Author: delcohoops

By Matt Smith

Riley d’Entremont has been the steady presence Radnor has relied on all season.

The lone senior on a Raptors squad that captured a District 1 Class 5A title and is now making a run in the state tournament, d’Entremont brings leadership, experience and a high basketball IQ to the floor. While she doesn’t always fill up the stat sheet, her impact is felt in countless ways that don’t show up in the box score.

A Gettysburg lacrosse commit, d’Entremont is savoring every moment of her final days on the hardwood.

“It’s been super cool,” she said after contributing six points, six rebounds and three assists in Radnor’s PIAA first-round victory over Northern York. “My role has definitely changed this season, it’s completely different than what it was last year. Being a senior and a captain, I’ve really had to become more of a speaking leader and encourage everyone. It was an adjustment at first, but it’s come so naturally. A lot of it is because of the girls around me. They are so hard working and we’re all so determined and on the same page. I’ve never won in states before. I’ve made it three times and this is the first time I’ve ever won a game. This being my senior year makes it really special.”

Radnor (19-8) looks to keep its postseason magic alive as it faces a familiar foe in Central League rival Strath Haven (14-13) Wednesday at Bensalem. Tip-off is 6 p.m.

(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)

By CoBL Staff

Girls’ 5A
Radnor (1-1) vs. Strath Haven (1-5) (6:00 PM, Bensalem)
It’s a Central League rematch with a state quarterfinal berth on the line, which adds a whole extra dimension to this clash up at Bensalem. This is actually the fourth time they’ve met this season, with Radnor winning the first three: in the regular season by four and 18 points, then by 18 again in the District 1 5A quarterfinals. Strath Haven is young, with freshmen twin guards Maddie and Kenzie Fanning in the starting lineup and Ellie O’Connor coming off the bench while seniors Olivia Voshell (TCNJ), Kate Fox and Maryella Gill fill out the starting lineup. Radnor counters with a similarly guard-heavy lineup led by juniors Nyah Yao and Anna Reger, with forward Riley D’Entremont the team’s only senior; 6-foot sophomore Bree Simpson could be a difference-maker in this one as well. 

(click on this link for all the game previews)

By CoBL Staff

Out of Friday’s first-round PIAA state playoff games, 22 CoBL-area teams advanced to Tuesday’s second second round. 

Here’s a look at some of the more intriguing games involving local teams that night; a full list of contests can be found below:

Penncrest (1-5) vs. Holy Ghost Prep (1-2) (7:30 PM, Upper Merion)
These two met just three weeks ago in the District 1 5A quarterfinals, Holy Ghost Prep coming from down 14 points in the third quarter to ultimately beat Penncrest 52-48 in overtime, pulling off the upset on Penncrest’s court. Now they’ll meet in neutral territory with a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line. HGP had balanced scoring in that first matchup, senior Adrian Varella — one of nine on the team — had 14 points as six others hit the scoring column. But the Firebirds had problems with Lions junior forward Mikey Mita, who had a game-high 21 points. 

(click on this link for the previews)

By Matt Smith

 The same energy and determination that propelled Radnor to the District 1 Class 5A championship was on full display Saturday, despite a long layoff before the start of the PIAA tournament.

The Raptors hadn’t played a meaningful game since defeating Gwynedd Mercy on Feb. 25, an 11-day gap filled only with practices and scrimmages. But any concerns about rust quickly disappeared. Radnor picked up right where it left off, earning a 45-33 win over Northern York in the first round of the state playoffs that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Radnor (19-8) moves on to play Central League rival Strath Haven (14-13) in an all-Delco matchup Wednesday night at a neutral site.

Perhaps what emboldened the Raptors was the chance to play one final game on their home floor, a court senior leader Riley d’Entremont called “my favorite court I’ve ever played on.”

“As a senior, I wanted to go out with a bang,” d’Entremont said. “So, it was super special to do it in this manner, with this team, and with all of my family here.”

(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)

Strath Haven girls basketball coach Brandi Johnson was succinct in describing her team’s opening round victory Saturday in the PIAA Class 5A tournament.

“We came ready to play,” Johnson summarized.

That was clearly illustrated in Haven’s 66-36 win over Bangor.

The Panthers were led by Maddie Fanning’s 18 points and Maryella Gill’s 16, but contributions were seen across the board.

Haven had 21 steals and forced 15 turnovers. In addition to the points put up by Fanning and Gill, Olivia Voshell scored 12 points and Kate Fox added 10.

The Panthers will take on Central League neighbor Radnor, a 45-33 winner over Northern York, in Wednesday’s second round.

