Local squads gear up for the postseason
The most important and most rewarding time of the year is here for several area basketball teams, as the District One Tournament begins play on Thursday and Friday.
Many local squads are perched up high in their respective brackets.
In Class 6A boys, top-seeded Methacton and No. 3 Cheltenham both earned first-round byes and will have off until Tuesday. The Warriors await the winner of No. 16 Pennsbury and No. 17 Penn Wood while the Panthers gear up for either No. 14 Central Bucks East or No. 19 Perkiomen Valley.
No. 21 Wissahickon at No. 12 Norristown is the only Thursday night contest: all of the other matchups in Class 6A are slated for Friday. The Trojans and Eagles are battling for a trip to No. 5 Haverford.
In Class 5A boys, No. 4 Upper Moreland earned a bye, and will wait to see its quarterfinal opponent on Wednesday: either No. 5 Penncrest or No. 12 Chichester.
In Class 6A girls, No. 1 Plymouth-Whitemarsh, No. 2 Souderton Area, No. 3 Methacton and No. 5 Abington all earned first-round byes.
PW gets either No. 16 Great Valley or No. 17 Conestoga Wednesday; Abington faces No. 21 Council Rock South or No. 12 Central Bucks West; Souderton Area awaits No. 15 CB South or No. 18 Coatesville; and Methacton gets either No. 19 Hatboro-Horsham or No. 14 Garnet Valley.
Over in Class 5A girls, No. 3 Upper Moreland gets ready for either No. 6 Radnor or No. 11 Penncrest on Tuesday.
The Catholic League, Bicentennial Athletic League and Friends League Playoffs all culminate this weekend.
Following is a closer look at some of the first-round matchups in District One.
No. 24 Garnet Valley at No. 9 Upper Dublin (6A Boys): Colin O’Sullivan can get hot from the outside for the Cards, and could be a key if Upper Dublin is to advance to Tuesday’s second-round game at No. 8 Spring-Ford.
Upper Dublin has had strong overall balance all season on the offensive and defensive ends.
Garnet Valley has been in some tight ones: its last three regular-season contests were all decided by three points or less, with GV winning two of them to qualify.
No. 23 Abington at No. 10 Conestoga (6A Boys): Derrius Lucas has been a big force at both ends for the streaking Ghosts, who won five straight to grab one of the final spots.
Senior Ryan Mackey is a major offensive catalyst for Stoga.
The winner advances to face No. 7 West Chester East.
No. 22 Plymouth-Whitemarsh at No. 11 Central Bucks South (6A Boys): Qudire Bennett has come through in big spots for the Colonials, who have put together some tremendous stretches of basketball but have been striving for consistency.
After falling to rival CB East, the Titans closed out their regular season with three straight victories over Upper Moreland, North Penn and Pennridge.
The winner advances to face No. 6 Downingtown West.
No. 11 Upper Merion at No. 6 Bishop Shanahan (5A Boys): Kalil Lawson and Zayd Etheridge have been a strong tandem for the Vikings and will look to have a big night.
Shanahan can lean on standout forward Will O’Loughlin to get it through tough stretches.
The winner advances to face No. 3 Phoenixville.
No. 3 Springfield Montco at No. 2 Pope John Paul II (4A Boys): J.P. Baron has had some explosive scoring outbursts this season for the Golden Panthers and cold loom large in Tuesday’s contest.
Kyle Smythe helps lead a determined Springfield squad on the road.
The winner advances to face either No. 1 Collegium Charter or No. 4 New Hope Solebury on Saturday, Feb. 26 for the one state berth.
No. 4 Faith Christian at No. 1 Phil-Mont Christian (1A Boys): The Lions are looking to get back on the winning track Tuesday after finishing the regular season with consecutive losses.
The winner nails down a states spot and advances to face either No. 2 Coventry Christian or No. 3 Plumstead Christian on Saturday, Feb. 26.
No. 20 Downingtown West at No. 13 Upper Dublin (6A Girls): Amy Ngo has been a driving force for the Cards, who have played tremendous team defense all season.
Defense could be the big factor Friday for Upper Dublin, as it looks to contain Sami Schurtz and the Whippets.
The winner gets No. 4 Pennsbury next.
No. 21 Council Rock South at No. 12 CB West (6A Girls): Emily Spratt is an all-around player for the Bucks and she’ll have West driving for a date with No. 5 Abington.
Rock South does come in hot though, winning five of its last six regular-season contests.
No. 19 Hatboro-Horsham at No. 14 Garnet Valley (6A Girls): The Hatters have won three of four but face a stiff challenge on the road Friday night.
GV is riding the momentum of its Central League Title.
The winner advances to face No. 3 Methacton.
No. 9 Merion Mercy at No. 8 Mount St. Joseph (5A Girls): The last time these two teams met, it was a thriller, with the Magic pulling out a 37-35 victory on Jan. 20.
It could be more of the same in the eight-nine matchup, which sends the winner to face No. 1 Springfield Delco on Tuesday.
No. 4 New Hope Solebury at No. 1 Gwynedd Mercy Academy (4A Girls): Tuesday’s winner punches its ticket to states, and a balanced Monarch squad featuring Bianca Coleman and company is looking to limit New Hope and advance once again.
The winner move on to face either No. 2 Villa Joseph Marie or No. 3 Collegium Charter on Saturday, Feb. 26.
No. 4 Phil-Mont Christian at No. 1 Faith Christian (1A Girls): Wednesday’s semifinal features a tremendously young Faith squad with just two seniors: Emily Brownell and Joy Hissner.
No. 3 Jenkintown at No. 2 Christian Academy (1A Girls): The Drakes always seem to raise it up a notch this time of the year, and they’ll try to get it done on the road if they’re to advance to the final on Saturday, Feb. 26.
The winner of that contest then faces the winner of District 12, and both of those teams, plus the District One runner-up, advance to states.
