This week’s notebook previews Tuesday’s District One Class AAAA games featuring SOL teams
By Scott Huff
The field of 32 PIAA Quad-A District One teams has been reduced to 16 teams after the first round play. After the second round that number is reduced to eight state qualifiers – but there are 10 teams that qualify for the state tournament from District One.
“At practice I had to sit down with the kids and explain how the brackets work,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “But even after I was done, I’m not too sure everyone understood it.”
Here goes.
The winners of the eight games in the second round automatically qualify for the state tournament. Those eight squads will compete for a district championship and seeds 1-8 from District One.
The losers of the eight games in the second round have a ‘second life’ for a berth in the state tournament.
Those losing eight teams will be paired off for the remaining two state tournament spots. A loss for any in this group ends the season, except the surviving two teams will compete for seeds 9-10.
Got it?
Sure you do.
And the beat goes on…
PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs
Second Round
Tuesday – Februrary 18, 2014
#22 Central Bucks West Bucks (14-9) @ # 6 Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (20-3)
Last Game: Central Bucks West defeated # 11 Penncrest 58-50 as Kyle Salvitti had his best game of the season with 22 points. Pat Kelley (9), Evan Dunn (8), and Cal Reichwein (8) scored key buckets for the Bucks. Plymouth Whitemarsh defeated # 27 Downingtown East 66-48 to advance to the second round. The Colonials featured balanced scoring as Andre Mitchell (16), Cameron Johnson (16), and Jimmy Murray (14) all scored in double figures.
Central Bucks West head coach Adam Sherman says: “The game might come down to tempo. They are going to want to speed the game up with pressure defense, and our guards are going to have to be able to handle that pressure. PW is a team that wants to trap you defensively – they really don’t want to play a halfcourt game with you. We are going to have to take advantage of our senior guards and their ability to play the game at the tempo we want to play the game. The team that dictates the tempo is the team that is going to have a huge advantage.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio says: “The one thing you have to do against an Adam Sherman coached team is prepare. They have experienced senior guards that play with a lot of chemistry, and West is going to want to play a halfcourt game. We are going to have to have some pop in our step and pick up the pace. West teams always play with a lot of heart, and we know what we are up against. They play hard – and share the ball. We are going to have to do whatever it takes if we want to beat them.”
Winner/loser gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the #30 Wissahickon/#14 West Chester Rustin game. The loser of this game will play the loser of the Wissahickon/WC Rustin game.
# 30 Wissahickon Trojans (14-9) @ # 14 West Chester Rustin (17-7)
Last Game: Wissahickon upset #3 seed Great Valley by a 55-51 score. Chase Wilson led the Trojan scoring attack with a team-high 16 points, while Chris Carradorini (14) and Chris Vila (13) also scored in double figures. West Chester Rustin moved to the second round with a 67-54 victory over #19 Radnor. The Knights featured four players in double figures as Andrew Chobany (20), Tyler Blake (15), Ethan Ridgeway (13), and Matt McCarrick (10) all scored in twin digits.
Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson says: “The district is as wide open as I have ever seen it. There is really no dominant player or dominant team in the district. I told the players before the game that we are a 30 seed and Great Valley is a 3 seed – but there was no reason we couldn’t beat that team. We have seniors on this team that have played on big games in their careers – and we know who we are. West Chester Rustin is a very good team with a good point guard and a lot of balance. The team that is going to win this game is the team that executes and plays defense. And why can’t that be us?”
Winner/loser gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the Central Bucks West/Plymouth Whitemarsh game. The loser of this game will play the loser of the CBW/PW contest.
#23 Haverford Fords (14-9) @ # 7 Abington Ghosts (20-3)
Last Game: Haverford upset #10 seed Upper Darby 53-39. Tom Liebig led the Fords with 20 points, while Jack Donaghy added 10 points for the winners. Abington opened district play with a 61-44 victory over North Penn. The Ghosts were led in scoring by Laz Mackrides with 14 points, while Anthony Lee (12), and Amir Hinton (10) also scored in double digits for the winners.
