Delcohoops.com

By Matt Smith

If you say the word “undefeated” to a Haverford player, you are unlikely to get a response. A smirk or shrug of the shoulders, but that’s about it.

The Fords are 24-0 and fresh off winning the team’s first Central League championship in 11 years. They are led by Delaware County’s top scorer, senior forward Caroline Dotsey, who is averaging around 18 points per game. They have three dominant forwards in Dotsey, her  sophomore sister Rian and senior Mollie Carpenter, all of whom stand six feet or taller. Their starting guards, senior Sky Newman and junior Aniya Eberhart, are the energizers.

The Fords know they’re good, but going into the District 1 Class 6A tournament as the only undefeated team in the district means very little to them. It doesn’t mean they are cocky or overconfident. They approach every game like it will be their last.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

It wasn’t long into the third quarter Wednesday night that Izaiah Pasha picked up his third personal foul. The moment could’ve placed the Catholic League first-round game between Cardinal O’Hara and Bonner & Prendergast on a knife’s edge.

Bonner & Prendie, chasing the whole game, was within eight. O’Hara was one hand-check away from having to play without its point guard and do-everything creator. The same conundrum hit later in the quarter when Pearse McGuinn, limited by foul trouble in the first half, was whistled for his third.

But in tune with his maturing team, O’Hara coach Ryan Nemetz kept both players on the floor. And he let them lead O’Hara to the Catholic League quarterfinals. McGuinn scored 11 of his 16 points in the third, then Pasha supplied 12 of his 18 in the fourth as seven-seed O’Hara held off No. 10 Bonner, 69-60.

The first possession after Pasha’s third foul was telling. Two free throws from Deuce Ketner brought Bonner to within 34-26. Pasha responded by driving to the arc and flipping a pass over his head to McGuinn in the left corner to can a 3-pointer.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Josh Verlin

Archbishop Carroll has come close to pulling off some big upsets in the Catholic League quarterfinals under Francis Bowe.

In Bowe’s first year on the Carroll sidelines, 2018-19, the seventh-seeded Patriots took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter at No. 2 seed La Salle, only to suffer — according to hoops historian Ted Silary — the largest come-from-behind-after-three-quarters victory in PCL quarterfinal history as the Explorers won 49-47. The following year, just ahead of the pandemic, Carroll almost pulled the 8-1 upset at Archbishop Wood, the Vikings taking advantage of a backcourt violation late in regulation to force overtime and win 82-78 in the extra session.

If a couple plays go a couple different ways, it’s possible that Bowe wouldn’t be aiming for his first trip to the Palestra, but his third. Now once again the No. 8 seed and going on the road to face the Catholic League regular-season champs, Neumann-Goretti, in the quarterfinals on Friday, Bowe has some history to lean on.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

Charlie Thornton exited the locker room at Harriton High School Monday night wearing sunglasses. Given the blinding shooting night he and his Radnor teammates had just inflicted on Lower Merion, it was probably better safe than sorry.

Thornton hit six 3-pointers to tie a career-high with 26 points, the Raptors scorched the nets to a 20-for-30 shooting performance and Radnor ran away in the second half, winning the Central League title with a 60-46 decision.

“I told Jackson (Hicke) a few days ago, I haven’t felt like I couldn’t miss in a while,” Thornton said, his shades neatly tucked away. “And today was one of those days. My guys find me wherever I needed to be found. They know where I like my spots, and they put me in those positions to make plays.”

Accessories aside, Thornton is the first to defer credit. Which makes sense, because that’s how Radnor has gotten to 24-0, lifting what is believed to be its first title in the Central League, which dates to the mid-1960s. Radnor’s brilliance is predicated on that one extra pass – always selfless, always looking for the next man, always getting the ball to the player in the best position to help the team.

 

Webmaster’s note:  If you missed the game or simply want to listen again click on our Archived Broadcast page.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matt Smith

Twenty-seven seconds separated Haverford from its first Central League girls basketball championship in 11 years when Caroline Dotsey stood at the foul line with the Fords leading by one point Monday.

The senior forward made the first shot before Conestoga took a timeout in an attempt to ice the Fords’ outstanding senior forward.

In the midst of a dominating 23-point performance, Dotsey’s second free shot was short. Rian Dotsey, Caroline’s sophomore sister,  jumped inside the lane, raised her arms and grabbed the rebound. In one motion Rian sent the ball back in the air and into the basket.

The Fords’ bench and every one of their fans in attendance at Harriton High erupted.

Rian Dotsey’s shot sealed No. 1 Haverford’s 41-37 win over second-seeded Conestoga for the Central League title. In addition to claiming their first league crown since 2012, the Fords (24-0) have tied a program record for consecutive victories.

Webmaster’s note:  If you missed the game or simply want to listen again click on our Archived Broadcast page.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

The losses ultimately didn’t mean much, but the lessons were well-taken.

Radnor’s boys basketball team started the 2021-22 season 13-0. It stumbled twice in the regular season, reached the Central League and District 1 Class 5A finals and the second round of states before meeting the buzzsaw that is Imhotep Charter. By any measure, Radnor maxed out its talent.

But the rare setbacks in a 23-5 season left an impression, for a nine-strong senior class determined not to feel that sting again. And so a motto was born in the locker room, among a group in the rare position of being the favorite just about every time out this season.

The focus, forward Jackson Hicke says, is on trying to put together a one-game winning streak.

Twenty-three of them have led the Raptors back to the Central League final, against a familiar foe in Lower Merion, Monday night at Harriton (7:45 tipoff).

Webmaster’s note:  Delcohoops.com will be video streaming both the boy’s and girl’s Central League Championship games on Monday, February 13th! Tune in at 5:50 for the girl’s game and 7:30 for the boy’s game for our LIVE video broadcast!

(click on this link for the full story)