Scott Huff previews the upcoming district playoff games. Check back Tuesday night for complete game coverage of the District One AAAA semifinal contests.
By Scott Huff
Both Wissahickon and Abington will take their respective acts to the big stage at the Liacorous Center on the Temple University campus for the production of PIAA Quad-A District One Final Four.
Wissahickon advanced to the show with an awe-inspiring 60-56 double overtime victory over #4 Central Bucks West, while Abington advanced to the show with a fantastic 69-66 performance over powerful #3 Coatesville.
Jordan Reed (game-high 20 points), Tanoh Kpassagnon (16), and Chase Wilson (16) all played huge roles for Wissahickon, while Jordan Simmons (24) and Anthony Durham fueled the offense for Abington in its critical victory.
The #5 Trojans (22-3) have a 7:30 pm date with heavily favored #1 Chester (25-0) who advanced to the show with an 81-31 rout over # 9 Norristown (17-8). The #11 Ghosts (19-6) have a 6 pm date with #2 Lower Merion (24-2) which advanced with a 60-54 victory over #10 Souderton (19-6).
The winners of the Final Four games move on to the PIAA Quad-A District One title game to be played on Friday, March 2, at Villanova University with a 9 pm tip-off. The losers of the Final Four games will play each other on Friday for the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds with the host team being the higher seed.
“This team is just so excited to be playing at Temple in the final four,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “There isn’t a player in this area who doesn’t want to have the experience of playing in a venue like that. It is such a great way for our seniors to end their careers, and we have a huge challenge ahead of us in playing Chester.”
“We have a great opportunity to do something very special for Abington basketball,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “I like what I see in the eyes of my basketball team. This is the most fun that I have ever had in the game of basketball, and I know the players are happy with what they have done. But they are not satisfied.”
Road To The Final Four
Chester Clippers – defeated #32 Downingtown West 65-27 (Rondae Jefferson – 13 points); defeated #16 Methacton 59-31 (Errik Wright 16); and defeated #9 Norristown 81-31 (Jefferson – 13).
Wissahickon Trojans – defeated #28 Glen Mills 54-47 (Tanoh Kpassagnon – 21 points); defeated #12 Bensalem 60-53 (Jordan Reed 28); and defeated #4 Central Bucks West 60-56 in double OT (Reed – 20).
Lower Merion Aces - defeated #31 Penncrest 57-32 (BJ Johnson 15 points); defeated #18 Plymouth Whitemarsh 64-46 (Johnson 22 points); and defeated #10 Souderton 60-54 (Johnson 23 points).
Abington Ghosts – defeated #22 Marple-Newtown 62-43 (Anthony Durham 16 points); defeated #6 Great Valley 62-51 (Durham 16 points); and defeated #3 Coatesville 69-66 (Jordan Simmons 24).
Consolation ‘Playback’ Playoffs
There are three Suburban One League teams in the consolation playback tournament to determine the #5 – through #8 seed for the PIAA Quad-A state playoffs. SOL Continental Conference champion Central Bucks West; SOL American Conference co-champion Norristown; SOL Continental Conference runner-up Souderton; and Ches-Mont National Conference champion Coatesville are all assured state playoff positions – wins and losses in this bracket simply determine seeding.
The winner of the Norristown-CB West game will face the winner of the Souderton-Coatesville to determine the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds. The losers of the Norristown-CB West game and the loser of the Souderton-Coatesville game will play to determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds.
# 9 Norristown Eagles @ # 4 Central Bucks West Bucks
Norristown (17-8) received its biggest spanking in recent memory as the Eagles were defeated by #1 Chester – 81-31. The Eagles trailed 27-4 by the close of the first period and were led in scoring by Samir Bey with a modest 10 points. Norristown opened the district playoffs with a comfortable 50-33 victory over #24 Ridley and followed with an impressive 59-45 win over #8 Pennsbury.
Central Bucks West (22-3) lost a dramatic 60-56 double overtime setback to #5 Wissahickon. The Bucks featured a pair of double figure scorers in the game as both Tyler Schechter (17) and Derek Dyer scored in twin digits. CB West opened the district playoffs with a 46-36 victory over #29 West Chester East and followed with a 62-47 win over #13 Cheltenham.
# 10 Souderton Indians @ # 3 Coatesville Red Raiders
Souderton (19-6) played a wonderful game but the Indians came up short in the final moments in a 60-54 loss to #2 Lower Merion. Big Red senior point guard Luke Moyer played a sensational game with a game-high 26 points. Souderton opened district play with a 67-55 victory over #23 West Chester Henderson and followed with a 70-53 win over #7 Council Rock North.
