Author: delcohoops

By Bob Grotz

The Harris twins gave Chester a turbo boost in the second half of their 59-54 District 1 Class 6A triumph over defending district champion Plymouth Whitemarsh Tuesday night at Ninth and Barclay.

The win advances the fourth-seeded Clippers (19-2) to the quarterfinals and a rematch with Coatesville, which defeated Cheltenham 77-60. That game is on Friday at 7 p.m. at Chester.

Coatesville, you may recall, handed the Clippers a 66-62 defeat on Jan. 26 at the Clip Joint, snapping their 16-game winning streak.

“It is what it is,” Clippers coach Keith Taylor said. “Let’s get it. People can talk all that noise that they want. Let’s get it.”

On this Tuesday evening the Clippers were a bit lethargic, which wasn’t surprising considering they haven’t played in weeks. The 12th-seeded Colonials weren’t going to go quietly, either particularly the young core headed by 6-5 sophomore Manik Sajid, who scored a game-high 26 points.

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By CoBL Staff

The PIAA state playoffs are only a win away for the 16 teams left in District 1 6A. All eight second-round winners next Tuesday night 

Here’s a look at all eight second-round games; all games are scheduled for 7 PM at the higher seed:

1) Lower Merion vs. 16) Conestoga
The 2021 and 2022 District 1 champs are back as the No. 1 seed, Gregg Downer’s group getting a bye through the first round after a 21-1 regular season and a Central League championship. Now the Aces get to start the next phase of their postseason with a familiar opponent in the league rival Pioneers, whom they’ve already dispatched twice this season: 42-37 at Conestoga on Dec. 14 and 90-60 at Lower Merion on Jan. 30. Conestoga’s into the second round after a suffocating defensive effort against Neshaminy leading to a 53-19 win on Friday night. They’ll try to replicate that type of effort Tuesday, though besides that first matchup nobody’s held Lower Merion below 59 points all season, and the Aces have hit 75+ on 14 different occasions. 

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By CoBL Staff

The District 1 5A girls field is down to eight heading to Tuesday night. Each squad remaining has at least two more games to play this season with a win guaranteeing even more.

Tuesday night’s winners will advance to Friday’s semifinal round and clinch four of the district’s six spots in states, while the four losers will head to the state playback bracket and battle for the last two bids.

Here’s a look at all four second-round games:

3) Radnor vs. 6) Villa Maria
Radnor got a first round-bye this season after an upset first-round loss ended the Raptors’ season a year ago. The Raptors have had a lot of time to stew on a first-round Central League playoff loss to Penncrest two weeks ago, while the Hurricanes, last season’s district runner-up, enter following a lopsided AACA title loss to Gwynedd Mercy. Seniors Kate Gallagher and Caroline Monahan are joined by sophomores Nyah Yao and Anna Reger in the rotation for the Raptors. They’ll miss the inside presence of senior forward  Blayse Jennings, who spent her first three high school seasons playing in New York, after an unfortunate PIAA ruling.

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By Matt Smith

Aaron Freeman didn’t factor into Sun Valley’s plans at the start of the season. He was a junior up from JV and wasn’t expected to play a lot of minutes.

Those plans changed quickly.

“Aaron at the beginning of the season wasn’t necessarily in the rotation,” coach Steve Maloney said. “Shows how smart I am.”

Maloney, a known wisecracker, was being facetious.

Freeman eventually forced himself into the starting lineup and provided the Vanguards with another versatile and speedy ball handler alongside senior Noah Griffin, who is every team’s worst nightmare when facing Sun Valley.

When the game was on the line Friday night, in the final moments of a District 1 Class 5A first-round slugfest with Marple Newtown, Maloney entrusted Freeman with the ball.

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Bailey Garrison’s and Lila Curci’s clutch free-throw shooting helped No. 19 Penncrest to a 60-59 victory over 14th-seeded Coatesville in the first round of the District 1 Class 6A playoffs Friday evening.

Garrison hit two foul shots with two-tenths of a second left in the fourth quarter, tying the game. In the extra session, Curci made one foul to extend the Lions’ lead to three points with 14 seconds remaining. Penncrest power forward Kathryn Harding dominated with 22 points. Garrison (13 points) finished 11-for-12 at the charity stripe, while Emily Huggins and Alex Bruce tossed in 10 points each.

Curci and Makayla Johnson played outstanding defense on Coatesville’s best shooter, Gianna Jackson, who was limited to five points.

