Author: delcohoops

By Matt Smith

The ending was chaotic, and Delco Christian knew it never should have been that close.

After leading by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, the Knights watched their advantage evaporate against rival Dock Mennonite, the same team that edged them by two points in last year’s District 1 Class 2A final.

With that 2024 game on the line, then-junior guard Khamai Orange had a chance to win it but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That loss sent Delco Christian into the PIAA tournament, where they were eliminated in the first round.

This time, the Knights were in total control for three quarters, looking every bit like the superior team. But Dock, the reigning back-to-back district champions, had an improbable comeback up its sleeve.

When Robbie Sukaly converted an and-1 to tie the game at 57, capping a furious run, Delco Christian needed a response. Dock’s full-court pressure had been a problem, but reserve guard Jake Matty broke free on the fast break and finished an uncontested layup to put the Knights back in front.

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By Matt Smith

In a championship game, nothing eases the pressure like a fast start. No. 2 Sacred Heart Academy did just that Saturday, setting the tone early in the District 1 Class A final against top-seeded Delco Christian.

In a rematch of last season’s Class 2A title game, the Lions came out firing and never looked back, scoring the first 12 points and cruising to a 49-28 victory at Harriton High. The win marked Sacred Heart’s eighth District 1 championship in nine seasons under coach Zach Shuler, and the second straight year the Lions defeated Delco Christian in the final.

Sacred Heart’s dominant opening quarter saw Delco Christian held without a field goal, managing only two free throws from Ella Stinger. The spark came from senior power forward Keara McCaffrey, who was sensational in the paint. McCaffrey finished with 16 points, an eye popping 26 rebounds – including 14 in the first half – and six blocked shots.

“Coming out that fast and that hard, I knew that it was going to be a good offensive game for the entire team,” McCaffrey said.

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By Josh Verlin 

The hair-raising, nausea-inducing, panic-causing fourth quarter was all in the past by the time Khamai Orange was ready to reflect on Delco Christian’s first district title win since 2019. All of that melted away the instant the clock hit zero, the Knights erasing two years of February frustrations to the tone of the buzzer horn. 

“This (was) our main focus,” the Knights’ senior guard said. “The BAL championship trophy is nice, but we wanted a banner.”

Delco Christian’s 61-59 win over Dock Mennonite in the District 1 2A championship game on Saturday was a measure of revenge. Dock beat Delco in that spot each of the last two seasons, Orange and his classmates in danger of graduating without a district title to their name. 

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Chester Charter Scholars Academy captured its fourth consecutive District 1 Class A championship with a 50-33 victory over The Christian Academy Saturday afternoon at Harriton High.

Josiah Hutson led the Sabers with 23 points. Maurice Barnes added 21 points.

Cam Harrop-Wilson tallied 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter for the Crusaders.

In a District 1 Class 5A playback:

Penncrest 54, Springfield 37 >> The Lions advance to the PIAA tournament for the first time since 2020. Mikey Mita poured in 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lions, who held the Cougars to 18 points in the final three quarters. Theo Gladue added 16 points.

Chris Dolan scored 12 points for Springfield. TJ Valletti chipped in 11.

Kylie Mulholland scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came away with five steals as No. 2 Garnet Valley defeated 10th-seeded Haverford, 54-44, in a District 1 Class 6A tournament quarterfinal Saturday afternoon.

The Jaguars (25-1) host No. 3 Upper Dublin in the semifinal round Wednesday. UD was a 46-42 winner over sixth-seeded Cheltenham.

GV shot 22-of-26 from the free-throw line, including 13-of-17 in the fourth quarter, against the Fords. Haylie Adamski accumulated 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Addie Adamski added nine points and three assists, while Savannah Saunders finished with five points and four steals.

Rian Dotsey paced Haverford with 17 points. Megan Kelly and Grace Maloney contributed nine points each. The Fords, who already clinched a state tournament berth, meet Cheltenham in playbacks Wednesday.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Michael Pereira’s mom told him there would be nights like Friday, though in a more hopeful tone than The Shirelles ever imagined.

When Pereira and Mani Sajid, now both juniors, started playing together at Plymouth Whitemarsh, Pereira’s family made a quick read on what their connection could be. Pereira now stands 6-9, Sajid 6-5, though one operates in the lane and the other on the perimeter. Each would space off the other ideally, with Pereira’s rebounding and Sajid’s shooting packing the potential for a potent pairing.

Friday was one example of how devastating it can look.

