Chennault helps Neumann-Goretti muzzle St. Joseph’s Prep

Tony Chennault's love-hate relationship with St. Joseph's Prep's student rooters goes back a way.

No wonder. He's now in his fourth year of making significant contributions for assorted Ss. Neumann-Goretti powerhouses and, since he tends to be an emotional player, he draws his share of barbs.

Take last night, for instance. At the Palestra. As N-G prepared for a Catholic League semifinal.

You know how things go. Teams spend the first half shooting at the basket not near their bench. So, that meant the Saints were firing away at the east end in front of the Prep's ever-nutty kids.

"They were yelling at us nonstop," Chennault said. "Really giving it to us. Like they always do. They were giving us all nicknames."

Actually, in Chennault's case, they were resurrecting one.

"They were calling me 'Bow Wow,' " he said. "I've been hearing that one since the ninth grade."

The Bow Wow is a rapper and, truth be told, Chennault does resemble him.

"He gets a lot of ladies," he said. "So I don't mind if they call me that."

Chennault, a 6-2 wing guard bound for Wake Forest, loves playing at the Palestra because of its tradition and the fact that the energy level is always over the top.

Meanwhile, what was Chennault doing as the first half concluded?

Standing along the baseline, looking over at the Prep kids, giving them what he said was nothing more than an icy stare.

"Nah, I didn't say anything to them," he said. "Just looked at them. Wanted them to know I was here. And that I meant business."

Chennault had just drained a left-corner trey off a steal-pass combo by La Salle-bound point guard Tyreek Duren, concluding an 18-12 quarter and giving the Saints a 35-27 lead. He wasn't finished.

As N-G triumphed, 74-60, to earn a spot opposite Archbishop Carroll in Monday's 8 o'clock final - same site; the girls go first at 6:30 - Chennault dashed and darted his way to 23 points and 16 of the other key stats. Meaning, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

It was a performance befitting of an MVP . . . Chennault was just that in the Blue Division, home to N-G and Carroll.

Though it's impossible not to think the victory was attained in somewhat comfortable fashion, witness the 14-point final margin, the Prep hardly went the shrinking maroon route.

The Hawks did what they normally do, and did so to an even larger extent in this one. Bombs away, baby!

Coach William "Speedy" Morris' club launched 31 three-pointers. Fourteen succeeded and that meant more than two-thirds of the points could be traced to Arcville. Joe Nardi hit seven himself, in 12 attempts, and finished with 27 total points. Mike Fee scored all 12 of his markers on threeballs.

"We knew that's what they do," Chennault said. "They were hitting them, but we still did enough so they didn't really hurt us."

There was another big sequence as the third quarter ended. Firing away a shade early, Nardi could not connect. N-G had enough time to get off its own "last shot" and Duren nailed it from the left corner on a feed from Chennault, making the score 52-38.

Danny Stewart (15, nine rebounds) and Duren (14) also accomplished double-digit scoring for N-G. Lamin Fulton added three apiece of assists/steals.

At Wake Forest, Chennault will be playing all kinds of meaningful games in crazy settings. If fans start calling him Bow Wow, he'll feel right at home. And be ready to dog his opponent.