Delcohoops.com

By Andrew Robinson

Everywhere Sean Yoder went Tuesday night, Maurice Henry matched him step-for-step.

Play any team three times and at some point, adjustments have to be made so Abington decided to make one on the defensive end. Henry knew he’d have to play at a different level all night guarding one of the best players in District 1 and it translated into his best overall game of the year.

The senior gave the No. 1 Ghosts a needed spark as they topped No. 4 Pennridge in the District 1-6A semifinals at Temple’s Liacouras Center and advanced to their third straight district title game.

“I had to play harder than I normally do and I had to step up for the team,” Henry said. “I had to sacrifice my body for the team and play as hard as I could to stay in front of him. He’s their whole team, you limit him and it’s hard for them to go.”

Not only was Henry stellar defensively, shadowing Yoder off every screen and cut and limiting the Navy recruit to 11 points, he had a terrific offensive game with 15 points. Facing yet another zone defense, the Ghosts were moving the ball around to try and stretch out Pennridge’s 2-3 but also passing up some looks.

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Webmaster’s note: Delcohoops.com will be LIVE audio Internet broadcasting this Saturday’s PIAA District One 6A final boy’s basketball game.  Our broadcast will begin at 5:45.

By Matt Smith

There was more enough time on the clock for Church Farm to tie or win the game. The 11.5 seconds were not the issue.

But Delco Christian, which prides itself on avoiding foul trouble, had pocketed its fouls for this moment, up by two with the District 1 Class 2A title at stake.

Church Farm inbounded twice. DC halted play at 8.1 and 6.0 seconds. On its next try, Church Farm attempted a shot. It didn’t go far, as freshman Ebuka Nwobodo, younger brother of Knights star junior forward Obinna, got his hand in front of a shot by Max Scott in the corner along the Church Farm bench. Ebuka, with authority, blocked the ball out of play.

Church Farm was left with 3.5 seconds left to try … something. The pass went to center Demetrius Lilley, who rushed an off-balance 3-pointer at the top of the perimeter. It was way off.

Delco Christian, the No. 2 seed, held on to capture its second straight district championship with a 54-52 victory Saturday at Harriton.

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By Steve Moore

The Sun Valley lead over Unionville, which was 11 points at halftime, had been cut down to one. 

The large Unionville crowd was making the bleachers shake, and a lesser team would not have been excused it it succumbed to the pressure.

But Sun Valley has proven this season that it is far from a “lesser team.”

Vinny DeAngelo took a feed from Dom Valente and buried a three, for three of his game high 34 points, in a stellar performance that also included five rebounds and four assists, as the Vanguards held on and defeated the Indians, 60-46, Saturday night in the quarterfinal round of the District 1 Class 5A playoffs.

The win puts Sun Valley (17-7) into Wednesday night’s semifinal against Pottsgrove at Norristown High School at 5:30 p.m. The win also puts Sun Valley into the PIAA Class 5A playoffs for the second year in a row. Unionville will travel to Holy Ghost Prep in the playback round Wednesday at 7 p.m. A win there would secure a state berth, while a loss would end Unionville’s season.

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By Harry Chaykun

The Penncrest coaches and fans will be talking for a long time about the shot Aidan Carroll made against West Chester Rustin in the second overtime period of the District 1 Class 5A boys basketball quarterfinals at Kaufman Gymnasium Saturday night.Carroll made the first shot he attempted in the game, then didn’t connect again until 1:56 remained in the second extra period. The 3-pointer put the two-time defending district champion Lions ahead to stay as Penncrest prevailed, 58-49, and earned a semifinal matchup with No. 1 West Chester East at Norristown High Wednesday night.

“Things kind of just happened,” Carroll said. “I try to get to open spaces and be confident and keep shooting. They came back on us, but everybody had to stick with the game plan and stay confident.”

Penncrest (20-6) took an eight-point lead into the fourth period before freshman IV Pettit, who shared scoring honors with senior Jake Nelson for the Knights (16-8) with 14 points, came up with eight points to get his team even at the end of regulation. Two free throws by the Lions’ Isaiah Rice with 1:00 on the clock were the last points scored before overtime.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Trailing for nearly the entire 32 minutes of regulation in the PAISAA boys basketball championship final against tall and talented Westtown, Haverford School came back for a 67-62 overtime win in its final test of the season Saturday evening in front of a packed house at Jefferson University.

The win completes a 28-0 season for the Fords, their first PAISAA title to add to consecutive Inter-Ac crowns.

Westtown relied on solid rebounding and the offensive talents of Jalen Gaffney (27 points) to forge a 34-27 lead at halftime. Late in the third quarter, the Moose still enjoyed a 45-35 advantage.

But the Fords slowly came back, as La Salle University-bound Christian Ray began to take over. When Ray grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds and scored on a putback to cut Westtown’s lead to 52-50, there were four minutes left. Jameer Nelson’s end-to-end drive and free throw made it 54-53 with 3:03 left.

Twenty one seconds later, another putback by Ray gave the Fords a 55-54 lead — their first lead since early in the first period.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Having a 6-foot-9 center on your roster is a luxury at a public high school, the product of geographic fortune. Getting the most out of such length on the court is earned, through game-planning and practice.

West Chester East center Andrew Carr showed both sides of that Saturday night. He did the tall guy stuff that added up to 18 points and 11 rebounds. But Carr’s place as the keystone in the Vikings’ zone defense spelled the difference, getting the top-seeded Vikings into the state tournament via a 57-46 win over No. 8 Penn Wood in the District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals Saturday.

East (20-5) advances to next Wednesday’s semis at Norristown High to face two-time reigning champion Penncrest, which took down No. 5 Rustin in overtime, 58-49. The Vikings also clinched their first states berth since 2002.

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