Delcohoops.com

By CoBL Staff

Out of Friday’s first-round PIAA state playoff games, 22 CoBL-area teams advanced to Tuesday’s second second round. 

Here’s a look at some of the more intriguing games involving local teams that night; a full list of contests can be found below:

Penncrest (1-5) vs. Holy Ghost Prep (1-2) (7:30 PM, Upper Merion)
These two met just three weeks ago in the District 1 5A quarterfinals, Holy Ghost Prep coming from down 14 points in the third quarter to ultimately beat Penncrest 52-48 in overtime, pulling off the upset on Penncrest’s court. Now they’ll meet in neutral territory with a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line. HGP had balanced scoring in that first matchup, senior Adrian Varella — one of nine on the team — had 14 points as six others hit the scoring column. But the Firebirds had problems with Lions junior forward Mikey Mita, who had a game-high 21 points. 

(click on this link for the previews)

By Matt Smith

 The same energy and determination that propelled Radnor to the District 1 Class 5A championship was on full display Saturday, despite a long layoff before the start of the PIAA tournament.

The Raptors hadn’t played a meaningful game since defeating Gwynedd Mercy on Feb. 25, an 11-day gap filled only with practices and scrimmages. But any concerns about rust quickly disappeared. Radnor picked up right where it left off, earning a 45-33 win over Northern York in the first round of the state playoffs that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Radnor (19-8) moves on to play Central League rival Strath Haven (14-13) in an all-Delco matchup Wednesday night at a neutral site.

Perhaps what emboldened the Raptors was the chance to play one final game on their home floor, a court senior leader Riley d’Entremont called “my favorite court I’ve ever played on.”

“As a senior, I wanted to go out with a bang,” d’Entremont said. “So, it was super special to do it in this manner, with this team, and with all of my family here.”

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Strath Haven girls basketball coach Brandi Johnson was succinct in describing her team’s opening round victory Saturday in the PIAA Class 5A tournament.

“We came ready to play,” Johnson summarized.

That was clearly illustrated in Haven’s 66-36 win over Bangor.

The Panthers were led by Maddie Fanning’s 18 points and Maryella Gill’s 16, but contributions were seen across the board.

Haven had 21 steals and forced 15 turnovers. In addition to the points put up by Fanning and Gill, Olivia Voshell scored 12 points and Kate Fox added 10.

The Panthers will take on Central League neighbor Radnor, a 45-33 winner over Northern York, in Wednesday’s second round.

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By Josh Verlin

As a freshman, Shareef Jackson was the sixth man on Roman Catholic’s state championship squad. With at most four games left in his outstanding high school career, the Cahillites’ senior wants to end his time at Broad and Vine the way he started it: by going out on top. 

And he wants to do it with his brother, junior wing Sammy Jackson, right by his side.

“I’m not trying to play my last game with my brother as a loss,” Sammy Jackson said. “We talk about it sometimes but we just know in the back of our heads, we both know we’re thinking the same thing.”

The Jackson brothers made sure Roman took the first step towards that goal, as the Cahillites came into the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium and took out Lower Merion, 74-63 in the opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament on Saturday afternoon. 

(click on this link for the full article)

By Joseph Santoliquito

On Friday afternoon, Father Judge coach Chris Roantree gathered his team around him at midcourt before practice as he usually does. He spoke to them about staying with the message of legacy this season and pointed to the few scant basketball banners hanging in the Judge gym.

Roantree reminded them that they were not the first Judge team to win the Catholic League championship, something the Crusaders accomplished a few weeks ago for the first time in 27 years. What begins on Saturday, Roantree stressed, is something that they alone could own; that they could have their names up in the rafters as the first Judge team to ever win a PIAA state basketball championship.

Then it was back to the grind.

Maybe it’s why when Judge beat Garnet Valley, 71-52, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A state playoffs in Judge’s packed gym on Saturday the significance of the Crusaders’ history-making, first-ever PIAA state playoff game victory seemed to be lost.

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By Matt Smith

Leah Hudak and Cardinal O’Hara knew they couldn’t afford to keep playing at the breakneck pace set in the opening quarter.

In their PIAA Class 6A tournament opener against Central Bucks East, the defending state champions found themselves in a fast-paced shootout early. The teams combined for 11 field goals – six from beyond the arc – and 30 points in the first eight minutes. Hudak’s late drive trimmed C.B. East’s lead to two, but the Lions knew they had to make some changes on the defensive end.

O’Hara wasn’t going to let the Patriots keep getting clean looks. C.B. East had four legitimate shooters, led by Natalie Berndt, who knocked down two triples in the first, alongside Jess Lockwood and Haley Moran, the team’s top all-around playmaker. Out of the first-quarter huddle, O’Hara locked in defensively, turning up the pressure with tight face-guarding, making it nearly impossible for the Patriots to get into their sets.

“We talked about it as a team. They were making a lot of shots,” said Hudak, a sophomore. “We couldn’t let them get as many shots off. We had to play better defense, because defense wins games.”

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