Month: February 2023

By Matthew DeGeorge

Its district fate still unresolved, Springfield could’ve been playing its final game Thursday night in the opening round of the Central League playoffs. Without need of intervention from the district math, though, the Cougars possessed a certain power to make sure the encounter with Garnet Valley wasn’t the end of the road.

“Our message for the past couple of weeks has been to control what you can control, win every game you can,” senior guard Michael O’Donnell said. “We’ve just been treating every game like a playoff game. That’s what we did tonight; not thinking about districts, we just had our eyes on winning this game.”

Thursday, control meant O’Donnell taking over, with a game-high 22 points to lead Springfield to a 48-29 victory. It gives the fifth-seeded Cougars (12-11) five wins in a row and at least one more game, Saturday against top-seeded and unbeaten Radnor in the semis.

The Cougars’ postseason fate in the District 1 Class 6A playoffs won’t be decided by then, potentially depending on the result of Chester’s game with Chester Charter Scholars Academy that day.

(click on this link for the full story)

Lexi Aaron powered third-seeded Springfield to a 47-36 victory over Penncrest in a Central League quarterfinal game Thursday.

Aaron scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Cougars (19-4) to their second win over the Lions in three days. Springfield pinned a 44-27 loss on Penncrest Tuesday night. The win sends the Cougars into Saturday’s semifinals against second-seeded Conestoga. The Pioneers won the only meeting between the teams in the regular season.

Senior forward Anabel Kreydt produced eight points and 12 rebounds. Taylor Hunyet chipped in with seven points for the Cougars.

Emily Harrison paced the Lions (14-9) with 14 points. Bailey Garrison added eight points, while Cora Fattori and Kaitlyn Kearney had six apiece.

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

By Matthew DeGeorge

The leaders on the Springfield boys basketball team understood the deal once they had traversed the first 13 mostly unlucky games.

The Cougars, 4-9 to that point, began the season slowly while their core of football players got into form. They had gone winless in six games decided by seven points or fewer, and had been handed a daunting schedule to start the new year, resulting in a five-game skid. So right about the second week of January, the Cougars came to grasp the dire consequences each additional loss would have for their postseason hopes.

The team’s response has been stellar. The results, as yet, remain unclear.

Springfield is the fifth seed in the Central League playoffs, traveling to Garnet Valley Thursday for an opening-round game. It may be the last game of the season, depending on what the District 1 Class 6A spreadsheets say. As of Wednesday afternoon, Springfield is the precarious occupant of the 24th and final districts spot. But that could change before the seeds become official Sunday.

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 Matt Smith

Penncrest’s Kyra Curci remembers what it was like to win one game her sophomore season.

Not fun at all.

Believe Curci when she tells you this isn’t the same down-on-its-luck Penncrest team that struggled to stay out of the Central League basement for years and years. Observing the Lions last winter, one may have thought they were on the right track. Rebuilding, but they had a ways to go.

Larry Johnson, the longtime women’s coach at PSU-Brandywine, was brought in last year to change the culture. He has won four PSUAC championships at Brandywine where he still serves as head coach. He splits his time between Brandywine and Penncrest.

After winning 10 games a season ago, nine more than the year prior, the Penncrest Lions started to think that maybe they could compete with the Central League’s top programs.

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

Chichester’s boys basketball team arrived at the Fred Pickett Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday evening with its share of the Del Val Championship secure, and with its postseason fate secure, no matter what transpired over the next 32 minutes. Both were statements that their hosts couldn’t make.

But the Eagles also knew a few more facts – the 30-plus years since they’d last beaten Chester, the 70-some consecutive losses, the big 0 in the win column at Chester all-time in a series (can you really call it a rivalry?) dating back more than a half-century. Finishing the regular season that way – with an outright title, with a bit of history, and maybe with an unthinkable finger in the eye to Chester’s playoff hopes – was the only way a special senior class could envision it ending.

Akhir Keys’ corner 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds left and some dogged defense to repel three Chester chances to win it earned Chichester a 55-54 win and the outright title.

It’s the first time Chichester (18-3, 6-1) has won the Del Val since 1993 and just its sixth crown overall. The Eagles beat Chester for the first time since 1986-87, ending a string of 73 consecutive losses. In the process, they may have dealt a fatal blow to Chester’s chances of making the District 1 Class 6A playoffs.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matt Smith

There was hot pizza from Thunderbird and lots of homemade goodies in the cafeteria for a post-game party honoring Springfield’s senior players Tuesday night.

