District 1’s new boys basketball math seems to have Ridley counted out
When Ridley finished Tuesday’s loss to Lower Merion, it found itself outside the District 1 Class 6A playoffs, in 25th place for a 24-team field.
After Friday’s win against KIPP-DuBois, added at the last minute to give the Green Raiders a full 22-game schedule, the Green Raiders had bounded into 24th.
Now, it appears that the Green Raiders are once again on the outside looking in.
Due to a discrepancy in opponents’ records for the purposes of calculating bonus points, Ridley is back in 25th place, per the rankings on the District 1 website as of Sunday evening.
As of press time Sunday, brackets for the District 1 boys basketball fields in all six classifications were not released, pending verification and finalization of records. The information is slated to be released Monday, and pending review, will be made official.
The updated district rankings have Ridley, at 13-9, again dropping below North Penn (9-13) in the race for the final berth in the District 1 Class 6A field. The difference, aside from four games in a traditional set of standings, is a margin of 0.101 power points, giving the Knights the edge.
Despite the brackets not being solidified, some conclusions are safe. Chester (17-4) is the sixth seed in Class 6A and will receive a first-round bye, given to the top eight teams. Garnet Valley (14-8) is situated 15th and would host No. 18 Downingtown East (13-9) in Friday’s opening round. No. 22 Haverford (12-9) is in line to visit No. 11 Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-8).
In Class 5A, as currently calculated, Penncrest (17-5) is locked into the fourth seed, giving it the chance at two home games. The Lions would start with No. 13 Pottstown (10-12) in the opening round Wednesday, Feb. 20. Sun Valley (15-7) will get a home game as the sixth seed, against No. 11 Phoenixville (11-11). No. 8 Penn Wood (14-8) and No. 9 Academy Park (15-7) are due to collide, while No. 14 Radnor (11-11) will head to No. 3 Unionville (15-7).
Per the numbers available Sunday, No. 16 Harriton (9-13) leaped over No. 17 Bishop Shanahan (6-16) into the final playoff spot.
Glen Mills (7-15) is the fourth and final seed in the Class 4A tournament, facing a trip to top-seeded Lower Moreland (19-3) on Feb. 20.
In Class 2A, Delco Christian (13-9) will host Valley Forge Military Academy (13-9) in a semifinal Feb. 20 with a spot in states on the line. The Knights lost at VFMA, 61-53, Feb. 5.
As of Sunday night, Plumstead Christian (11-11) is microscopically ahead of Chester Charter School for the Arts (12-10) by 0.079 points for the fourth and final seed in the Class A field.
