By Scott Huff
Abington is making a return visit to North Broad Street in Philadelphia this season as the Ghosts make a trek to the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University. Abington [# 5 seed] will meet the top seeded Chester Clippers [#1] in a PIAA Quad-A District One semifinal game. Tip off is at 7:30 pm and will follow the other semifinal contest between Lower Merion [# 2] and Great Valley [# 3].
“All year long last year our goal was to get to Temple, and we were able to do that,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty as his Ghosts were defeated in that 2012 semifinal game by Lower Merion – 68-54. “We might have been a little bit in awe of the atmosphere. But with four seniors back starting on this team that shouldn’t be the case this year.
“We respect Chester, but we’re going into the game with the expectations of winning the game,” added Grasty. “We knew that if we wanted to win a district championship we were going to have to play Chester somewhere along the way. We will not back down.”
Abington has the safety net in knowing that a loss will not end the season for the Suburban One League National Conference champion Ghosts. A defeat would move Abington into a consolation contest for the third seed in District One.
That safety net does not exist for the two remaining Quad-A SOL teams – Norristown and Central Bucks South. A loss by either the Eagles against Harriton or the Titans against Penncrest will close out the season for Norristown and/or CB South. A win, though, puts them into the state playoffs as either a # 9 or # 10 seed from District One.
“The players know that the only way we can punch our ticket to the state tournament is for us to beat Harriton,” said Norristown head coach Michael Evans. “These players believe that they belong in the state tournament.”
“We feel that we are one of the top ten teams in the district,” said Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell. “But we have to go out and prove it against Penncrest.”
Upper Moreland is also in a ‘must-win’ situation as the Golden Bears play in the PIAA District One Class AAA semifinals against Octorara. If Upper Moreland wins, the Bears are in the state tournament – a loss sends them home for the season.
“Step one was beating Pottstown, and step two is beating Octorara,” said Upper Moreland head coach Brian Corrado. “The players are going to have to step up and meet the challenge if we want to go to states.”
PIAA Quad-A District One Semifinal Game
Tuesday – February 26, 2013
@ Temple University – 7:30 pm
[#5] Abington Ghosts (21-4) vs. [# 1] Chester Clippers (22-3)
Road to the Final Four: Abington advanced to the semifinals with wins over Oxford (84-53), Penn Wood (66-52), and Ridley (46-40). Chester advanced to the semifinals with huge wins over West Chester Rustin (86-57), Strath Haven (85-44), and Upper Darby (78-29).
Last Game: Abington rallied from a 24-23 halftime deficit to defeat Ridley – 46-40. Jordan Simmons scored a game-high 21 points to pace the Ghost scoring attack, while Anthony Durham scored in twin digits for the winners with 12 points. Chester crushed Upper Darby 78-29 and was led in scoring by Darius Robinson with 19 points. Rondae Jefferson added 14 points for the Clippers.
Last Abington/Chester meeting: Abington met Chester earlier this season as the Clippers routed the Ghosts 74-38. Abington was led in scoring in that meeting by Simmons and Durham with 11 points each, while Chester was led by Richard Cranberry with 14 points and Robinson with 13 points.
Abington head coach Charles Grasty says: “We learned a lot from looking at the film of our first game with Chester. We took our beating in that game, but I feel good about playing them a second time. They are a very talented team that deserves all the recognition and respect that goes with being a top seed. The senior players on this team are going into the game with the confidence that we can not only compete with them but beat them.”
Winner Gets/Loser Gets: The winner of the Abington/Chester game will play the winner of the Lower Merion/Great Valley game for the District One Quad-A championship at Villanova (9 pm) on Friday (3/1/13). The loser of the Abington/Chester game will play the loser of the Lower Merion/Great Valley game to determine the # 3 and # 4 seed from Quad-A District One field.
PIAA District One Quad-A Playback Games
Tuesday – February 26, 2013
[# 25] Harriton Rams (15-10) @ [# 4] Norristown Eagles (21-4)
District One Playoff Road: Harriton opened the playoffs with a stunning 53-51 victory over Council Rock North and followed with a 47-41 loss to Upper Darby. The Rams bounced back with a 42-41 victory over Strath Haven. Norristown opened the playoffs with a 63-51 victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh and followed with a 64-61 overtime loss to Ridley. The Eagles bounced back with a 73-59 victory over Penn Wood.
