Author: delcohoops

By Matthew DeGeorge

In a Central League that has been tight all season, it makes perfect sense that two road teams would prevail in the first round of the league playoffs.

No. 6 seed Marple Newtown knocked off third-seeded Conestoga, 64-60, Thursday night, while No. 5 Springfield overcame fourth seed Garnet Valley, 54-53, in overtime.

It sets up Friday’s semifinals, with the Tigers returning to top-seeded Penncrest – after dropping a double-overtime contest there on Saturday – and the Cougars venturing to No. 2 Lower Merion.

Matt Gardler was a difference maker as usual for Marple Newtown, with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He went 6-for-6 from the line in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers were 9-for-10 at the charity stripe in the final frame.

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By Jeremy Goode

In today’s game, you usually have to tell kids to shoot the ball less. This was not the case for Haverford High’s Mya Foley.

Foley knew her role well for the first three years of high school basketball through the Fords’ basketball program: lock down on defense, make several plays through passing, get a rebound, and score occasionally. 

Going into her senior season, Haverford head coach Lauren Pellicane had a different role for the 5-foot-5 defensive-minded guard to embrace: become more offensive in general, especially through moving without the basketball and shooting.

It was not a punishment for Foley. After all, she had been a significant part of some very talented Haverford teams. She was on both championship teams, including sophomore year which Haverford finished 27-0. She just happens to be a good basketball player in an unselfish way.   

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By Matt Smith

Natalie Wright doesn’t love shooting free throws in high-pressure moments, but she knows how to block out the noise and get the job done.

The Haverford senior forward knocked down 5-of-6 foul shots in the fourth quarter while also coming up with two crucial steals and a key basket off an inbounds play. Wright’s late-game heroics powered the third-seeded Fords to a 43-31 victory over No. 6 Springfield in the Central League quarterfinals Thursday.

With the win, Haverford advances to face No. 2 Conestoga in Friday’s semifinals – a rematch of the last two league championship games.

“I wouldn’t say I liked it, but I was ready to do it,” Wright said. “I had to step up for my team, and that’s all that matters in the moment.”

Haverford coach Lauren Pellicane had complete faith in Wright’s ability in the final quarter. She knew it was only a matter of time before Wright ignited the spark the Fords needed. With Springfield keeping the game tight through three quarters, Pellicane was looking for someone to make a game-changing play and Wright delivered on offense and defense.

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Delcohoops.com will, once again, be broadcasting, LIVE, both the Girls and Boys Championship basketball games on February 10th.

Currently scheduled to be held at Marple Newtown High School the girls game is scheduled for 6 PM while the boys are scheduled at 7:45 PM.

Playoffs will begin on Thursday, February 6th. See the CoBL article below for teams and times.

You will be able to view the championships games right here on Delcohoops.com as well as You Tube and PPV service NFHS Network.  All links will be posted this weekend for your convenience.

By Josh Verlin

Here’s a look at each bracket in the Central League, with a breakdown of each to follow:

Girls
First Round — Thurs., Feb. 6 (at higher seed)
3) Haverford High vs. 6) Springfield (Delco.) (6:00 PM)
4) Radnor vs. 5) Lower Merion (7:00 PM)

Semifinals — Fri., Feb. 7 (at higher seed)
1) Garnet Valley vs. TBD (7:00 PM)
2) Conestoga vs. TBD (6:00 PM)

Championship — Mon., Feb. 10 (Marple Newtown or Harriton)

Boys
First Round — Thurs., Feb. 6 (at higher seed)
3) Garnet Valley  vs. 6) Springfield (Delco.) (7:00 PM)
4) Conestoga vs. 5) Marple Newtown (6:00 PM)

Semifinals — Fri., Feb. 7 (at higher seed)
1) Penncrest vs. TBD (6:30 PM)
2) Lower Merion vs. TBD (6:00 PM)

Championship — Mon., Feb. 10 (Marple Newtown or Harriton)

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By Joseph Santoliquito

At first, no one took it seriously. The strobe lights were flashing and the fire alarms sounded Tuesday night during halftime at Penn Wood, which was hosting Chester in a Del-Val League game.

