The regular season, league playoffs and district playoffs are over. The top boys and girls basketball teams in Pennsylvania are ready to start the final leg of the season, the state playoffs.
All six classifications tip off their 32-team state tournaments this weekend and the Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media Area is well-represented.
Here are game-by-game looks at the area’s teams’ first-round matchups.
Boys basketball
Class-6A
Archbishop Wood vs. Methacton: District 12 third-place finisher Archbishop Wood faces District 1 fifth-place finisher Methacton at 5 p.m. Saturday evening at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield.
The Vikings hammered Northeast last week, 65-43, to earn their spot in the state playoffs. Jalil Bethea scored 23 points and Josh Reed added 12.
The Warriors are back in the state playoffs after coming up one game short in 2023. They clinched their spot in state on Feb. 20 with a 54-51 win over Central Bucks West. Christian Matos scored 19 points in that win, including an electric 11 straight points in the fourth quarter.
The winner will face the winner of (1-1) Lower Merion and (3-6) Cedar Crest in the second round Wednesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Parkland: District 1 10th-place finisher Plymouth Whitemarsh visits District 11 champion Parkland at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Parkland High School in Allentown.
The Colonials enter the playoffs with an underdog attitude this season after being a favorite in 2023 and losing in the first round. Jaden Colzie and Jah Pendergrass-Sayles are both returning starters from last year’s team.
The winner will face the winner of (3-2) Chambersburg and (1-7) Central Bucks East in the second round Wednesday.
Central Bucks East vs. Chambersburg: District 1 seventh-place finisher Central Bucks East visits District 3 runner-up Chambersburg at 5 p.m. Saturday evening.
Patriots senior Jacob Cummiskey wraps up an outstanding career that started with back-to-back game-winners during the District 1 playoffs when he was a freshman.
The winner will face the winner of (11-1) Parkland and (1-10) Plymouth Whitemarsh in the second round Wednesday.
Class-5A
Upper Dublin vs. Exeter Township: District 1 runner-up Upper Dublin hosts District 3 fifth-place finisher Exeter at 7 p.m. Friday night.
The Cardinals are coming off a 63-36 loss against Unionville in the District 1 championship game. The Suburban One League Liberty Division champions had a tough night shooting in that game and failed to turn turnovers into point. First team All-League selections Ryan Mulroy and Brady Fogle hope to get the team back on track after a week off.
The winner will face the winner of (12-1) Imhotep Charter and (1-6) Pottstown in the second round Tuesday.
Class-4A
Pope John Paul II vs. Overbrook: District 1 champion Pope John Paul II hosts District 12 fourth-place finisher Overbrook at 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Both teams enter the state playoffs with records around .500. PJP is 12-11 while Overbrook is 12-13.
The Golden Panthers have had two weeks off since their dominant run through the District 1 playoffs, beating Collegium Charter, 74-48, in the semifinals and Bishop Shanahan, 51-33, in the title game. Ayden Wise scored a game-high 19 points in the championship.
The winner will face the winner of (2-1) Scranton Prep and (3-4) Fleetwood Area in the second round Tuesday.
Archbishop Carroll vs. Big Spring: District 12 third-place finisher Archbishop Carroll faces District 3 runner-up Big Spring at 7 p.m. Friday night at Big Spring High School in Newville.
The Patriots earned District 12’s third spot with a 65-54 win over Overbook on Feb. 27. Nasir Ralls hit six three-pointers in that game and scored 22 points while Darrell Davis had 16 and Ian Williams added 10.
The winner will face the winner of (11-1) Allentown Central Catholic and (12-5) High School of the Future in the second round Tuesday.
Class-2A
Dock Mennonite Academy vs. Halifax: District 1 champion Dock Mennonite Academy hosts Halifax, the District 3 runner-up, at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers have had plenty of rest heading into the first round of the state playoffs. Dock last played on Saturday Feb. 24 when they defeated Delco Christian Academy in the District 1 championship game. Tony Martin scored 21 points that game, including nine in the fourth quarter, while Vaughan Martin had 19.
The winner will face the winner of (11-2) Marian Catholic and (12-2) Sankofa Freedom in the second round Wednesday.
