I’ve only been away from the daily Patriot-News grind for a little more than a year, but it wasn’t too long that I recall Steel-High girls basketball being, well, wretched.  And here are the Rollers in the state finals.  That’s really cool.

START GAME

Guilfoyle up 6-2 at 5:53, Steel-High cold shooting (1 of 6)

Malia Tate-DeFreitas hits a three and a two and SH back in it, up 7-6

3;33 left, SH leads 9-8 after BG Halee Adams hits 2 FT

BG takes lead at 10-9 after turnover … BG doesn’t like Steel-High fast pace, but Rollers helping with unforced turnovers

BG leads 13-11, 1:56

SH back in front, 17-13, BG making the errors now

SH 9-0 run to close first period … BG was wide-eyed at Steel-High quickness … SH leads 19-13

END 1st: STEELTON-HIGHSPIRE 19, BISHOP GUILFOYLE 13

START 2ND

Amber Hess-Moore scores on a hook – a hook! – to give SH 21-13 lead

Steel-High on fire, can’t miss this quarter … 27-15 lead at 6:15

BG making a run now … close to 27-21

This a great Class A girls game … Steel-High leads 35-25 … action up and down the floor

SH keeps running and gunning … up 40-25,  hitting 6 of 11 on threes

BG trying to keep SH from running away, close to 40-29 … BG 9 of 11 at the line

Half ends with Steel-High leading 40-29

After a couple of early turnovers, Steel-High settled in and committed a total of just 4 turnovers in the first half … Rollers are completely fearless on offense, they’ll shoot from anywhere, and so far, it’s working

END HALF: STEELTON-HIGHSPIRE 40, BISHOP GUILFOYLE 29

START 3RD

Second half pace much the same as the first  … SH leads 45-33

Play a little sloppy … SH up 46-33 at 2;36

HUGE three by BG’s Halee Adams makes it 46-36

A pair of DTs by Janelle Hill givs SH 49-36 lead with 1:00 left

END 3RD: STEELTON-HIGHSPIRE 51, BISHOP GUILFOYLE 39

START 4TH

BG within 8 now, 51-43 with 6:54 to play

All of a sudden, SH can’t make  a shot, 0for-4 in 4th Q .. BG within 7 at 51-44

Cold streak over … Cinammon Brown hits a short shot and Jessika Williams bombs a trey to make it 56-44

Jazmine Blanding of SH joins the three parade .. SH up 61-46

TO Steel-High at 3:49 … SHleads 61-48

3-point play for Janelle Hill of SH of own block miss … 3:29 left, it’s Steel-High 64, Guilfoyle 48 … BG needs a minor miracle now

SH, unafraid to shoot a 3 at any time, is 8-18 beyond the arc

BG still hanging in, 66-53 with 2:31 left … BG TO … BG has 3 TO left

It’s all but over now … SH up 69-53 1;25 and roling

SH wins it 73-60!

Steel-High’s 73 points is the most by a Class A girls team in a championship game since Lebanon Catholic scored 75 in 1992 (75-57 win over Clarion)

Carroll early 6-2 lead, but ML rallies on two steals by Kelly Johnson, leads 11-8 at 1:33 1st

ML Madison Cable gets second foul, a charge with 1;16 left 1st … ML leads 11-8

Nice pass from Kristie Constantino to Jen Carney for and one .. Carney hits FT, 11-11

END FIRST: ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 11, MOUNT LEBANON 11

START 2ND

Meghan Creighton with a 3-bomb … 14-11 AC

Offensive bound by Jordan Holmes Ml cuts it to 14-13

Tied at 14-14

TO at 4:58,  Mt. Lebanon leads Carroll 16-14 … Carroll winning loose ball and ML star Madison Cable on bench with 2 fouls, but ML still leads

Fazzini AC with a tery … 17-16 AC at 3;45

ML in big foul trouble: Madison Cable, Kelly Johnson and Anna Kestler, top 3 players, on bench with 2 fouls each, but still leads 18-17

ML leads 21-19 at 1;48, amazing that ML is leading

Ehland makes and one for 24-20 ML lead with :36 left

ML makes 10-5 run in last 3;45 to take 26-22 lead at half, AC’s Nora McGeever saves AC with put back at buzzer

END HALF: MOUNT LEBANON 26, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 22

START 3rd

ML’s Big 3 – Cable, Johnson and kestler – are back on the floor and running AC off of it … ML leads 31-22 at 6:14

AC hanging around, closes gap to 31-26 on a pair of FT by Jen Carney … TO at 4;28

Madison Cable hurts hip going for loose ball as CA cuts leads ML lead to 31-28

Carroll within 1 now, Fazzini jumper  at 2:50 makes it 31-30, ML

Nice turn of events fro ML at 1:00, outlet to Liz Tomassi for layup, AC turnover then a gift TO without ball … ML leads 35-30

Good final minute by ML, 39-32 lead

END 3RD: MOUNT LEBANON 39, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 32

START 4th

Carroll on a 4-0 run to start 4th, ML leads 39-36 … Cable picks up 3rd foul

AC within 1, 39-38 at 6:10

TO at 5:04, ML leads 39-38

Big play by Anna Kestler, feed to Emma Pellicano for big basket at 4;50 … followed by Kestler jumper, ML back out in front by 5, 43-38

AC TO with 3:59 left in game

Carroll won’t go away … 43-42 ML with 2:02 to play

1:38 left, 43-42 Lebo

TO with :53.7 left,  Lebo leads 45-42 … AC misses chance to take lead and Cable hits a pair of FTs at other end

39.8 left, cable at line, makes two, Lebo leads 47-43

AC Rachel Pearson with and one at :28, ML 47-46

ML Kestler misses two from line at :22, AC with bound, AC has ball with 20.4 left

Carney drives, misses short jump, Kestler gets rebound in corner and outlets to Pellicano … time expires … Lebo wins third straight, 47-46

ML        11    15    13     8   -    47

AC        11    11     10    14   -   46

ML: Kelly Johnson 13 points, Cable 9, Pellicano 8 … AC:  Carney 17, Fazzini 9.   ML: Holmes 6 rebounds.  AC: Curran 7 rebounds.

