Month: February 2017

By Matthew De George

Pernell Ghee isn’t keen on discussing the past. So for the Penn Wood senior forward’s sake, let’s dispense with it quickly.

Last year, the 22nd-seeded Patriots had No. 11 Lower Merion on the ropes in the first round of the District 1 Class AAAA tournament before Terrell Jones’ banked-in, overtime buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Two seasons ago, as the No. 5 seed and outright Del Val League champs, the Patriots lost on their home court to Penncrest, again in OT.

Both times, Penn Wood’s conqueror went on to the PIAA tournament.

That’s the Patriots’ overarching aspiration this season, and recent form gives every indication they could ascend those heights. But the first step has proven the hardest, and they must exorcise those demons Friday night when No. 22 seed Neshaminy visits in the first round of the Class 6A district tourney.

“This year, we think we’re better,” Ghee said. “We’re on to better things. We don’t want to reflect back on that and get down. We want to be up for this and what’s coming up.”

Members of the team insist that little has changed save for time. Indeed, Penn Wood’s roster is largely intact, though growth is evident in a 15-6 season capped by wins in 12 of the last 13 outings.

Penn Wood collected the Del Val title and reversed seeding from last year, drawing the 11 seed. With 10 of 24 District 1 teams advancing to a ludicrously expanded state tournament, the Patriots stand every mathematical chance of reaching their goals.

“Nothing is really different,” said senior guard Jay Fitzgerald. “We just play hard. Coach always stresses that. I just think every day at practice, we try to go hard, and every game, we just play it like it’s our last.”

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Rick O’Brien

The inaugural PIAA District 1 Class 6A boys’ basketball tournament, like the 4A playoffs in recent years, does not have a prohibitive favorite.

The top eight seeds have a first-round bye in the 24-team tournament that will begin Friday night.

Led by wing guard Justin Jaworski, who is averaging 21.5 points per game and has drilled 60 three-pointers, Perkiomen Valley comes in as the No. 1 seed.

Jaworski shot 10 for 10 from the line en route to 24 points as the Vikings topped Spring-Ford, 52-45, for the Pioneer Athletic Conference title.

PV’s other key contributors are point guard Sean Owens, 6-foot-1 forward Hogan Millheim, 6-1 forward Tyler Strechay, and wing guard Andrew Light.

Missing junior guard Ahmin Williams, who is sidelined with a foot injury, No. 2 seed Plymouth Whitemarsh bowed to No. 3 Abington, 70-66, in the Suburban One League final Monday night.

If Ahmin Williams is done for the season, the Colonials will need a strong effort from his twin, Ahmad; 7-foot center Naheem McLeod; and fleet-footed guard Ish Horn.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Matthew De George

Kharon Randolph scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as The Haverford School kept Kiski Prep at a distance in a 71-63 win in the first round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Tournament Thursday.

Christian Ray added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson Jr. tallied 18 points, six assists and four steals in an all-around outstanding performance for the sophomore. The seventh-seeded Fords (19-6) held Kiski to just seven points in the third quarter and outscored the visitors 43-29 in the second half to erase a halftime deficit.

Haverford earns a quarterfinal date Saturday at the Hill School, the No. 2 seed. Tipoff is at 4 p.m.

 

By CoBL Staff

The new “big-school” classification in the Keystone State brings with it a smaller tournament than the previous, 32-team AAAA district tourney, but it doesn’t lack any of the punch.

With the first eight seeds given a bye into next Tuesday’s second round, the opening salvo of eight games that takes place Friday night on the higher seed’s home court (all games at 7 PM) should be thoroughly competitive.

Here’s a look at each of those eight, as well as players to watch from all 24 teams over the course of the tournament:

First-Round Matchups
16) Garnet Valley vs. 17) Methacton
Awaiting the winner: 1) Perkiomen Valley

There’s no telling how this one will play out, as both teams are talented but have had their respective ups and downs all year long. Garnet Valley (14-8) won six of its last 10 games entering the postseason, losing twice to Conestoga and once to Upper Darby and Marple Newtown; Methacton ripped off five straight wins from Jan. 10-20 but lost four of its last six, including a Pioneer Athletic Conference playoff game to Norristown. The Warriors (12-10) have a lot of promise in their youth, led by sophomore David Duda Jr. (6-3) and freshman Jeff Woodward (6-8), complemented by a group of seniors led by VIllanova baseball commit Pat O’Neill. Garnet Valley is guard-dominated, led by junior Austin Laughlin (22.5 ppg) and senior Brandon Starr (18.8 ppg). The Jaguars don’t have a player who matches up size-wise with Woodward, so Mike Brown will have to be creative to find ways to slow him down. 6-4 sophomore Cade Brennan might earn first crack at that job.

(click on this link for the complete First-Round 6A preview)

 

By Dennis C. Way

The question going into Wednesday night’s Philadelphia Catholic League playoff first-round game between Archbishop Carroll and La Salle was how well could the young Explorers hang with the Patriots.

It took about eight minutes of playing time to find out.

Carroll blanked the Explorers in the first quarter, then blazed to a 59-37 win that ended La Salle’s season and propelled the Patriots into a meeting with Neumann-Goretti Friday night at Widener University.

AJ Hoggard had 15 points, 12 in the second half, as Carroll built a 12-point halftime lead then refused to look back.

“It’s nice to be that locked in defensively,” said Carroll head coach Paul Romanczuk, after the Patriots held La Salle scoreless in the first. “That’s what you need against a well-coached team like La Salle.”

Meanwhile, the Explorers never got completely on track — at least not until it was far too late to get back in the game.

