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By Jack McCaffery

Thirty one years after he’d been harshly reminded of everything cruel about the Palestra, Jack Concannon was reminded that it works the other way, too.Aware through a lifetime of basketball, and haunted by one moment since 1987, Concannon was convinced of one thing as he prepared Wednesday to coach Bonner & Prendie against Archbishop Carroll in the Catholic League semifinals.

“We knew,” he said, “it was going to be close at the end.”

That end would last only 18.1 seconds.

It would seem to take another lifetime.

Through the usual circumstances that define postseason high school basketball, the Friars needed to force three turnovers in that final stretch to hold off the Patriots, 48-45, and advance to the Catholic League championship game. That will be at 8:15 Monday night, also at the Palestra, against 18-5 Roman Catholic, a 69-66 winner over St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

There weren’t many certainties to be found Wednesday night at Sun Valley — not as Marple Newtown’s top two shooters failed to top 30 percent from the field, not as turnovers piled up and leads yo-yoed between double-digits and one possession.But when Sun Valley needed the space to exhale in a hectic, rugged District 1 Class 5A first-round contest, the Vanguards knew they just had to place the ball in the steady hands of Vinny DeAngelo.

The junior guard scored 19 points, but his contributions were far more numerous in a 62-56 win for the sixth-seeded Vanguards.

DeAngelo did a little of everything. He dished four assists. He pocketed four steals, setting the defensive tone that muzzled Marple Newtown’s high-powered duo of Mike May and Tommy Gardler to 9-for-33 shooting.

And most frequently, DeAngelo exuded a tempo-dictating calm that helped the Vanguards (17-6) nurse an occasionally shaky lead in the fourth for a wire-to-wire win that sets up a quarterfinal date with third seed Chester Saturday.

(click on this link for the full story)

Webmaster’s note: The Marple Newtown vs Sun Valley game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link by clicking on the player below:

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By Matt Chandik

As his Academy Park team continued to turn the ball over and as Chester happily converted the turnovers into points, Knights coach Frank Wolf kept looking at the clock, waiting for the worst to end.The Clippers had turned a six-point lead after one quarter into a blowout in the teams’ District 1 Class 5A opener Wednesday night at the Clip Joint, and it seemed like that first half would never end for a young Knights team facing its first playoff adversity.

“I do think that it was a little eye-opening in the second quarter,” Wolf said. “Halftime couldn’t come quick enough. We couldn’t get out of that first half fast enough.”

The final, a 72-54 Chester victory, wasn’t indicative of the dominance that the Clippers put forth in the second quarter. Chester outscored the visitors 25-9 on the strength of its defense and transition game, which left AP bewildered and blitzed. Seven Clippers scored in that frame, paced by Michael Smith’s seven points, and the 40-17 halftime lead was all Chester needed to cement its win.

(click on this link for the full story)

Webmaster’s note:  The quarter-final game this Saturday between Sun Valley and Chester will be audio broadcast on Delcohoops.com.  Our broadcast begins at 6:45 PM. 

By Ed Morlock

After allowing a layup off of the opening tip, Wissahickon’s defense forced four straight Strath Haven turnovers.That was a sign of things to come.

The No. 4 seeded Trojans forced 17 turnovers in a 67-48 win over the No. 13 seeded Panthers Wednesday night at Wissahickon High School in the first round of the District 1 Class-5A playoffs.

Wissahickon (17-6) will face No. 5 Great Valley Saturday for a spot in the district semifinals and state playoffs.

“With Cheltenham and PW we’ve continued to battle the past few years for the top of the league,” Trojans coach Kyle Wilson said. “We’re pressure teams. We like to get out there, like to create havoc. I always feel if a guy is going to get a three, I’d rather him get it in the first 10 seconds than run his offense for 35 seconds and still get the same three. So let’s get after it a little bit and force the issue and be aggressive on defense.”

 

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By Dillon Friday

It was a welcome sight after a trying close to the Chichester season: Mike Davie, all 6-8 of him, standing in full uniform in the starting lineup as the No. 8 Eagles got set to play No. 9 Holy Ghost Prep in the District 1 5A Playoffs.Davie tore his ACL in June and missed the entire campaign. Wednesday was his debut, and he played admirably, scoring 10 points. Alas, Davie’s return wasn’t enough as the Eagles fell, 50-45. The Firebirds will visit No. 1 Penncrest in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Chichester faced an uphill battle from the start. Top-scorer Da’quan Granberry picked up two technical fouls in the regular season finale against Chester and had to serve a one-game suspension. Davie stepped in as best he could.

“Da’quan was out, so I knew we needed another player to come in,” said Davie, a senior. “I went to the doctor’s on Monday to come back and play tonight.”

