Delcohoops.com

By Ed Morlock

None of the nine players on Archbishop Carroll’s roster were on the team in 2021 that blew a 17-point lead against Allentown Central Catholic in the PIAA-4A state quarterfinals. The six sophomores and three freshmen weren’t even in eighth grade when that game was played.

But they were on the court Tuesday night and got revenge.

(12-3) Archbishop Carroll overcame a 15-point deficit and rallied to beat (11-1) Allentown Central Catholic, 62-56, in the second round of the PIAA-4A state playoffs at Norristown Area High School.

“Apparently Allentown Central Catholic is our rival now,” Carroll coach Francis Bowe joked, “because I’ve played them now three times in states. One year they beat us, they came back from (17) and they won a state championship. It was like, we’re down … we can come back and hopefully pray to get the same result.

“It’s always a tale of two stories with our guys. We’re freshmen and sophomores, so you’re going to go through these moments where they’re in a fog and then you’re going to be super locked in, turn it on, turn it off… They’re just great kids. They’re competitive. They are what I would call ‘one through nine hoopers.’ They just want to play basketball.”

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By Bryan Davis

A crucial mistake from the Conestoga girls basketball team in overtime provided Archbishop Carroll the breathing space the Patriots were hoping for Tuesday night, and they took advantage to eke out a 37-33 victory in the second round of the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball tournament at Norristown Area High School.

Holding on to a 34-33 lead, Carroll was trying to run out the clock, but senior Marisa Francione made her second fantastic defensive play in a short span, knocking the ball away and causing a held ball with the possession arrow pointing the Pioneers’ way.

Conestoga coach AJ Thompson called a timeout, but it was determined that the Pioneers didn’t have any timeouts remaining. That resulted in a technical foul and the Patriots retaining possession.

Alexis Eberz made one of two for a 35-33 lead with 28.9 seconds left. Brooke Wilson was fouled and calmly hit both from the line for a 37-33 advantage. That proved to be the final margin as the Pioneers (24-4) were held scoreless in the extra session, missing all five field goal attempts.

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By Jared Leveson

Darren Williams hadn’t played basketball in nearly a week. 

He fell ill Wednesday, suffering from chills and aches associated with strep throat that forced him to miss school and Archbishop Ryan boys basketball’s PIAA Class 5A tournament first-round game Friday. 

However, the Florida Gulf Coast Commit didn’t miss a step during Tuesday night’s second-round game. Williams guided the Raiders through a hard-fought first half and helped them take control in the second, defeating Radnor 66-46 at Bensalem High School. 

Archbishop Ryan, looking for its first PIAA title, advances to the state quarterfinal for the second straight season with the win.

“I made sure I got in the gym. I made sure I got shots up before practice and coming into this game,” Williams said. “I knew I had to get back to it and get back in the groove. 

“I was excited to come back, like ready to go [and] anxious to get on the floor and be back with my guys.”

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By Matt Smith

Cardinal O’Hara’s Molly Rullo and Carly Coleman weren’t about to let Hazleton Area pull off a major upset in the second round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament Tuesday night, so they decided to take control in the second half.

Rullo scored 13 of her game-high 17 points and Coleman added eight of her 13 after the break, leading O’Hara to a 55-46 win over the District 2 champion Cougars at Liberty High.

The junior Rullo and senior Coleman each drilled a 3-point field goal on successive possessions in the third quarter after Hazleton had trimmed its deficit to three and four points, respectively. O’Hara (23-4) had led by as many as nine points in the first half.

“I think that’s the difference between us and Hazleton, who are going to be back in this situation,” Lions coach Chrissie Doogan said. “We have a senior-laden team. Molly is basically a senior at this point; she’s played since she was a freshman. They embrace the moment. Molly struggled to put the ball in the basket early … but shooters shoot. She’s got a lot of confidence and did a great job.”

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By Ed Morrone

No Quinn Boettinger for large chunks of a state playoff game? No problem for Perkiomen Valley.

Bella Bacani led four Perk Valley players in double figures with 12 points, as the Vikings pulled away from Haverford during a dominant third quarter en route to an eventual 64-50 PIAA second round victory on Tuesday night at Upper Merion.

The Vikings advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals to face Cardinal O’Hara, the second seed in District 12 and a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League. Perk Valley, the top seed in District 1, ended fifth-seeded Haverford’s season for the second straight year after also beating the Fords in the 2023 District 1-6A title game.

When Boettinger, the Vikings’ star center and Navy recruit, picked up her fourth personal foul with 5:36 left in the third quarter, there was no panic or slumped shoulders — just a next person up mentality, or in Perk Valley’s case, next people up, because every player who saw the court Tuesday had a massive impact on the outcome.

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Delcohoops.com in association with the PIAA licensee, NFHS Network, will be LIVE video streaming this week’s Spring-ford vs Springfield PIAA State Championship Round 2 playoff game on Wednesday, March 13th.  Our broadcast will begin at 7:20 P.M. with tip-off at 7:30 P.M.

NFHS Network is a monthly subscription service. Cost is $11.95 per month which allows you unlimited games to watch from all over the U.S. NFHS Network is the only streaming service allowed during the playoffs so a one month subscription will give you access to all the games available during the PIAA playoffs (not all games are broadcast).  

You can go to NFHS Network by clicking on this blue link: NFHS