Chester County boys’ basketball district preview: Collegium Charter, Church Farm are top seeds
WEST CHESTER >> A total of nine Chester County high school teams have qualified in four classes for the upcoming District 1 Boys Tournament. Ches-Mont Playoff finalists West Chester East and Downingtown West have first round byes and are in the mix in 6A, but the 24-team bracket is fraught with potential setbacks.
“Hey, anything is possible in high school sports, especially post-COVID,” said West Chester East head coach Tom Durant. “There are so many intangibles.”
Area teams that have the best opportunity to capture a district crown, however, are Collegium Charter in 4A and Church Farm in 2A. Both are located in Exton, both are members of the Bicentennial League, and both are top seeds in their respective classes.
Collegium Charter is coming off a wildly successful regular season with a 20-2 overall record, 13-1 in the Bicentennial League. Under head coach Markell Jones, the Cougars knocked off three-time Ches-Mont champion West Chester East as well as two other (Bishop Shanahan and Downingtown East) in the regular season. The only losses were to Catholic League standout Neumann-Goretti and District 3A top seed Dock Mennonite.
Collegium Charter will open the four-team bracket on Friday against (4) New Hope Solebury, and is led by juniors Dinero Washington and Duce Jackson. Washington is a point guard and leads the Cougars in scoring (18.7), assists (3.7) and steals (2.8). A forward, Jackson leads the team in rebounding (7.7) and chips in 13.9 points per game.
“Our expectation is to be playing in the district championship game, with a good chance to take it home,” said head coach Markel Jones. “We are a fast-paced athletic team with guards and bigs to match.”
Church Farm doesn’t have a gaudy record (12-8 overall), but the Griffins are a strong favorite in 2A. Their semifinal opponent on Friday is (4) Calvary Christian, a team that Church Farm clobbered by 44 points in the regular season. The final opponent will be either (2) Bristol or (3) Delco Christians, two other teams that the Griffins topped by double digits in the regular season.
“As the top seed, our goal is to win the district,” said Church Farm head coach Jonathan Guarente. “We’ve had a good season and the kids have shown incredible character recovering from a 0-4 start.”
The Griffins are led by 6-foot-5 guard Matthew Sullivan, a silky smooth guard who scored 29 against Downingtown West. But the Griffins will be without guard Cooper Shivers and his 15 points per game average. The transfer from West Chester Rustin is ineligible due to PIAA transfer rules.
“We’ve played a challenging non-conference schedule,” Guarente said. “We feel ready for the opportunity.”
Seeded seventh, West Chester East (18-6 overall) is on a roll, having won seven of the last eight, including a 55-48 win earlier this week over Downingtown West in the Ches-Mont title game. It was the type of dominating post-season performance that was a shot across the bow to the rest of the 6A field.
“We’ve been here before, and our kids know what it takes to win,” Durant said.
“We were real hungry against (West). They are a heck of a team, so beating them is like climbing a mountain. It shows our guys what they are capable of doing.”
The Vikings will face the winner of (10) Conestoga-(23) Abington in round two on Tuesday. The Pioneers (15-6) have some nice wins on their resume, including a 10-point win over Downingtown West.
The mental state of the sixth-seeded Whippets could be an issue. The champs of the C-M National have dropped two of the last three, but West (17-6) has a lot of talent, including a solid backcourt and an imposing front line.
“I think I have a resilient group,” said Whippets’ head coach Stu Ross. “We have to get back on the horse. We have a week off so it will give our guys an opportunity to get some fresh legs and clear their minds – kind of reset themselves after a disappointing end to our league season.
“We talked to the kids about two options: either we let (the Ches-Mont Championship Game) be a hangover or we move forward and get ready for districts.”
Four other Ches-Mont squads did not get a first round bye, and only Great Valley (16-6) and Bishop Shanahan (11-11) have a first round home game. In the 6A bracket, the Patriots will host 20th seed West Chester Henderson on Friday, and the winner gets (4) Bensalem in the next round. Great Valley topped the Warriors (15-7) by 12 during the regular season.
In 5A on Friday, No. 6 Shanahan will face an Upper Merion squad that it beat 62-56 in the regular season. The winner will get No. 3 Phoenixville in round two of Tuesday.
The toughest draw in 5A goes to West Chester Rustin (11-11). The 10th seeded Knights open at (7) Marple Newtown, and No. 2 Chester awaits the winner.
There will be a playback bracket in both 6A and 5A, with 12 and six ultimately advancing to the PIAA Tournament, respectively.
Devon Prep’s PIAA postseason road is still uncertain. The Tide are 13-6 overall (7-6 in the Philadelphia Catholic League) and will be competing in the District 12 3A bracket. The squad is led by second-team all-league Lucas Orchard and IV Pettit, who transferred from West Chester Rustin.
