Month: March 2016

By Bruce Adams

Lower Merion began its PIAA Class AAAA boys’ basketball state tournament opener Saturday with a bang, jumping out to an 8-2 lead against Simon Gratz and holding a 30-24 advantage at halftime.

Though Gratz caught up to Lower Merion in the third quarter, the Aces led most of the second half. So when the game went into overtime, LM head coach Gregg Downer still felt his team had the momentum.

“We hadn’t lost a game in overtime all season, and I thought we were going to win it all the way to [the final buzzer],” said Downer.

In an overtime period which featured seven lead changes – and a few turnovers – Gratz came out on top, 63-61, ending Lower Merion’s season.

It was the final game for 6-foot-8 senior Jeremy Horn, who will be playing basketball for Division 3 Claremont (Calif.) next winter, and KJ Helton – both finished with 16 points. Horn’s inside presence was a constant thorn in the side of Gratz (he grabbed 11 rebounds), and Helton often seemed to be in the right place at the right time with a key basket, assist, free throw (he was 7-of-8 from the charity stripe) or recovered loose ball.

“We had a great season – showed a lot of character and a lot of fiber,” said Downer. “It’s never easy when [the season is] over – I don’t know if it would have been tougher with a 20-point loss instead of a two-point loss.”

  

By Todd Orondenker

After one half, undermanned and undersized Academy Park was within two points of mighty Roman Catholic. But it came with a price.

Four players had three personal fouls. Two others had two. This thing was only going to last for so long. The Cahillites made sure of it.

Roman dominated the second half and ran away with a 73-58 victory over the Knights in the first round of the Class AAAA PIAA tournament Saturday at St. Joseph’s Prep. Academy Park, in the state tournament for the first time in 17 years, closes its terrific season at 20-8.

A 34-32 deficit at halftime surprised many in the packed gym at 17th and Girard. Pesky Academy Park shot the ball well, saw Roman Catholic (23-4) miss free throws and survived despite a plethora of foul issues. The second half was a different story.

“Foul trouble caught up with us in the third quarter,” Academy Park coach Allen Brydges said. “We had to play some different lineups and some really small lineups and they hurt us in the third quarter with their size. But these kids battled, they’re so tough. They play every possession hard — you saw in the first half how they can play with everybody.”

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By Harry Chaykun

The last seven days seemed to be never-ending for members of the Chester High boys basketball team, who were burning from their District One Class AAAA finals loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Promptly motivated, the Clippers (21-7) came out ready for Saturday’s state tournament opener at Interboro High against Hempfield, District Three’s sixth-place team. Some things went better for coach Larry Yarbray’s charges than others as they held off the Black Knights, 55-46.

“Good teams can win (when they don’t play well),” Yarbray said. “We missed foul shots (10 of 22), and did some other things. But we never lost our focus on defense.

“We try to make sure no team scores more than 12 points in a quarter against us. And that team got 46 points. It’s a win, and you’re always happy when you win (at this time of the season) and have practice Monday.”

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By Steve Sherman

Archbishop Carroll senior Ryan Daly – the Philadelphia Catholic League’s leading scorer – did what league scoring leaders do, he hit for 18 points in the first period, sparking the Patriots to a 48-9 halftime lead in a PIAA playoff opener against Holy Ghost Prep Friday night (March 4) at Cheltenham High School.

When Daly wasn’t hitting shots, his classmate John Rigsby was. The 6-3 Rigsby racked up seven points in each of the first three periods including a 3-pointer in each of those quarters, putting the 2015 PIAA runners-up on top, 66-22, going into the final frame.

“Rigsby is so tough; he brings all the intangibles that you could ever ask for,” stated AC head coach Paul Romanczuk. “He’s a senior, he has experience and he’s been through all the battles in the Catholic League.

“He’s just gotten better and better and I’m thrilled he’s on our team.”

By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the mercy clock was running and so was Carroll – to a 76-27 triumph over the Firebirds (20-8), who, less than a week earlier, captured their second District 1 Class AAA championship in three seasons with a win over Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) rival Lower Moreland.

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The motto of tournament play is to survive and advance.

Delco Christian took that mantra literally Friday night.

