District 1 Tournament Preview: Garnet Valley excited for its second chance
Garnet Valley’s boys basketball team has already felt its season end.
The Jaguars walked off the court in last Thursday’s Central League first-round game having stomached a draining double-overtime loss at Conestoga. When Ryan Mackey’s go-ahead free throws hit, the Jaguars sat 26th in the District 1 Class 6A rankings – better than the 28th they’d been a week earlier but still shy of the 24-team field.
In the coming 48 hours, mathematical machinations around the district would have to go the Jags’ way to prolong their season. It would be the final, hair-raising turns on a roller coaster they’d ridden for the last two weeks.
“It was a little nerve-wracking to be honest because we were right on the edge,” coach Mike Brown said. “The numbers seemed to change every couple of hours, every time somebody’s score comes in.”
It wasn’t until Saturday night that Brown and his players could sleep soundly: Power points from earlier wins shaded GV’s way, allowing the Jaguars (14-8) to sneak past Coatesville (12-8) and North Penn (11-11) for the final districts berth.
The reward is a trip to No. 9 Upper Dublin (16-6) in Friday’s first round. But it’s a task that the Jaguars approach with little pressure, certainly nothing compared to the last two weeks.
The gauntlet that Brown and the spreadsheets laid down was clear, if daunting. At 12-7 on Feb. 1, Garnet Valley had three games remaining. Three wins and they were in. Two wins would be the minimum to let the mathematical magic lift them in.
All were at home, which was good.
Less good? The opposition: Lower Merion, Haverford, Conestoga. Three teams the Jaguars had already lost to, the second, fifth and 10th seeds, respectively, in Class 6A.
The Jaguars lost to the Aces, the eventual Central League champions, by three. They then scraped out a must-have 49-48 win over Haverford and topped Conestoga, 41-38, in the regular-season finale.
Come what may in the standings, Brown’s group had done what it set out to do, which brought a certain satisfaction in and of itself.
“I was really proud of the kids,” Brown said. “… The kids, when they had to come through, they did in a big way.”
That makes the playoff berth a bonus, particularly given the makeup of these Jaguars. They lost three starters from the 2021 league title team. Ryan Wootten, the team’s second-leading scorer, is the lone senior regular, Brown starting three juniors and a freshman.
Making the top six of the Central League is an achievement. Getting a taste of districts will help set the starting point for next year.
“First of all, they’ve made it and they’re going to enjoy the atmosphere,” Brown said. “We’re the 24th seed playing the ninth seed, so you can count a little on the fact that not many people think we’re going to win. That kind of takes the pressure off. I’d like to think they’re going to enjoy it, and hopefully we do win, but I hope they enjoy the whole experience. …
“For them to come back next year and already have played in the Central League playoffs and the district playoffs, it’s pretty cool. It’ll definitely pay off, for sure.”
The winner gets eighth-seeded Spring-Ford (13-7) in the second round.
Also in 6A:
Penn Wood at Pennsbury >> The Patriots (13-6) have been an enigma. When they’re good, they’re good – pushing Chester to overtime, beating up on Haverford and Garnet Valley. When they’re off … well, they lost to Interboro, the Bucs’ first league win in eight years.
Consistent shooting is an issue. But in Mekhi Shillingsford in the post and Shamir Massenburg running the point, they have two steady pillars.
Pennsbury (14-8) is a tough place to play, but the Patriots pulled an upset there as recently as 2017 as the 11 seed against a six.
The winner gets No. 1 Methacton (21-2) in the second round.
Fifth-seeded Haverford (17-5) awaits the winner of No. 12 Norristown (14-8) and No. 21 Wissahickon (14-8). That game is Tuesday. Norristown beat Wissahickon in its season opener, 57-46.
Class 5A
The similarities between Marple Newtown and West Chester Rustin run deep. Both are small-division teams in bigger leagues. Both want to play in the same scoring range, with similarly efficient offenses.
As 7-10 games go, this one intrigues, with the Tigers (13-9) earning hosting duties. Both teams have improved as the season wore on. Marple won three straight, including an upset of Radnor, down the stretch. When they spread the ball and shooters like Eric McKee and Jordan Bochanski are hitting, they can match a lot of teams, especially with the return of Owen Mathes as a post presence and the emergence of freshman Matt Gardler.
Rustin (11-11) salvaged its season with a late four-game win streak despite some unsightly losses (a 24-point drubbing by Episcopal Academy, for instance). They lost by 11 to Methacton in the finale.
Chester (15-3) is the No. 2 seed and will host the winner next Wednesday. With six teams going to states, a first-round win guarantees a spot in playbacks.
Chichester at Penncrest >> Things were not looking great for Penncrest in mid-January. A drubbing by Lower Merion on Jan. 19 mired them at 5-8, the last of four straight losses in the crossover schedule.
But the Lions finished the regular season with five straight wins, posting a 12-11 record to get nearer a districts bye than the cut line.
The fifth-seeded Lions have depended heavily on Saahir Lee and Ben Stanton, who combined account for 58 percent of their scoring.
They’ll be challenged defensively by the 12th-seeded Eagles (9-12), who possess dynamic players off the bounce, led by Maz Sayed. Any time Vince Wildrick and Ahkir Keys knock down shots, the Eagles are a tough out. Chichester has exited at this stage of the competition three times in the last four years, including to Penncrest in a 3-14 game in 2020.
Holy Ghost Prep at Sun Valley >> The Vanguards (14-9) won just two games in 2020-21 and sat sub-.500 after one-point losses to Chichester and Avon Grove in January. But Sun Valley has matured rapidly. They are 10-5 since the Avon Grove loss, including a seven-game winning streak to coast to a home game. They’ve lost their last two, falling at Rustin to cap the regular season before a Ches-Mont semifinal loss to a Downingtown West, the sixth seed in 6A.
The growth of Chris Kwaidah, Noah Griffin, Evan Richardson and company has been immense. Five players average at least seven points per game.
Holy Ghost Prep (13-9) is no stranger to meaningful late-February basketball. The Firebirds enter having lost two of three.
Top-seeded Radnor (20-3) awaits the winner Wednesday.
