Scott Huff previews the District One AAAA Tournament games featuring SOL squads. Check back for a recap of Friday’s games.
By Scott Huff
PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs
Opening Round
All games Friday 2/12/16 @ 7 pm
# 32 Bensalem Owls (11-11) @ # 1 Coatesville Raiders (21-1)
Season Resume:
Bensalem: The Owls finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the SOL National Conference with a 6-8 conference record.
Coatesville: The Red Raiders finished the regular season tied for first place in the Ches-Mont National Division with a record of 11-1.
Players To Watch:
Bensalem: Brandon Vaughn, Ward Roberts & Richard Dean.
Coatesville: Rome Boyer, Justus Martinez & Trent Hugan.
Bensalem head coach Mike McCabe says: “Coatesville is extremely athletic and has great size. They attack on both offense and defense. The key for us will be to rebound, take care of the ball, be patient on offense, and shoot the ball well.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between #16 vs. #17 Central Bucks East.
# 17 Central Bucks East Patriots (13-9) @ # 16 Pennsbury Falcons (15-7)
Season Resume:
CB East: The Patriots finished the regular season tied for third place in the SOL Continental Conference with a 7-7 record.
Pennsbury: The Falcons finished the regular season tied for second place in the SOL National Conference with a record of 10-4.
Players To Watch:
Pennsbury: Mark Flagg, Rob Daly & Addison Howard.
Central Bucks East: Tommy Strasburger, Blake Peterson & Justin O’Neil.
Central Bucks East head coach Erik Henrysen says: “Pennsbury is a very good basketball team. On the offensive end, we will need to handle pressure and take care of the ball. On the defensive end, we must stay disciplined and win the rebounding battle. Playing on the road is always a challenge.”
Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman says: “CB East has a number of good shooters. They like to control tempo offensively by looking for a good shot. They have some size and that could present a problem. We have to control tempo, limit second chances, and pound it inside.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between #1 Coatesville vs. # 32 Bensalem
# 25 Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (11-11) @ #8 Strath Haven Panthers (19-3)
Season Resume:
Hatboro-Horsham: The Hatters finished the regular season tied for third place in the SOL Continental Conference with a record of 7-7.
Strath Haven: The Panthers were the second place finisher in the Central League with a record of 14-3.
Players To Watch:
Hatboro-Horsham: Clifton Moore, Brian McEachern & Jay Davis.
Strath Haven: Jameer Springfield, John Harrar & Alex Ischiropoulos
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Ed Enoch says: “Strath Haven is a very good basketball team that has good size, good shooters, and athleticism. The 6-8 kid (John Harrar) is averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds and is a very good player. We have to be better defensively than we have been the last few games and we must rebound as a team.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 9 Chester vs. # 24 Council Rock North
# 24 Council Rock North Indians (13-9) @ # 9 Chester Clippers (16-6)
Season Resume:
Council Rock North: The Indians finished the regular season tied for second place in the SOL National Conference with a record of 10-4.
Chester: The Clippers finished the regular season as the champion of the Delaware-Valley League with a record of 10-0.
Players To Watch:
Council Rock North: Rily Thompson, Will Desautelle & Tyler Nowmos.
Chester: Jamar Sudan, Jahmi Bailey-Green & Khalesq Campbell.
Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright says: “It is a great opportunity for our team to play in an electric atmosphere. Chester is quick and big. They are aggressive and athletic. Their frontcourt is 6-8, 6-7, and 6-4. We must be able to rebound, handle pressure, and make shots.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 8 Strath Haven vs. # 25 Hatboro-Horsham
# 29 North Penn Knights (11-11) @ # 4 Ridley Green Raiders (21-1)
Season Resume:
North Penn: The Knights finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the SOL Continental Conference with a record of 6-8.
Ridley: The Green Raiders finished the regular season as the champion of the Central League with a record of 16-0.
Players To Watch:
North Penn: Lance Lindsay-Ford, JJ Melchoir & Reece Udinski.
Ridley: Julian Wing, Shawn Bingnear & Brett Foster
North Penn head coach John Conrad says: “Ridley is extremely talented, quick, and well coached. The fact that they won 21 games in the Central League says it all. Wing and Foster are as good as any backcourt in the district.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 13 Cheltenham vs. # 20 Perkiomen Valley
# 20 Perkiomen Valley (14-8) @ # 13 Cheltenham Panthers (16-6)
Season Resume:
Perkiomen Valley: The Vikings finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Liberty Division of the Pioneer Athletic Conference with a record of 8-5.
Cheltenham: The Panthers finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the SOL American Conference with a record of 10-4.
Players To Watch:
Perkiomen Valley: Justin Jaworski, Sean Owens & Sean Moriarity.
