Abington is the lone SOL team in the winner’s bracket in the District One AAAA Tournament, but five SOL schools will be in action on Friday night.
By Scott Huff
One it the loneliest number – Three Dog Night
Abington was the lone Suburban One League team to earn its invitation to the PIAA Quad-A state playoffs with a second round win. The Ghosts cruised to a 66-52 win over Penn Wood and will meet Ridley in the district quarterfinals. The Green Raiders upset Norristown 64-61 in overtime to earn the date with Abington.
Norristown, Hatboro-Horsham, Souderton, and Central Bucks South are in a pool of eight teams that will battle for the final two state playoff spots. It will take two straight wins in the consolation/playback rounds for the Eagles, Hatters, Indians, and Titans to earn their state playoff ticket. The ‘other’ four teams in that struggle are Strath Haven, Harriton, Penn Wood, and Penncrest.
The pair of teams that survive to the ‘finals’ of this playback tournament will play for the 9th and 10th seed from District One.
No easy journey to the state playoff destination.
PIAA Quad-A District One Quarterfinal Game
Friday – 2/22/13
# 13 Ridley Green Raiders (18-6) @ # 5 Abington Ghosts (20-4)
Last Game: Ridley advanced to the district quarterfinals with a stunning 64-61 overtime victory over host Norristown. Ken Bartow scored a game-high 21 points for the Green Raiders, while Brett Foster (14) and Zain Shaw (13) also scored in double digits for the winners. Abington advanced to the district quarterfinals with a comfortable 66-52 win over visiting Penn Wood. Matt Penecale led the Ghosts with a terrific 21 point scoring performance, while Anthony Durham (15) and Jordan Simmons (12) also scored in twin digits for the winners.
Abington head coach Charles Grasty says: “Matt Penecale stepped up big for us and played with great confidence. He gives us another weapon on the offensive end of the court, and we need every weapon we can get at this time of the year. Ridley proved that they were a good basketball team when they beat Norristown at Norristown. Norristown seemed to chase them the whole game, and they play some good teams in the Central League like Lower Merion. We know that if we can win this game we can go back to Temple to play in the semifinals, and the players are excited about that. But we can’t do anything right now except concentrate on Ridley.”
Winner Gets / Loser Gets: The winner of the Ridley/Abington game will advance to the Quad-A district semifinal round at Temple University and play the winner of the Chester/Upper Darby game. The loser will fall into the playback round and play the loser of the Chester/Upper Darby game for state seeding.
PIAA Class AAA District One Quarterfinal Game
Saturday – 2/23/13
# 5 Pottstown Trojans (10-11) @ # 4 Upper Moreland Golden Bears (11-11)
Season: Pottstown finished the regular season as the third place finisher in the Pioneer Athletic Conference/Frontier Division with a conference record of 7-6. The Trojans feature the talents of Antonio Moore, Denzel Harvey, and Bryant Quill. Upper Moreland concluded the regular season as the fifth place team in the Suburban One League American Conference with a conference mark of 7-7. The Golden Bears showcase the talents of Matt Kohn, Kevin McFall, James Martin, and Tommy Robinson.
Upper Moreland head coach Brian Corrado says: “We worked hard all season to get a home game in the district playoffs, and we earned that home game. Pottstown is very athletic and quick, and our goal is to take care of the basketball and match that quickness. (Denzel) Harvey does a great job for them, and we are going to have to play well defensively against him. We have used this layoff between the regular season and the playoffs to our advantage. We will be ready.”
Winner Gets / Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Upper Moreland/Pottstown will advance to the Class AAA district semifinal game against the winner of the [#1] Holy Ghost Prep/[#8] Octorara game. The loser of the game will have its season come to an end.
PIAA Quad-A District One Playback Games
Friday – 2/22/13
# 14 Central Bucks South Titans (15-9) @ # 11 Souderton Indians (16-8)
Last Game: Central Bucks South dropped into the playback round as the Titans lost a heart breaking 60-57 overtime game to host Great Valley. Chase Vonder Schmalz paced the CB South scoring attack with 16 points, while Kevin Raymond scored 15 points for the Titans. Souderton dropped into the playback round as the Indians were defeated by host Methacton – 54-45. John Kanas – who was ejected from the game with two technical fouls and will not be permitted to play against CB South - was the lone scorer in double digits for Souderton with a game-high 23 points.
Souderton head coach Pete Chimera says: “John (Kanas) has carried us all year, and with him out of the game nothing would be sweeter than for us to win and move on. We beat South at South with John only scoring four points, so the players feel that we can compete without him. It creates opportunity for other players on the team. To be able to play South is a plus in that we don’t have to watch a lot of tape. We know them and they know us. John will sit with us on the bench – I told the players we gained a new assistant coach for the game.”
Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell says: “We were right there in the game with Great Valley and the players fought back from 12-2 at the beginning of the game to get it into overtime. It was a very physical game, and I thought that we matched them physically. Now we get to play Souderton, and if it is like a typical Souderton-CB South game, the first team to 39 wins. Playing at Souderton is never easy, and this year was the first time ever that we were able to win in their new gym. The seniors on this team will play hard and do not want this season to end.”
Winner Gets / Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Central Bucks South/Souderton game will meet the winner of the Hatboro-Horsham/Penncrest game. The loser of the game will have its season come to an end.
# 12 Penn Wood Patriots (16-8) @ # 4 Norristown Eagles (20-4)
Last Game: Penn Wood dropped into the playback round as the Patriots were defeated by Abington 66-52. Gemil Holbrook led Penn Wood with a 21-point scoring effort, while Tyree Bynum added 13 points for the Patriots. Norristown was upset in its second round game as the Eagles were defeated by Ridley in overtime – 64-61. Norristown was paced in scoring by Luke Kelley with a game-high 21 points, while BJ Gordon (12) and Josh Johnson (10) also scored in double digits for the Eagles.
Norristown head coach Michael Evans says: “We played the Ridley game with a very short bench. We had some discipline issues that had to be addressed, and we rotated just six players. Everyone is back for the Penn Wood game. We had good practices getting ready for Penn Wood, and both this game and the next game are very winnable games for us. We need to get off to a better start to the game, and we should be fine.”
Winner Gets / Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Norristown/Penn Wood will meet the winner of the Strath Haven/Harriton game. The loser of the game will have its season come to an end.
# 15 Penncrest Lions (16-8) @ # 7 Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (18-6)
Last Game: Penncrest dropped into the playback round as the Lions were defeated by Lower Merion – 75-42. Eddie Baxter led Penncest in scoring with 14 points, while seven other players scored for the Lions. Hatboro-Horsham dropped into the playback round as the Hatters were topped by Coatesville – 65-57. Michael Brown carried the Hatboro-Horsham scoring attack with a brilliant 30-point scoring performance.
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Dennis Steinly says: “I thought our game with Coatesville was a very good basketball game – both teams played well - but they made a few more plays. It was a game of missed opportunities for us, but we get another chance to play on Friday. Penncrest is a tough team that will be almost the complete opposite of Coatesville. They will run a lot of screens and be a lot more patient on offense. The game will most likely be in the 40’s or 50’s. I love the fact that we get to play them at home. Our fans have been great, and I hope the players can relax and enjoy the game.”
Winner Gets / Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Hatboro-Horsham/Penncrest will play the winner of the Souderton/Central Bucks South game. The loser will have its season come to an end.
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