La Salle tops Roman Catholic in overtime

Because it mostly did the right things, La Salle High's basketball team wasn't left with a loss.

Given a choice, senior forward Joe Brown might have reversed the clauses in that opening sentence. Left, right. Right, left. When it comes to how he plays sports, this kid doesn't know whether he's coming or going. Or should that read going or coming?

The 6-5, 210-pound Brown shoots jumpers exclusively lefthanded, though his launchings could darn near be classified as two-handed since his right hand is so much a part of the process. As for layups, they're almost always flipped home righthanded.

We move to other endeavors . . .

In lacrosse, in which he also represents La Salle, Brown plays righthanded. But if you were place a football or soccer ball in front of him (he doesn't play those sports), he'd kick it leftfooted.

"Initially, kids ask me questions about it," Brown said, smiling. "But by now, most kids here have gotten used to it."

In a Catholic League game Monday night, Brown had large hands - yes, both of them - in the Explorers' 64-58 overtiming of visiting Roman Catholic.

He shot 6-for-8 (one trey) for 13 points. Snagged 11 rebounds. Dished six assists. Also, he did a great job as the front man in a specially tailored defensive alignment that held leaper supreme Fortunat "Junior" Kangudi to eight points and minimal touches; starter Brennan Woods and sub Steve Collins took turns harassing Kangudi from behind.

With 1:31 remaining in regulation, Brown curled in a layup off a pass from Mike Poncia to provide a 52-49 lead. The only scoring thereafter through regulation was a three-pointer by Shep Garner at 0:58.

Roman's Shafeek Taylor began the OT scoring with a layup, off a scramble, that quickly followed the jump-ball scenario.

La Salle went ahead - for good, as things turned out - on a flip-flop of the previously mentioned basket. This time, Brown did the passing and Poncia did the shooting, and since he fired from behind the arc, the score became 55-54.

Left to your own devices, you could have predicted that, right?

Poncia and Brown then added layups while Roman was coming up empty and the Explorers, basically, were out of danger.

And a satisfying win it was, too. Reason: Star point guard Eddie Mitchell, a Rider signee, fouled out with 3:03 left regulation. Though the Explorers momentarily teetered (Roman scored the next six points to take a 49-48 lead), they did avoid a full-blown tumble.

Brown guessed the foulout might have been the first of Mitchell's La Salle career. Eddie (14 points, six rebounds, four assists) called it his second.

"It was pretty scary, at first," Brown said. "But we have good role guys to come in and back him up. That goes to show we don't revolve around one person.

"Coach 'Demps' [Joe Dempsey] said to stay poised and make smart plays. We put a lot of faith in our game plan. They made their run, then we made a couple big plays . . . Different people were contributing at crunch time."

Poncia and soph Amar Stukes scored 15 points apiece for La Salle. Join those with Mitchell's 14 and Brown's 13 and only seven need to be accounted for. They went to Collins.

Two freshmen, Garner (15) and sixth man Rip Engel (14), led Roman, while soph Britton Lee (11) was in the vicinity. Kangudi totaled 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Engel, who looks like a fifth-grader (OK, maybe sixth), was dynamic. He sniped 4-for-5 from behind the arc and ended the third quarter by banking home a halfcourt heave. He also finished the night with three assists.

Brown, a Glenside resident who writes lefthanded (just puttin' that on the record, in case you're wondering), is hoping to play basketball in college.

When asked what schools are showing interest, he said, "Duke . . . North Carolina . . . "

Hey, he's pretty good at pulling a reporter's legs. Both of them.

"Nah, Albright and Ursinus," he amended.

Or was that Ursinus and Albright? *