Last Game: Harriton overcame a 12-3 first period deficit to defeat Strath Haven – 42-41. Matt Sherman paced the Rams with 10 points, while Jake Rosenberg (9) and Brandon Winston (8) scored important points for the winners. Norristown led 28-18 at half and controlled the game in its 73-59 win over Penn Wood. Josh Johnson sparked the Eagle attack with 16 points, while Jahbri Hargrove and BJ Gordon each scored 13 points for the winners.
Norristown head coach Michael Evans says: “We learned our lesson in the Ridley game that you can’t take any opponent for granted. I was happy with the way we played against Penn Wood, and we are going to have to continue to play that way if we want to make a trip to states. Harriton isn’t very big, but they have good guards that can shoot the ball. We are going to have to use our size to our advantage and play an up-tempo game.”
Winner Gets/Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Norristown/Harriton game will play the winner of the Central Bucks South/Penncrest game to determine the # 9 and # 10 seed from District One. Both winners will advance to state play. The loser of the Norristown/Harriton game will have its season come to an end.
[# 15] Penncrest Lions (17-8) @ [# 14] Central Bucks South Titans (16-9)
District One Playoff Road: Penncrest opened the playoffs with a 49-47 victory over Spring-Ford and followed with a 75-42 loss to Lower Merion. The Lions bounced back to defeat Hatboro-Horsham 48-44. Central Bucks South opened the playoffs with a 63-55 victory over Wissahickon and followed with a 60-57 overtime loss to Great Valley. The Titans bounced back with a 54-40 victory over Souderton.
Last Game: Penncrest upset host Hatboro-Horsham 48-44 behind an 18-point scoring effort by Eddie Baxter. Rahmi Halaby scored 14 points for the Lions. Central Bucks South shot 15-15 from the free throw line in the final period to eliminate Souderton – 54-40. Matt Scamuffo scored a game-high 16 points for the Titans, while Ricky Dennis scored in double figures for the winners with 11 points.
Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell says: “It was a nice surprise to be able to get another home game. Penncrest is a very patient team that likes to run its offense through, and we are going to have to deal with that if we want to win. It is another chance for our seniors to play another game. They just don’t want the season to come to an end.”
Winner Gets/Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Central Bucks South/Penncrest game will play the winner of the Norristown/Harriton game to determine the # 9 and # 10 seed from District One. Both winners advance to states. The loser of the CB South/Penncrest game will have its season come to an end.
PIAA Class AAA Semifinal Game
@ Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
Wednesday – February 26, 2013
[# 4] Upper Moreland Golden Bears (12-11) vs. [# 8] Octorara Braves (8-15)
Last Game: Upper Moreland opened the Class AAA District One playoffs with a convincing 66-46 win over Pottstown. Matt Kohn scored a game-high 22 points, while James Martin and Kevin McFall each scored 12 points for the Golden Bears. Octorara staged a second half comeback that saw the Braves upset the # 1 seed – Holy Ghost Prep – 49-48. Devante White scored a game-high 21 points for Octorara, while Maurice Bowers scored in twin digits with 13 points.
Upper Moreland head coach Brian Corrado says: “We did a great job of executing against Pottstown. I think our depth was the key to the victory rotating our eight players. Matt Kohn had a typical Matt Kohn game scoring, defending, and distributing the basketball. He was a big reason why we were able to execute well on the fast break. Octorara proved it was good team by beating Holy Ghost Prep.”
Winner Gets/Loser Goes Home: The winner of the Upper Moreland/Octorara game will advance to the PIAA District One Class AAA finals on Saturday – March 2nd - @ Villanova (8 pm) against the winner of the Glen Mills/Pope John Paul game. The loser of the Upper Moreland/Octorara game will have its season come to an end.
Exit Door
The Suburban One League Continental Conference co-champions were shown the exit door last week. Hatboro-Horsham (18-7) was defeated by Penncrest 48-44 as Michael Brown paced the Hatters with 15 points. Souderton (16-9)was defeated by Central Bucks South 54-40 and was led in scoring by Brendan Wagner with 12 points.
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