Class-A
Phil-Mont Christian Academy vs. Greenwood: District 1 runner-up Phil-Mont Christian Academy visits District 3 runner-up Greenwood at 7 p.m. Friday night at Greenwood Middle School/High School in Millerstown.
Phil-Mont Christian is led by the Bicentennial Athletic League Constitution Conference Player of the Year Kendall Bratten and Coach of the Year Glenn Dolton. Jameer Zachary, Peter Haviland and Luis Torres are second team All-League selections.
The winner will face the winner of (11-1) Notre Dame East Stroudsburg and (3-5) Lanscaster Country Day in the second round Tuesday.
Girls Basketball
Class-6A
Upper Dublin vs. Cardinal O’Hara: District 1 eighth-place finisher Upper Dublin visits District 12 runner-up Cardinal O’Hara at 6 p.m. Friday night at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield.
The Cardinals lost sophomore Megan Ngo to a knee injury during the Suburban One League Tournament, but the SOL Liberty Division champs still managed to qualify for the state playoffs. Senior Amy Ngo and freshman Tamia Clark are first team All-League selections leading the way.
The winner will face the winner of (2-1) Hazelton Area and (1-9) Pennsbury in the second round Tuesday.
Central Bucks East vs. Dallastown: District 1 seventh-place finisher Central Bucks East visits District 3 runner-up Dallastown at 7 p.m. Friday night.
The Patriots earned District 1’s seventh seed with a 39-38 overtime win over Upper Dublin. Natalie Berndt led the way with 12 points.
The winner will face the winner of (11-1) Parkland and (1-10) Downingtown East in the second round Tuesday.
Archbishop Carroll vs. West Chester Henderson: District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll hosts District 1 11th-place finisher West Chester Henderson at 6 p.m. Friday night.
The defending state champion Patriots suffered a heart-breaking loss to Archbihsop Wood in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship game before winning the District 12 title via Northeast’s forfeit. PCL MVP Brooke Wilson and company will be well-rested, last playing on Monday Feb. 26.
The winner will face the winner of (1-3) Conestoga and (3-4) Wilson in the second round Tuesday.
North Penn vs. Emmaus: District 1 fourth-place finisher North Penn hosts District 11 third-place finisher Emmaus at 7 p.m. Friday night.
The Knights, led by first team All-Suburban One League Colonial Division selections Caleigh Sperling and Olivia Stone, are in the state playoffs for the first time since 2020. The SOL Colonial champs enter states on a two-game losing streak, but had won 17 of their previous 18 games.
The winner will face the winner of (7-2) North Allegheny and (10-1) Erie in the second round Tuesday.
Class-5A
Gwynedd Mercy Academy vs. Bethlehem Catholic: District fifth-place finisher Gwynedd Mercy Academy visits District 11 champion Bethlehem Catholic at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The Monarchs enter the state playoffs on a two-game winning streak.They beat Lower Moreland, 52-32, to clinch a state berth and edged Radnor, 45-42, to earn District 1’s fifth seed.
The winner will face the winner of (12-2) Freire Charter and (1-4) West Chester East in the second round Wednesday.
Archbishop Wood vs. Radnor: District 12 champion Archbishop Wood hosts District 1 sixth-place finisher Radnor at 3 p.m. Saturday at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster.
The defending state champion Vikings are coming off wins in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship and District 12 championship games. Ava Renninger, who recently scored the 1,000th point of her career, finished with 12 points and four assists in the District 12 title game last week.
The winner will face the winner of (1-2) Villa Maria Academy and (2-3) Dallas in the second round Wednesday.
Class-4A
Pope John Paul II vs. Delone Catholic: District 1 runner-up Pope John Paul II visits District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown.
The Golden Panthers have had plenty of time to prepare for the state playoffs, last playing two weeks ago when they lost the District 1 championship game against Villa Joseph Marie, 47-23, on Feb. 24. Katie Nilles led PJP with eight points in that game.
The winner will face the winner of (11-1) Allentown Central Catholic and (3-4) Northern Lebanon in the second round Wednesday.
Class-A
Jenkintown vs. Greenwood: District 1 champion Jenkintown faces District 3 fourth-place finisher Greenwood at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Bensalem High School.