He was roughly 10 days ahead of schedule.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Josh Verlin

Vinny DeAngelo had one thing on his mind: get to the hoop.

From the moment Sun Valley’s first playoff game in nearly 20 years got underway, the Vanguards’ high-scoring junior guard put that mindset to work, taking the opening tipoff and racing in for a layup before five seconds had even ticked off the clock of a District 1 5A first-round game against Marple Newtown.

“We actually worked on that in practice, and it worked to perfection,” said junior wing Marvin Freeman, who jumps center for the Vanguards.

After waiting 11 days since the regular season ended, it was exactly the start that Sun Valley needed.

“We could feel in the locker room there was a little anxiety, people weren’t themselves, they kept to themselves,” Sun Valley head coach Steve Maloney said. “But once that layup came in, I think he settled down and I think the team settled down.”

Sun Valley certainly didn’t show too many nerves, jumping out to an early lead at home and hold on for a 62-56 win over Marple Newtown on Wednesday night.

(click on this link for the full story)

Webmaster’s note: The Marple Newtown vs Sun Valley game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link by clicking on the player below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

By Matthew DeGeorge

When you look at Downingtown West’s roster and its quintet of contributors standing 6-foot-4 or taller, the natural inclination is to see a mismatch with Upper Darby.When Royals big man Kymir Roper, generously listed at 6-5 but with outsized tenacity, perused the roster, he saw opportunity.

“I love the challenge,” Roper said, “no matter what anybody says.”

Roper played only a peripheral role in the ultimate resolution to Tuesday’s District 1 Class 6A contest, setting the screen that was supposed to get Mamadou Toure to the basket. Instead, Toure banked home a 20-foot jumper with one second left in a 46-44 Upper Darby win.

But at the other end, when Will Howard’s home run pass fell shy of its target, Roper’s hands were firmly around the ball as time expired, a fitting symbol for how profoundly he set the tone of cutting the Whippets’ front line down to size.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Zach Drapkin

Every great team has a kryptonite, and for Lower Merion the past few seasons, that kryptonite has been Conestoga.

The Central League archrivals have played one another three times in each season since 2014-15, and every year, Conestoga has won two of the three meetings, knocking off the Aces in District 1 6A playoffs last postseason.

The Pioneers racked up another regular-season sweep of LM this year, taking the two games by a combined nine points, but the two teams found themselves facing off once against in district play on Tuesday after Conestoga dispatched Cheltenham in the first round on Friday night.

Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer wasn’t very happy to see Conestoga potentially on his schedule, and even less happy when it became a reality.

“I didn’t like the bracket when I saw ‘Stoga out there lurking,” Downer said. “They’re a very good team, and they certainly know how to beat us.”

(click on this link for the full story)

 

By CoBL Staff

The second-ever year of the District 1 5A bracket brings back many of the same contenders from a year ago, including defending champion Penncrest and fellow semifinalists Great Valley and Bishop Shanahan are all back in the top five, with several other strong programs right there in the mix.

Seven of these 16 will advance to the PIAA Class 5A tournament, meaning first-round losers are done for the year but the winners guarantee themselves at least three games; only a quarterfinal win guarantees a spot, but three of the four losers in the next round will end up safe as well.

Here’s a look at the eight games (all played Wed., Feb. 21 at 7 PM unless otherwise noted):

6) Sun Valley vs. 11) Marple Newtown
When Sun Valley and Marple Newtown faced off earlier this year back on January 13, Sun Valley won 59-42. The Vanguards (16-6) were led by junior sharpshooter Vinny D’Angelo (20 points), and junior wing Marvin Freeman (12 points). Michael May was held to eight points that game, but is the go-to scoring option for the Tigers (13-9), who lost to Penncrest in the final-four of the Central League. Prior to the loss to Penncrest, Marple had won its last seven games.

(click on this link for the preview of all eight games)

Webmaster’s note: The Marple Newtown vs Sun Valley game will be broadcast LIVE right here on Delcohoops.com!

 

By CoBL Staff

After an upset-filled first round — six of the eight opening-round games saw the lower-seeded team win on the road — the District 1 6A bracket is already all sorts of weird. Now the top eight seeds join the fray, most of which will have to face a team that just pulled off one road upset and now finds itself one win away from a state berth.

District 1 places 10 teams in the state bracket, meaning all eight winners of Tuesday night’s games guarantee themselves a spot in PIAAs, as well as a guarantee of at least four more games between quarterfinals, seeding games and the first round of the state tournament. But the eight losers are not done; they’ll head into the playback bracket, whose final two remnants will also earn state bids.

Here’s a look at the eight second-round games, all of which tip at 7 PM except for Abington/Neshaminy, which tips a half-hour later:

(click on this link for the full preview)