The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Area teams competing for SOL, PAC and AACA titles

The Suburban One League Tournament champions will be crowned Tuesday night in a doubleheader at Plymouth Whitemarsh. The top-seeded PW girls face No. 2 Souderton at 5 p.m. and the top-seeded PW boys take on No. 2 Central Bucks East at 7 p.m.

The PW girls beat Council Rock South and Abington in the first two rounds of the playoffs while Souderton beat Pennridge and Neshaminy. Both sides won by one possession in the semifinals.

In the Colonials 45-44 overtime win over Abington, Abby Sharpe scored 22 points and Erin Daley added 17. The two senior 1,000-point scorers combined for all but six of PW’s points.

In the Indians 34-32 win over Neshaminy, Casey Harter scored 13 points. A Teya McConnaha free throw gave Big Red a two-point lead with 18 seconds left and Erin Bohmmueller blocked Neshaminy’s game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer.

On the boys side, Plymouth Whitemarsh beat Neshaminy and North Penn in the first two rounds while CB East topped Pennridge and Upper Dublin.

After nearly blowing a 19-point lead in four-and-a-half minutes and holding on to beat Neshaminy by two in the quarterfinals, PW handled North Penn in the semifinals, 75-57. Qudire Bennett led the Colonials with 23 points while Jaden Colzie added 19 and Chase Coleman 18. The game was tied 30-30 early in the third quarter before PW took control.

Kyle Berndt scored 21 points in CB East’s 60-56 overtime win over Upper Dublin in the semifinals. Jacob Cummiskey added 16 and Tyler Dandrea 13. Cummiskey, who added six rebounds and six assists, tied the game late in the fourth to help the Patriots erase an 11-point deficit.

The two championship games feature four of the best teams in District 1 Class-6A. The Plymouth Whitemarsh boys and girls are seeded third in the district while the Souderton girls and CB East boys are both seeded fourth. The district playoffs start Friday.

UPPER MERION PLAYS FOR 1ST PAC TITLE

The Upper Merion boys advanced to their first Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game with a double-overtime win over Perkiomen Valley in the semifinals. The Vikings will face Spring-Ford, a double-overtime winner over Pottstown in the other semifinal, Tuesday night at Spring-Ford at 7 p.m.

Josh Zimmerman netted the game-winner for Upper Merion, the PAC Frontier Division champions. He grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and his put-back gave the Vikings a 64-62 win as time expired. Nick Smiley led Upper Merion with 22 points and Devin Swayze added 11.

The semifinal win was head coach Jason Quenzer’s 100th of his career.

During the regular season, Spring-Ford beat Upper Merion 62-47 on Dec. 22. After starting the year 5-6, the Vikings have won nine of their last 12 games.

GWYNEDD MERCY LOOKS TO DEFEND CROWN

Gwynedd Mercy Academy takes on Villa Maria Academy for the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at La Salle College High School.

The Monarchs, the defending league champions, are 19-4 this season with two losses coming against the Hurricanes. Villa Maria won at GMA, 40-32, on Jan. 12 and 30-27 on a buzzer-beater at VMA on Feb. 2.

GMA reached the final with a 35-25 semifinal win over Mount Saint Joseph Academy, getting revenge for one of their other regular-season losses. Bailey Balkir led the Monarchs with 11 points while Hannah Griffin added eight and Emilia Coleman seven.

DISTRICT 1 BRACKETS SET

The District 1 boys and girls basketball playoff brackets were finalized Sunday morning and the Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media area is well-represented.

BOYS

Eight area teams are in the 24-team Class-6A playoff field. No. 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh, No. 4 Central Bucks East and No. 6 North Penn earned first-round byes. No. 9 Methacton, No. 16 Pennridge, No. 19 Norristown, No. 20 Abington and No. 23 Cheltenham play in the first round Friday.

Three area teams qualified for the Class-5A playoffs – No. 5 Upper Dublin, No. 10 Upper Moreland and No. 11 Upper Merion. Upper Merion faces rival Pottstown in the first round. The Vikings swept the regular season meetings, winning two games by a combined six points.

Pope John Paul II and Springfield Montco earned spots in the Class-4A playoffs. PJP is the No. 2 seed while Springfield is No. 4. They could meet in the championship game if they win their semifinal matchups Tuesday Feb. 21.

Dock Mennonite Academy is the No. 1 seed in Class-2A. The Pioneers, the top team in Class-3A last year, host No. 4 Calvary Christian in the semifinals Tuesday Feb. 21. Dock won the regular season meeting, 67-29, on Jan. 10.

GIRLS

Eight area teams qualified for spots in the 24-team Class-6A playoff field. No. 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh, No. 4 Souderton and No. 6 Abington eached earned a first-round bye. No. 13 Pennridge, No. 15 Methacton, No. 17 Central Bucks East, No. 19 Upper Dublin and No. 21 North Penn have first-round matchups Friday. Pennridge would advance to face Souderton and Upper Dublin would meet Plymouth Whitemarsh if they win their first-round matchups. PW won the district last season.

In Class-5A, Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Upper Moreland and Mount Saint Joseph Academy qualified for the playoffs. GMA, the defending district champion, is the fourth seed, UM the five and MSJ the seven. GMA has a first-round bye while Upper Moreland hosts No. 12 Strath Haven. A win would send the Golden Bears to a quarterfinal against the Monarchs. The Mount hosts No. 10 Marple Newtown in the opener.

Pope John Paul II finished as the No. 4 seed in Class-4A. The Golden Panthers will face No. 1 MaST Charter in the semifinals Tuesday Feb. 21. PJP enters districts winners of three of its final four regular season games before falling to Methacton in the PAC quarterfinals.

Faith Christian Academy is the No. 1 seed in Class-2A and will face No. 4 Calvary Christian in the semifinals Tuesday Feb. 21. In Dec. 13 meeting between these teams, FCA won, 40-20. FCA won the Class-A championship last year.

In Class-A, Jenkintown will face The Christian Academy in the championship game Saturday, Feb. 25. The two teams played on Jan. 5 and The Christian Academy won, 31-15.