By Josh Verlin
The 2019-20 Pennsylvania high school basketball regular season is quickly coming up on its finish, with some leagues only a couple weeks away from beginning their postseasons. Within a month, district playoffs will be in full swing, and the state championships in Hershey are two months away.
Before we get that deep into the postseason, however, most teams in the area are focused on either or both of two things: their individual league standings, and their spot in the district playoff picture. Here’s a quick catch-up of where things are at in the area’s various high school leagues; part one can be found below, and Part Two can be found here:
Central League
Playoff Info: Feb. 8 (First Round), Feb. 10 (Semifinals), Feb. 11 (Championship)
Location: TBD
For the first time, the Central League will move to a six-team playoff with the top two teams receiving a first round bye. Traditionally, the Central League has been dominated by teams like Lower Merion, Penncrest, Garnet Valley, and Conestoga. This year seems to be more of the same, with Lower Merion (14-1, 9-1) and Garnet Valley (13-1, 9-1) tied atop the league standings and looking in shape to gain that first round off. The Aces took an early season contest, 69-56 over the visiting Jags, but will the two will take on each other once more before the regular season concludes, on Jan. 30 at Garnet Valley. Penncrest (7-3) currently sits in third place with a big game upcoming against Garnet Valley on Jan. 22 which could eventually push them to the second seed if things fall the right way. A handful of teams (Ridley, Conestoga, Upper Darby, Radnor, Strath Haven, Marple-Newtown) sit around the 5-5 mark making the middle of the league a bit of a mess as six teams (or even seven if you include a tough Haverford High at 3-7) battle it out for the remaining three playoff spots.
(click on this link for the complete high school playoff picture)