By Scott Huff
Sweet 16
There are just 16 teams left in the PIAA Quad-A state basketball tournament – and three are from the Suburban One League.
Plymouth Whitemarsh is surely no surprise. The extremely talented Colonials pounded Red Land – 74-31- in its first round game. PW lost in the District One final to Penn Wood and was given a top four seed in the state tournament.
Neshaminy is a bigger surprise. The very talented Redskins defeated John Bartram of the Philadelphia Public League – 69-58 – in its first round game. This is the first time that Neshaminy has made it to the Sweet 16 in the history of its basketball program.
Pennsbury might be the biggest surprise of all. The talented Falcons – which defeated Neshaminy three times during the season – won their first round game with a 49-33 victory over Wilson West Lawn. The relative lack of returning players and height has not kept Pennsbury from still another journey to the Sweet 16.
Who’s Left? District One – Penn Wood. District Two – Scranton. District Three – Reading, Hempfield, & York. District 6 – Hollidaysburg. District Seven – Gateway, Mount Lebanon, & North Allegheny. District 11 – Liberty. District 12 – LaSalle, Frankford, & Roman Catholic.
A four-game winning streak from this point will produce the 2010 PIAA Quad-A basketball state champion.
Stay tuned.
Plymouth Whitemash vs. Frankford
@ Wissahickon High School
Wednesday – 7 pm
Records:
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (25-2)
Frankford Pioneers (22-4)
Winner of this game will play winner of –
Reading (28-2) vs Roman Catholic (17-8)
Last Game:
Plymouth Whitemarshscored 22 of the first 24 points and crushed Red Land (District 3) – 74-31. The Colonials featured a balanced scoring attack that was led by 6-foot, 10-inch senior C.J. Aiken who registered a ‘double-double’ with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Bond (12) and Sam Pygatt (10) also scored in twin digits.
Frankford made a trip to the Lehigh Valley and came away with an impressive 57-52 victory over Whitehall (District 11). The Pioneers also featured a balanced scoring attack that was led by Karon Blackman who scored a team-high 12 points. DeHaven Brown (10) and Carl Wallace (10) also scored in double figures for Frankford.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Head Coach Jim Donofrio says - “This team is a typical speed team from the Philadelphia Public League,” said Donofrio. “They are all 6-3 or less, but they play aggressive and can all go to the offensive glass.
“They want to play an up-tempo game, which is the style of game that we like to play,” added Donofrio. “We are going to have to maintain our energy and purpose. All teams play with heart and emotion at this time of year.
“The kids are excited to play,” continued Donofrio. “And Brandon Dixon is definitely one of those kids. He is a player that is the anti-C.J. (Aiken). No poker face – look in his eyes and you can tell what he is thinking.”
Colonial junior guard Brandon Dixon says – “I have to trust to know what the coach is doing, even when he takes me out of the game,” said Dixon. “If he wants me on the bench to be a cheerleader – I will.
“Last week we got to scrimmage Neumann Goretti to get ready for Red Land,” added Dixon. “We played well against them, and I think that it motivated us to be ready for the playoffs.
“Our goal is to win a state championship,” continued Dixon. “And it really is one game at a time.”
Neshaminy vs. Penn Wood
@ Norristown Area High School
Wednesday – 7:30 pm
Records:
Neshaminy Redskins (20-8)
Penn Wood Patriots (24-3)
Winner of this game gets the winner of –
Pennsbury (18-10) vs. Scranton (21-6)
Last Game:
Neshaminygot a huge game out of sophomore guard Ryan Arcidiacono who compiled a ‘triple-double’ with a game-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 69-58 win over John Bartram (District 12). The Redskins also had a terrific game turned in by Dwight Williams who scored 17 points and hauled in nine rebounds. Tyler Katz (13) and Mike McGarry (11) also scored in double figures for the Skins.
Penn Wood trailed Penn Manor (District 3) by a 27-18 margin at the close of the first period. But the District One champion rallied back with a 25-5 second period and cruised to a 76-57 victory. Senior guard Tyree Johnson scored a career-high 31 points for the Patriots, while 6-9 junior center Shawn Oakman powered his way to 15 points and 10 rebounds. Will Brown also scored in twin digits for the Pats with 11 points.
Neshaminy Head Coach Jerry Devine says – “We played a great first half against Penn Wood in the district playoffs,” said Devine in reference to a 30-28 intermission deficit. “But we started to rush things in the second half, and we can’t beat them in a track meet.
“We are not fearful of them,” added Devine despite the 74-52 loss in the district finals. “We have a battle-tested team, and if we can eliminate any bad stretches, we can compete with anyone.
“They have some great talent in the backcourt and up front,” continued Devine. “We might have to pick our poison with (Tyree) Johnson, (Aaron) Brown, or (Shawn) Oakman. Mike McGarry is going to have a real job on his hands with Oakman.”
Neshaminy senior center Mike McGarry says – “In that first game with Penn Wood, I tried to box Oakman (6-foot, 9-inches & 250 pounds) out, and he just didn’t move,” said McGarry - who stands 6-5 & 175 pounds. “We know what we are up against, and they are a great team.
“I really believe that we can give them a run,” added McGarry. “The way we played the first half proved that – we just have to play that way the entire game.
“We might have gone into the game a little intimidated, but that won’t happen this time,” continued McGarry. “Hey, we beat Chester and Norristown at Norristown. That court has been good to us.”
Pennsbury vs. Scranton
@ Parkland High School
Wednesday – 7:30 pm
Records:
Pennsbury Falcons (18-10)
Scranton Knights (21-6)
Winner of this game gets the winner of –
Neshaminy (20-8) vs. Penn Wood (24-3)
Last Game:
Pennsbury made the arduous trek to the land of chocolate and defeated Wilson West Lawn (District 3) – 47-33 – at the Hershey Park Arena. The Falcons flew to a 16-2 first period lead and never trailed in the contest. Senior Jesse Krasna had a ‘double-double’ for Pennsbury with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Kieran Bolger tied Krasna with a game-high 14 points. Zak Kumor contributed seven points and 10 rebounds for the Falcons.
Scranton – the District 12 champion – forced 23 turnovers and collected a 64-48 victory over Warwick (District 3). The Knights feature Division One recruit in 6-5 sophomore Terry Turner who scored a game-high 30 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Hasin Dixon came off the bench for Scranton and scored 12 points. Ian Redetzky added seven points and is the leading rebounder.
Pennsbury Head Coach Frank Sciolla says – “This is a team that averages 70 points a game and has some very athletic players,” said Sciolla. “And in Turner they have a player that is being recruited by both Temple and St. Joseph’s.
“All we can do is to continue to play the way we play,” added Sciolla. “We can’t let the game get out of hand, and if we can do that, we can make it difficult on them.
“Turner is a great player, and we respect that,” continued Sciolla. “But we may have the best point guard in the state in Jesse Krasna.”
Pennsbury senior guard Jesse Krasna says – “Coach told me that I would start on him (Turner) at the beginning of the game,” said Krasna. “When we saw him on film, he reminded me a lot of (Pennsbury great) Dalton Pepper.
“We switch a lot on our defenses, so I won’t have him the whole game,” added Krasna – who played Pepper on a daily basis for three seasons. “He is going to be a real challenge for us.
“The bus ride home from Hershey after our last game was the most fun bus ride of the four years I have been here,” continued Krasna. “I hope the ride home from Parkland is just as fun.”
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