Sajid scored 27 points, and Pereira tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Colonials blitzed Garnet Valley in the first half, building a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in a 72-58 win in the quarterfinals of the District 1 Class 6A Tournament.

By halftime, the fifth-seeded Colonials led by 14 points, an edge that would stretch to 23 and never be in single digits again the rest of the way, despite No. 4 Garnet Valley playing them even in the third and fourth quarters.

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By Matt Smith

After a few significant senior departures, Radnor entered the 2024-25 season looking for sophomores and juniors to step up and fill the void.

Sophomore forward Bree Simpson remembers what it felt like to be a freshman, sitting on the bench, watching and learning. She hoped that by her second year, she would take on a bigger role.

She has delivered.

“I think last year coming on the team as a freshman I felt like I wasn’t really a big part of the team because I didn’t play that much on varsity,” Simpson said. “I think this year has been a lot different. I’ve definitely stepped into my role, and I feel like I’ve been a big part of the team. We had four seniors graduate last year, three of them were starters, and one was the five position. So, I knew coming in that I would have to fill those shoes, which were definitely big shoes to fill.”

Simpson shined in No. 2 Radnor’s 40-32 victory over sixth-seeded Villa Maria in Friday’s District 1 Class 5A semifinal. She was dominant in the paint, finishing with a game-high 16 points on near-perfect shooting after missing her first two attempts. She also pulled down nine rebounds.

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By Josh Verlin + Rich Flanagan

It’s time for the Catholic League championships. Back on a Sunday afternoon for the first time since 1998, the PCL title games have moved from the evening to the afternoon, but that shouldn’t change anything about the atmosphere inside the Palestra for one of the city’s annual highlights on the sports calendar. 

They’re a couple of matchups filled with intrigue — Father Judge going for its first title since the last time it was a Sunday championship, Roman Catholic going for a 3-point; Neumann-Goretti aiming to break a 10-year spell against a Carrol squad that came oh-so-close a year ago before losing in double overtime.

Here’s a look at each game on Sunday:

Girls’ Championship
1) Neumann-Goretti vs. 3) Archbishop Carroll
Previous Matchup: Neumann-Goretti, 52-43 (Jan. 18 @ Neumann-Goretti)

Head Coaches
NG: Andrea Peterson (11th year, one championship)
AC: Renie Shields (9th year, one championship)

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By Josh Verlin

We’re down to eight teams in the running for the 2025 District 1 6A girls crown, including all of the top six seeds and a couple others in the top 10 moving through.

Each of those eight has already punched their ticket to the PIAA tournament, so even the quarterfinal losers still have at least three more games after that: two to determine seeding and a first-round state playoff game. The eight teams in playbacks all have to win their next two games to qualify for the PIAA bracket, with the losers of those games done for the year.

Here’s a look at all four quarterfinals, with a quick peek at the four playbacks:

(2) Garnet Valley vs. (10) Haverford High (1:00 PM)

It’s a Central League rubber match with the most at stake yet this season between the second-seeded Jaguars and the tenth-seeded Fords. They’ve each won on their home courts: Haverford by a 47-28 final back on Dec. 17, Garnet Valley by a near-identical 43-26 result on Jan. 30. A Conestoga win over Haverford (20-5) in the Central League semifinals prevented a third GV/Haverford meeting in the Central League championship, which the Jaguars (24-1) won before beating North Penn 54-38 in the second round. Haverford, meanwhile, beat CB South in the opening round before taking down Downingtown West on the road in the second to get back to states.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

The question wasn’t one Mikey Mita was expecting to have to answer Wednesday night.

Not when Penncrest’s offense was flowing in the first three quarters of the District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals. Not when it led Holy Ghost Prep by seven points at half, by 14 in the third quarter and 10 as fourth started. Maybe not even on an inbounds play with 10 seconds left and the game tied, one basket from a berth in states.

Instead, after a 52-48 loss to the Firebirds, Mita let the word “disappointment” land with the thud it packed, then turned his attention to the one game that can extend the Lions’ season.

“We didn’t handle our pressure as we should have,” Mita said. “Pressure has been a been a problem, and we need to sharpen up.”

In so doing, the second-seeded Lions (20-4) frittered away a chance to reach the state tournament and, they hoped, add to their collection of District 1 banners, letting a Holy Ghost team that looked lifeless resurrect itself in the fourth quarter. No. 7 Holy Ghost (16-8) outscored Penncrest, 17-7, in the fourth quarter and 25-11 in the final 12 minutes to reach states for the first time since 2023.

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