Elsewhere in the District 1 Class 6A tournament:

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By Justin Procope

Larenzo Jerkins knows the importance of setting a tone. 

The first drop of sweat had yet to emerge on the forehead of the chiseled 6-foot-5 junior before he was up in the grill of 6-9 Archbishop Carroll forward Drew Corrao, daring him to try to score on him. 

“We needed somebody to set the tone, show that we’re here and we’re not gonna leave,” Jerkins said. “So in order to set that tone, I need to show examples. I need to block shots, I need to yell in people’s ear. I need to do anything possible to get that juice going for us and to up uplift us.”

Neumann-Goretti needed every ounce of his intensity down the stretch Friday night against a young and talented Caroll team eager to make a name for itself. 

With the game hanging in the balance late and Neumann-Goretti clinging to a single-digit lead, it was Jerkins who made the biggest plays in the final period. None bigger than the two free throws he knocked down with the same composure and maturity he has off the court to put his team up five with just five seconds left in the contest. 

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By Owen McCue

Roman Catholic’s Philadelphia Catholic League title defense began this season with a group trying to get back to the Palestra, although quite a few Cahillites players had never been there before.

Along with junior pillar Shareef Jackson and senior point guard Robert Cottrell, a new-look Roman squad followed up last season’s PCL championship with the top seed in the league tournament.

The Cahillites looked every bit the par of the league’s top dogs in Friday 71-32 night’s romp over Cardinal O’Hara, setting up a matchup with Father Judge on Wednesday at the Cathedral of College Basketball.

“Coach Chris (McNesby) needed people to step up for him this year, and I was one of them,” senior Hunter Johnson said. “Now I’m going to the Palestra.”

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By Joseph Santoliquito

Water was everywhere. On the white tile classroom floor the Haverford High School girls basketball team called a dressing room, on Fords’ coach Lauren Pellicane, on every player that got drenched celebrating.

If someone told Pellicane her best player would barely play in the second half, that her team would turn the ball over 23 times, that they would get beat to the occasional loose ball before the Fords played Conestoga in the Central League championship, she may have had her doubts whether her team would prevail.

The Fords did.

Using stellar defense, good ball movement and infinite patience on offense, Haverford beat Conestoga 44-30 to capture its second-straight Central League championship for the first time, it is believed, in school history.

The Fords (21-3) received what was expected from their star players: a team-high 13 points from Aniya Eberhart and 10 from Rian Dotsey. But it was the role players who made the difference. It was the stubborn defense of seniors Natalie Wright and Tess Durfee on Conestoga’s leading scorer Ryann Jennings. It was Ashley Wright (no relation to Natalie) hitting important free throws in the fourth quarter.

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By Bob Grotz

There was no question who the defending champs were after Radnor bounced out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter of the boys Central League title game Thursday at Marple Newtown High.

The Raptors had no intention of letting go.

But Lower Merion dug down deep with a couple of those explosive runs that make you wonder if the scoreboard is malfunctioning, including a decisive third quarter to earn a 17th Central League championship with a 68-54 win over the Raptors.

“They all taste good,” Aces coach Gregg Downer said. “But this has been a lot of fun. Good environment, beat a good Radnor team and this is the third year in a row it’s come down to us or them. It’s nice to get the trophy back to Bryant Gym.”

Senior Adam Herron Kohl scored 16 points to lead the Aces (23-1), who have won 14 in a row since a 65-62 defeat to Stow-Munro (Ohio) on Dec. 28. Owen McCabe and Carson Kasmer scored 14 points each, and Jayden Robinson added 13 points. Robinson also provided a defensive effort that unraveled the Raptors (18-4) in the third quarter, the 6-5 transfer from Overbrook almost single-handedly blowing up the rhythm of the Raptors.

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Webmaster’s note: If you missed the game or just want to watch again please click on our Archived Broadcast page!

Delco Christian got a fast jump out of the gate, scoring 25 points in the first quarter and cruising from there to an 81-52 victory over Faith Christian in a Bicentennial Athletic Conference boys semifinal game Thursday night.

The Knights (19-6, 13-1 BAL) will play an undetermined opponent in the conference championship on Saturday. They had six players scoring in double figures Thursday to get them there.

Caleb Jameson scored 16 points and Khamai Orange had 15 to lead the way. Beau Lyren and Cole Pruessner added 13 each, while Josiah Gaines and Luke Bushra registered 10 points each.

Haverford School 62, SCHA 58 >> In a game Wednesday night, KJ Carson and Jacob Becker scored 15 points each to lead the Fords to victory.

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