Marc Narducci: West Deptford basketball team fights on

The prospects looked so bright for senior point guard A.J. Greenwald and his West Deptford basketball teammates in the beginning of the year.

During the preseason the Eagles were accorded the proper respect.

Greenwald was expected to be the focal point on a team that was mentioned as a contender in the Colonial Conference Liberty Division.

And then, in one quick instant during the first half of the second game of the season, West Deptford and Greenwald saw their chances to contend crumble when senior forward Charlie McShane went down to the floor.

McShane, who averaged 13.7 points as a junior, suffered a season-ending knee injury and will have surgery in about two weeks.

Suddenly, the team everybody was pointing to was the one that just about everybody was beating.

Despite the heroics of Greenwald, the Eagles haven't been able to keep pace. Not that West Deptford hasn't given the effort.

That was demonstrated yesterday when visiting West Deptford dropped a 68-66 decision to a Bishop Eustace team that is making a late drive toward the postseason. Eustace is 7-8 and must win two of its last three games this week against Pennsauken, Paul VI and Camden County Tech to qualify for the playoffs. (Teams need a .500-or-better record after Saturday's games).

West Deptford has long been eliminated, standing now at 3-11.

"It's tough," said Greenwald after scoring 25 points and adding four assists in another stellar effort. "We've been gearing for this season for three years and now that I realize we won't be in the playoffs, I'm just trying to have fun."

Despite the losing, Greenwald and his teammates have continued to grind it out. The Eagles have lost four games by five points or fewer and, like they did yesterday, have hung around much longer than they probably had any right to.

"A.J. has been playing great," West Deptford coach Don Clark said. "He is starting to trust his teammates more, and I say that in a positive way because when Charlie went down he felt that he had to do more."

Eustace, which received 23 points from junior Pat Vasturia, was well aware of the dangers that Greenwald can present.

"He is composed, gets in the lane whenever he wants and has the ability to hit the open man off the double team," Eustace coach Bob Falconiero said.

Greenwald wants to play in college but isn't sure where or at what level. All he knows is that he loves the game, even when his team assumes the underdog role on a frequent basis.

He realizes that there is less than a month to go until his high school career is over. Greenwald says he is within a few hundred points of the school record of 1,736, and that is one of his goals. Another is to turn these tough defeats into inspiring victories.

Besides contending with a young Eustace team that has just two seniors, Greenwald also had to endure a unexpected 16-minute break yesterday when the fire alarm went off, and everybody in the gym went outside.

Greenwald did not expect the season to go this way, but he keeps plugging, keeps fighting.

Greenwald realizes that that, unlike his friend McShane, he is fortunate to have a senior season, one that has been pretty spectacular despite the team's record.