Plymouth Whitemarsh focused on task at hand in PIAA AAAA Tournament

WHITEMARSH >> There are two main directions a team can go after winning a district championship. It can celebrate a little too much, lose its focus and find itself exiting the state playoffs very quickly or it can find something to get angry about and try to keep its hot streak going.

Coach Jim Donofrio and the Plymouth Whitemarsh boys basketball team hope its the latter.

The District One Class AAAA champion Colonials open their state playoff run Saturday at 3 p.m. against (3-8) Lebanon at Great Valley High School in Malvern.

“As recently as Abington last year, I’ve seen a District One team win the title then go out in the first round (of states),” Donofrio said. “So you really have to do your best to get rid of the happiness and the comfort … If you don’t play in the manner that got you the championship, it’s going to be over fast.

“There are too many teams still scrapping to play their best basketball and it’s my job to get us into that mood. I can’t be happy.”

A challenge for Donofrio is how to keep his team motivated after already winning a Suburban One League American Conference title and a district championship.

“We can be the only team in PW history since ’63 to win the league, district and state … You try to set goals with the kids against what other PW teams have done — put that up against this team and say OK, where do you want to sit in our history?”

PW has not played Lebanon since Donofrio took over the team in 1998. After watching some film, the PW coach compares his upcoming opponent to two teams he knows very well — Cheltenham and Central Bucks West.

“(Lebanon reminds) me a little bit of a Cheltenham mode,” he said. “Real good energy. They seem to play with a nice confident attitude and energy and they are looking at a couple of three-point spot-up shooters. They are athletic and they dribble attack — a lot of drive and kick.

“(Lebanon) really likes to spread the floor, like a C.B. West or Lower Merion and try to beat you off the dribble. We have to get our pride up again.”

The Colonials beat Cheltenham twice this year, each time by two points and split two games against CB West — an overtime loss in the Suburban One League Tournament and a two-point win in the district quarterfinals.

A season ago, Plymouth Whitemarsh won its first two state playoff games against Northeastern and Pennridge before losing in the quarterfinals to Martin Luther King.

“In the mind of the seniors, that’s the next goal now,” Donofrio said. “You have to get to that plateau to start. You get to that plateau, then you’ve evolved from a year ago.”

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the second round and face the winner of (1-7) Central Bucks East and (11-2) Bangor Wednesday.

Class AAAA

(1-6) CB West vs. (3-2) Central York

Central Bucks West faces Central York at West York Area High School at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs.

West is coming into the state tournament a loser in two of its last three games by a total of four points. The Bucks lost to eventual District One-AAAA champion Plymouth Whitemarsh by two in the quarterfinals and again by two to Spring-Ford in the fifth place game.

West will rely on a balanced attack led by seniors Billy Power, Luke Irons, Connor Lynch and Erich Hohenleitner to try to advance past Central York.

The winner of this game will face the winner of (12-1) Roman Catholic and (1-9) Academy Park in the second round Wednesday.

Class AAA

(12-3) Archbishop Carroll vs. (1-1) Holy Ghost Prep

Archbishop Carroll faces Holy Ghost Prep Friday night at Cheltenham High School at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

Carroll won its most recent game, 70-61, over Imhotep to lock up the third seed in District 12.

The Patriots enter the state tournament winners of seven of their last eight games. The lone loss was a one-point defeat against eventual Philadelphia Catholic League champion Roman Catholic in the PCL semifinals.

Holy Ghost won the District One Class AAA championship with a 20-point win, 74-54, over Lower Moreland.

Carroll, which lost in the state final last season, will look to get this year’s playoff run started on the right foot behind PCL co-coach of the year Paul Romanczuk, first-team all PCL point guard Josh Sharkey and PCL MVP Ryan Daly.

The winner of this game will face the winner of (3-1) Bishop McDevitt and (11-3) Salisbury Township in the second round Tuesday.