By Josh Verlin
The Sweetest Place on Earth is just one win away.
The PIAA state semifinals take place this upcoming weekend — Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22 — at high school gyms across the state, with 48 teams still alive in 12 different brackets across six classifications on the boys and girls’ sides. That includes 16 teams from the Philadelphia area still alive, with eight local squads playing on Friday and eight on Saturday.
Here’s a look at each of Friday’s semifinals involving local teams:
Boys’ 1A
Sankofa Freedom (12-1) vs. Lancaster Country Day (3-4)
Plymouth Whitemarsh HS, 5:30 PM
Sankofa Freedom is back in the state semifinals for the first time since winning the 2019 PIAA Class 1A title, the Warriors’ first and only state championship run. Sankofa’s had a quality run so far, taking out a one-loss York Country Day squad by 29, then beating District 11 champs Bethlehem Christian 75-66 and District 1 champs Chester Charter 67-56.