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By CoBL Staff

Garnet Valley (1-2, 24-2)
The Jaguars’ loss in the District 1 championship game was their first since Dec. 17, a 21-game run that established them as a big-time threat for a push deep into March once again after making it to the semifinals a year ago. Senior wing Haylie Adamski, a 6-0 Lafayette commit, is the school’s all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, and her younger sisters — sophomores Kylie and Addison Adamski — are talented guards in their own right. Two more seniors, 5-4 Jefferson commit Kylie Mulholland and 5-8 St. Joe’s lacrosse commit Savannah Saunders round out a starting lineup which does most of the heavy lifting; Mulholland is the team’s No. 2 offensive option and a skilled ball-handler and shooter, while Saunders is a terrific defender who will also knock down shots if left open.

Webmaster’s note: Tonight’s Garnet Valley game will be broadcast LIVE on NFHS. Click here for a link to the broadcast: Playoff Game .

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By Matthew DeGeorge

It has been an intriguing year for the Central League.

Seven of the league’s 12 teams made the District 1 playoffs, plus the last team out of the Class 5A field. Three of the top four seeds in Class 6A and three of the top six in Class 5A hailed from the Central, each winning at least 15 games in the regular season.

That top-heaviness has resulted in five teams going to the state tournament, including a somewhat surprising District 1 Class 6A champion in Conestoga, which authored a special districts run after being upset in the opening round of the Central League tournament by Marple Newtown.

The amount of parity among the league’s elite casts intrigue upon the league’s hopes in the PIAA Championships, which kick off this weekend.

Conestoga (21-5) sits atop the 6A bracket, and its reward is a visit from Mechanicsburg, toting a 20-3 record despite being the sixth seed from District 3. Lower Merion is the fourth seed, and the Aces open Saturday with what could pass for a state final most years, hosting District 12 third-place team and Catholic League runner-up Roman Catholic. That game is in the nominal Western half of the bracket, though District 1’s second (Plymouth Whitemarsh), third (Coatesville) and fourth seeds are all on that side.

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By Josh Verlin

It’s time for the culmination of the 2024-25 high school hoops season — the PIAA state tournament. The boys’ and girls’ brackets all get underway this Friday and Saturday, with championships March 27-29 at the GIANT Center in Hershey. 

Last year’s 6A boys tournament saw two public schools, Central York and Parkland, make it to the end, with Central York capturing the crown thanks to a thrilling 53-51 win. The defending champs are back and as good as ever, though there are plenty of high-level teams that feel they’re just as likely to bring home some hardwood. 

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Central York (3-1, 26-2)
The defending champs are aiming for a repeat, having captured the District 3 title for the first time — yes, the Panthers won a state title before a district one — giving them a total different path to Hershey after doing so as the 3-5 seed a year ago. 

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Sixteen Delco teams will take part in the PIAA basketball tournaments, which tipoff this weekend, in brackets that were revealed on Sunday.

Action starts Friday for the Class A, 4A and 5A boys and Class 6A girls, among other classes. The 6A boys begin Saturday along with the 2A boys, Class A girls and 5A girls.

Reigning PIAA Class 6A champion Cardinal O’Hara starts its title defense Friday night at Central Bucks East, the fourth seed from District 1. O’Hara is the third seed from District 12. The district champ, Archbishop Carroll, takes on Council Rock South at Cardinal O’Hara.

The 6A girls tournament has the most Delco teams of any classification with four. Garnet Valley hosts District 3’s Mechanicsburg, and Haverford travels to Easton Area in District 11.

Friday is the open of the 5A boys tournament. Marple Newtown heads to St. Joseph’s Prep to take on District 12 champ Neumann-Goretti. Penncrest is on the road at Martz Hall against Pottsville Area, while Bonner & Prendergast visits Bangor.

Archbishop Carroll, last year’s PIAA Class 4A runner-up, has a road date to start the tournament, at District 1 champ Bishop Shanahan.

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By Matt Smith

The District 1 basketball playoffs wrapped up Friday, with the Perkiomen Valley girls and Conestoga boys squads winning Class 6A titles at Saint Joseph’s Hagan Arena.

But there were four Delaware County teams that walked away with district championships this winter.

Sacred Heart Academy surprised no one in Class A, as it won its eighth district title in nine years. As one of the smallest schools around, SHA doesn’t often get the recognition it deserves. Coach Zach Shuler has fostered a championship culture and now his team is aiming for a deep run in the PIAA playoffs. Led by senior power forward Keara McCaffrey, a 1,000-point scorer committed to DeSales, along with junior guard Megan Donahoe and sophomore guard Dani Jeffries, the Lions have the pieces to take the next step after last season’s second-round exit.

Meanwhile, Radnor’s girls, under coach Rob Baxter, captured their first district championship in 11 years. Baxter, who previously led Merion Mercy to a district final, had his Raptors locked in during the 5A championship at West Chester University, where they outplayed top-seeded Gwynedd Mercy from the outset.

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By Matt Smith

For 16 minutes Friday, Garnet Valley executed its game plan to near perfection. The Jaguars dictated the tempo, kept Perkiomen Valley’s potent offense in check, and capped an impressive first half with a strong drive and finish from Savannah Saunders at the buzzer, sending them into the break with a four-point lead.

But after halftime, the Vikings made one big adjustment. They decided to start feeding their 6-3 Navy commit, Quinn Boettinger.

Garnet Valley, which prides itself for battling against bigger teams despite not having overwhelming size, had done the unthinkable in the first half: holding the top-seeded Vikings to just 16 points. The same Vikings team that scored 90-plus on multiple occasions. But Perkiomen Valley wasn’t going to settle for questionable outside shots any longer. It went back to basics, working the ball inside and letting Boettinger take over.

No. 2 Garnet Valley was the better team throughout the first half of the District 1 Class 6A championship at Hagan Arena, but the Jags couldn’t contain a resurgent Perkiomen Valley after the break. The Vikings flipped the script with a dominant second half to claim their third straight district title with a 43-30 victory.

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