Month: February 2023

By Matt Smith

If you say the word “undefeated” to a Haverford player, you are unlikely to get a response. A smirk or shrug of the shoulders, but that’s about it.

The Fords are 24-0 and fresh off winning the team’s first Central League championship in 11 years. They are led by Delaware County’s top scorer, senior forward Caroline Dotsey, who is averaging around 18 points per game. They have three dominant forwards in Dotsey, her  sophomore sister Rian and senior Mollie Carpenter, all of whom stand six feet or taller. Their starting guards, senior Sky Newman and junior Aniya Eberhart, are the energizers.

The Fords know they’re good, but going into the District 1 Class 6A tournament as the only undefeated team in the district means very little to them. It doesn’t mean they are cocky or overconfident. They approach every game like it will be their last.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

It wasn’t long into the third quarter Wednesday night that Izaiah Pasha picked up his third personal foul. The moment could’ve placed the Catholic League first-round game between Cardinal O’Hara and Bonner & Prendergast on a knife’s edge.

Bonner & Prendie, chasing the whole game, was within eight. O’Hara was one hand-check away from having to play without its point guard and do-everything creator. The same conundrum hit later in the quarter when Pearse McGuinn, limited by foul trouble in the first half, was whistled for his third.

But in tune with his maturing team, O’Hara coach Ryan Nemetz kept both players on the floor. And he let them lead O’Hara to the Catholic League quarterfinals. McGuinn scored 11 of his 16 points in the third, then Pasha supplied 12 of his 18 in the fourth as seven-seed O’Hara held off No. 10 Bonner, 69-60.

The first possession after Pasha’s third foul was telling. Two free throws from Deuce Ketner brought Bonner to within 34-26. Pasha responded by driving to the arc and flipping a pass over his head to McGuinn in the left corner to can a 3-pointer.

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By Josh Verlin

Archbishop Carroll has come close to pulling off some big upsets in the Catholic League quarterfinals under Francis Bowe.

In Bowe’s first year on the Carroll sidelines, 2018-19, the seventh-seeded Patriots took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter at No. 2 seed La Salle, only to suffer — according to hoops historian Ted Silary — the largest come-from-behind-after-three-quarters victory in PCL quarterfinal history as the Explorers won 49-47. The following year, just ahead of the pandemic, Carroll almost pulled the 8-1 upset at Archbishop Wood, the Vikings taking advantage of a backcourt violation late in regulation to force overtime and win 82-78 in the extra session.

If a couple plays go a couple different ways, it’s possible that Bowe wouldn’t be aiming for his first trip to the Palestra, but his third. Now once again the No. 8 seed and going on the road to face the Catholic League regular-season champs, Neumann-Goretti, in the quarterfinals on Friday, Bowe has some history to lean on.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Charlie Thornton exited the locker room at Harriton High School Monday night wearing sunglasses. Given the blinding shooting night he and his Radnor teammates had just inflicted on Lower Merion, it was probably better safe than sorry.

Thornton hit six 3-pointers to tie a career-high with 26 points, the Raptors scorched the nets to a 20-for-30 shooting performance and Radnor ran away in the second half, winning the Central League title with a 60-46 decision.

“I told Jackson (Hicke) a few days ago, I haven’t felt like I couldn’t miss in a while,” Thornton said, his shades neatly tucked away. “And today was one of those days. My guys find me wherever I needed to be found. They know where I like my spots, and they put me in those positions to make plays.”

Accessories aside, Thornton is the first to defer credit. Which makes sense, because that’s how Radnor has gotten to 24-0, lifting what is believed to be its first title in the Central League, which dates to the mid-1960s. Radnor’s brilliance is predicated on that one extra pass – always selfless, always looking for the next man, always getting the ball to the player in the best position to help the team.

 

Webmaster’s note:  If you missed the game or simply want to listen again click on our Archived Broadcast page.

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By Matt Smith

Twenty-seven seconds separated Haverford from its first Central League girls basketball championship in 11 years when Caroline Dotsey stood at the foul line with the Fords leading by one point Monday.

The senior forward made the first shot before Conestoga took a timeout in an attempt to ice the Fords’ outstanding senior forward.

In the midst of a dominating 23-point performance, Dotsey’s second free shot was short. Rian Dotsey, Caroline’s sophomore sister,  jumped inside the lane, raised her arms and grabbed the rebound. In one motion Rian sent the ball back in the air and into the basket.

