Delcohoops.com

By Josh Verlin

The dozen teams from District 1 6A who will be playing in the state tournament are set. Eight of the top 12 seeds in the district are still alive, along with four others who had to pull off at least one road upset — and in some cases a couple more — to keep playing into March.

For four teams — top-seeded Lower Merion, No. 2 West Chester Henderson, No. 4 Chester and No. 14 Garnet Valley — a shot at the District 1 6A title is still on the table, while the others are all playing for seeding in the PIAA 6A bracket.

Here’s a look at the two semifinals and a quick peek at the four seeding games, all of which take place Tuesday night at 7 PM on the higher seed’s home court:

1) Lower Merion vs. 4) Chester
Two of the proudest programs in District 1 history meet up deep in the playoffs yet again. It’s not quite the 2012-13 matchups, which took place in the district championship games  — Chester won both, though Lower Merion got revenge in the state championship game in 2013 — but there’s a trip to Temple on the line, with the Aces getting home-court advantage against the Clippers. 

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By Josh Verlin + Andrew Robinson

Archbishop Wood girls’ basketball coach Mike McDonald never fails to appreciate the grandeur of the Catholic League’s championship games.

While the Vikings will be in the title game for the 15th time in the last 18 years and back at the Palestra for a second straight season, it’s not treated as a guarantee. Archbishop Carroll, the other half of Monday night’s championship tilt, isn’t a stranger to Penn’s campus either.

The game will last 32 minutes, but every player who has the opportunity to step on the floor will carry it with them for much longer.

“I told the kids that haven’t been there, we eight freshmen, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” McDonald said. “We’ve been fortunate to do it a lot, but every time you go down there, it’s new all over again. It’s special from the moment you walk into the Palestra and it’s empty to the time it’s packed.”

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By Christian DeFranco

Like Marty McFly, the Upper Dublin Cardinals were just trying to get back to the year 1985.

The last time the Upper Dublin boys’ basketball program reached the district championship game, Michael Jordan was an NBA rookie. “Careless Whisper” by Wham! was the No. 1 pop single. And, well, “Back to the Future” hadn’t quite arrived in theaters yet (until that summer).

But no flux capacitor was necessary for this year’s Cardinals to become the first group to reach the district championship game since the 1984-85 team, which won the district title that season.

No plutonium was needed either, unless you count a barrage of 3-pointers, as second-seeded Upper Dublin buried No. 6 Sun Valley 55-25 in Saturday’s District 1 Class 5A semifinals in an historic victory at The Nest.

Other UD squads have reached states, which these Cardinals had already clinched, but this accomplishment stands on its own.

“It’s really cool,” Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten said. “All the credit to the kids, who have put in so much work to get here. To have the opportunity to win a district championship for the first time in 39 years, it’s special. We’re looking forward to it.”

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By Owen McCue

AJ Thompson knew back in the preseason that the difference between good and great for the Conestoga girls basketball team would be its defense.

That played out Saturday afternoon as the Pioneers used a dominant defensive outing to take the program to a place it hasn’t been in 45 years.

No. 2 seed Conestoga locked down No. 7 Garnet Valley, 54-25, in district quarterfinal, advancing to Wednesday’s semifinal against No. 6 Spring-Ford — a 44-39 winner over Upper Dublin.

It’s the deepest district run for the Pioneers in the large-school classification since they reached the title game in 1979.

“We’ve worked on it, they’ve bought into it,” Thompson said of the defense. “Everyday at practice when we do our defensive drills or if we’re going live and focusing on the defense, they really go hard and listen and they’re always trying to make the right read or rotate. They’ve been great all season defensively.”

Saturday marked the fourth meeting between the two Central League squads and third this month. Conestoga (23-3) won a Dec. 21 matchup, 46-40. Garnet Valley (21-5) handed the Pioneers their second loss of the season in their regular season finale, a 43-42 Feb. 6 win.

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By Matthew DeGeorge

Vaughan Martin and Tony Martin are two of the leaders for Dock Mennonite Academy. Vaughan is a senior and Tony is a junior, but head coach Mike Fergus looks at the three-year starter as a senior.

With the District 1 Class 2A championship game on the line against Delco Christian, the two Martins took over, on the way to a 64-62 win at Bensalem High School.

The two combined for eight points during a 10-2 run in the middle of the fourth quarter that helped build a 10-point lead with three and a half minutes to go.

That run proved pivotal as the Pioneers went 6-for-10 from the free-throw line and committed three turnovers in the final 2:57 while the Knights scored on six of eight possessions to get an opportunity to win at the buzzer. Bicentennial Athletic League Player of the Year Khamai Orange got a look from three-point range as time expired, but it came up short, allowing Dock to win its second straight district title.

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By Matt Smith

As Caleigh Sperling was on her way to scoring 30 points, her North Penn teammate Olivia Stone would’ve been happy to make one shot Saturday afternoon at Haverford.

It wouldn’t be any old shot, either. How about the most important one of the season for the Knights?

Stone unloaded her fifth 3-point field goal attempt in the fourth quarter as North Penn trailed Haverford by one point in the final minute. The ball rattled around the rim for a second before falling through the net with 59 seconds to play.

No. 5 North Penn completed a comeback in its District 1 Class 6A quarterfinal matchup against fourth-seeded Haverford, which had led by five points in the fourth quarter. Stone’s clutch trey lifted North Penn to a 46-41 victory. The Knights (23-3) play No. 1 Perkiomen Valley (25-1) in the district semifinals Wednesday evening.

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