Allegedly, someone was vaping in a bathroom, triggering the major inconvenience, and everyone had to be evacuated out of the gym into the chilly night while waiting for the fire department to arrive and turn off the alarm.

None of that seemed to deter Chester freshman Ramee Davis Jr. The Clippers and Penn Wood had to wait on the football field in the back of the school before the all clear was given to repopulate the building.

Davis needed a quarter to regain his touch, but once it came, the Clippers’ 6-foot-2 freshman guard scored eight of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter to spell the difference in a Chester 54-46 victory.

The Clippers are now 15-7 overall and remain undefeated in the Del-Val with a perfect 8-0 mark, while Penn Wood hangs perilously close to not making the PIAA District 1 Class 6A playoffs for a second-straight year, falling to 8-11 and 4-3 in the league.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

The 2024-25 season will go down as the seventh Del Val League championship in eight seasons for coach Keith Taylor at Chester.

But the margin in that banner addition to Chester High will have come down to, by and large, two quarters of dominant basketball from the Clippers.

In a game tied after three quarters Tuesday, Chester’s defense set the tone in pulling away from Penn Wood for a 54-46 victory, sealing an 8-0 run through the Del Val. The result also goes a long way toward helping Chester (15-7) seal a first-round home game in the District 1 Class 6A tournament.

While the direction of the league title owed to plenty of factors – among them Chester’s steadiness in six other games and a Penn Wood loss to Interboro – head-to-head, it came down to 16 minutes of basketball. In two fourth quarters, Chester outscored Penn Wood, 43-16, this year. That included recouping a six-point deficit Jan. 16 for a 65-52 win at the Fred Pickett Gymnasium.

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A hot start to the fourth quarter propelled Sacred Heart Academy past Delaware County Christian School, 52-48, in a battle between the top teams in the District 1 Class A standings Monday.

Trailing by two heading into the final period, the Lions came out firing, opening the fourth with an 8-0 run to seize control.

Junior guard Megan Donahoe led the charge with a game-high 21 points, sinking four shots from beyond the arc. Senior power forward Keara McCaffrey dominated the paint, posting a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore guard Dani Jeffries pitched in with eight points and six assists.

Mary O’Donnell paced Delco Christian with 13 points. Ella Stringer and Addy Smith each netted 11 points, while Hallie Kees chipped in eight.

In the Ches-Mont League:

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By Josh Verlin

Kaiden Robinson sat on the Sun Valley bench with more than six minutes to go in the regular-season finale against West Chester Rustin, his work done for the evening. 

All the 6-foot-1 senior guard had to do was listen to the 150-or-so Sun Valley students who’d been loud all night long, but saved their best for last: “Ches-Mont champs,” they said, over and over. 

What was going through his mind as he soaked it all in?

“We did it,” he said afterwards, then louder. “We did it.”

Surrounded by his Vanguards teammates in the hallway outside their home locker room, Robinson’s voice rose once more — WE DID IT — and they responded with a roar. 

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By Josh Verlin

The time of the season where losses become more than temporary setbacks has all but arrived. 

Haverford High’s girls had what they hope was their final such complication for a good while on Thursday, a disappointing loss at Garnet Valley that should keep them from the top seed in the Central League playoffs. But a veteran group in hand led by St. Joe’s commit Rian Dotsey knows how to bounce back, and that’s what they did on Saturday with a lockdown defensive effort at Lower Merion. 

With Dotsey leading the way offensively, the Fords held the Aces to their second-lowest point total of the season in a 43-25 win.

“We’ve gone into every game with the same idea, just trying to come out strong and not putting any team above any other team,” Dotsey said. “We have four seniors who’ve been able to lead our team, so that’s been super-helpful, especially with team morale and stuff like that.”

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