Coatesville (22-5) lost an exciting 69-66 contest against #11 Abington to fall into the consolation bracket. Tymier Miller (15) and Chris Miller (14) led the Raider offense. Coatesville opened the district playoffs with an 82-49 victory over #30 Harry S Truman and followed with a 71-62 win over #14 Penn Wood.
Stayin’ Alive
There are three Suburban One League teams in the battle for the ninth and final slot in the PIAA Quad-A state playoffs. SOL National Conference champion Council Rock North; SOL National runner-up Pennsbury; SOL American Conference 4th place finisher Cheltenham; and Delaware Valley League runner-up Penn Wood comprise the field – only one of those four will extend its season into the state tournament.
The winner of the Cheltenham-Pennsbury game will meet the winner of the Penn Wood-Council Rock North game for the ninth seed. Losers in both games simply go home.
#13 Cheltenham Panthers @ # 8 Pennsbury Falcons
Cheltenham (16-9) survived the first round of the dreaded PIAA District One ninth-seed playoff as the Panthers clawed to a 58-50 victory over host #12 Bensalem. Jarrell Haywood fueled the offense with a 24-point scoring effort, while Nafis Walker added 17 points for the winners. Cheltenham opened the district playoffs with a 58-50 win over #20 Upper Dublin, but dropped into the 9th seed playoff with a 62-47 loss to #4 Central Bucks West.
Pennsbury (18-7) survived first round of the dreaded PIAA District One ninth-seed playoff as the Falcons soared to a 72-64 victory over #16 Methacton. Jerrell Burke fueled the offense for Pennsbury with a 24-point effort. The Falcons opened the district playoffs with an 81-67 victory over # 25 Kennett, but dropped into the 9th seed playoff with a 59-45 loss to #9 Norristown.
# 14 Penn Wood Patriots @ # 7 Council Rock North Indians
Penn Wood (16-8) survived the first round of the dreaded PIAA District One ninth-seed playoff as the Patriots knocked off #6 Great Valley – 60-50. Malcom Richardson fueled the offense for Penn Wood with a 32-point performance. The Patriots opened the district playoffs with a 76-47 rout of #19 Spring-Ford, but dropped into the 9th seed playoff with a 71-62 loss to #3 Coatesville.
Council Rock North (19-6) survived the first round of the dreaded PIAA District One ninth-seed playoff as the Indians captured a 64-59 victory over #18 Plymouth Whitemarsh. Sophomore guard Rip Engel fueled the Rock North offense with a 24-point scoring effort. The Indians opened the district playoffs with a 48-44 victory over #26 Central Bucks South, but dropped into the 9th seed playoff with a 70-53 loss to #10 Souderton.
Exit Door
Upper Moreland (8-15) was shown the exit door in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals as the #8 Golden Bears were defeated by #1 Holy Ghost Prep (25-1) on Saturday night – 48-35.
Upper Moreland trailed at the half 24-13 and could not manage to cut deep into the Prep lead in the second half. Sophomore Kevin McFall with 10 points led the Golden Bears, while junior Matt Kohn added seven points for UM.
Upper Moreland – which will be the only Class AAA team from the Suburban One League American Conference next season as Upper Merion will move to Quad-A status – started just a single senior this season. Look for the Bears to be a strong Class AAA postseason team next year.
Bensalem (17-8) was shown the exit door in the PIAA Quad-A playoffs as the Owls fell behind early and could not catch Cheltenham in a 58-50 loss. Bensalem won its opening round playoff game with a 56-44 win over Upper Darby – the 10th win in 11 games for the high-flying Owls. However, losses to both Wissahickon (60-53) and Cheltenham brought the season to a sudden halt.
Signature win for the Owls in the 2011-2012 season – a 58-46 victory over Abington. Three season stars for Bensalem – (1) Dovanta Newkirk; (2) Julian Hyden; and (3) Leo Vincent.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-12) was shown the exit door in the PIAA Quad-A playoffs as the Colonials rallied late in the game but could not catch host Council Rock North in a 64-59 loss. Plymouth Whitemarsh opened the playoffs with a 51-39 victory over Conestoga. However, setbacks to both Lower Merion (64-46) and CR North closed out the season for the Colonials.
Signature win for Plymouth Whitemarsh in the 2011-2012 season – a 56-36 win over Norristown. Three stars for the season for PW – (1) Anthony McKie; (2) Jake Silvers; and (3) Russhon Phillips.
SuburbanOneSports.com
Top Ten
1. Wissahickon Trojans (22-3)
2. Abington Ghosts (19-6)
3. Central Bucks West Bucks (22-3)
4. Souderton Indians (19-6)
5. Council Rock North Indians (19-6)
6. Norristown Eagles (17-8)
7. Pennsbury Falcons (18-7)
8. Cheltenham Panthers (16-9)
9. Bensalem Owls (17-8)
10. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (13-12)
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