The Reporter 2012 Best Sports Photos

The area’s sports scene once again provided us plenty of exciting and memorable moments throughout 2012.

State qualifiers in basketball, North Penn and Christopher Dock softball both winning District One titles, Doylestown American Legion baseball reaching the Mid-Atlantic Regional and Pennridge football making a run to the district semis. Just to name a few.

To recap all that's taken place, here are some of our best pictures that we have taken over the past 12 months.

BOYS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Confident Lansdale Catholic moves to 3-0

By MIKE CABREY

mcabrey@thereporteroinline.com

The difference between last season’s Lansdale Catholic boys basketball team and this year’s was made apparent in the fourth quarter of its 43-37 non-league home win over William Tennent last Thursday.

A three-point play by junior Corey Kirk put the Crusaders up 30-28 with 5:52 remaining, and while Tennent tried everything to reclaim the lead, LC held off the Panthers to head into Philadelphia Catholic League play 3-0.

“I think we’re definitely more confident, cause I think last year, last two minutes, close game, I don’t think we would win that game,” Kirk said. “Our mindset was, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll win this game.’ This year, I think we know we’re going to win that game. We have a good attitude. We know we’re going to come out on top at the end.”

Lansdale Catholic has already matched its win total from 2011-2012 – the Crusaders’ first under coach Ed Enoch – when it finished 3-19. Last year, it took 16 games before LC collected its third win, a 44-38 victory over Monsignor Bonner which also doubled as the Crusaders lone PCL win.

“The kids really bought into the offseason stuff, they’ve worked hard,” Enoch said. “We got a great group of seniors that really make practices, our practices are better this year. We’re more competitive. And they’re great kids.”

Wagner a big help for Souderton

Brendan Wagner finished with a team-high 20 points as Souderton opened its Suburban One League Continental Conference slate with a 54-42 win over North Penn last Friday.

Scoring, however, is not the only thing the 6-foot-8-inch junior is looking to provide the Indians.

“I’m just trying to do what I can do just help the team and everything,” Wagner said. “However many points I can score, rebounds are really important to me, cause if I don’t get the boards, it’s just extra opportunities for them. We can’t have that.”

Against the Knights, Wagner collected eight of the first 10 points during Souderton’s game-ending 16-0 run that turned a 42-28 deficit early in the fourth quarter into a 12-point victory.

For Wagner, it was his second straight game in double digits, having posted 13 in the 51-43 non-league win over Methacton last Tuesday.

The victory over North Penn was the third straight over Continental rival for Souderton. It was also the Indians’ 10^th straight at home and their 11^th consecutive at home against conference opponents.

Follow Mike Cabrey on Twitter @mpcabrey.