Mercury District 1 Boys Basketball second round previews
With some teams only playing one or two non-conference games and others playing none, it’s hard to get read of what the District 1 postseason has in store.
The Class 6A and 5A boys and girls tournaments got underway Saturday with first round games, setting the stage for what should be an exciting district postseason.
District 1’s Class 6A and 5A boys tournaments continue on Tuesday with Class 6A winners advancing to the quarterfinal round, while Class 5A winners moving on to the semifinals already in reduced district fields.
Also on Tuesday, the District Class 4A girls tournament gets underway with two semifinal matchups.
Here is a look at the Mercury-Area teams in action on Tuesday:
CLASS 6A
No. 16 Methacton (11-6) at No. 1 Cheltenham (13-1), 7 p.m.
Playoff History >> Tuesday’s game is a rematch of last year’s District 1 championship when top-seeded Methacton defeated No. 3 Cheltenham, 73-48, for its first district title. The Warriors have been to two straight district quarterfinals and could make it three with a win Tuesday after only two trips to the district quarters in the previous decade plus. Prior to last season’s district runner-up finish, Cheltenham last advanced to the quarters in 2017 when it reached the semifinals.
Players to Watch >> Methacton: Cole Hargrove, Jr., F; Brett Byrne, Jr., G; Ryan Baldwin, Sr., F; Steven Penjuke, Sr., G/F; Cheltenham: Saleem Payne, Jr., G; Michael McLain, Sr. F; Rasheem Dearry, Jr., G/F; Justin Savage, Jr., G
On Methacton >> The Warriors graduated their top four scorers from the 2020 title team, setting the stage for role players Byrne (11.8 ppg) and Hargrove (11.4 ppg) to lead the way in 2021. Hargrove’s 23-point, 21 rebound effort powered a win for the Warriors in a 46-38 first round win over Central Bucks South, in which Methacton trailed by as many as 13 in the first half. Baldwin and Penjuke, who came off the bench, sparked the Warriors late in the win. The magic number for Methacton is 46 points, putting up an 11-0 when it hits that mark.
On Cheltenham >> Cheltenham’s lone loss this season came to District 1-5A No. 1 Upper Moreland (13-3). Like the Warriors, the Panthers have a new group running the show this season, departing all five starters from their 2020 runner-up finish. Payne has become the Panthers’ go-to guy, leading an undersized group that wins with its fast pace and pressure defense. Finding a way to keep Hargrove from another outing like his 20-20 effort against CB South will be of utmost importance. But the Panthers are averaging 63.4 points per game this season, only scoring below 60 four times, and will be much tougher to come back from if the Warriors (51.8 ppg) fall behind once again.
No. 12 Pennridge (13-5) at No. 5 Perkiomen Valley (11-3), 7 p.m.
Playoff History >> The Rams are one of just three programs, along with Lower Merion and Coatesville, to advance to the District 1 quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons, going all the way to the semifinals in 2019. Perkiomen Valley missed the postseason a year ago but has made two District 1 quarterfinal trips (2017, 2019) in the past five seasons.
Players to Watch >> Pennridge: Luke Yoder, Sr., F; Colin Post, Sr., G; Colin Monahan, Sr., F; Perkiomen Valley: Tyler Lapetina, Sr., G; Kameron Parks, Sr., G/F; Dominic Miceli, Sr., G.
On Perkiomen Valley >> After an 0-2 start that inlcuded an opening night 26-point loss to Pope John Paul II, the Vikings have been terrific, winning 11 of their last 12 and winning a Liberty Division title. Parks (10.6 ppg) is the only holdover from PV’s 2019 district quarterfinal team as a squad that missed out on the postseason in 2020 did a lot of growing up this offseason. Lapetina (18.4 ppg) led the PAC in scoring, while Miceli’s (10.3 ppg) emergence gives PV three true scoring threats. Others like Dawson Debebe and Ethan Kohler really came on down the stretch to help the Vikings roll into the postseason with eight straight wins.
