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Thursday, March 20, 2003

Craig Hannon

SCHOOL: Union.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior guard and the leading scorer for Union's basketball team. He has played particularly well in the postseason and helped the Scotties to tomorrow's PIAA Class A championship game in Hershey.

THE PAST WEEK: Hannon scored 11 points in Union's 40-39 semifinal victory Tuesday against Kennedy Catholic. He had a team-high 15 points in a 65-34 quarterfinal victory Friday against California.

PLAYOFF TIME: Hannon averages 17.6 points a game but is averaging 20.1 points in eight postseason games. "You just get more of a sense of urgency in the playoffs, and you want to go out and play your best," Hannon said. "Luckily, my shots have been falling. But if you're a player, you really want to step it up in the playoffs."

HOTSHOT: Hannon is an excellent outside shooter and has 73 3-pointers for the season.

GUARDED OPTIMISM: Hannon and fellow guard Jeff Nero have been the mainstays in Union's run to the PIAA title game. Nero has averaged 15.8 points a game in the postseason.

"I don't know if there's a pair of guards in Class A as good as them," Union Coach Mark Stanley said. "Jeff is more of the slasher. Craig is the better shooter. If Craig is open, it's in. He's one of the best shooters I've seen."

SAY UNCLE: Stanley is Hannon's uncle. Stanley's sister is Hannon's mother, and Stanley admits he's harder on Hannon than any of Union's other players.

"He coached me for a year in Little League baseball. There were a few times when I did something bad and he would make me go sit in the other dugout," Hannon said with a laugh. "He is harder on me, but he's hard on everyone. He just has that competitive edge. He's not calling me names or anything like that. He just wants me to be the best I can be."

SON OF A SPORTS REPORTER: Hannon's father, Bob, is a sportscaster on WYTV television in Youngstown, Ohio. Dad must have taught his son something about being a good interview because Hannon is talkative.

"I got that from hanging around my dad," he said. "He always tells me not to give one-word answers. Some people answer a question with just, 'Yeah.'"

THE OTHER SPORT: Hannon is a second baseman-pitcher in baseball and has been a varsity starter since his freshman year. This is his first season as a starter in basketball.

-- By Mike White

Brianne O'Rourke

SCHOOL: Oakland Catholic

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-6 sophomore point guard for the Eagles, who will play Downingtown in the PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball championship game tomorrow night at the Giant Center in Hershey.

THE PAST WEEK: O'Rourke played a major role in the Eagles' run to Hershey. She scored 15 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, had 4 assists and 3 steals in the team's 63-55 semifinal victory Tuesday against State College. She was 4 for 5 on 3-point attempts and 3 for 3 from the free-throw line. In the team's 64-40 second-round win March 11 against Schenley, she scored 13 points and had eight assists.

SEASON: O'Rourke is averaging 6.7 points, 5.2 assists , 2.3 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game.

CAREER: She is a two-year starter at point guard and has led the team to the WPIAL and PIAA championship games both seasons. Last year, the team won the WPIAL championship and O'Rourke averaged 11.0 points per game.

TWO FOR TWO: O'Rourke's two seasons as the starting point guard have finished with a trip to Hershey. She is hoping to be able to duplicate the success of the Eagles' senior class, which has made it to the title game four consecutive seasons. "We lose a lot of seniors this year, but we still have some great players here," she said. "I think we can do it if we work hard."

SLOW START: O'Rourke's season began slowly because she was still feeling the effects of a ruptured appendix. But rather than have season-ending surgery to have it removed, she was treated with antibiotics and will have the surgery after the season. She missed the first four games and took about a month before she was playing at full strength. "The more I've been playing, the stronger I've felt," she said. "I'm to the point now where I can play the whole game with no problem."

SOPHOMORE LEADER: O'Rourke had a big night against State College scoring, but more important was how she handled the high pressure defense of the Lady Little Lions for 32 minutes. "We have seniors, but I believe that point guards should lead your team," said Oakland Catholic Coach Suzie McConnell Serio. "I've told Brianne that everything starts with her. She's grown into her role as our floor leader and playmaker."

-- By Paul Zeise