Eight SOL boys’ basketball teams will be in action Tuesday in the District 1 Tournament. Check the previews.
Class 6A
#10 Perkiomen Valley at #7 Central Bucks East (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
#7 Central Bucks East
–18-6
–SOL Colonial champions
–The Patriots won their fourth straight division title, sparked by a 10-0 start to the season, and the team has a ton of postseason experience.
–Finished season just 4-4 over its last eight games, including a pair of losses to rival Central Bucks West.
–CB East owns wins over #18 William Tennent, #11 CB West, #21 North Penn, #20 Council Rock South, Class 5A #2 Upper Dublin, #22 Pennsbury and #13 Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Key Players:
Sr. G Jake Cummiskey (16 points, 4 rebs, 3 assists)
Sr. G Tyler Dandrea (11 points, 4 rebs)
Sr. F Dhruv Mukund (9 points, 6 rebs, 3 assists)
Sr. G Justin DiRoberto (8 points)
Coach Erik Henrysen says: “We are excited about Districts and all that comes with it. It’s an accomplishment to finish in the top eight and to have earned the bye for the opening round. Perk Valley is 18-4. Both Perk Valley and Avon Grove are two very good teams. Both have a physical style, and we are looking forward to seeing them play live this Friday. The entire field is filled with great programs. This will be a very competitive tournament.”
How they got here: Opening round bye
#10 Perkiomen Valley
–20-5 overall
–Led by senior guard Julian Sadler, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark
–Behind the 25-point effort of Sadler, PV defeated Methacton 47-44 in the PAC Final Six before falling to Spring-Ford in the semifinals.
–Regular season wins over #6 Methacton, #21 North Penn
–Only two losses in last 11 games at hands of #3 Spring-Ford
How they got here: PV defeated #23 Avon Grove 65-50. Sadler’s 27-point outing led the Vikings.
#24 Springfield-Delco at #8 Bensalem (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
#8 Bensalem
—18-5
–14-2 SOL Patriot champions
—The battle-tested Owls won the Patriot title a year after failing to make the playoffs, going 5-1 in games decided by three points or less.
–Owls were 3-3 down the stretch, losing to CB West in the first round of the SOL Tournament
–Bensalem has wins over #21 North Penn, #20 CR South (twice), #11 CB West, #7 CB East, #17 Neshaminy, #22 Pennsbury
Key players:
Jr. F Jaidyn Moffit (18 points, 6 rebounds)
Sr. G Antonio Morris (14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists)
Sr. G Noah Morris (11 points, 63 total 3-pointers)
Sr. G Amir Drummond (10 points, 3 assists)
Coach Ron Morris says: “The boys have really bought into the team concept. Roles change, goals don’t. They are a fun group to coach.”
How they got here: Opening round bye
#24 Springfield-Delco
–12-11
–After a slow start to the season, Springfield went 6-2 late in the regular season to get into districts as the 24th and final team.
–Among its best wins of the regular season were over #14 Garnet Valley and #15 Downingtown West.
Key Players: F Colin Treude, Sr. G Jake Adams, Jr. G Patrick Flaherty
How they got here: The Cougars pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round, defeating #9 Abington 58-42. Colin Treude’s 19 points led three players in double figures.
Next up: The winner will play the winner of #16 Conestoga at #1 Lower Merion.
#12 Cheltenham at #5 Coatesville (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Cheltenham
–18-6
–14-2SOL Freedom champions
–The Panthers – after a 12-11 season last year – reclaimed the top spot in the Freedom Division, winning their least eight league games to close the season.
–The Panthers played a rugged nonconference schedule that should have them in good position for the postseason.
–Cheltenham owns two wins over the likes of division rivals #18 William Tennent and 5A #8 Upper Moreland, as well as #13 Plymouth Whitemarsh
Key Players:
Jr. G Josiah Hutson
Sr. F Nile Tinsley
Jr. G Osei Johnson
How they got here: Cheltenham defeated #21 North Penn 47-41. Osei Johnson (13 points) & Josiah Hutson (11 points) led a balanced Panther attack.
#5 Coatesville
–18-6 overall
–12-1 Ches-Mont National Conference regular season champion
–Defeated West Chester Henderson 69-60 to capture the Ches-Mont Tournament title
–Guards Zuri Harris & Dior Kennedy are the catalysts.
–Difficult non-league schedule included wins over Reading & St Joe’s Prep
#13 Plymouth Whitemarsh at #4 Chester (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Plymouth Whitemarsh
—15-9, tied second SOL Liberty
—There have been ups and downs for PW’s season, but it was very young and had a lot to replace from last year’s SOL and district title team
—Colonials do have talent and a ton of experience in guard Jaden Colzie, so expect them to be heard from before the district playoffs are said and done.
–Sophomore Mani Sajid is a dangerous offensive weapon
—Owns regular season wins over Abington (twice), 5A #2 Upper Dublin, and 5A #8 Upper Moreland.
Key Players:
Sr. PG Jaden Colzie (19.1 ppg, 3.5 assists)
Sr. G Ben Marsico
Sr. G/F Jah Pendergrass-Sayles
Soph. G Mani Sajid (17.6 ppg, 2 assists)
Soph. C Michael Pereira
Soph. PG Jack Hayes
How they got here: Plymouth Whitemarsh defeated #20 Council Rock South 77-55. Jaden Colzie (19 points) & Mani Sajid (23 points) led a potent PW attack.
