Chester’s Jamar Sudan (above) is part of a physical and imposing Clipper frontcourt. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By CoBL Staff
The most exciting high school state tournament out of the four PIAA classes is without a doubt that of its biggest classification. The AAAA bracket has the heavyweight names that have won state title after state title: Lower Merion, Chester, Reading, Plymouth Whitemarsh and more.
This year they’re joined by several upstarts, including one tough Pittsburgh squad with an underdog mentality, a savvy veteran squad from Allentown that’s no stranger to postseason play.
The Favorites
Parkland (25-3): The four-time District 11 champions are in “win-now” mode, with a talented senior class looking for one last deep run before heading off to their respective colleges. Senior guard Devante Cross (8.8 ppg, 4.2 apg) will be playing quarterback at Virginia, forward Kenny Yeboah (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) will be playing tight end at Temple and small forward Kyle Stout (17.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) will be taking his sharpshooting talents to nearby Lafayette, the only one of the trio to continue his hoops career in college. Then there’s junior forward Sam Iorio, a talented 6-6 wing and D-I recruit in his own right, who leads the team with 18.4 ppg and trails only Yeboah with 6.8 rpg. The last three years, the Trojans have won their first-round matchup only to lose to a District 1 team in the second round. To break that streak this year, they’ll need to first get past Conestoga and then likely another Central League team, Ridley, to reach the quarterfinals.
(click on this link for more favorites and the dark horses)