Turnovers: ML 14, AC 19.  ML had 22 points off turnovers, AC 17

Johnson with 4 steals … ML shot just 11 of 24 from the line … 43.9 percent from the floor …  AC shot 39 percent from the floor

I had some personal matters to address in Harrisburg this morning and early afternoon.

I apologize for this, but taking care of this business was Priority One.

You know what I’m talking about.  Every year, folks with a vested interest in the public v private issue rush to the state basketball brackets and scream, “Eureka! We have found evidence of disparity and unfairness!  We must correct this injustice by being unjust ourselves and throw the private schools out of  – pick one – (Class AA and A, the PIAA basketball playoffs, all PIAA playoffs, the PIAA altogether, America)!”

There’s no doubt the drumbeat will continue: 10 of the 16 teams are private schools. Yes, I include the charter schools in the private category even though they are creations of public school districts, which make them public schools.  But in practice, they act more like private schools.  If you consider Imhotep Charter and Lincoln Park Charter, the boys’ AA finalists, public schools, well, your breakdown is 8 publics and 8 privates.

But that steams the public school backers just the same.  As always, they whip out the stats and point to the argument that private schools dominate the basketball brackets despite the fact that only 18 percent of PIAA member schools are private.

Indeed, the only pure public v public matchup among the eight classes comes once again in boys AAAA between Chester and Mount Lebanon. So a 50-50 fight isn’t a fair fight, in the public mind.

I really can’t add much new to the tired, old arguments that swirl around this issue, save for a change of language.  When the issue arises, as it inevitably does at this time of year, it is always framed as “public schools” vs. “private schools.”  I think it’s time to frame this debate properly.

Thus, let RodFrisco.com be the first to call this “government schools” vs. “private schools”.  Why?  Because it’s accurate.

Yes, I know.  The private schools have their hands in the public till at least partially because the government schools have to provide bus transportation for private school students in their government school district.  And they damn well should, given the amount of taxpayer money private-school parents cough up to the state for virtually no return.

But I get a laugh out of the government school proponents carping about the extraordinary advantages conferred upon private schools in athletics because the private schools can draw from multiple government school districts while the poor wittle government schools with their multimillion-dollar budgets and their multimillion-dollar state subsidies (well, until now) are stuck with whoever limps through their front doors.  Or million-dollar stadium gates.

(Here’s where I always add the disclaimer:  I’m a government school graduate – Clearfield Area High School, Class of ’75 – in large part because I was barely aware that private schools even existed in the Great White North and because my parents had a whole bunch of kids, precluding any thoughts of paying additional tuition.  For the record, I had a blast at Clearfield, at least when I wasn’t being turned down for dates or getting thrown out of my homeroom for being a smart-ass, trends that continue to this day. Well, not the dating requests, Mrs. Frisco.)

The point is, I have some trouble dredging up sympathy for the government school plight in athletics, especially since I’m a big believer in constitutional principles and  believe that kids who attend private school should not be counted differently or treated differently than their government-school counterparts.

Of course, the government types have been emboldened by two recent developments.   First, Ohio’s serious look at what it calls “Competitive Balance” (I just adore euphemisms) might well bleed into Pennsylvania, where the topic is not quite as white-hot, but soon could be.

Second, for years the government vs. private issue was pretty much limited to basketball, but that’s changing.  Private schools are making inroads into PIAA championships that had been more or less the domain of government schools, sports like football, wrestling, soccer and swimming.  Just this school year, a private school – Bethlehem Catholic – won a PIAA dual meet wrestling championship for the first time, prompting Lehigh Valley wags to name Bethlehem Catholic head coach Jeff Karam Recruiter of the Year.

In football, four private schools – PIAA champion Allentown Central Catholic, runner-up Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Archbishop Wood and Erie Cathedral Prep – all reached the Class AAA semifinals, the first time four private schools had filled a semifinal bracket in the 24-year history of the PIAA Football Championships.

So the Issue That Will Never Die will remain alive (but not particularly well) now that it’s had in annual PIAA basketball bracket booster shot.  In the meantime, enjoy the games.

PIAA BASKETBALL PAIRINGS

Until then, feast.

PIAA girls basketball pairings

PIAA boys basketball pairings

Here are the stories:

Dibble resigns

Dibble receives second protection from abuse order

Doug Chuzie named interim head coach at VMA

Been a tough week for PIAA champions from Erie. On Saturday, PIAA wrestling champion Steve Spearman of McDowell was unable to make weight at 130 pounds on the second day of the District 10-AAA tournament, knocking him out of the state championship series.

First, the PIAA brackets.

The districts:

District 1
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 2
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 3
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 4
All classes

District 5
Class AA
Class A

District 6
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 7
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 8
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

District 9
All classes

District 10
All classes

District 11
All classes

District 12
Class AAAA
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A

In all honesty, I like basketball. There’s really nothing to dislike about it, although it should clearly be a spring sport. And outdoors. Swimming, too.

Anyhow, here are the brackets for the District 3 Basketball Championships, which begin Friday with preliminary games in the top two classes. The District 3 Championships conclude March 3-5 at Giant Center.

You can access the District 3 brackets at the District 3 website here.

Look for district basketball pairings from around the state later this week.