Before they could feast, though, seniors Lexi Aaron, Taylor Hunyet, Kaitlyn Kearney, Anabel Kreydt, Mia Valero and Sophia Ward had to put on a show and defeat a much-improved Penncrest squad looking to make a good impression on the Cougars. The teams meet again Thursday, same time and location, in the quarterfinal round of the Central League tournament.

“All of our nerves and excitement. I think it kind of got to us in the beginning,” Valerio said. “We came out a little hectic.”

No worries. The Cougars eventually got their act together and rolled to a 44-27 victory. It was far from smooth sailing in the first half, but Springfield’s tremendous defense and hustle were the difference after halftime.

Springfield (18-4,14-2) is the No. 3 seed in the Central League playoffs. Penncrest (14-8, 9-7) will be the sixth and final seed in the tournament.

The upstart Lions hung around for a quarter or two, but the Cougars forced the visitors into 23 turnovers and held them to 11 points in the second half.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Josh Verlin

Take a peek at the Springfield boys and girls basketball rosters, and it doesn’t take long to notice something a little unusual. 

There’s Kaitlyn Kearney, a senior on the girls’ squad, and Keagan Kearney, a senior on the boys. Right below them on their respective rosters are Anabel Kreydt and Aidan Kreydt, respectively, two more seniors. Keep looking, and you’ll see Colin Treude, a junior on the boys’ roster…and Erin Treude, another junior, on the girls’ side. 

Yes, it’s certainly a family affair in Delco. Three sets of twins, all playing basketball for the Cougars, give Springfield (Delco.)’s two hoops programs a special connection.

“I just think it’s pretty cool that Springfield has three sets of twins that all play varsity basketball,” Colin Treude said. “I think it’s just really unique.”

For sure it is. And it doesn’t stop there.

(click on this link for the full story)

Xenia Gillis, Ani Roscoe and Mariah Wright combined for 51 points to help Penn Wood beat Academy Park, 64-55 and move into a first-place tie in the Del Val League with the Knights.
Gillis led all scorers with 23 points. Roscoe added 18 and Wright 10. Alaysia Kinlaw scored 23 points to share game-high honors and lead Academy Park. Semaji Young pitched in with 11 points.

Chester 70, Chichester 37 » Shyne Hall and Jaymya Muhammad poured in 27 points each to lead the Clippers. Imani Dorsey chipped in with 18.
Tah’kya Pray collected 12 points and 10 rebounds and Zanai Coleman had 10 points and 10 boards for the Eagles.

In the Central League:

Haverford 42. Garnet Valley 28 » Caroline Dotsey poured in 27 points to put the finishing touch on an undefeated regular season for the Fords.Haylie Adamski topped the Jaguars with 15 points. Kylie Mulholland added 10 points.

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

It was a night to remember for Upper Darby’s Yassir Joyner, Haverford’s Googie Seidman and Radnor’s Jackson Hicke.

All three players joined the 1,000-point club Tuesday night while leading their respective teams to victory.

Joyner scored 14 points and went over the 1,000-point mark in the second quarter of Upper Darby’s 82-53 romp over Conestoga.

Joyner is just the second player in Royals program history to score 1,000 points. Nadir Myers paced UD with a game-high 24 points. Niymire Brown also scored 14 points. Shaun Cain added 12 and Khysir Slaughter pitched in with 10.

Seidman, meanwhile, went over the 1,000-point mark in the fourth quarter of Haverford’s 55-53 triumph over Garnet Valley.

Seidman scored eight of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Fords hold off the Jaguars. Weiner added 12 points and Tommy Wright 10 for the Fords.

(click on this link for more game stories and scores)

By Josh Verlin

To extend their season, Harriton’s boys had one option: win.

The Rams came into their regular-season finale against Marple Newtown on Tuesday night tied with the Tigers, the winner nabbing the sixth and final spot in the Central League playoffs. But arguably even more important than that was the fact that Harriton was ranked No. 22 in the unofficial District 1 6A rankings, just barely inside the 24-team field. 

So Harriton’s 69-46 win over Marple did more than just qualify them for the league playoffs, which start Thursday, but also assured their season would continue at least into next week with their first district appearance in six years.

(click on this link for the full story)