District 1 Boys Basketball: Rosenblum, Thornton have Radnor right where they thought it would be
LOWER MERION — Danny Rosenblum and Charlie Thornton walked off the court at Unionville three years ago, not needing the reminder that better days lay ahead.
It was Feb. 26, 2020, and Radnor had just lost a District 1 Class 5A playback game to end its season. For a group that played two freshmen heavily, a 15-win season felt ahead of schedule. They fell in the quarterfinals as heavy underdogs to eventual champ West Chester East, then were summarily dismissed in their bid to get back into states.
But had you told either Rosenblum or Thornton then what would be in the program’s future, you would’ve been met with confident affirmation.
“Honestly, I would’ve believed it,” Rosenblum said Monday, after the 24-0 Raptors wrapped up the program’s Central League title over Lower Merion. “I trust these guys so much and we’ve been through so much together. This has been our goal the entire time.”
“I would’ve believed you 100 percent,” added Thornton, the MVP of the Central League final.
That game was a global pandemic and a nickname change ago, yet the Raptors have continued to build through those changes and more. A nine-strong senior class embarks on the next of their string of goals next week, hoping to rectify last year’s loss in the District 1 Class 5A final in overtime to Chester.
This year, the Raptors are clear favorites. Delaware County has the top two seeds in the field, with Del Val League champion Chichester (19-3) also getting a first round bye until Wednesday.
Radnor will await the winner of Friday’s all-Delco matchup between No. 9 Marple Newtown (11-11) and No. 8 Sun Valley (15-7). The Raptors thrashed a much younger Vanguards team, 53-28, in the same round last year. Radnor bested Marple Newtown twice this year by an average of 22.5 points per, though the Tigers did hand Radnor one of its regular-season setbacks last year.
Both teams have plenty of play for Friday, the winner guaranteed a playbacks place to vie for the six states berths in District 1. Like Radnor and Chichester, Marple Newtown made states last year, but Matt Gardler is the only healthy returnee from that team. The Tigers enter having lost four straight.
Sun Valley fancied itself a year away from states last year, and it’s played like it this season. Chris Kwaidah leads the way at 17.1 ppg, on a team where roles are very well defined. The Vanguards are 9-1 in the last 10 outings, the only loss a three-overtime setback to Unionville.
Radnor’s journey will have to wait for another day. When that comes, the Raptors will be ready.
“I feel like this team has come so far,” Rosenblum said. “Even on the court at the end of the game, we’re like, we’re here. … We’ve been putting in so much work, and it’s a relief to be here.”
Class 6A
The quest for three of the four Delco squads is to get back to states: No. 8 seed Garnet Valley, No. 14 Penn Wood and No. 21 Haverford all made it last year. GV has the longest to wait. As the eight seed, the Jags (15-8) receive a bye into Tuesday’s second round where they’ll await the winner of No. 24 Conestoga and No. 9 Methacton, played Friday.
Garnet Valley beat Conestoga twice this season, and needs to just win its first game to make states, with 12 teams going.
Yet the Jags have lost their last three, including a 48-29 setback to Springfield in the Central League playoffs. One more obstacle is that they will be without guard Quinn O’Hara. The junior averaged 8.4 points per game in 17 outings as a transfer from Salesianum, but he’s ineligible for the postseason via the PIAA transfer rule.
“He’ll be a cheerleader on the bench,” Brown said. “Fortunately, he’s a really good kid. For the first seven games, I told him, pretend you have a sprained ankle and you’re out seven games. Really it’s the same thing.”
Neither Upper Darby nor Penn Wood were done any favors with their matchups, the Royals (17-6) drawing the 10th seed and opening Saturday with a visit from No. 23 Cheltenham. Upper Darby has gotten a boost from the return of Shaun Cain, who has averaged 7.0 ppg in eight games.
“Better energy, better everything,” guard Yassir Joyner said of Cain’s return. “Defensively, he makes us one of the best teams in the league.”
No. 14 Penn Wood (15-6) likewise has a tough foe in No. 19 Norristown, the Eagles having made the district final last year. Penn Wood beat Norristown by one point in December. It’s coming off a three-point loss that helped Cheltenham reach districts.
Haverford faces the lone Friday road trip among the Delco contingent, the No. 21 seed going to No. 12 William Tennent. The Fords (12-10) have won their last three games to push into the postseason.
