Scott Huff previews the six District One AAAA games featuring SOL teams in Tuesday’s second round. Check back for a recap of the games.
By Scott Huff
The opening round of the 32-team PIAA Quad-A District One Quad-A playoffs was a true ‘one-and-done’ as the losing teams were all jettisoned from the tournament and the 2015-2016 season ended.
The victorious 16 teams in the first round all move on to the second round and at the same time were all guaranteed a ‘second chance’ at becoming one of the district’s 10 state playoff teams.
The winning teams in the second round move on to the Elite Eight and will continue toward a district title and are assured of a state playoff berth. The losing eight teams in the second round will engage in a ‘playback tournament’ with just two of those eight teams gaining the ninth and tenth seed from the district.
The Suburban One League Continental Conference was the most successful league conference with four teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen as Pennridge, Central Bucks West, Central Bucks East, and Hatboro-Horsham all moved on with opening round wins. North Penn and Central Bucks South were shown the exit door with season ending losses.
The SOL American Conference split its four district one opening round games. Plymouth Whitemarsh and Upper Dublin both captured victories, while Upper Merion and Cheltenham were shown the exit doors with season ending losses.
The SOL National Conference had its entire conference conclude play for the 2015-2016 season as all four playoff teams were defeated. Abington, Pennsbury, Council Rock North, and Bensalem all were shown the exit door.
And the beat goes on…
PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs
Second Round Games
All games Tuesday (2/16/16) @ 7 pm
# 17 CB East Patriots (14-9) @ # 1 Coatesville Raiders (22-1)
Playoff Resume:
Central Bucks East ‘upset’ # 16 seed Pennsbury with a 41-30 victory. The Patriots outscored the Falcons 13-3 in the final period to secure the win. Tommy Strasburger led CB East is scoring with 13 points, while Matt Pattyson scored 8 points and collected 8 rebounds for the winners.
Coatesville avoided an upset by # 32 seed Bensalem with a 43-40 victory over the Owls. The top seeded Raiders trailed 30-27 going into the final period and did not take a final lead until the 11.5 second mark when Justus Martinez scored a basket to give C-ville a 41-40 lead. Martinez finished with a team-high 14 points for the Raiders, while Kamau Brickus also scored in double figures with 10 points.
Season Resume:
Coatesville: The Red Raiders finished the regular season tied for first place in the Ches-Mont National Division with a record of 11-1.
CB East: The Patriots finished the regular season tied for third place in the SOL Continental Conference with a 7-7 record.
Players To Watch:
Central Bucks East: Tommy Strasburger, Blake Peterson & Justin O’Neil.
Coatesville: Rome Boyer, Justus Martinez & Trent Hugan.
Central Bucks East head coach Erik Henrysen says: “We are going to get in the bus – probably drive through a rainstorm to play the # 1 seed – it seems like we always do it the hard way. But we are going there with a game plan to win. Coatesville has played a lot of five-point or less games this year and knows how to win the close ones – they haven’t blown too many teams out. They are a lot like us in that they are balanced. We have our engine in Tommy Strasburger, but he doesn’t do it alone. Our seniors have been good throughout the season – they were good against Pennsbury, and we are counting on them against Coatesville.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 9 Chester vs. # 25 Hatboro-Horsham.
# 25 Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (12-11) @ #9 Chester Clippers (17-6)
Playoff Resume:
Hatboro-Horsham opened the district playoffs with a 68-45 ‘upset’ over # 8 seed Strath Haven. The Hatters took an early lead – never trailed in the game – and outscored the Panthers 23-11 in the final period. Clifton Moore was spectacular with a game-high 28 points, while Jay Davis also had an excellent scoring outing with 20 points.
Chester opened the district playoffs with a suffocating defensive effort in shutting down Council Rock North 53-27. The Clippers took an 11-0 lead at the outset of the game and permitted the Indians to score just five points in the entire second half. Maurice Henry was the lone scorer in double figures with 10 points, while Clipper teammates Stanley Davis and DeShawn Hinson each scored nine points.
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.
Chester: The Clippers finished the regular season as the champion of the Delaware-Valley League with a record of 10-0.
Players To Watch:
Hatboro-Horsham: Clifton Moore, Brian McEachern & Jay Davis.
Chester: Jamar Sudan, Jahmi Bailey-Green & Khalesq Campbell.
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Ed Enoch says: “We’re excited about playing a team with the tradition of Chester in their gym. We played there last year in the first round of districts – it was a good experience last year and will be a good experience this year. In the win over Strath Haven, we played well on both ends of the floor and we are going to have to do that again if we want to compete with Chester. Clifton (Moore) is a talented junior, but he is a young junior. He still has a long way to go physically, and against a Chester team that is both big and long he isn’t going to have a size advantage.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 1 Coatesville vs. # 17 Central Bucks East.
# 12 Spring-Ford Rams (19-6) @ # 5 Pennridge Rams (20-4)
Playoff Resume:
Spring-Ford opened the district playoffs with a 69-60 victory over # 21 Penncrest. The Rams rallied from a 19-6 first quarter deficit and outscored the Falcons 42-28 in the second half to secure the win. Nigel Cooke had four 3-point field goals and led S-F in scoring with 19 points. Chris Drummond (14), Cam Reid (14), Matt Gnias (11) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (11) all scored in twin digits for the winners.
Pennridge opened the district playoffs with a 67-60 victory over # 28 Central Bucks South. The Rams led 14-6 at the close of the first period and protected the lead for the remainder of the game. Pennridge shot 20-of-21 from the free throw line. Dan Long led all scorers with 24 points, while teammates Ryan Cuthbert and Max Wagner each scored in double digits with 13 points.
