North Penn brings momentum, experience to PIAA AAAA Tournament
The North Penn girls basketball team has had one hiccup this postseason.
After winning the Suburban One League Continental Conference, the Maidens won the SOL Tournament. In the first two District One-AAAA playoff games, they won by 45 and 28 points. Then came the misstep.
North Penn lost to Central Bucks South, 57-54 in overtime, after allowing a half-court heave to tie the game at the end of regulation.
In two playback games since, the Maidens won by 28 and 18 points.
“I was a little bit concerned after that loss going into Neshaminy how the kids would respond,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “Their response has been terrific.”
Now, it’s time for the state playoffs. North Penn will kickoff its PIAA Class AAAA run against District 12’s Central Friday at South Philadelphia High School at 6 p.m.
The Lancers went 12-6 this season and finished as the No. 2 seed in District 12. deMarteleire saw Central play last weekend against Cardinal O’Hara and saw a defense that plays an aggressive 3-2 zone and pressures the guards — similar to what Penn Wood — a team that North Penn beat 64-36 in districts — does.
“We’re going to have to take care of the ball,” deMarteleire said.
“For us, taking care of the ball and rebounding are always essential.”
The Maidens reached the state playoffs in five of the last six years and boast a roster filled with players with state playoff experience.
“We’ve gotten to the quarterfinals of states two years — 2013 and 2014,” deMarteleire said. “That’s a goal of ours — to get there and surpass that.”
If North Penn advances past Central, it will likely face the District One winner, Perkiomen Valley, who faces (3-7) Red Lion in the first round, Tuesday in the second round.
“We really are focusing on one game at a time,” deMarteleire said, “but if we were to win (against Central), we would be right back where we would have been if we ended up coming out as the number one seed. So that game (CB South loss) wasn’t the end of the world.”
Class AAAA
(1-1) Perkiomen Valley vs. (3-7) Red Lion
Perkiomen Valley will face Red Lion in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs Friday at Wissahickon High School at 7:30 p.m.
This Lady Vikings team set a school record for wins in a season and won the first District One-AAAA championship in school history.
KT Armstrong and Megan Jonassen, who average 15.9 and 13.4 points, respectively, will try to keep the historic season going against District 3’s Red Lion.
The winner of this game will face the winner of (1-5) North Penn and (12-2) Central in the second round Tuesday.
(1-4) Upper Dublin vs. (12-3) Archbishop Carroll
Upper Dublin will face Archbishop Carroll in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs Friday at 6 p.m. at Cheltenham High School.
The Cardinals enter the state tournament after losing their last two game — a one-point loss to Perkiomen Valley in the district semifinals and an 11-point defeat to Central Bucks South in the third-place game.
Against South, Upper Dublin uncharacteristically surrendered 50 points. Prior to that game, it hadn’t allowed more than 30 points since the middle of January.
The Cardinals will need their defense to get back on track against District 12’s third-place finisher Archbishop Carroll if they want their season to continue.
The winner of this game will face the winner of (1-7) Neshaminy and (2-1) Hazelton in the second round Tuesday.
Class AAA
(1-1) Gwynedd Mercy vs. (12-3) Bonner-Prendergast
Gwynedd Mercy Academy will face Bonner Prendergast in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Harriton High School.
GMA is coming off its second consecutive District One-AAA title thanks to a dominant senior class. Erica DeCandido — who reached the 1,000-point milestone earlier this year — and classmates Brigit Coleman, Maggie Cameron and Mary Claire Casey have Gwynedd primed for a big state tournament run.
The winner of this game will face the winner of (2-2) Scranton Prep and (3-3) Greencastle-Antrim Wednesday.
