Playoff berth worth wait for Garnet valley
Seeing the District One boys basketball tournament on the horizon wasn’t a new sensation for Garnet Valley coach Mike Brown.
Two years ago, his team was 8-8 before stumbling to a 2-4 finish. Last season, six losses in the last seven torpedoed playoff hopes.
This season, no such letdown materialized, perhaps because of the Jaguars’ forthright approach to the past. And the payoff came Sunday.
The Jaguars, with a 14-8 record that was better than 11 other qualifying teams, snuck in with the 30th seed in the District One Class AAAA field.
It is Garnet Valley’s first playoff appearance since 2007-08, its final season before joining the Central League.
As for confronting past missteps, Brown advocated a proactive approach.
“We talked a lot about it because if you don’t, you’re fooling yourself,” Brown said Sunday. “They can go on the computer at home and keep up with it as much as we can now. So to fake it and pretend like it doesn’t exist would be silly. We focused on each opponent and prepared, but we also talked more than several times about the point system and how each game can change our position.”
Garnet Valley will take on No. 3 Downingtown West (20-2) in Friday’s opener. All seedings are tentative until noon Monday.
The Jags are among eight Delco teams in the AAAA field and 10 total. Also skating in is Radnor in 31st at 11-11. Their reward is a trip to No. 2 Plymouth Whitemarsh (20-1).
The top seed of the Delco contingent is Ridley (21-1), which plays No. 14 Conestoga for the Central League title Monday night (7:30 at Marple Newtown). Friday, Ridley bids for a return to the PIAA Tournament against No. 29 North Penn (11-11). The winner gets a tricky road to states, facing the winner of No. 13 Cheltenham and No. 20 Perkiomen Valley in the second round.
The first round is devoid of all-Delaware County matchups, but one may loom in the second. No. 8 Strath Haven (19-3) hosts No. 25 Hatboro-Horsham (11-11), and No. 9 Chester (16-6) entertains No. 24 Council Rock North (13-9). The winners face off next Tuesday for one of 10 states berths.
Penncrest, which made states last year as the No. 28 seed, also lands in the bracket’s top half. The Lions (13-9) visit No. 12 Spring-Ford (16-6).
Academy Park (16-6) garnered the No. 18 seed and booked a trip to No. 15 Upper Merion (16-6). The winner would likely contend with Plymouth Whitemarsh in the second round.
No. 22 Penn Wood (11-11) travels to No. 11 Lower Merion (15-7). The winner gets No. 6 Abington or No. 27 Upper Dublin.
Notable for its absence is Chichester, which finished 14-8 but did not meet the seeding formula’s standards for schedule strength. It landed 36th.
The Class AAAA semifinals will be held at Temple University Feb. 23. The final is at 8 p.m. Feb. 26 at Temple.
Sun Valley’s late surge earned the Vanguards (8-14) the seventh seed in Class AAA. That means a third meeting with Ches-Mont foe Octorara (19-3) Feb. 20. Two teams make the PIAA field.
Delco Christian (12-10) qualified in Class A as the No. 6 seed. The defending champ starts its title defense against third-seeded Calvary Baptist (13-6) Feb. 19.
