Abington boys, Plymouth Whitemarsh girls go for District 1-6A titles
The Abington boys and Plymouth Whitemarsh girls have taken different paths this season, but both teams have arrived at the same destination – the District 1-6A championship game.
The Ghosts head to Lower Merion to face the No. 9 seeded Aces while the Colonials travel to Spring-Ford for a meeting with the No. 1 seeded Rams. Both games are Friday night at 7 p.m.
Abington, the No. 14 seed in the playoffs, is looking for its fifth District 1 championship since 2015. The Ghosts, who won district titles under head coach Charles Grasty in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, had a tough road through the bracket. They needed to go through three of the top seven seeds – No. 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh, No. 6 West Chester East and No. 7 Central Bucks East – along with a first-round matchup against No. 19 Kennett.
The opening round win over Kennett, quarterfinal win over West Chester East and semifinal win over CB East all came down to the final possession. The Ghosts pulled out wins by three, one and two points, respectively, with the semifinal win over CB East requiring two overtimes.
Rob Bell led the Ghosts against CB East with 19 points, including the game-winner at the end of double overtime. Oreck Frazier added 17, including a game-tying three at the end of the first extra session.
Lower Merion enjoyed more comfortable wins throughout the district playoffs. After a first-round bye they defeated No. 8 Downingtown West by 11, No. 1 Cheltenham by nine and No. 4 Garnet Valley by 15. The district title game will be their first home game of the postseason.
Against Garnet Valley, the Aces led by five points in the third quarter and turned to a four-corners offense to run clock. They found success, doubling the lead to 10 by the end of the third before winning, 56-41.
Live Stream: Lower Merion YouTube | Live updates: @ADRobinson3 on Twitter.
On the girls side, Plymouth Whitemarsh’s postseason results have never been in doubt. The Colonials, ranked No. 2 in the district, beat No. 18 Souderton by 31 points, No. 10 CB West by 20 and No. 3 CB East by 31.
Those impressive performances have been par for the course for the Suburban One League Liberty Division champions this season when they have point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan. The junior missed the final three games of the regular season, including the team’s only loss to CB East, 32-29, with a hamstring injury. In 16 games with Flanagan in the lineup, PW is undefeated with a 27.9 average margin of victory.
Spring-Ford has been just as impressive this season. Led by the program’s all-time leading scorer Lucy Olsen, the Pioneer Athletic Conference champions went 18-0 in the regular season. In the District 1 playoffs, S-F has wins over No. 16 Penn Wood by 31 points, No. 8 Abington by 17 and No. 4 Upper Dublin by 18.
Both PW and Spring-Ford reached the District 1-6A semifinals last season but lost before the title game. In the third-place game at Plymouth Whitemarsh, the Colonials won, 56-42. Abby Sharpe led PW with 17 points while Olsen scored 14 for the Rams before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.
Live Stream: Ram Country TV | Live updates: @AustinHertzog on Twitter.
PIAA Playoffs
Bishop McDevitt vs. Mahanoy Area >> District 12 champion Bishop McDevitt will face District 11 champion Mahanoy Area in the girls PIAA-2A quarterfinals Friday at Archbishop Ryan High School at 5 p.m.
The Lancers enter this game coming off their only win of the season, a 40-21 victory over Penn Treaty in the District 12-2A title game.
Mahanoy Area is 19-5 after beating District 1 champ Sacred Heart, 46-19, in the first round of states.
The winner will face the winner of District 4 champion Mount Carmel and District 2 champion Holy Cross in the semifinals Monday.
Live Stream: NFHS | Live updates: @mpcabrey on Twitter.
Archbishop Carroll vs. Allentown Central Catholic >> District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll will face District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic in the boys PIAA-4A quarterfinals Friday at 6 p.m. at Archbishop Carroll High School.
The Patriots improved to 9-6 Tuesday when they won their only non-league game of the season, the District 12 championship game against Martin Luther King, 85-70.
Allentown Central Catholic is 17-4 after winning its first-round matchup over District 1 champion Pope John Paul II, 43-40.
The winner will face the winner of District 3 champion Middletown and District 4 champion Danville in the semifinals Monday.
Live Stream: NFHS
Phil-Mont Christian vs. La Academia Charter >> District 1 champion Phil-Mont Christian Academy will face District 3 champion La Academia Charter in the boys PIAA-A quarterfinals Friday at Lancaster Catholic High School at 7 p.m.
Phil-Mont enters states after a dominant District 1 title run where it defeated The Christian Academy, 60-35, in the semifinals and Jenkintown, 54-42, in the championship.
La Academia Charter is riding a five-game winning streak.
The winner will face the winner of District 11 champion Nativity BVM and District 4 champion St. John Neumann in the semifinals Monday.
Live Stream: NFHS | Live updates: @emor09 on Twitter.
Archbishop Carroll vs. Nazareth >> District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll will face District 11 champion Nazareth in the girls PIAA-6A quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. at Nazareth High School.
Carroll is 9-6 this season. After losing to Archbishop Wood by one point in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals, the Patriots hammered Constitution, 46-21, for the District 12 crown.
Nazareth enters states with a 16-1 record.
The winner will face the winner of the District 1 championship between Spring-Ford and Plymouth Whitemarsh in the state semifinals Tuesday.
Live Stream: NFHS
Archbishop Wood vs. William Allen >> District 12 champion Archbishop Wood will face District 11 champion William Allen in the boys PIAA-6A quarterfinals Saturday at 1 p.m. at William Allen High School.
The Vikings enter the state playoffs with a perfect 17-0 record. The Philadelphia Catholic League champs were still alive in the state playoffs last year when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped winter sports.
William Allen brings an 11-4 record into states, riding a five-game winning streak, including a district title win over Parkland, 58-51.
The winner will face the winner of the District 1 championship between Abington and Lower Merion in the state semifinals Tuesday.
Live Stream: NFHS | Live updates: @mpcabrey on Twitter.
Jenkintown vs. Harrisburg Christian >> District 1 champion Jenkintown will face District 3 champion Harrisburg Christian in the girls PIAA-A quarterfinals Saturday at 2 p.m at Harrisburg Christian High School.
Jenkintown is 16-1 this year after defeating District 2 champion Susquehanna Community High School in the first round of states, 56-18.
Harrisburg Christian enters the state playoffs a perfect 18-0 record.
The winner will face the winner of District 4 champion Northumberland Christian and District 11 champion Nativity BVM in the semifinals Tuesday.
Live Stream: NFHS | Live updates: @khunter10 on Twitter.
Gwynedd Mercy vs. Archbishop Wood >> District 1 champion Gwynedd Mercy Academy will face District 12 champion Archbishop Wood in the girls PIAA-4A quarterfinals Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Archbishop Wood High School.
GMA improved to 15-1 Wednesday when it defeated District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic, 39-31, in the first round.
Archbishop Wood enters the state playoffs with a 14-2 record. After winning the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, the Vikings handled Mastery North, 67-28, in the District 12 title game.
The winner will face the winner of District 2 champion Scranton Prep and District 4 champion Central Columbia in the semifinals Tuesday.
Live Stream: NFHS | Live updates: @ADRobinson3 on Twitter.