The Fords’ bench and every one of their fans in attendance at Harriton High erupted.

Rian Dotsey’s shot sealed No. 1 Haverford’s 41-37 win over second-seeded Conestoga for the Central League title. In addition to claiming their first league crown since 2012, the Fords (24-0) have tied a program record for consecutive victories.

Webmaster’s note:  If you missed the game or simply want to listen again click on our Archived Broadcast page.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

The losses ultimately didn’t mean much, but the lessons were well-taken.

Radnor’s boys basketball team started the 2021-22 season 13-0. It stumbled twice in the regular season, reached the Central League and District 1 Class 5A finals and the second round of states before meeting the buzzsaw that is Imhotep Charter. By any measure, Radnor maxed out its talent.

But the rare setbacks in a 23-5 season left an impression, for a nine-strong senior class determined not to feel that sting again. And so a motto was born in the locker room, among a group in the rare position of being the favorite just about every time out this season.

The focus, forward Jackson Hicke says, is on trying to put together a one-game winning streak.

Twenty-three of them have led the Raptors back to the Central League final, against a familiar foe in Lower Merion, Monday night at Harriton (7:45 tipoff).

Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:30 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!

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By Matt Smith

One of the underrated factors in Haverford High’s undefeated season has been the tremendous play of its starting guards.

Senior Sky Newman and junior Aniya Eberhart have given the 23-0 Fords a dynamic backcourt combo, something the program hasn’t had in prior seasons. Both can fill the role of point and shooting guard, and together Newman and Eberhart helped the Fords quicken the pace on both ends of the floor.

Eberhart was not in the starting lineup last season when the Fords advanced to the quarterfinals of the District 1 Class 6A tournament and the second round of the PIAA playoffs. Late in the season Eberhart emerged as the first player coach Lauren Pellicane called upon off the bench to provide the team a spark.

Newman and Eberhart are the perfect complement to the Fords’ big three – six-foot-plus forwards Caroline Dotsey, Rian Dotsey and Mollie Carpenter, all of whom have grabbed headlines and plaudits for their individual dominance this season. Eberhart knows she could not develop into such a good player without surrounding herself with other good players and coaches. And the Fords have plenty of both.

Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:20 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

The District 1 boys basketball brackets are out, and for the first time in decades, so is Chester.

The Clippers finished 26th in the final Class 6A standings, outside the 24-team field. Chester (12-10) has only missed states, much less districts, three times in the last four decades.

Eleven Delaware County teams will be in the postseason, however, led by the top two seeds in the 5A field. Brackets were unveiled Sunday at the seeding meeting and remain unofficial until Monday.

Unbeaten Radnor (23-0) and Del Val champion Chichester (19-3) are first and second, respectively. Both receive first-round byes, opening the tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 22. They need to win only one game to reach the semifinals and be among the six teams to make the PIAA tournament.

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By Josh Verlin

For 16 minutes, there was a chance that Radnor’s momentum might finally come to an end in the Central League semifinals, Springfield (Delco.) hitting some big shots to hang around in a raucous Radnor gym, going into the half down only seven.

But it was false hope for the Cougars, who became the latest victim to a Raptors squad that’s been as good as advertised all season long. Jackson Hicke and Co. put together a dominant third quarter to make it clear there would be no upset bid, pulling away for a 65-34 win on Saturday afternoon.

“They are a machine,” said Kevin McCormick, who’s been the Cougars’ head coach since 1994. “They’re definitely in the conversation [for best Central League teams during my tenure], and they should be proud of it, they’ve stuck together and they’ve got good things ahead of them.”

Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:20 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!

(click on this link for the full story)

By Josh Verlin

Points were at their most premium on Saturday at Conestoga as the Pioneers hosted Springfield (Delco.) in a Central League girls semifinal.

It’s no surprise that the two defensive-minded programs were both locked in, a trip to the championship game on the line, but when the halftime came and neither team had hit double figures, it was clear that every shot was going to be worth double, that whichever team could put together even the smallest of runs could create what seemed like a chasm as the minutes ticked away.

So when Conestoga junior Marisa Francione started the third with one 3-pointer, and then another…well, it felt like way more than six points.

“Yeah, those two were huge, and I think she had a two later, baseline jumper […] they were just massive shots,” Pioneers coach AJ Thompson said. “And that’s what you expect from one of your leaders like that, is for them to step up.”

Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:20 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!

(click on this link for the full story)