Scott Huff previews the District One AAAA Tournament games featuring SOL squads. Check back for a recap Friday’s games.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
PIAA Quad-A District One First Round Playoffs
Friday – February 13, 2015
All games @ 7 pm
# 32 Wissahickon Trojans (13-9) @ # 1 Conestoga Pioneers (20-3)
Season Resumé:
Wissahickon finished the regular season tied for second place in the Suburban One League American Conference. The signature Trojan wins this year came against Cheltenham (53-47), Upper Dublin (34-33), and Cheltenham (45-42).
Conestoga finished the season as the Central League champion. The signature wins for the Pioneers came against North Penn (58-43), Ridley (53-34), and Lower Merion (51-47).
Players To Watch:
Wissahickon: Todd Bentley, Ron Brundage, and Steve Driscoll.
Conestoga: Daryl Caldwell, Dan Vila, and Andrew Diehl.
Wissahickon Head Coach Kyle Wilson says: “I really think that the district is as wide open as it has ever been – and all we wanted was a chance to get into the playoffs. We beat two good playoff teams in the final week of the season to get into the playoffs – Upper Dublin and Cheltenham– and now we get the chance to be a giant slayer as a # 32 seed. The pressure is really on the other team – and if we play good defense – who knows what can happen.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 16 Oxford vs. # 17 Academy Park game.
# 25 Great Valley Patriots (17-6) @ # 8 Central Bucks West Bucks (17-6)
Season Resumé:
Great Valley finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Ches-Mont American Conference. The signature wins for the Patriots this year came against Boyertown (44-38), Glen Mills (46-45), and Unionville (62-50).
Central Bucks West finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Bucks this year came against Pennridge (59-54), Spring-Ford (55-40), and Central Bucks South (46-42).
Players To Watch:
Great Valley: Will Buzan, Andrew Gall, and Mark Miller.
Central Bucks West: Cal Reichwein, Nico Munari, and Owen Cooney.
Central Bucks West Head Coach Adam Sherman says: “We are excited about opening the playoffs at home – now we have to take advantage of that. Great Valley has a Penn State football recruit on the inside and has a couple of guards that can shoot the ball. They are a real scrappy team. They have had some injuries to play through during the season – but I believe that they are going to be at full strength against us. They remind of CB East in the offensive sets they run.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 9 Ridley vs. # 24 West Chester Rustin game.
# 29 Cheltenham Panthers (13-9) @ # 4 Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (20-2)
Season Resumé:
Cheltenham finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Suburban One League American Conference. The signature wins for the Panthers this year came against Plymouth Whitemarsh (59-54), Glen Mills (66-59), and Upper Dublin (49-45).
Plymouth Whitemarsh finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference. The signature wins for the Colonials this year came against Chester (72-70), Washington (67-64), and Friends Central (58-53).
Players To Watch:
Cheltenham: Fatir Al-had, Khalil White, and Justin Sutton.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Xzavier Malone, Andre Mitchell, and Jimmy Murray.
Cheltenham Head Coach John Timms says: “It’s never good news when you have to play Plymouth Whitemarsh at their place, but we beat them once this year and the players know what it takes to be successful against them. We beat them the first game – but we made too many mistakes in the second game. This is my first experience as a coach in the playoffs – and none of my players have played in the playoffs either. We will go into that hostile environment with the confidence that we can win – we really believe that we can beat them again.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh Head Coach Jim Donofrio says: “The first time we played Cheltenham they played with a lot of emotion and we didn’t match it. There will be no surprises when we play them – we know they are going to play hard, and it will force us to play with energy. My goal at the beginning of the season was to get a top four seed in the district tournament and have a chance at three home games. We worked hard the last year and got that four seed – now we have to take advantage of it.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 13 West Chester Henderson vs. # 20 Springfield-Delco game.
# 18 Souderton Indians (13-9) @ # 15 Phoenixville Phantoms (17-6)
Season Resumé:
Souderton finished the regular season as the third place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Indians this year came against Central Bucks West (41-23), North Penn (45-40), and Hatboro-Horsham (46-44).
