Bonner & Prendergast’s Jakeem Carroll celebrates after a 3-pointer in a January game against Cardinal O’Hara. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Bensalem High School has been the bank on which even the most illustrious recent District 1 boys basketball seasons have run aground, always in the face of District 12 opposition.
It was the site of Radnor’s first and only loss in the quarterfinals of the 5A tournament in 2023. Radnor’s 2024 season would also end here in the second round, both times to Archbishop Ryan. Archbishop Wood ended District 1 Class 6A champ Lower Merion’s state hopes here last year, and it’s where Marple Newtown in 2022 gave 5A champ Imhotep Charter its best run.
Even Upper Dublin, riding a 28-game winning streak, couldn’t break the trend Tuesday.
Missing one of its best players for the tournament and with another star in first-half foul trouble, Bonner & Prendergast still outworked and outplayed the Cardinals Tuesday night on the way to a 59-37 win and a berth in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals. The Friars advance to take on Upper Moreland, which topped York Suburban in overtime Tuesday.
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