Given the path Chester took through the District 1 Class 6A tournament, it shouldn’t be a surprise what awaits it in the first round of states.
To bounce back from a 2022-23 season in which the Clippers didn’t even make districts, Chester had to beat Plymouth Whitemarsh, then Coatesville, then fell to Lower Merion in a thrilling District 1 semifinal. Classic programs, all.
So who else would be waiting in states than Reading, one of the few programs in Pennsylvania whose history belongs in the same paragraph as the Clippers’?
That’ll be the matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Fred Pickett Gymnasium, with the District 1 fourth-place team hosting the fourth-place finisher from District 3.
Chester (20-4) has lost consecutive games, with a four-point setback to West Chester Henderson in the district third-place game. The Clippers return to their rightful place in the state tournament after a one-year hiatus. They made the semifinals of the Class 5A field in 2022. Chester has made 18 state finals, winning eight championships.
Reading went 32-1 last year, beating Roman Catholic in overtime in the state final. It went 26-4 to reach the second round of the 2022 tournament and won the truncated state tournament in 2021 over Archbishop Wood. Reading (17-9) won its first of three state titles in 2017, with current Brooklyn Nets’ Lonnie Walker IV.
Also in Class 6A on Saturday:
1-8 Springfield at 12-2 Lincoln, 3
A meeting of 13-win teams doesn’t exactly leap off the page. Three straight losses in districts has dented the win-loss total for Springfield (13-14). But the Cougars have pulled upsets this postseason, romping past Abington and topping Bensalem to get to states after being the final team to qualify for the District 1 tournament. The five districts games have come against seeds 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9, burnishing their big-game credentials.
The Cougars are the only sub-.500 team in the 6A field (District 6 champ State College is 12-12). Springfield was last in states in 2017, losing in the first round of the 5A tournament to Mechanicsburg.
The Railsplitters (13-12) are in states for the first time since 2022, when they lost to Garnet Valley. Lincoln’s last states win came in 2018, a storybook run to the PIAA final. That began by besting Central League foe Upper Darby.
3-5 Central York at 1-2 Garnet Valley, 1
The District 1 runner-up has set its goal firmly. Garnet Valley has won its first-round encounter in each of the last two state tournaments. But it has then gone no further.
So the Jaguars (19-8) are out to blaze a new trail beyond the second round in a season where their run to the district final cleared so much new ground. Hosting a first states game in program history is the latest step.
A year ago, as the seventh seed from District 1, the Jags upset District 3 runner-up Cumberland Valley, then fell to Parkland in the second round. The Jaguars are 11-4 on homecourt this year.
Central York (21-3) is perhaps better than the seeding indicates. The Panthers started the season by routing Reading and beat Coatesville. They were the top seed in the District 3 tournament before being upset in the quarterfinals by Red Lion, then won two playback games.
In Class 2A on Friday:
1-2 Delco Christian vs. 12-1 Constitution, Ben Franklin HS, 3
For the second straight year, the Knights (17-7) are the district runner-up. And for the second straight year, that entails a collision with Constitution. Last year, it brought a 63-53 loss. The Knights are better this year, more experienced and with a more balanced offense than last year’s 3-point-heavy approach. But Constitution (22-6) is improved, too. Each team carries five more regular-season wins into the state tournament this year than last.
Constitution needs little introduction, having made seven PIAA finals in Class 2A. It won the title in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018 and lost in 2021 and 2022. The winner of this game will likely get District 11 champ and unbeaten Mahanoy Area in the second round. Mahanoy ousted Constitution in the second round last year.
In Class 5A on Friday:
1-5 Radnor at 11-1 Pocono Mountain West, 7:30
Across six classifications and 96 opening-round games, Radnor’s is one of only 14 to feature two teams with at least 20 wins each. It’s a tough road for the Raptors (20-4). All three of Radnor’s district games were decided by five points or fewer, the last a five-point overtime win against Pottstown. They played two games in the 30s, then one in the 70s.
The Panthers (22-4) shade more toward the latter point range. They had a nine-game winning streak halted in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals by Emmaus before winning both district games, including a 53-50 decision over Whitehall in the final. PM West made states last year, beating Chichester in the first round.
12-4 Bonner at 2-1 Abington Heights, 7
These teams have postseason history, though it may seem distant. In 2018, they authored a classic semifinal, Abington Heights winning 56-51 in overtime on the road to the program’s first state title.
These Comets (24-0) will believe they have a second title in their path. They’ve only played two games with single-digit margins since the calendar flipped to 2024. One was a seven-point win over Wallenpaupack in the District 2 semifinals before dispatching Dallas, 59-40, in the final. Their starting five all averages between 13.6 and 9.2 points per game.
Bonner & Prendergast (11-13) isn’t that team of old. The Friars finished 10th in the Catholic League and have played just one game in three and a half weeks since their Catholic League ouster to Archbishop Carroll, a 76-48 win over Simon Gratz to secure the district’s fourth seed.
1-4 Sun Valley at 12-2 Archbishop Ryan, 7
The Vanguards (16-10) are in the state tournament for the first time since 2019, when as District 1 champs they won a pair of games before running up against Abington Heights. This team is a little different, though the Vanguards did win 10 of 12 (the losses to District 1 champ Unionville and 6A states qualifier Coatesville) before two straight losses in districts. Among their wins this season is over District 3 Class 4A champ Eastern York.
Whatever Ryan’s 17-9 record may say, it is as battle tested a team as there is. Its last month of basketball? A home win over Roman Catholic, a two-point win over St. Joseph’s Prep in the PCL playoffs, a five-point win over Neumann-Goretti, then the overtime loss to Roman in the Catholic League final and a loss to Imhotep Charter in the District 12 final.
Led by Georgetown signee Thomas Sorber, Ryan is on a semifinal collision course with Imhotep. Ryan lost to the Panthers in that round last year, Imhotep winning the title.
One concern is that Sun Valley didn’t escape the 20s in its last two games, losses to Upper Dublin and Phoenixville, and it beat Radnor in the district quarterfinals with 35 points. Ryan, as its 46-45 Catholic League overtime final loss showed, doesn’t always want to play that fast.
In Class 4A on Friday:
12-3 Archbishop Carroll at 3-2 Big Spring, 7
The Patriots (17-8) finished seventh in the Catholic League but have a couple of quality wins, including against Father Judge. A young team growing by the week, composed entirely of freshmen and sophomores, Carroll reached states by beating Overbrook.
Big Spring (19-6) is in the midst of the best season in program history. The Bulldogs made the District 3 final for the first time since 1963 and are in states for the first time. The reception in Newville is likely to be plenty hostile for the Patriots.
Carroll has precedent for winning far from home. Carroll didn’t make states last year, and none of the current players were around in 2022. But that year, a 12-10 team scraped in as the fifth seed from District 12 and beat District 3 champion Berks Catholic before reaching the semifinal via the western path. This time, Carroll is in the eastern half of the bracket.
In Class A on Friday:
1-1 Chester Charter vs. 3-3 High Point Baptist, Upper Merion, 7
The two-time reigning District 1 champion Sabers (14-10) are hoping to progress deeper this year than the quarterfinals they reached last season. To that end, they twice played the team that ousted them last year, Linville Hill, which sits atop the bracket as the three-time District 3 champion with a 20-1 mark. They would converge again in the quarters.
First, CCSA has to get through High Point Baptist (16-7). The Eagles fell to Greenwood in the District 3 semifinals before handling Lancaster Christian in the third-place game.