Phoenixville finished the regular season as the champion of the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division. The signature wins for the Phantoms this year came against Marple-Newtown (73-70), Boyertown (66-53), and West Catholic (73-62).
Players To Watch:
Souderton: Evan Slone. Tracy Simsick, and Tim Markow.
Phoenixville: Christian Kelly, DeAndre Gadsden, and Mike Anthony.
Souderton Head Coach Pete Chimera says: “Phoenixville is a very young and very athletic team. They like to play the game at a very fast tempo – like Pennridge – but maybe not as fast as Pennridge. (Christian) Kelly is a dramatically better player than he was last year and is very good. We saw them play over the summer, and they have a very good team. Our tough schedule has gotten us ready for the playoffs, and it would great to win a game and play again next week.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 2 Methacton vs. # 31 Marple-Newtown game.
# 21 Council Rock North Indians (14-8) @ # 12 Lower Merion Aces (14-9)
Season Resumé:
Council Rock North finished the regular season as the third place finisher in the Suburban One League National Conference. The signature wins for the Indians were wins over Spring-Ford (62-30), Hazelton (48-37), and Ben Franklin (63-58).
Lower Merion finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Central League. The signature wins for the Aces this year were against Abington (73-51), Ridley (53-42), and Penncrest (54-42).
Players To Watch:
Council Rock North: Matt Margolis, Steve Nowmos, and Drew Glenn.
Lower Merion: Jule Brown, Asher Barry, and KJ Helton.
Council Rock North Head Coach Derek Wright says: “I am glad that this team has gotten a chance to play in the district playoffs – we play very hard and as a team. Playing Lower Merion is going to be a challenge – the Central League is always a very competitive league. One game – one win – can make this whole season a memorable one. We had our hands full playing both Abington and Pennsbury during the season, and we know what we have to do to be able to compete with the really good teams.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 5 Penn Wood vs. # 20 Penncrest game.
# 26 Central Bucks South Titans (12-10) @ # 7 Pennsbury Falcons (19-5)
Season Resumé:
Central Bucks South finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Titans this year came against North Penn (62-53), Spring-Ford (54-43), and Hatboro-Horsham (38-35).
Pennsbury finished the regular season as the second place team in the Suburban One League National Conference. The signature wins for the Falcons this year came against Lower Merion (53-47), Math, Civics, & Sciences (63-61), and Pennridge (78-67).
Players To Watch:
Central Bucks South: Sean Gallagher, Tim Waddington, and Chris Hones.
Pennsbury: Derrick Woods, Cameron Jones, and Mekhi Bryant.
Central Bucks South Head Coach Jason Campbell says: “I saw Pennsbury play Pennridge and was very impressed with the way both of their guards (Cameron Jones and Mekhi Bryant) play the game. We played them at our place the first time – it was an afternoon game with not a lot of atmosphere, and it will be a totally different atmosphere playing at their place. They are very good, but I like the way that we play. We play 10 guys every game, and you never know who is going to step up and be our guy for that game – and we won’t quit or back down.”
Pennsbury Head Coach Bill Coleman says: “We know that Central Bucks South is going to play the game hard and we are going to have to match their effort level. We played them a few days ago, and I’m sure that both teams will bring a little something new to the game. We want to push the tempo of the game and highlight our core players. After playing both Pennridge and Abington in the SOL Championships – we will play this game with no nerves.”
The Winner Gets: The winner gets the winner of the # 10 Downingtown West vs. # 23 Upper Dublin game.
# 23 Upper Dublin Cardinals (14-8) @ # 10 Downingtown West Whippets (19-4)
Season Resumé:
Upper Dublin finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Suburban One League American Conference. The signature wins for the Cardinals this year were against North Penn (54-36), Cheltenham (67-43), and Great Valley (62-51).
Downingtown West finished the season as the champion of the Ches-Mont National Conference. The signature wins for the Whippets this year were against West Chester Henderson (68-60), Coatesville (58-52), and Oxford (66-29).
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin: Simeon Fryer, Ryan Stover, and John Barrett.
Downingtown West: Ryan Betley, Josh Warren, and Dan Guerrera.