The Drakes rolled throuhg the District 1 playoffs, beating The Christian Academy 31-20 in the semifinals and Phil-Mont Christian Academy 37-12 in the championship. Morgan Bolds and Riley White earned Bicentennial Athletic League Constitution Conference first-team honors this season.
The winner will face the winner of (4-2) Meadowbrook Christian and (11-3) Nativity BVM in the second round Wednesday.
Phil-Mont Christian Academy vs. Veritas Academy: District 1 runner-up Phil-Mont Christian Academy faces (3-3) Veritas Academy at 12 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Bensalem High School.
Phil-Mont’s Katie Tipton earned first team All-Bicentennial Athletic League Constitution Conference honors this season while Zoie David and Ava Ruff were second-team selections.
The winner will face the winner of (2-1) Mountain View and (3-5) Lancaster County Christian in the second round Wednesday.
![TOWAMENCIN — As the sun drenched the FieldTurf at North Penn High School, the Knights came out hot against visiting Central Bucks East. North Penn controlled the draws and possessions, building a 3-2 lead in the first quarter and a 7-4 lead by halftime. But a few adjustments by East kept the Patriots hanging around and chipping away throughout the second half — eventually closing the deficit to just 1 point in the fourth period — before North Penn held on for dear life and a 9-8, SOL National victory on Friday afternoon. “We started off strong,” said North Penn […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NP1.jpg?w=361 "TOWAMENCIN — As the sun drenched the FieldTurf at North Penn High School, the Knights came out hot against visiting Central Bucks East. North Penn controlled the draws and possessions, building a 3-2 lead in the first quarter and a 7-4 lead by halftime. But a few adjustments by East kept the Patriots hanging around and chipping away throughout the second half — eventually closing the deficit to just 1 point in the fourth period — before North Penn held on for dear life and a 9-8, SOL National victory on Friday afternoon. “We started off strong,” said North Penn […]")
![DOYLESTOWN — Erin Ely and Nora Luskin had the same idea: let it rip. That both Abington freshmen found themselves in the same scenario of time running down, ball in their stick and a chance to score a massive goal for their team, was interesting enough. But for each of the two first-year Ghosts to have the same confidence to take those shots and deliver was cause for elation on Abington’s sideline. Ely’s tying goal late in regulation set the stage for Luskin’s OT winner as Abington rallied to stun Central Bucks West 11-10 on Friday night. “We just have […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LAN-L-GLAXABCBW042624-01.jpg?w=467 "DOYLESTOWN — Erin Ely and Nora Luskin had the same idea: let it rip. That both Abington freshmen found themselves in the same scenario of time running down, ball in their stick and a chance to score a massive goal for their team, was interesting enough. But for each of the two first-year Ghosts to have the same confidence to take those shots and deliver was cause for elation on Abington’s sideline. Ely’s tying goal late in regulation set the stage for Luskin’s OT winner as Abington rallied to stun Central Bucks West 11-10 on Friday night. “We just have […]")
![LOWER GWYNEDD — The more things change, the more they stay the same. Losing a senior core that led the team to the state quarterfinals a year ago, having a new coach take over, and starting seven underclassmen hasn’t seemed to slow down the Wissahickon Trojans. In a gritty, SOL American matchup that saw two-dozen combined penalty flags on the turf, Wissahickon charged past the Abington Ghosts 9-5 at home on Thursday afternoon. “It’s always been a rivalry with Abington and Wiss,” said Trojans senior Daniel Hussa, who won 11 of 15 faceoffs, had 14 ground balls and a pair […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WissAbing2.jpg?w=467 "LOWER GWYNEDD — The more things change, the more they stay the same. Losing a senior core that led the team to the state quarterfinals a year ago, having a new coach take over, and starting seven underclassmen hasn’t seemed to slow down the Wissahickon Trojans. In a gritty, SOL American matchup that saw two-dozen combined penalty flags on the turf, Wissahickon charged past the Abington Ghosts 9-5 at home on Thursday afternoon. “It’s always been a rivalry with Abington and Wiss,” said Trojans senior Daniel Hussa, who won 11 of 15 faceoffs, had 14 ground balls and a pair […]")
