Delcohoops.com

By Ed Morlock

It was like a game in the school yard. The two best players get put on different teams and go head-to-head against each other. In the second round of the District 1-AAAA playoffs, it was Xzavier Malone and Jawan Collins being separated.

Malone scored 26 points for the No. 2 seed Plymouth Whitemarsh and Collins dropped 29 for the No. 18 seed Academy Park.

After 32 minutes of diving for loose balls, driving to the lane and pulling up for jumpers, it was Malone’s Colonials that came out on top, 60-56, Tuesday night at Colonial Elementary School in Whitemarsh.

“Jawan, he’s a tough dude – a gritty guard,” Malone said of his counterpart. “I like the way he played and the heart he brings, he’s carrying that team over there and they’re doing a great job. But I feel like it’s my time to shine. I’m not going to let you come on my court and try to show me up. We came up with the W and that’s about it. I just had to show them – everything you heard about me is real.”

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By Matthew De George

Sean Bingnear knew the start on Senior Night was ceremonial.

The outcome of Ridley’s game, against fellow playoff-bound squad Garnet Valley to cap an unbeaten run through the Central League, was hardly inconsequential. And for the senior guard, the opportunity was palpable.

So much so that eight days later, with Ridley surprisingly on the brink of a premature exit from the District One Class AAAA tournament and in a more precarious position on its home court than it had been all season, Mike Snyder looked down his usually tightly-rotated bench and found a saving answer in Bingnear.

Of the many surprises contained in the boxscore from that narrow, 51-49 survival over No. 29 North Penn Friday, the most glaring is the eight points attributed to Bingnear’s name. And with the No. 4 Green Raiders facing another team that’s displayed its upset potential, No. 20 Perkiomen Valley, in Tuesday’s second round, Bingnear’s postseason cameo may transform into a recurring arc.

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By CoBL Staff

We’re down to 16 teams left in the District 1 AAAA tournament, as half the field was knocked out in the opening round on Friday night. As we get deeper into the tournament, the games obviously pick up more importance–but this round is easily the most crucial.

The eight second-round winners will automatically qualify for the PIAA state tournament and will all play three more games to determine seeding, so a win does much more than just extend the season by one more game. The eight losers aren’t out of it: they’ll all go into the play-back bracket, where they’ll battle it out for the remaining two spots that District 1 is allotted.

Here’s a look at the eight games in the District 1 AAAA second round; all games at the higher seed’s home court, all tipoffs at 7 PM:

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By Todd Orodenker

A 16-win turnaround from last season meant very little once Strath Haven tipped off with Hatboro-Horsham. So did the seed difference.

Eighth-seeded Strath Haven was beaten — and beaten soundly — by No. 25 Hatboro-Horsham, 68-46, Friday in the first round of the District One Class AAAA tournament. The Hatters advance to play No. 9 Chester next week. The Panthers, despite a remarkable turnaround campaign, are finished.

Hatboro-Horsham (12-11) led 19-7 after the first quarter and 30-19 at halftime. Standout forward Clifton Moore had 28 points, including five 3-pointers. His 6-foot-7 frame helped take care of Strath Haven’s 6-foot-8 beast John Harrar, and teammate Jay Davis did the rest, dropping 22 points, including a handful of breakaway dunks.

“(Moore) played really well, they’re a very well-coached team,” Panthers coach Dave McFadden explained. “I thought they got the shots they wanted, they hit (their shots). The three bomb was our Achilles Heel earlier in the season in one of our other losses — they did their homework.”

Strath Haven (19-5) came out much more aggressive in the second half and got the deficit down to single digits at a few junctures. With each hoop, momentum looked like it could be turning. But before anything could even get close, Moore would hit a big shot.

This happened six different times during the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter. Strath Haven could never get back into the contest.

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By CoBL Staff

In addition to CoBL’s game coverage, here are several other notes and results from around the first night of the District 1 AAAA playoffs:

Top seeds survive upsets
District 1 looked wide-open heading into the 2016 postseason, and the first night of the playoffs certainly seemed to feed right into that notion. Only one of the top six seeds lost, with Abington losing to Upper Dublin, but Coatesville and Ridley barely survived tough contests on their home floor.

The Raiders, who just won the Ches-Mont league title and have only one blemish on their record, barely survived against Bensalem, the No. 32 seed. Trailing 40-39 with just 13 seconds left, Justus Martinez scored a bucket in the paint to give Coatesville the lead.

Then, one stop and two free throws later, the Raiders survived with a 43-40 win to grab their third consecutive win by four points or less. Coatesville will take on CB East Tuesday night.

(click on this link for the full article)

By Bob Grotz

Larry Yarbray has been surrounded by remarkable talent as a coach, a player and on the playgrounds of the City of Chester.

Which brings us to the Campbells.

Khaleeq Campbell put on a defensive clinic Friday night enabling ninth-seeded Chester High to cruise to a 53-27 win over No. 24 seed Council Rock North in District One Class AAAA basketball.

The Clippers (17-6) limited their opponent to just five points — yes, points — in the second half largely due to Campbell’s in-your-shirt D on Riley Thompson, who scored 13 points in the first half.

Yarbray wasn’t surprised to learn Khaleeq is a cousin of Lamar Campbell, who grew up here and played five seasons with the Detroit Lions where he was, you’ve got it, a solid defender.

“Lamar’s a buddy of mine,” Yarbray said. “He played a little bit of rec ball, nothing that serious. Does he remind me of (Khaleeq)? Defensively, yeah. Quick to the ball, keeps guys in front of him.

“I’m not going to say there’s a parallel. But I’ll say this, it’s in their blood. They’re very good. Not just pretty good, very good.”

The Clippers scored the first 11 points on their way to their 15th victory in their last 16 starts.

The Indians (13-10) pulled within 25-20 late in the second quarter on a couple of three-pointers by Thompson, who has the exaggerated Steph Curry follow-through, and a bucket by Will Desautelle.

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