(click on this link for more game stories and scores subscription may be required)

By Josh Verlin

As a freshman, Shareef Jackson was the sixth man on Roman Catholic’s state championship squad. With at most four games left in his outstanding high school career, the Cahillites’ senior wants to end his time at Broad and Vine the way he started it: by going out on top. 

And he wants to do it with his brother, junior wing Sammy Jackson, right by his side.

“I’m not trying to play my last game with my brother as a loss,” Sammy Jackson said. “We talk about it sometimes but we just know in the back of our heads, we both know we’re thinking the same thing.”

The Jackson brothers made sure Roman took the first step towards that goal, as the Cahillites came into the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium and took out Lower Merion, 74-63 in the opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament on Saturday afternoon. 

(click on this link for the full article)

By Joseph Santoliquito

On Friday afternoon, Father Judge coach Chris Roantree gathered his team around him at midcourt before practice as he usually does. He spoke to them about staying with the message of legacy this season and pointed to the few scant basketball banners hanging in the Judge gym.

Roantree reminded them that they were not the first Judge team to win the Catholic League championship, something the Crusaders accomplished a few weeks ago for the first time in 27 years. What begins on Saturday, Roantree stressed, is something that they alone could own; that they could have their names up in the rafters as the first Judge team to ever win a PIAA state basketball championship.

Then it was back to the grind.

Maybe it’s why when Judge beat Garnet Valley, 71-52, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A state playoffs in Judge’s packed gym on Saturday the significance of the Crusaders’ history-making, first-ever PIAA state playoff game victory seemed to be lost.

(click on this link for the full article)

By Matt Smith

Leah Hudak and Cardinal O’Hara knew they couldn’t afford to keep playing at the breakneck pace set in the opening quarter.

In their PIAA Class 6A tournament opener against Central Bucks East, the defending state champions found themselves in a fast-paced shootout early. The teams combined for 11 field goals – six from beyond the arc – and 30 points in the first eight minutes. Hudak’s late drive trimmed C.B. East’s lead to two, but the Lions knew they had to make some changes on the defensive end.

O’Hara wasn’t going to let the Patriots keep getting clean looks. C.B. East had four legitimate shooters, led by Natalie Berndt, who knocked down two triples in the first, alongside Jess Lockwood and Haley Moran, the team’s top all-around playmaker. Out of the first-quarter huddle, O’Hara locked in defensively, turning up the pressure with tight face-guarding, making it nearly impossible for the Patriots to get into their sets.

“We talked about it as a team. They were making a lot of shots,” said Hudak, a sophomore. “We couldn’t let them get as many shots off. We had to play better defense, because defense wins games.”

(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)

By Joseph Santoliquito 

Archbishop Carroll 61, Council Rock South 42

The Patriots, District 12’s No. 1 seed in PIAA Class 6A, started strong and never had to look back, getting out to an 11-0 lead and maintaining a double-digit lead throughout much of the opening round Class 6A playoff game.

Carroll (18-9) will now advance to play District 3 No. 5-seed Wilson in the second round on Tuesday.

The Pats were led by junior Alexis Eberz game-high 16 points, followed by freshman Kayla Eberz’s 15, and sophomore Abbie McFillin’s 13. Council Rock South (21-6) ended a highly successful season, winning the Suburban One League Patriot Conference and qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012.

The Pats reached the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals last season. This season, they are a far younger team, placing a lot on players like freshman Kayla Eberz and sophomore McFillin. The victory over Council Rock South was Kayla’s first state playoff game.

(click on this link for the full article)

By Matthew DeGeorge

The play in the fourth quarter had broken down, and Bishop Shanahan was looking for a fix.

Archbishop Carroll had turned up its pressure, the defensive energy that got it back in front in the third quarter of its PIAA Class 4A opening-round affair Friday night. Two Carroll players surrounded the ball just inside the halfcourt line, and Shanahan needed an out.

The find was to Anthony Aquino, the sixth man in a rotation that only rolls six deep. And while other Carroll defenders took to more conventional targets, Aquino found the lane open wide for him and laid in off the glass with his right, a confident blow-by that belied where he might have fallen on the chart of offensive options.

The basket was part of a 13-3 fourth quarter run that ultimately sent the District 1 champion Eagles past Carroll, 72-63. It tidily typified the difference between the teams Friday: Where Bishop Shanahan got contributions from everyone and anyone who stepped on the floor in a cohesive offensive performance, Carroll’s (arguably superior) talent was undone by the lack of connection wrought by a season of ill-timed injuries.

(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)