Season Resume:
Spring-Ford: The Rams finished the regular season as the champion of the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division with an 11-2 record.
Pennridge: The Rams finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL Continental Conference with a record of 13-1.
Players To Watch:
Spring-Ford: Matt Gnais, Nigel Cooke & Cam Reid.
Pennridge: Dan Long, Max Wagner & Steve Lowry.
Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens says: “When I look at film, I see Pennridge. They are not real big but love to push the ball up the floor. They are very athletic and almost every player can shoot the ball well. They like to drive to the basket and kick the ball outside to a jump shooter. We are going to have to contest those shots. It will come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes. We are hoping for a big crowd – we seem to play well in front of a big crowd.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game plays the winner of the game between # 4 Ridley vs. # 20 Perkiomen Valley
# 18 Academy Park Knights (17-6) @ # 2 Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (21-2)
Playoff Resume:
Academy Park opened the district playoffs with a 53-51 ‘upset’ victory over # 15 Upper Merion. The game was tied 24-24 at the close of the first half, and the Knights didn’t seal the deal until there was 0.4 seconds left in the game. Jawan Collins scored a game-high 17 points for Academy Park, while Kyree Temple dominated the boards and collected a game-high 13 rebounds.
Plymouth Whitemarsh opened the district playoffs with a lackluster 49-36 victory over # 31 Radnor. The Colonials never trailed in the game but led the pesky Indians by just 11-10 at the close of the first period. Xzavier Malone – who missed most of the second and third quarter with a mild ankle sprain – led PW in scoring with 14 points. Mike Lotito and Kevin Ashenfelter each scored in double digits for the Colonials with 12 and 10 points respectively.
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.
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:
Academy Park: Jawan Collins, Khyree Temple & Ted Wright.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Xzavier Malone, Mike Lotito & Kevin Ashenfelter.
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio says: “(Against Radnor) I thought our kids thought we were there to watch a game instead of playing the game. We were too relaxed mentally and we have addressed that. I like the way that Academy Park plays – it is a lot like the way that we play. They play aggressively and with confidence – we understand the way that they play because it is the way that we like to play. We worked hard all season to get the 19 or 20 wins to get some home games in the districts – now we have to take advantage of playing in front of a soldout home crowd.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 7 Central Bucks West vs. # 10 Phoenixville
# 10 Phoenixville Phantoms (19-4) @ Central Bucks West Bucks (21-4)
Playoff Resume:
Phoenixville opened the district playoffs with a 67-59 victory over # 23 Boyertown in a battle of Pioneer Athletic Conference teams. The Phantoms trailed 16-11 at the close of the first period but rallied in the second quarter to secure a 37-29 lead. Christian Kelly – who scored 11 points in the second period – scored a game-high 25 points. Jeff Conboy also played well for the winners with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Central Bucks West opened the district playoffs with a 54-35 victory over # 26 Downingtown East. The Bucks opened up a huge 30-13 lead at the half and secured the win with a 15-5 scoring advantage in the fourth period. CB West was led is scoring by Erich Hohenleiter with 15 points, while Cal Reichwein and brother Jake Reichwein scored in twin digits with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Season Resume:
Phoenixville: The Phantoms finished the regular season as the champion of the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division with a 13-0 record.
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:
Phoenixville: Christian Kelly, Avery Close & Jeff Conboy.
Central Bucks West: Bill Power, Luke Irons & Cal Reichwein.
CB West head coach Adam Sherman says: “(Phoenixville top scorer) Christian Kelly is a very athletic player and we have to know where he is at all times and keep him out of his comfort zone. In preparing for the playoffs, we get more into detail – our junior varsity team becomes a scout team. (CBW senior) Cal (Reichwein) is back (from injury) and seems to be getting back into his rhythm. This is an important game (a win puts the Bucks into the state playoffs) and the players know that.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 2 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. # 18 Academy Park.
# 27 Upper Dublin Cardinals (12-11) @ 11 Lower Merion Aces (16-7)
Playoff Resume:
Upper Dublin opened the district playoffs with a 41-40 ‘upset’ win over # 6 Abington. The Flying Cardinals – who have won 11 of their last 14 games – won the game in the final seconds when Will Derr blocked a shot at the buzzer. John Barrett led all scorers with 18 points, while Derr scored in twin digits with 14 points. Abington was the defending District One champion.
Lower Merion opened the district playoffs with a thrilling 68-66 overtime victory over # 22 Penn Wood. Terrel Jones – who scored seven of his nine points in the overtime – hit the game winner in the final moments for the Aces. Dion Harris led Lower Merion in scoring with 17 points, while KJ Helton scored in double digits for the winners with 12 points.
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.
Lower Merion: The Aces finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Central League with a record of 9-5.
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin: Ryan Stover, John Barrett, & Jimmy Gallagher.
Lower Merion: Dion Harris, Terrel Jones & KJ Helton.
Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman says: “We have guys on this team that played on the football team and that heard about how they couldn’t beat teams – and then went out and beat them. This is a team that will dream big and accept a challenge. We beat Abington with seniors that have practiced hard, studied hard, and know what it takes to win. Lower Merion might have the best coach around in Coach (Gregg) Downer. They like to spread the ball around and are a real solid team. You are going to have to be at the top of your game to beat them.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between # 3 Downingtown West vs. # 14 Conestoga.
(Photo by Larry Smalls provided courtesy of PW basketball.)
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