Month: March 2018

By Tyler Sandora

In Penncrest’s win over Upper Merion in the 2017 District 1 5A championship last March, then-junior Justin Heidig didn’t see a single minute on the Villanova University Pavilion court.

Heidig had been one of the go-to guys off the bench for Mike Doyle’s squad all of last year, but just didn’t get in the championship game.

All offseason that sat in the back of Heidig’s mind. Coming into his senior year, Heidig knew he would be a vital part of the rotation, which returned enough talent to make a run at the district championship for the second straight year.

“It’s the one game I didn’t play [all year],” Heidig said. “Coach knows what’s best, and he knows who to put out there.

“But this time, I think it’s my turn.”

(click on this link for the full story)

Webmaster’s note: The Penncrest vs Wissahickon playoff 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 Bruce Adams

Sun Valley basketball fans were treated to a double dose of long-awaited celebration Wednesday evening.
Not only did the Vanguards clinch their first PIAA state tourney berth since 1990 with a 47-41 win against West Chester Rustin, but Sun Valley junior guard Vinny DeAngelo joined the school’s 1,000 point club.Sun Valley head coach Steve Maloney said, “This team has come a long way. Last year, we were 6-16, and this season, instead of looking at a long-range goal we’ve been focusing on getting to the next quarter, then getting to the next game. But this is a great group of kids – they were in the gym for off-season workouts 15 minutes before I was.

“And we didn’t expect Vinny to reach 1,000 points this year, but his scoring just took off this season. He’s not afraid to share the ball – he’s a special person.”

Following the Vanguards’ historic win, a post-game ceremony was held for DeAngelo. One of the celebrants was his older sister Gia, a former 1,000 point scorer at Sun Valley.

“She congratulated me, gave me a hug, and said, ‘Welcome to the club,’” said DeAngelo, who scored 20 points Wednesday night and now has 1,001 career points. “Reaching the 1,000 point mark was cool, but getting to States is awesome.”

(click on this link for the full story)

By Owen McCue

Before he let his team leave its locker room after Wednesday’s night‘s state play-in win against Mastery North, Archbishop Carroll head coach Paul Romanczuk had a question for his Patriots squad.

“I said to them, ‘this is now 10 straight years we’ve been in the state playoffs,’” Romanczuk said. “Then I said, ‘do you guys know how many years Archbishop Carroll’s been able to be in the state playoffs?’ It’s not a trick question.”

After the hint from their head coach, the Patriots nailed the correct response.

With its 67-61 overtime win against the Pumas, Carroll locked up its 10th straight PIAA appearance since the Philadelphia Catholic League schools were allowed to compete in the tournament for the first time during the 2008-09 season.

(click on this link for the full story)