On Pennridge >> The Rams have proven that they can’t be overlooked come playoff time, so don’t’ pay attention to the No. 12 next to Pennridge’s name in the bracket. The Rams lost a pair of games to District 1 No. 7 seed Central Bucks East (see below), but their other three defeats came by single digits. Yoder, Post and Monahan are the senior captains, while others like sophomore guard Matthew Campione, junior guard Justin Nichols and senior forward TJ Grenda have risen to the occasion when needed throughout the season.
No. 10 Boyertown (10-5) at No. 7 Central Bucks East (11-3), 7 p.m.
Playoff History >> Boyertown broke a four-year absence from the District 1 playoffs when it earned a home game last season. The Bears were upset by Plymouth-Whitemarsh and haven’t won a postseason game of any kind since 2005. The Patriots have become a mainstay in the district tournament, making their sixth straight appearance and winning at least one game in four of the past five seasons. CB East is hoping to break through to the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2016.
Players to Watch >> Boyertown: Tre Diguglielmo, Sr., F; Aarick Salata, Sr., G; Christian Renninger, Sr., G; David Leh, Sr., F; CB East: Joe Jackman, Sr., G; Jack Hamilton, Sr., F; Liam Cummiskey., G; Jacob Cummiskey, Fr., G
On Boyertown >> Though the Bears lack a ton of postseason experience, they are a senior-laden group that played its best basketball down the stretch, ending the season with a victory over previously undefeated PAC champ Pope John Paul II. Boyertown is not shy to pull the trigger from deep with several capable shooters. Diguglielmo (13.6 ppg) and Renninger (12.7 ppg) ranked first (32) and third (30), respectively, among PAC leaders in 3-point shots made. Senior forward Chris Kiefer emerged late in the season to buoy the Bears’ inside scoring presence. While Boyertown has the ability to fill it up, reaching 60-or-more points four times this season, a commitment to defense was the focus in an 8-2 finish to the season.
On CB East >> Like Boyertown, the Patriots also like to pull from deep, meaning this could be a high scoring affair if the defense isn’t tight. Jackman shouldered the brunt of the load for CB East last season, but Hamilton, a 6-foot-9 Lehigh baseball commit, and the Cummiskey brothers have filled in nicely to space the floor and balance things out. CB East has been dominant at times, putting together four double-digit wins against the Class 6A playoff field. The Patriots also lost two in a row, falling to Central Bucks South and dropping a bit of a head scratcher to New Hope Solebury (6-12), before rallying with two wins of 20-or-more points to close the season.
CLASS 5A
No. 6 Phoenixville (10-5) at No. 3 Holy Ghost Prep (11-6)
Playoff History >> Phoenixville hasn’t been out of the first round of the District 1 playoffs since 2016, losing first round matchups in 2017, 2019 and 2020. After earning the No. 2 seed in each of the past two seasons, the Ghost were upset in the second round. Holy Ghost won a playoff game in each of the past three years, but haven’t reached the semifinal round since a Class 3A title in 2016.
Players to Watch >> Phoenixville: Mike Memmo, Sr., G; Zavier Mayo, Jr. G; Will Allain, Sr. G; Holy Ghost Prep: Jack McDermott, Sr., G; Ryan O’Hara, Sr., F; Shane Reilly, Jr., G.
On Phoenixville >> A COVID pause forced the Phantoms to finish their season with eight games in 11 days, coming up with a 4-4 record during that stretch, which included games against the PAC’s other four district teams. While Phoenixville relies on Memmo (17.1 ppg) to shoulder the offensive load, Mayo (9.4 ppg) broke out in the second half of the season to provide another threat along with Allain (8.3 ppg), an Ursinus basketball commit. Phoenixville hasn’t had a lot of practice time this season and it will be interesting to see how the well-rested Phantoms come out after having four days of prep since their regular-season finale against Pope John Paul II on March 4.
On Holy Ghost Prep >> After leaving the Bicentennial, Holy Ghost put together an independent schedule for the first time this season. Some of Ghosts’ big wins included Allentown Central Catholic and Executive Education Academy Charter School, two of the top 4A and 3A teams in the state, respectively, out of District 11. Losses to Pennridge and Neshaminy are the only results against District 1’s big school playoff field. Firebirds’ head coach Tony Chapman recently reached win No. 900 in his coaching career if there was a needed reminder that Holy Ghost tends to always be a tough out come playoff time.