The Knights survived their worst first quarter of the season, according to head coach Don Davis, to advance to the second round of the PIAA Class A boys basketball tournament with a 45-32 victory over Greenwood at Central Dauphin East High School.

Delco Christian (15-12) scored just three points in the first period, but only trailed, 8-3. The Knights turned up the defensive pressure and forced numerous turnovers to pull away.

Wyatt Harkins scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, while Jordan Parks and Nazim Trammell-Wells paced the defense. The Knights face Shenandoah Valley, a 70-59 winner District Four champ St. John Neumann.

By Matthew De George

Ridley’s run to the District One semifinals and a third-place result followed from the fourth seed with which they entered the tournament.

The Green Raiders’ opponent in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament Saturday is on a different kind of run.

Ridley takes on Wilson, the fourth seed from District 3, in the opener at 3 p.m. at Strath Haven.

The Bulldogs (18-10) entered the District 3 tourney as the 14th seed. They ran roughshod over Northeastern, 78-58, to earn their way into states. That game was powered by 6-foot-3 forward Christian Sload, who scored 37 points.

The Bulldogs’ momentum is tempered by two losses in lackluster performances, downed by District 3 champ Reading in the semifinal, 71-44, and dropping the third-place game, 54-37, to Spring Grove, an affair in which they surrendered the first 21 points.

Webmaster’s note: If you can’t make the game you can listen to it LIVE right here on Delcohoops.com.  Our broadcast will begin at 2:45. Click on the Game-of-the-Week logo on the left hand side of this page.

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By Matthew De George

Delco Christian’s return to the state tournament from the No. 6 seed in District One to its runner-up finish seems a long shot. Their opponent in Friday’s PIAA Class A opener, Greenwood, wound its way to the District 3 final as the No. 10 seed.

The reward for the Wildcats (13-13) is home-district advantage as Delco Christian ventures to Central Dauphin East Friday evening at 7:30.

Both teams, as second seeds from districts, come off losses. The Knights (14-12) marked the 28th win for Phil-Mont Christian in a 58-41 handling in the District One title game.

Greenwood saw its dream run ended by unbeaten York Country Day, 56-44, in the District 3 final. Along the way, Greenwood tipped Millersburg, the team that ended Delco Christian’s season in the second round of states last year. Greenwood’s scoring is top-heavy, led by Noah Wright (11.2 points per game), Seth Ferguson (10.0) and Kevin Sheaffer (7.5).

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By Matthew De George

Academy Park’s DeAndray Covert, left, is ready to assume the challenge of the PIAA Tournament when the Knights tangle with Roman Catholic Saturday. (Digital First Media/Robert J. Gurecki)

It’s been 17 years since Academy Park last qualified for the PIAA Tournament, long enough that a significant portion of its roster wasn’t yet born.

But anyone expecting jitters from the Knights when they take on District 12 champion Roman Catholic in Saturday’s states opener (5:30 p.m., St. Joseph’s Prep) will be sorely disappointed.

The ninth seed from District One faces a daunting challenge against the reigning Class AAAA champs, fresh off a Catholic League title. But what else is new for Academy Park (20-7)?

Consider their road through districts: A two-point first-round victory at Upper Merion; a four-point loss to No. 2 seed and eventual champ Plymouth Whitemarsh; a win at No. 10 Phoenixville in playbacks; a win at No. 3 Downingtown West, a team many had tabbed as a title contender, to get to states; a two-point win over Hatboro-Horsham in a seeding game that propagates the wave of momentum through three straight wins.

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By Matthew De George

Josh Sharkey and his fellow seniors heard the whispers as soon as the school year started.

They knew who was gone from last year’s run to the state championship game. They knew the external observer might think the cupboard comparatively bare.

You may wonder what it takes for a program that has played in two state finals in three years to feel underestimated and disrespected. The departure of three Division I players from Archbishop Carroll, engendering chatter that a plummet in Catholic League standing was imminent, did the trick.

Yet after passing test upon test, the Patriots find themselves in what seems their ordained place: Preparing for the PIAA Tournament.

The Patriots, District 12’s third seed, opens the PIAA Class AAA tourney Friday night against District One champion Holy Ghost Prep. Tipoff at Cheltenham High School is at 7:30.

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