#4 Chester
–18-2 overall
–8-0 Del Val champions
–Season highlighted by 15-game winning streak
–Senior point guard Dante Atkinson leads the Clippers
–Regular season wins over #9 Abington & Constitution
–Only two losses were to Coatesville & Mathematics, Civics & Sciences
How they got here: Opening round bye.
Next up: The winner will face the winner of #12 Cheltenham at #5 Coatesville.
#11 CB West at #6 Methacton (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
CB West
–19-7, tied second SOL Colonial
–The Bucks bounced back from an uncharacteristic 6-16 season and returned to prominence this season, beating rival and #7 CB East twice over the second half of the season.
–West advanced all the way to the SOL tournament title game before losing to 5A #2 Upper Dublin. The Bucks also own a 44-31 win over Pennsbury on Jan. 17.
–Other keys wins this season include over #10 Perkiomen Valley, #20 Council Rock South, #21 North Penn and #8 Bensalem.
Key Players:
Sr. G Matt Engle (10 ppg)
Sr. G Julian Phillips (12.4 ppg)
Jr. G Roman Kulesa (10.6 ppg)
Sr. F Sam Janikowski (8 ppg)
How they got here: Central Bucks West defeated #22 Pennsbury 48-33. Bowen Gugger’s 16-point effort led the Bucks. Roman Kulesa added 13 points, Matt Engle had 10.
Methacton
–16-7 overall
–8-2 PAC Liberty second place
–Fell to #10 Perk Valley 74-44 in PAC Final Six
–Led by 6-4 senior guard Alex Hermann
–Regular season wins over #3 Spring-Ford (split season series), #13 PW & #21 North Penn
How they got here: Opening round bye
Next up: The winner plays the winner of #14 Garnet Valley at #3 Spring-Ford.
Class 5A
#10 Penncrest at #2 Upper Dublin (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
#2 Upper Dublin
–22-3
–15-1 SOL Liberty champions
–The class of the Suburban One League this season, the Cardinals closed the season with 13 straight wins.
–UD bested nemesis Plymouth Whitemarsh to win the Liberty and then ran the table to capture the SOL Tournament title with a win over Central Bucks West.
–Key wins for UD this season were over Abington (three times), Upper Moreland, William Tennent, Cheltenham, Neshaminy and CB West.
Key players:
Jr. F Ryan Mulroy (15.4 ppg)
Sr. G Brady Fogle (12.3 ppg)
Soph. G Idris Rines (9.0 ppg)
Sr. G Chris Kohlbrenner
Coach Derek Brooks says: “Upper Dublin is excited to compete in the 5A District Tournament. It is a competitive field with plenty of quality teams. We are excited about how the team has played recently, having captured a Liberty Division title and a SOL Tournament Championship. Having been eliminated in the first round of our last two District appearances, we look forward to the opportunity this year to avenge those losses and hope to make a deep run.”
#10 Penncrest
–14-9 overall
–7-9 Central League
–Lost five of six games to close out regular season.
How they got here: Penncrest upset #7 West Chester Rustin 50-36 in an opening round game.
Next up: The winner will face the winner of #6 Sun Valley at #3 Radnor.
#8 Upper Moreland at #1 Unionville (Wednesday, 5 p.m.)
Upper Moreland
–14-9, third SOL Freedom
–UM is battle-tested against the likes of Upper Dublin, Plymouth Whitemarsh and Cheltenham and owns wins over 6A playoff teams William Tennent and Harriton.
Key Players:
Jr. G Colson Campbell (15 ppg, 5 rebs, 3 assisits)
Sr. C Sean Murphy (11 ppg, 7 rebs)
Sr. G Alex Best (8 ppg, 3 rebs, 3 assists)
Fr. G Brayden Martin (8 ppg, 3 rebs)
How they got here: Upper Moreland defeated #9 Holy Ghost Prep 79-76. Alex Best (19 points) led four UM players in double figures that included Sean Murphy (14 points), Colson Campbell (13 points) and Brayden Martin (12 points).
#1 Unionville
–20-3 overall
–10-0 Ches-Mont American regular season champions
–Led by a trio of senior guards
–Fell to West Chester Henderson 61-58 in PAC Tournament semifinals
–Loss to WC Henderson in PAC Tournament broke an 11-game winning streak
–Biggest regular season wins over #3 Spring-Ford & #5 Coatesville
How they got here: Opening round bye
Next up: The winner will face the winner of #5 Pottstown at #4 Phoenixville.
Class 4A
#4 Springfield Twp at Bishop Shanahan (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Springfield Twp
–7-15
–Young and inexperienced team struggled against larger schools but showed steady improvement.
–Big wins over Class 6A Hatboro-Horsham & 5A Lower Moreland, part of three straight wins in their five final regular season games.
Key Players:
Jr. G Bob Hartman
Jr. G Aiden Hood
Jr. G Brandon Thompson
Jr. F Ryan Bell
Soph. G Julian Ciasullo
Bishop Shanahan
–9-13
–Anchored under the basket by 6-8 junior Sean Griffin
–Quality wins over 6A #2 West Chester Henderson, Springfield-Delco & Holy Ghost Prep
Next up: The winner will play the winner of #2 Pope John Paul II and #3 Collegium Charter on Saturday, Feb. 24.
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