their first win of the 09-10 season. Junior Jessica Rotella had a game high 15 points. Senior Jenna Gassew scored 10 points, and junior Lindsay Cras had 7 of her own to lead the Pandas to a 50-30 over Haverford High School. Ruth Garret led Fords with 8 points. Jaclyn Gantz and Chelci Asbury had 7 apiece, and Moira Corrigan chipped in with 4 points. Prendie gets off to a good start on their campaign with their record now at 1-0. They'll take on Merion Mercy in the finals of the Haverford High School Tip-Off Tournament Sunday, December 13th at Haverford.

Bonner Basketball Loses in Overtime

Their was much anticipation for the 2009-10 Bonner basketball season opener. The green and white made some noise after a controversial season last year, reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs before bowing out to North Catholic. Under new head coach Tom Meakim, Bonner looked to continue their string of three straight post season appearances. Unfortunately, they did not get off to a good start, losing a thriller to Malvern Prep. The game was tight through regulation. Malvern took a 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bonner took a 21-20 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Neither team separated themselves in the final two quarters, and the game was tied at the end of regulation 45-45. But in overtime, Malvern took control. Bonner couldn't keep up with Malvern and fell by a score of 59-49. Junior DeQuann Walker had a game high 20 points for Malvern. Lamon Church scored 19 points, and Tracy Peal had 14 of his own. Meanwhile for Bonner, senior standout Jamal Melvin led the scoring with 18 points. Keefer Francis added 17 points of his own, but it wasn't enough. Bonner falls to 0-1 on the year, while Malvern improves to 4-1. Up next for Bonner is a date with Cardinal Dougherty this Sunday. Unless the two teams meet in the playoffs, this will be the last time the two schools will play each other on the basketball court, as Dougherty will close at the end of this school year along with North Catholic. Tip-off is set for 2:30 Sunday at Cardinal Dougherty High School.

Friars Hockey Can't Get Past Wood

Senior goalie Steve Gallo made 27 saves on 30 shots, but it wasn't enough. Archbishop Wood put three in the back of the net to give the Vikings a 3-0 victory over Monsignor Bonner. Frank Leonardo started the scoring off a Chris Rotz assist, giving Wood a 1-0 lead with two minutes left in the first. With two seconds left in the period, the black and gold struck back again, this time by Christian Gregory. In the second period, Wood scored their third and final goal by Ryan Donohue on the power play to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. That was all they would need, as Frank Grimes made 27 saves on 27 shots. Bonner just could not get anything going on the night. The Friars fall to 4-4-1 overall, and drop to 4-1-0 in the division. Their next game will be a rematch from opening night, when Bonner takes on Arcbishop Carroll. The Friars took the first match-up 5-4, and look to sweep the season series between the two teams. Game time is set for 9:15 on Monday, December 14th, at the Skatium in Havertown.

Bonner Hockey Beats Egan; Falls to Malvern

After a lengthy layoff, the Bonner Friars hit the ice for two games this week. The first was a battle with Conwell-Egan. Bonner defeated the Eagles by a score of 7-3. Dan Schwartzman recorded a hat trick for the Friars. Mark McGrory, Joe Myers, Alex Maenner and Dan Stone also tallied. Steve Gallo recorded 35 saves on 38 shots. The second game did not go as well. Bonner took on Malvern Thursday, and it had a good outlook early on. Dave Brewer scored five minutes in off an assist by Schwartzman to give the boys in green a 1-0 lead. But that was the only bright story of the game. Malvern dominated there on out, scoring the next six, including four in the second period alone. Goalie Bryan McLaughlin played well, making 36 saves, but it wasn't enough. Bonner's record now stands at 4-3-1, and they are atop the PCL Blue division. The Friars next game will be Friday, December 11th. They'll take on Archbishop Wood. The Vikings are 1-4, and are coming off a loss to Cardinal O'Hara. Bonner hopes to continue their domination over the division, and get their fifth win of the season. The puck drops at 8:45 next Friday at the Skatium in Havertown.