Abington head coach Charles Grasty says: “I was very impressed with the way that Haverford plays the game. Every single possession in the entire game was played all-out. This game is not going to be won by X’s and O’s, but by how hard the team is playing. We will have to match their intensity if we want to win this game, and a win here gets us to the state playoffs. We are playing the game right now with a chip on our shoulder, and we want to show everyone that we are one of the best teams in the district.”
Winner/loser gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between #2 Chester and #18 Souderton. The loser of this game will play the loser of the Chester/Souderton game.
# 18 Souderton Indians (14-9) @ Chester Clippers (18-5)
Last Game: Souderton advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 44-33 victory over #15 Pennridge. The Indians were led in scoring by Carter Knight with a game-high 22 points. Chester advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 76-45 win over West Chester Henderson. The Clippers were led in scoring by Mahir Johnson with a game-high 19 points, while Keyonte Watkins (12) and Tyrell Sturdivant (11) also scored in double figures.
Souderton head coach Pete Chimera says: “One thing I can tell you for sure is that our team is pumped up to play Chester. We will go down there and give it everything we can. Chester might not be the same Chester of old, but they still play 12 guys, and they still play you all 94 feet. We are going to have to handle their pressure, and we are going to have to make shots. If we can come up with a good game plan – and we are able to execute that game plan – we have a chance.”
Winner/loser gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the Abington/Haverford game. The loser of this game will play the loser of the Abington/Haverford game.
# 12 Oxford Chargers (19-6) @ # 5 Pennsbury Falcons (19-4)
Last Game: Oxford opened its playoff season with a 57-55 overtime win over #21 Central Bucks South. The Chargers were led in scoring by Jordan Logan with 15 points, while Ryan Hubley (14) and Dylan Dunn (11) also scored in twin digits. Pennsbury advanced to the second round of the playoffs with an 81-68 win over #28 Academy Park. The Falcons were led in scoring by Mekhi Bryant with a game-high 19 points, while Steve Ciotti (16), Cameron Jones (14), and Derrick Woods (13) also scored in double figures for the winners.
Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman says: “Oxford is a team that plays very well together. They play in a good league and against some good competition. They like to get up and down the floor. It is a big game not only for this team but the Pennsbury program. If we win – it will be the 900th win in the 61 years that Pennsbury has played basketball. We know that if we win we get into states, but we just focus on the game ahead of us. We focus on 1-0 for each game. If we do enough things right, the path to Temple (district semifinals) and Villanova (district finals) could be ahead of us.”
Winner/loser gets: The winner of the Oxford/Pennsbury game will play the winner of #4 Spring-Ford and #20 Harriton. The loser of the Oxford/Pennsbury game will play the loser of the Spring-Ford/Harriton contest.
Exit Door
Pennridge (15-8) was shown the exit door as the Rams scored a season low 33 points in a 44-33 loss to Souderton. Pennridge – which had beaten the Indians twice during the regular season – was led in scoring by Zach Muredda (12) and Dan Long (10).
Central Bucks South (13-11) was shown the exit door as the Titans lost a 57-55 overtime game to Oxford. CB South received double-digit scoring from Paul Weeks (15), Bryce Dobisch (10), and Shane Begman (10).
Norristown (12-11) was shown the exit door as the Eagles were defeated by top seeded Conestoga – 47-34. Chris Evans scored a team-high 11 points for Norristown, while Khalif Sinclair scored in twin digits with 11 points.
Central Bucks East (12-11)was shown the exit door as the Patriots were routed by Lower Merion 77-43. Brendan O’Neil scored a team-high 20 points for CB East.
North Penn (11-12) was shown the exit door as the Knights were defeated by Abington 61-44. Brian Coleman scored a team-high 13 point for North Penn.
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Abington Ghosts (20-3)
2. Pennsbury Falcons (19-4)
3. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (20-3)
4. Central Bucks West Bucks (14-9)
5. Wissahickon Trojans (14-9)
6. Souderton Indians (14-9)
7. Pennridge Rams (15-8)
8. Central Bucks South Titans (13-10)
9. Norristown Eagles (12-11)
10. Central Bucks East Patriots (12-11)
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