“We missed some open shots in that first quarter, and it never got better,” said Explorers head coach Joe Dempsey. “We told our guys to be patient, and they were. But we were never really able to get back in the game.”

They were unable to get back because Hoggard and Khari Williams (14 points) got the Patriots in up-tempo mode in the second half. And the Explorers, drilled to stay patient, couldn’t keep up the increased pace.

Early on, Carroll tried to push the pace, only to run into a determined Explorers offense that was just not willing to maintain that tempo.

It bogged the Patriots down for a time. But after intermission Carroll just exploded.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

By Rich Flanagan

Christian Lane has played in his share of Philadelphia Catholic League playoff games: Five, to be exact, in his career with Bonner & Prendergast.

He’s also left his mark on a couple of those contests, including last year’s matchup against Conwell-Egan when he recorded a steal and scored the game-winning basket with under 10 seconds to play to lift the Friars to victory.

On Tuesday night, against those same Eagles, he provided another lasting moment.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Lane broke out for 13 points in the second and helped Bonner & Prendergast defeat Conwell-Egan, 65-51, in the first round of the PCL playoffs for the second straight year.

The Friars (16-7) advance to Friday’s quarterfinal against Archbishop Wood at Bensalem.

Lane knocked down his first shot at the 2-minute, 8-second mark of the third quarter during a 20-7 run that pushed the Friars’ lead to 43-28. Once his first shot went down, drives to the rim began to open up and none was bigger than his and-one with 4:55 left, pushing his team’s advantage to 50-39. The Friars’ lead never dropped under double digits after that point.

Lane, who was 0-for-5 from the field through the first two quarters, knew being in a playoff rematch that Conwell-Egan (9-13) was going to come out with an added edge.

“I just tried to bring my energy,” Lane said. “We knew they were going to try and get revenge on us for last year’s” playoff loss.

(click on this link for the full article)

 

Conner Delaney turned his game up a few notches in the second half of Episcopal Academy’s Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament first-round game Wednesday.

Delaney scored 15 of his team-high 20 points after halftime and totaled seven assists in a 58-43 triumph over Germantown Friends.

Nick Alikakos was dominant with 19 points, including 11 in the second half, and 11 rebounds. Jack O’Connell tossed in seven points for the third-seeded Churchmen (16-10), who will play No. 6 Perkiomen School Saturday.

By Josh Verlin

Lower Merion made its return to the top of the Central League.

And the way the Aces did it left all those in attendance at Marple Newtown HS on Tuesday night thinking that they’ll be heavy favorites to do it again for the next few seasons.

Behind standout performances from a trio of sophomores, Lower Merion stormed past Strath Haven for an 82-60 victory, cutting down the nets as league champions for the first time in three years.

“It’s great — as a sophomore and just getting it for the seniors, feels great,” wing Jack Forrest said.

Forrest (18 points), along with fellow second-year high schoolers Steve Payne (26 points) and Darryl Taylor (14 points), combined for over 70 percent of Lower Merion’s scoring output. A 6-5 wing, Forrest had the most impressive all-around game, chipping in five steals, four assists and three rebounds while knocking down five 3-pointers.

Aside from the opening three minutes, which saw Strath Haven jump out to a 9-3 lead, Lower Merion was in complete control.

(click on this link for the full article)

(Webmaster’s note: The Central League Championship game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link on the left hand side of the page.)

 

  

By Matthew De George

Arms interlocked, dressed in black t-shirts, Lower Merion presented a united front as the national anthem played Tuesday night at Marple Newtown High School.

“I am a Muslim,” the shirt worn by all members of the Aces boys basketball team read in white script. “I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am an American. I am an Ace.”

United in advocating for citizens’ rights in an American climate where they are increasingly under fire, the shirts were a collaborative show of defiance, crystallizing various forms of protest the Aces have displayed in recent weeks.

Once the whistle blew, that unity manifested itself in another form.

Lower Merion shot lights out from the field, running rampant over Strath Haven, 82-60, to claim the Central League title, the first for the powerhouse program since 2014 and evidence that once again the Aces are peaking late.

The t-shirts are more than a statement to the outside world, a peaceful protest of the travel ban from seven Muslim-majority nations enacted in recent weeks via executive order of President Donald Trump; they’re a statement of consensus among a diverse group of players and what they believe in.

“People’s lives are bigger than a ball going through a hoop,” said Najja Walker-X, a senior guard who spearheaded the production of the shirts.

(click on this link for the full article)

(Webmaster’s note: The Central League Championship game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link on the left hand side of the page.)

 

  

By Matt Smith

Camryn Faith’s reaction after she was fouled in the process of making a layup late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Central League championship game said it all.

She was pumped.

Faith rebounded a miss and dribbled the ball the length of the court. This was her moment. There was no way she would pass it up.

Faith had given the Jaguars a five-point lead over Conestoga with one minute, 12 seconds to go. The game wasn’t over, but Faith’s clutch play felt like a dagger.

“I knew that we needed this win,” said Faith, shrugging her shoulders and playing things coy. “I had to do my best to help. I wanted to give it my all.”

Faith is an excellent lacrosse player who was a key member of the Jaguars’ last two runs to the PIAA championship game. Tuesday night, she came off the bench to ensure the Garnet Valley basketball team’s fourth consecutive Central League crown.

Faith scored eight points and sophomore forward Emily McAteer led all players with 17 as Garnet Valley claimed a 41-36 victory over Conestoga. GV defeated the Pioneers for the second time in four days and the third time this season. The Jaguars (21-2) are 7-0 against the Pioneers (20-4) since the start of last season.

All the  Jags needed was a little Faith.

(click on this link for the full article)

(Webmaster’s note: The Central League Championship game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link on the left hand side of the page.)