Pennsbury earned a coveted PIAA 6A State Tournament berth with a win Wednesday. Cheltenham & Upper Moreland earned wins in playback games. Check out the recaps. Pennsbury/CB South photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography.
Class 6A playbacks
#24 PENNSBURY 55, #4 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 52
“It’s a great day to be a Falcon”
That, according to Pennsbury coach Wes Emme, was the prevailing sentiment after the Falcons – the 24th and final seed in the District 1 6A Tournament – clinched a berth in the PIAA 6A State Tournament with Wednesday’s win. Earlier in the evening, the girls’ basketball team clinched a spot in Sunday’s District 1 6A title game.
“I don’t know if it’s ever happened where both teams made it to the state playoffs in the same year,” Emme said. “So far, it’s been redemption. That’s been the story.”
It is the first time the Falcons have been to the state tournament since 2015, and it’s been a memorable run after seeing the SOL Patriot Division title slip away in the regular season’s final weeks.
“This just speaks to how difficult it is to make it and to win in the district playoffs,” Emme said. “It’s a testament to our team kind of rebooting and refinding itself over the course of the last two weeks.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity, but I challenged them to keep going and not be content with just this. Keep going and don’t limit yourself.”
This game came down to the wire. The visiting Falcons – behind 12 points from Patrick Jajua – led 32-31 at halftime. They had a tenuous 42-40 lead heading into the final quarter when they outscored the Titans by one to hold on for the win.
Key players: Patrick Jajua led all scorers with 23 points while Brayden Clark added nine, and Brady Kent had eight. Sean Breslin finished with seven.
For the Titans, Davis Van Zanten’s 15 points – 11 in the first half – led the way. Kayode Adebayo added 13 points – nine in the first half. Shane Farrell had nine points, and Leo Medwid had eight.
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme:
–Jajua in charge: “Patrick Jajua was absolutely incredible – he dominated the game. He ended up with 26 points, a bunch
of rebounds. He just completely controlled the game, making 3s, getting to the rim, making pull-ups – scoring at all three levels.
“He got an early foul, and I don’t know if he had another foul the rest of the game. I think that’s one of the major signs of maturity. Earlier in the year, he may have gotten a second foul, and we may have had to take him out or been in foul trouble, and he was able to be physical without fouling on the defensive end of the floor. He showed tonight why’s he can be a star.”
–More props: “I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about a couple of other guys. Brady Kent and Brayden Clark made some massive free throws coming down the stretch that allowed us to keep our lead. We had a six-point lead, and (South) hit a very big 3 and forced us to keep making free throws, and both of those two guys – Brayden went 3-for-4 down the stretch and Brady Kent made two.
“I thought Max Manga was just mammoth on the backboards, just dominated the glass in a way that he’s fully capable of and really takes us to a new level if he does.”
Up next: Pennsbury will once again be on the road Friday, travelling to #10 Conestoga for the ninth-place game. Central Bucks South closed out its season with a 19-7 record overall.
Pennsbury 16-16-10-13 55
Central Bucks South 15-16-9-12 52
Pennsbury (55) – Brayden Clark 3 3-4 9; Brady Kent 2 2-2 8; Owen Hogancamp 1 0-0 3; Sean Breslin 3 0-2 7; Nick Bunda 0 0-2 0; Pat Jajua 9 3-4 23; Max Manga 2 1-1 5; TOTALS 20 9-15 55
Central Bucks South (55) – Kayode Adebayo 6 1-2 13; Alex Shahin 1 0-0 2; Shane Farrell 3 3-4 9; Brayden Barrett 1 3-3 5; Davis Van Zanten 5 3-6 15; Leo Medwid 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 20 10-15 52.
3-point goals: P – Brady Kent 2, Pat Jajua 2, Owen Hogancamp, Sean Breslin; CBS – Davis Van Zanten 2.
#13 CHELTENHAM 59, #9 GARNET VALLEY 58
The Panthers made the long trek to Garnet Valley worth their while, eking out a win in Wednesday’s playback game. They had an idea they might be in for a tight battle from the outset.
Cheltenham led by two after one quarter and took that two-point advantage into halftime, 28-26. The Panthers – behind six points from Elijah Saintillider -outscored their hosts 19-13 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 47-39 advantage. The Jaguars rallied in the final frame, but the Panthers held on for the win, their 20th of the season.
Key players: Jaedn Mosley led a balanced Panther attack with 13 points, and Elijah Saintillider also finished in double figures with 10 points. Isa Vargas and Chris Harmon both had eight points while Isaiah Dill had seven.
Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury:
“We were happy to come away with a win against a very good program. We continue to preach the process of caring for one another and moving as one through the storms and happy times. I’m happy for the senior class, and their work is helping guide the younger players throughout this portion of the season.”
–Props: “Elijah Saintillider came through as a spark, and it was because of the confidence his teammates had in him to come in and produce. Micah Millis came in with energy and very timely baskets throughout the game.
“Thank you to our cheerleaders who traveled with us and gave us a huge momentum swing in the fourth quarter with their energy and spirit.”
Up next: Cheltenham will travel to #7 Spring-Ford Friday for the fifth place game (6:45 pm).
Cheltenham 11-17-19-12 59
Garnet Valley 9-17-13-19 58
Cheltenham (59) – Isa Vargas 3 2-2 8; Chris Harmon 3 2-2 8; Mark Hill 2 1-1 5; Isaiah Dill 3 1-4 7; Jaedn Mosley 4 2-3 13; Micah Millis 2 2-2 6; Tyree Martin 1 0-0 2; Elijah Saintillder 3 3-4 10; TOTALS 21 13-18 59.
Garnet Valley (58) – Luke Faccenda 6 3-6 18; Mason Koperna 2 1-2 6; Braden Quinn 2 0-0 5; Cole McAndrew 3 0-0 6; Grayson Golek 5 7-11 18; Ryan Anderson 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 19 13-21 58.
3-point goals: C – Jaedn Mosley 3, Elijah Saintillder; GV – Luke Faccenda 3, Mason Koperna, Braden Quinn, Grayson Golek, Ryan Anderson.
District 1 5A fifth place game
#5 UPPER MORELAND 60, #7 POTTSTOWN 58
The Golden Bears led 20-16 after one quarter and upped their lead to 37-22 by halftime. Jose Hernandez led the first-half charge, scoring 16 points. The visiting Trojans, however, refused to go away, trimming seven points off that lead in the third quarter and then making things interesting with a 14-8 fourth quarter burst.
Key players: Jose Hernandez led the Golden Bears with 18 points. Larry Hughes added 16 points, and Cannon Campbell had 15, which included a 5-for-5 effort at the foul line.
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland;
–The game: “It was a tale of two different halves. Our first half, we were pretty dominant. We came out and we played really well on both sides of the floor, offensively and defensively. We went into the half with a 15-point lead.
“In the third quarter, we were kind of conservative. I just feel like we lost what got us our lead. We just weren’t as aggressive as I would have liked. You have to give credit to Pottstown. They did a nice job defensively changing up and executing their offense more, but we were resilient – I think that’s the best word for the game.
“We made plays down the stretch, both offensively and defensively, that allowed us to pull out a win. It’s playoff basketball – it’s never easy, but you take (the wins) any way you can. So, I am just proud that our guys stuck through it, stayed the course and stayed together, and ultimately, we won the game as a team, so I’m happy with that.”
Props: “Everybody played well, but Jose Hernandez led us in scoring, Cannon Campbell did another great job on the glass and scoring, and Larry (Hughes) again, scoring the ball and rebounding.
“They had two very good rebounders, and guys we had to keep off the glass. Early in the game, we did that, but those three guys on both sides kind of stood out and helped us secure a win. They just played really good team basketball.
“Nate Best did a great job of being that floor general again, being tough defensively, but also getting us into our sets and just being a true point guard.”
Up next: Upper Moreland will await its opponent in the opening round of the PIAA 5A Tournament next Friday.
Pottstown 16-6-22-14 58
Upper Moreland 20-17-15-8 60
Pottstown (58) – Syncare Whitehurst 4 4-4 14; Antonio Lofton 4 1-2 9; Kamrin Robinson 2 0-0 4; Malachi Robbins 4 2-3 11; Dymere Jones 1 0-0 3; Ikeem Wolloh 0 0-2 0; Yahsir Wood 4 2-2 10; Eli Butler 3 1-2 7; TOTALS 22 10-15 58.
Upper Moreland (60) – Nate Best 2 0-2 6; Kyle Moore 2 0-0 5; Andrew Hamill 0 0-2 0; Larry Hughes 6 4-6 16; Cannon Campbell 4 5-5 15; Jose Hernandez 6 5-7 18; TOTALS 20 14-22 60.
3-point goals: P – Whitehurst 2, Robbins, Jones; UM – Best 2, Campbell 2, Hernandez, Moore.
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