John Mobley (above) and Lower Merion haven’t lost since December. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Josh Verlin
The dozen teams from District 1 6A who will be playing in the state tournament are set. Eight of the top 12 seeds in the district are still alive, along with four others who had to pull off at least one road upset — and in some cases a couple more — to keep playing into March.
For four teams — top-seeded Lower Merion, No. 2 West Chester Henderson, No. 4 Chester and No. 14 Garnet Valley — a shot at the District 1 6A title is still on the table, while the others are all playing for seeding in the PIAA 6A bracket.
Here’s a look at the two semifinals and a quick peek at the four seeding games, all of which take place Tuesday night at 7 PM on the higher seed’s home court:
1) Lower Merion vs. 4) Chester
Two of the proudest programs in District 1 history meet up deep in the playoffs yet again. It’s not quite the 2012-13 matchups, which took place in the district championship games — Chester won both, though Lower Merion got revenge in the state championship game in 2013 — but there’s a trip to Temple on the line, with the Aces getting home-court advantage against the Clippers.