By Scott Huff
The playoff fog has lifted.
The results of Tuesday night’s games have made it clear as to where the remaining teams of the Suburban One League stand in the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (24-1) will play Penn Wood (22-3) in the District One final on Friday. A win makes the Colonials a #1 seed from the district – a loss earns them a #2 seed. PW thrashed West Chester Rustin – 79-47 – to get to the title game. [See separate game story]
Souderton (23-3) will face off with West Chester Rustin (22-4) at a neutral site. The winner is the #3 seed from the district; the loser is the #4 seed. The Indians lost Tuesday night to Penn Wood – 71-49. [See separate game story]
Neshaminy (19-7) will play Pennsbury (16-10) at a neutral site to determine the #5 and #6 seed from the district. The Redskins bested Chester (16-8) 55-54 on Tuesday, while the Falcons defeated Penncrest (23-5) 43-29 on Tuesday. [See wrap of these games below]
Council Rock North (21-5) will get together with Upper Dublin (17-8) at a neutral site for the #9 seed. Winner gets that final seed from the district – loser goes home. North edged Bensalem (15-10) – 46-45, while Upper Dublin upset Coatesville (21-6) – 62-58. [See wrap of these games below]
Neshaminy needed a frantic comeback in the final moments to defeat Chester.
The Skins trailed 54-51 late in the game when Ryan Arcidiacono stole a pass and pulled up to nail a game-tying 3-pointer.
A defensive stand resulted in another Redskin possession. Senior Steve Warhola was fouled – made the front end of a one-and-one – and Neshaminy came away with the 55-54 win.
“It was a good game, and we made the plays we needed to make down the stretch,” said Neshaminy head coach Jerry Devine. “I really felt that we could have played a better game, but we’ll take the win.
“Playing Pennsbury again is going to another great game,” added Devine as the Skins lost both SOL National Conference regular season games to the Falcons. “It will be a great atmosphere – wherever and whenever we play.”
Arcidiacono led the Skins in the win over Chester with a game-high 21 points. Dwight Williams added 10 points, while Tyler Katz chipped in with nine points.
Pennsbury earned its rematch with Neshaminy with a win over Central League champion Penncrest.
“We did a very good job of being patient of defense,” said Pennsbury head coach Frank Sciolla. “They wanted to work for the good shot when they had the ball, and we needed to be patient enough to let that happen.
“This was a very good win for our team,” added Sciolla. “We had huge contributions from a pair of sophomores – Kieran Bolger and Ryan Charity.”
Bolger – who hit a trio of 3-point field goals – finished with 18 points, while Charity played well with Bolger in the Pennsbury backcourt.
Zak Kumor – who collected team-high 11 rebounds – scored in double figures for the Falcons with 10 points.
“When we were driving home on the bus, we were trying to figure out how we beat Neshaminy both games this year,” said Sciolla. “Neshmainy is a team that could make a significant run in the playoffs.”
Council Rock North trailed SOL National Conference foe Bensalem by two points in the final minute of the fourth period – 45-43.
However, Aaron Morgan came up with a steal for the Indians – drove the lane – scored a bucket – was fouled – and made the free throw to give Rock North a 46-45 lead with 25 seconds left in the game.
That score would stand up to be final as the Indians stopped a final Owl possession to claim the win.
Next up for Rock North is Upper Dublin in an elimination game.
“Aaron made a huge play for us,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “He took it strong to the basket and was clutch with the foul shot.
“And I thought we did a good job of contesting their shots late in the game,” added Wright. “We defended the ball well when we had to.”
Tim Filer led Rock North in scoring with a modest 11 points, while Morgan finished with 10 points and John Raymon added eight points.
The season is now in the history books for Bensalem. The Owls were led in scoring by Calvin Brown with 13 points, while Nick Christian scored in twin digits with 12 points.
Upper Dublin (#17 seed) surprised Coatesville (#4 seed) – 62-58 – to advance to its game with Council Rock North. The loser of the CRN-UD game is eliminated, while the winner moves on.
“It was a real exciting game,” said Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman. “We stuck to our game plan for the entire game, and we were able to limit them to one shot.
“Jamil (Brown) was almost magical again tonight,” added Adelman of his senior who scored a game-high 29 points. “And James (Newman) was just as good.”
Newman had a double-double with 19 points – 12 rebounds – and seven assists for the Flying Cardinals.
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