Pub Team Wins Battle Of Flaming Birds

Last night, Philadelphia Public League champion Communications Tech advanced easily in the state basketball tournament, improving to 28-3 and moving on to the state quarterfinals Friday.

Comm Tech defeated my alma mater, Holy Ghost Prep, by scoring the first eight points of the game and jumping out to a 22-7 lead. The game was the nerdiest one in state tournament history, as it pitted the Phoenix (Comm Tech) against my Firebirds. Not only was this a battle of birds on fire, but it was also a game between the two previous names of Web browser Firefox.

A bunch of teams in the state basketball playoffs have oh so hilarious names, or at least ones that are hilarious when you spent 100 percent of your time online and everything seems funny at some point: Millionaires, Konkrete Kids, “Milton Hershey Spartans” (I assume this school is nicknamed the Hershey Spartans and named after Milton Street). Girard College is nicknamed the Hummers, apparently, and Math, Civics & Science Charter School is nicknamed the Mighty Elephants. There’s also a team simply labeled “Moon Tigers.”

There’s actually apparently a ton of Public League schools still left in the state tournament, proving that Philadelphia can no doubt put a ball through a little circle better than anybody else in this state.