Upper Dublin Head Coach Josh Adelman says: “Josh Warren is a 6-foot, 8-inch player that is automatic from inside five feet – playing against him is going to be a big challenge. They shoot the ball well and like to get up and down the floor. I was a little surprised that we were a # 23 seed, but we will go into the game with the underdog role. We saw some things on tape that we think we can exploit, and if we can win a game or two in the playoffs, we might just open some eyes.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 7 Pennsbury vs. # 26 Central Bucks South game.
# 30 Spring-Ford Rams (11-11) @ # 3 Pennridge Rams (20-3)
Season Resumé:
Spring-Ford finished the regular season as third place finisher in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. The signature wins for the Rams this year came against Boyertown (66-59), Upper Dublin (60-44), and Unionville (55-36).
Pennridge finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Rams this year came against Central Bucks West (69-59), Boyertown (68-52), and Souderton (58-56).
Players To Watch:
Spring-Ford: Ryan Corocran, Jake Freedman, and Cam Reid.
Pennridge: Joey Molettiere, Danny Long, and Zach Muredda.
Pennridge Head Coach Dean Behrens says: “There is no question that they are going to be a formidable opponent. They are a tough matchup for us, and they are very athletic. Playing against Pennsbury in the SOL championship tournament was a good experience – even though we lost. We got a chance to experience the speed of the game – and that loss isn’t going to affect us. The thing about the first round of the playoffs is that it is single elimination – one bad night and you’re done. We got into the playoffs last year and lost to Souderton in the first round – the players remember that and don’t want that to happen again this year”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 14 Coatesville vs. # 19 Boyertown game.
# 27 North Penn Knights (11-11) @ # 6 Abington Ghosts (21-3)
Season Resumé:
North Penn finished the regular season as the fifth place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Knights this season came against Methacton (62-58), Hatboro-Horsham (48-41), and Central Bucks South (64-58).
Abington finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League National Conference. The signature wins for the Ghosts this year came against Pennsbury (58-57, 52-50 & 63-50) and Central Bucks West (64-58).
Players To Watch:
North Penn: Cordell Lord, Jared Melone, and Joe Richards.
Abington: Amir Hinton, Matt Penecale, and Bobby Heath.
North Penn Head Coach John Conrad says: “I saw Abington against Pennsbury and was impressed with not only how unselfish they were on offense but how well they played on the defensive end. There is no question that they are one of the elite teams in the district and they play with a lot of chemistry. We lost Cordell (Lord) for the season in a practice before the Hatboro game and that was tough. We get a fresh start in the playoffs – we have worked hard in practice to get ready to play a very good basketball team.”
Abington Head Coach Charles Grasty says: “North Penn might not have been playing its best basketball at the end of the season, but they got in and that is all that matters. Once the playoffs start, all of the seeding stuff is out the window. North Penn plays in a conference (SOL Continental) that had six teams make the playoffs – they know how to play against good basketball teams. They have dangerous players and are a dangerous team.”
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 11 Chester vs. # 22 Hatboro-Horsham game.
# 22 Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (11-11) @ # 11 Chester Clippers (13-9)
Season Resumé:
Hatboro-Horsham finished the regular season as the fifth place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. The signature wins for the Hatters this year came against Downingtown West (34-32), Upper Dublin (59-42), and Central Bucks West (52-46).
Chester finished the season as the third place finisher in the Delaware Valley League. The signature wins for the Clippers this year came against Penn Wood (65-45), Academy Park (51-44), and Harrisburg (59-57).
Players To Watch:
Hatboro-Horsham: Brian McEachern, Walter Kimble, and David Robinson.
Chester: Keyone Watkins, Marquis Collins, and Jamar Sudan.
Hatboro-Horsham Head Coach Ed Enoch says: “We have so much respect for the history of the Chester basketball program. We are excited to be able to go Chester and feel privileged to be able to play a team that has the statewide reputation that Chester has. We respect them – but don’t fear them. We will compete hard on every possession and feel that we can be competitive with them. We played in a conference (SOL Continental Conference) that was extremely competitive every game – and we feel like we are prepared for the playoffs.
The Winner Gets: The winner of the # 6 Abington vs. # 27 North Penn game.
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