Cheltenham: Khalil White, Anthony White & Trevonn Pitts.
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 4 Ridley vs. # 29 North Penn
# 28 Central Bucks South Titans (10-12) @ # 5 Pennridge Rams (19-4)
Season Resume:
Central Bucks South: The Titans finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the SOL Continental Conference with a 6-8 record.
Pennridge: The Rams finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL Continental Conference with a record of 13-1. They swept both regular season meetings with the Titans (61-46 & 49-36)
Players To Watch:
Central Bucks South: Tim Waddington, Chris Hones & Ryan Joerger.
Pennridge: Dan Long, Max Wagner & Steve Lowry.
CB South head coach Jason Campbell says: “There is really no element of surprise playing Pennridge. We lost to them twice, but I felt that we had opportunities to beat them the second time we played them. They are tough to play at home – Long is a terrific high school player – and Wagner gives them size. Both teams know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens says: “CB South is very well coached and well prepared. Waddington has good touch from the perimeter and Hones is a force inside. Joerger is multi-dimensional and can hurt you inside or outside. We must limit turnovers, can’t be out-rebounded, and we must play with high energy.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 12 Spring-Ford vs. # 21 Penncrest
# 31 Radnor Indians (11-11) @ # 2 Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (20-2)
Season Resume:
Radnor: The Indians finished the regular season as the seventh place finisher in the Central League with a record of 6-10.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: The Colonials finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL American Conference with a record of 13-1.
Players To Watch:
Radnor: Vernon Harper, Mason Ressler & Vinnie Kelly.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Xzavier Malone, Mike Lotito & Kevin Ashenfelter.
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio says: “Radnor runs a lot of disciplined sets and play well together as a team. They move the ball well on offense trying to create open perimeter looks for their shooters. Defensively, they play a good percentage of match-up zone, which we have seen numerous times this year, so I hope we are prepared for it. The keys to the game for us will be twofold: we need to be ready to play at the start of the game with a high level of energy and create pace, and we have to play that way for 32 minutes. .”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 15 Upper Merion vs. #18 Academy Park
# 18 Academy Park Golden Knights (16-6) @ # 15 Upper Merion Vikings (16-6)
Season Resume:
Academy Park: The Golden Knights finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Delaware Valley League with a record of 8-2.
Upper Merion: The Vikings finished the regular season as the third place finisher in the SOL American Conference with a record of 9-5.
Players To Watch:
Academy Park: Jawan Collins, Khyree Temple & Ted Wright.
Upper Merion: Matt Faw, Isaiah Graham-Mobley & Ethan Miller.
Upper Merion head coach Jason Quenzer says: “Academy Park is a very sneaky 18 seed that could have been ranked higher. They have a 1000-point guard in Jawan Collins who has experience and poise. We have a size advantage that we will try to highlight. We just want to continue to do the things that we have done all season.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 2 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. # 31 Radnor
# 26 Downingtown East Cougars (12-10) @ Central Bucks West Bucks (20-4)
Season Resume:
Downingtown East: The Cougars finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Ches-Mont National Division with a record of 7-5.
Central Bucks West: The Bucks finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the SOL Continental Conference with a record of 12-2.
Players To Watch:
Downingtown East: Jaret Cooper, Ryan Cahill & Malik Slay.
Central Bucks West: Bill Power, Luke Irons & Cal Reichwein.
CB West head coach Adam Sherman says: “Downingtown East is a pretty quick team that has decent athleticism. We are going to have to study film to see their tendencies.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 10 Phoenixville vs. # 23 Boyertown
# 27 Upper Dublin Cardinals (11-11) @ Abington Ghosts (19-5)
Season Resume:
Upper Dublin: The Flying Cardinals finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the SOL American Conference with a record of 7-7.
Abington: The Ghosts finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL National Conference with a record of 13-1.
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin: Ryan Stover, John Barrett, & Jimmy Gallagher.
Abington: Eric Dixon, Robbie Heath & Joe O’Brien.
Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman says: “Coach Grasty has done a great job of having (freshman Eric) Dixon and (sophomore Robbie) Heath play like juniors and seniors. Their bench provides depth and their starters are always well rested. We are not an ordinary 27 seed. We have players with a lot of experience.”
Abington head coach Charles Grasty says: “Upper Dublin is a very poised team that is hot right now winning 10 of its last 14 games. It took them awhile to get the football players into basketball shape, and they are a lower seed than they deserve because of the bad start. I would rather play a team we don’t know – Upper Dublin and Abington know all about each other.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 11 Lower Merion vs. # 22 Penn Wood
- Log in to post comments
