Delcohoops.com

By Matthew DeGeorge

Gannon McKee didn’t expect, when he arrived at Conestoga High School Thursday night, that by the end of the evening, he’d end up detailing Ryan Wootten’s offensive prowess. Wootten might not have, either.

A role player who averages 4.4 points per game, fifth-most on a Garnet Valley squad with at most a six-deep rotation, it’s usually others who step to the offensive forefront.

But in the Central League final, Wootten picked a fine time to have a career night.

“We were just ready,” Wootten said. “Shooters shoot. Our game plan was drive and kick and get guys open.”

Shooters also cut down the nets, as Garnet Valley did after a 52-39 win over top-seeded Conestoga for the first Central League championship in program history.

Want to watch the archive?  Go to Conestoga Basketball.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Delcohoops.com Staff

We haven’t been able to broadcast games this year but we still want to encourage following all these great Delco teams into the playoffs.

Making the boy’s playoffs in 6A are: Garnet Valley (4), Lower Merion (9), Haverford (13), Strath Haven (15). 

5A: Chester (2), Marple Newtown (7), Chichester (10)

2A: Delco Christian (1)

1A: Christian Academy (4)

Making the girl’s playoffs in 6A are: Ridley (6), Haverford (13), Penn Wood (16)

5A: Springfield (1), Marple Newtown (7), Radnor (10)

Congratulations to all teams making the playoffs!

You can see the full brackets on our Schedule page.

By Charlie Sisian and Brendan Fahey

The Conestoga Pioneers boys varsity basketball team tipped off vs. the Strath Haven Panthers tonight for a semifinals matchup in the Central League tournament.

To open the game, Stoga followed its strategy that put it in position to succeed this season — feeding their offense through the bigs down low. After Stoga experienced some early success in doing so, Strath Haven reacted with pressure and double teams that forced the ball out to the guards. With multiple open looks, the Stoga shooters connected 3 times from deep in the opening period and helped the Pioneers carve out a good lead. In response, Strath Haven attempted to catch up using many 3-point attempts, but couldn’t buy a bucket, opening the game 0-12 from beyond. As the clock expired in the first quarter, Stoga led 15-6.

To open the second, Stoga went on a monstrous 14-0 run, expanding their lead to 23 points about midway through the quarter. Eventually, the Pioneers got into some foul trouble and began giving the Panthers 1-and-1 opportunities, which allowed them to break their scoring drought and begin a climb back into the game. To try to close the gap, Strath Haven implemented a press on Stoga, making the Pioneers uncomfortable and forcing turnovers. The Panthers closed the quarter with a 13-5 run of their own and by the half, Stoga was up 34-19.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

There weren’t many mysteries between Garnet Valley and Marple Newtown in Tuesday night’s Central League playoff semifinal.

The teams played last week, a two-point Garnet win. They played earlier in the season, though the Tigers have made huge strides since. And they’re two teams that rely on crisp ball movement, veteran play at the point and wings and 3-point shooting to open space in the half-court.

So Tuesday’s meeting was as much about getting a familiar opponent out of its game plan as it was settling into its own.

On that score, Garnet Valley did the better job, the No. 2 seed using 20 points from Carl Schaller to tally a 44-39 win and move on to Thursday’s championship game. The job was done primarily defensively, as Garnet Valley forced the sixth-seeded Tigers into a 12-for-43 shooting night that halted a run of six wins in seven games

“We knew what they were about and we knew their players,” Schaller said. “I think as you play teams over and over again, it gets harder to score because they know you, too. There were adjustments on both sides, but we got it done.”

(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)

By Mike Cabry

As the final seconds ticked away, EJ Greer could not get an open look at a shot. But the Delco Christian boys basketball junior saw someone who did.

“I pumped fake and I just seen Jace (Kees) in the corner of my eye and just throw it,” Greer said.

Greer sent a crosscourt pass to the right wing to a waiting Kees, who put a 3-pointer over an out-coming leap of a Dock Mennonite defender and hit nothing but net with two seconds left in regulation. The clocking ran out before the Pioneers could inbound the ball and the visiting Knights claimed a 47-44 victory Tuesday night.

“All of us are just shooters so I was going to pass it to anybody if they was in that situation,” Greer said. “I don’t care who it was, cause we’re just a team full of shooters. That’s what we do.”

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

When Haverford School hit the court for its first game of the delayed 2021 season, there was no shortage of excitement.

But of all the Fords who waited so long for basketball to return, no one felt the same anticipation as Jameel Brown.

“My mind was going 100 miles per hours,” Brown said Saturday, after spearheading a 57-49 win over Episcopal Academy in the finale of an abbreviated season. “But it was definitely a sigh of relief that I went through those trials and tribulations to be back playing again.”

Brown was a promising freshman role player on the Fords’ Inter-Ac championship team of 2019. He figured to have a breakout sophomore campaign, off the heels of a stellar summer on the AAU circuit that inspired a flood of Power 5 offers.

(click on this link for the full story)