Scott Huff previews all the SOL teams in action when the District One AAAA Tournament gets underway.
By Scott Huff
Plymouth Whitemarsh enters the PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs as a #18 seed - and in recent history the Colonials have entered the tournament with a high seed and clearly as one of the teams to beat for the district title. PW is not seeded in that ‘rare air’ this season.
“I found it very interesting that we are an 18 seed and had just a 12-10 record,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “Of the 32 teams in the field, we had the second toughest strength of schedule behind Chester. We easily had the highest seed with the least amount of wins.
“Now it is up to the players to see what we do with the experience we got playing that schedule,” added Donofrio. “We have played some excellent programs this year and came away with close losses. We have to take the approach that playing that schedule is a positive thing – we have to believe that we are a good basketball team.
“The teams we have played this season have played at a great pace,” continued Donofrio. “There isn’t a team that we meet in the playoffs that can play at a better pace than the teams we have already played.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh will be on the road for its first playoff test against Conestoga - the Pioneers are a #15 seed.
“Sometimes I think this team might feel like the black sheep considering the success we have had the last three seasons,” said Donofrio. “It is up to them to believe in themselves and play like they know what they’re doing.”
PIAA Quad-A District One First Round Games
# 25 Kennett (14-8, 6-6) @ # 8 Pennsbury (16-6, 10-4)
Kennett – 4th place in Ches-Mont American – Pennsbury – 2nd (T) in Suburban One National Conference
Most Impressive win: Kennett 74-69 over WC Henderson – Pennsbury 81-76 over Coatesville
Dynamic Duo: Kennett – Maalik Rochester & Vaughn Jackson – Pennsbury – Kieran Bolger & Jerrell Burke.Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman says: “Kennett likes to run the floor and is very active defensively. They don’t go very deep and we will want to try and make them play some bench players. We want to pressure their guards, and for us success all season has come on the defensive end of the floor.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [#24] Ridley @ [#9] Norristown game
# 24 Ridley (12-10, 9-7) @ # 9 Norristown (15-7, 10-2)
Ridley – 5th place in Central League – Norristown – 1st (T) in Suburban One American Conference
Most Impressive win: Ridley 66-56 over Glen Mills – Norristown 58-56 over Wissahickon
Dynamic Duo: Ridley – Shaun Church & Zach Apakian – Norristown – Luke Kelley & Samir Bey.
Norristown head coach Michael Evans says: “We have to continue to do the things that have made us successful this season – play hard and play good defense – and that means play the entire floor the entire game. It is nice to have a home playoff game, but in the playoffs that doesn’t guarantee anything. Ridley is a good basketball team.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 25] Kennett @ [# 8] Pennsbury game.
# 29 West Chester East (12-10, 6-6) @ # 4 Central Bucks West (20-2, 13-1)
WC East – 3rd (T) in Ches-Mont National Conference – CB West – 1st in Suburban One Continental Conference
Most Impressive Win: WC East 46-42 over WC Henderson – CB West 56-49 over Souderton
Dynamic Duo: WC East - Eddie Anderson & Amari Taylor – CB West – Derek Dyer & Tyler Schechter.
Central Bucks West head coach Adam Sherman says: “West Chester East is only 12-10, but eight of those losses could have gone either way. Eddie Anderson is the son of the coach, and he is an exciting player. They have some other weapons, and we are going to have to play our game.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 20] Upper Dublin @ [# 13] Cheltenham game
# 20 Upper Dublin (13-9, 5-7) @ # 13 Cheltenham (14-8, 7-5)
Upper Dublin – 5th place in SOL American Conference – Cheltenham – 4th place in SOL American Conference
Most Impressive win: Upper Dublin 47-46 over Methacton – Cheltenham 55-41 over CB West
Dynamic Duo: Upper Dublin - John Decamara & Darrell Harrision – Cheltenham – Nafis Walker & Jarrell Haywood.
Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman says: “The guys were really excited to get another shot at Cheltenham. The first two games were good games, and this should be another one. We have to play there, but we have been real comfortable playing on the road this year.”
Cheltenham head coach Brian Johnson says: “We had two great games this season with Upper Dublin. We were able to close out both wins, but Upper Dublin must feel that they could have won either or both games.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 29] West Chester East @ [# 4] Central Bucks West game
# 28 Glen Mills (10-12, 5-5) @ # 5 Wissahickon (19-3, 10-2)
Glen Mills – 3rd place in Del-Val League – Wissahickon – 1st (T) place in SOL American Conference
Most Impressive win: Glen Mills over Upper Darby 59-54 – Wissahickon 45-40 over Norristown
Dynamic Duo: Glen Mills – George Walker & Xavier Couthren – Wissahickon – Jordan Reed & Tanoh Kpassagnon.
Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson says: “We know that Glen Mills has a great program, and 10-12 is not indicative of how good a team they are. They are going to be aggressive and apply pressure. We have to make sure that we play to our strength and not take them lightly.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [#21] Upper Darby @ [# 12] Bensalem game
# 21 Upper Darby (13-11, 12-4) @ # 12 Bensalem (14-8, 10-4)
Upper Darby – 2nd place (T) in Central League – Bensalem – 2nd place (T) in SOL National Conference
Most Impressive win: Upper Darby 50-47 over Conestoga – Bensalem 43-42 over CR North
Dynamic Duo: Upper Darby – Ralik Wise & Kuity Slanger – Bensalem – Julian Hyden & Leo Vincent.
Bensalem head coach John Mullin says: “Our guys have played well going down the stretch, and we have deserved to get a home game. Our students have given us good support. Upper Darby is an athletic team that likes to play an up-tempo game. We like to play that way too, and it should be an up and down game.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [#28] Glen Mills @ [#5] Wissahickon game
# 18 Plymouth Whitemash (12-10, 8-4) @ # 15 Conestoga (16-7, 12-4)
Plymouth Whitemarsh – 3rd in SOL American Conference – Conestoga – 2nd Central League
Most Impressive Win: Plymouth Whitemarsh over Norristown 56-36 – Conestoga 58-50 over Upper Darby
Dynamic Duo: Plymouth Whitemarsh – Anthony McKie & Jake Silvers – Conestoga – Jared Seitzer & Sam Bevan.
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio says: “Conestoga is a team that always plays smart – we can’t get into a chess match with them. They always show multiple defenses, and they are always patient with the ball. We can’t let them lull us to sleep – we need to play the game with high energy. They play seven seniors, and that always provides a challenge.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 31] Penncrest @ [# 2] Lower Merion game
# 26 Central Bucks South (11-11, 9-5) @ # 7 Council Rock North (17-5, 11-3)
Central Bucks South – 3rd place in SOL Continental Conference – CR North – 1st place SOL National Conference
Most impressive win: CB South over Abington 44-32 – CR North 68-32 over Pennsbury
Dynamic Duo: Central Bucks South – Kevin Raymond & Dave Knox – Council Rock North – Aaron Morgan & Arron Goodman.
Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell says: “We had a tough draw with Council Rock North, but I expect us to compete. With our non-league schedule, we have prepared for the tough competition that we are going to face in the districts.”
Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright says: “This is a tough draw for us since I am close with (CB South head coach) Jason (Campbell) and would love to see him win a playoff game. But obviously not now. We both know each other – some pros and cons with that – and we are going to have our work ahead of us.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 23] West Chester Henderson @ [# 10] Souderton game
# 23 West Chester Henderson (13-10, 8-4) @ # 10 Souderton (17-5, 12-2)
West Chester Henderson – 2nd place Ches-Mont National – Souderton – 2nd place – SOL Continental Conference
Most impressive win: WC Henderson over WC East – 60-49 – Souderton over CB West 54-48
Dynamic Duo: West Chester Henderson – Jason McCormick & Chas McCormick – Souderton – Ryan Connolly & Luke Moyer.
Souderton head coach Dennis Stanton says: “Henderson likes to play an up-tempo game, and we are a team that likes to get stops and get out and run. The McCormick brothers are both very good basketball players. We are going to have to crowd the paint – stop penetration – and try to match their aggressiveness. Henderson is going to be a real handful.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 26] Central Bucks South @ [# 7] Council Rock North game
# 30 Harry S Truman (10-12, 6-8) @ # 3 Coatesville (20-4, 12-0)
Truman – 5th place SOL National Conference – Coatesville – 1st place Ches-Mont National Conference
Most impressive win: Truman over Pennsbury 65-41 – Coatesville over Norristown – 65-50
Dynamic Duo: Truman – Merdic Green & Daiquan Ashley – Coatesville – Tymier Miller & Chris Miller.
Truman head coach Alan Munford says: “We know what we can compete with Coatesville. We beat Pennsbury – Pennsbury beat Coatesville – and we should go into the game with confidence. This is our first time in the playoffs in seven seasons, and both the players and the community are excited.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [# 19] Spring-Ford @ [# 14] Penn Wood game
# 22 Marple-Newtown (14-8, 8-8) @ # 11 Abington (16-6, 9-5)
Marple-Newtown 6th place Central League – Abington – 4th place SOL National Conference
Most impressive win: Marple-Newtown over Springfield (D) – 42-38 – Abington over Pennsbury 62-49
Dynamic Duo: Marple-Newtown – Andrew Barndt & Ryan Furst – Abington – Anthony Durham & Jordan Simmons.
Abington head coach Charles Grasty says: “Marple-Newtown has five good players – and they are both physical and athletic. Playing a home game in front of family and friends always makes the games fun, and we are 9-1 at home this year. Plus, we won’t have to get on a bus. We need to get into our transition game, and if we don’t it could be one and done for us.”
And the Winner Gets: The winner of the [#27] Interboro @ [#6] Great Valley game
- Log in to post comments
