GIRLS BASKETBALL: Archbishop Wood runs past Pope John Paul II

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

A week ago, the Pope John Paul II players were enjoying a win over Lower Moreland in the District One Class AAA third-place game and celebrating the program’s first berth in the PIAA tournament.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Wood, the three-time defending PIAA Class AAA champion, was searching for answers after a pair of disappointing, low-scoring losses.

So while the Panthers basked in the limelight of a huge accomplishment, the Lady Vikings went back to the drawing board.

“We went back and looked at what we had done and what we had become,” Wood coach Jim Ricci said. “We wanted to be more competitive with each other. We looked tired. We had to make our shifts shorter and play more people.”

Ricci decided to pressure all over the floor, push the ball whenever possible and substitute five players at a time every two or three minutes. For openers it worked like a charm.

The Lady Vikings forced 12 first quarter turnovers, then pushed the ball up the court en route to a 22-0 lead after eight minutes and never looked back, rolling to an impressive 60-39 victory in the PIAA Class AAA first round game at Archbishop Carroll on Saturday.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Norristown soars past Roman Catholic

By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / RICK KAUFFMAN Norristown's Luke Kelley glides in for two of his 28 points in a 79-66 PIAA Class AAAA playoff win over Roman Catholic on Saturday.

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Rome wasn’t built it a day, but it took less than three hours for it to fall. Norristown came with no fear of the heavily favored Roman Catholic basketball team on Saturday in a 79-66 win at La Salle College High School.

The young Roman Catholic squad, with only one graduating senior, start three sophomores and two juniors, showed their inexperience Saturday night. Norristown beat them on the fast break, caught them sleeping on the defensive help, confused them with different zone looks, out-hustled them and just out-played them in the first round of PIAA Class AAAA playoffs.

Senior point guard, Bernard Gordon, put the game plan simply: “Play hard, have toughness, be hungry, stay focused.”

The Eagles’ starting five — Kelley, Hargrove, Johnson, Gordon and Bryant — scored all but four of the team’s 79 points. They played enthused, high-tempo basketball. Josh Johnson had himself a game. He was spectacular. His jumping ability and length of arm made him no match for Roman’s big man, Manny Taylor. On top of 18 points, he tallied 21 rebounds—eight offensive for 10 points—and had six blocks.

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SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE

Jenkintown vs. Paul Robeson girls basketball at Archbishop Carroll, 3:30 p.m.

Abington vs. St. Joseph’s Prep boys basketball at William Tennent, 3 p.m.

Archbishop Wood vs. Pope John Paul II girls basketball at Archbishop Carroll, 5 p.m.

Norristown vs. Roman Catholic boys basketball at La Salle High, 5 p.m.

Methacton vs. York boys basketball at Dallastown, 6:30 p.m.

PIAA Wrestling Championships, GIANT Center, Hershey

GIRLS BASKETBALL: St. Basil rolls over School of the Future

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES St. Basil's Kate Skalski goes up for a shot past School of the Future's Hajaaha Stevens during Friday's PIAA Class AA playoff game.

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When Hajaaha Stevens won the opening tap, then proceeded to post up and get a high-percentage shot on the game’s first possession Friday night, it appeared as though the School of the Future had something to work with even though the ball rolled around the rim and off.

But that first look was mighty deceiving because it was more than four minutes and nine turnovers later before the Firebirds put up another shot. And then it was another 3½ minutes and another six turnovers before a third shot was taken.

By then, St. Basil had a 16-2 lead and was well on its way to a 69-29 victory in the first round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs at Colonial Middle School.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Susquehanna Township explodes past shorthanded Upper Moreland

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Upper Moreland's Mark Williams goes up for a shot between two Susquehanna Township defenders during Friday's PIAA Class AAA playoff action.

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Susquehanna Township’s Joseph Marshall took a shot toward the end of the first quarter Friday night and missed everything.

In the tradition of student sections from all over the country, he was promptly serenaded with chants of “airball” every time he touched the ball.

Well, not every time. The chant didn’t last long. Marshall barely touched the rim on his next six shots, but they all got a lot of net as the sophomore scored 13 of his game-high 17 points to spark a 23-4, second-quarter run that left shorthanded Upper Moreland reeling.

The Indians then cruised to a 62-42 win in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Colonial Middle School.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hot-shooting Archbishop Carroll upends Upper Dublin

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

Three is greater than two. It’s not just a first grade math problem, but the story of a first round state playoff matchup between Upper Dublin and Archbishop Carroll.

The three-point shooting of Carroll allowed them to create distance from Upper Dublin and win the PIAA Class AAAA first round game, 54-43, and advance to the next round.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mount St. Joseph falls to Cumberland Valley

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

It was fitting that after Mount St. Joseph’s only two regular season losses came to Cumberland Valley and Spring-Ford, a loss to the very same Spring-Ford team would set up the Magic for a state playoff game against the only other team which defeated them this year.

Unfortunately, for the Mount, there would be no revenge handed out to Cumberland Valley in the rematch.

The Magic watched as its season came to an end following a 35-34 loss to the Eagles, who went up early and never trailed again in a PIAA Class AAAA first round playoff at Cheltenham High School on Friday night.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hinnant leads Spring-Ford past Hershey

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

For Montgomery Media / BARRY TAGLIEBER Spring-Ford's Sarah Payonk works underneath the basket against Hershey's Libby Nolan during first-round state playoff action at Norristown High School.

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Were she on any other team — in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, District 1 or the entire state — Courtney Hinnant would likely be a starter.

Problem is, the squad that Hinnant suits up for, Spring-Ford, has a starting lineup that is simply stacked.

With the sudden offseason emergence of players such as Shelby Mueller and Sammi Haas, Rams coach Jeff Rinehimer made the tough decision to bring Hinnant (who started most of last year) off the bench this season.

Rather than rebel, however, the 5-foot-10 senior forward has embraced the move — which has in turn strengthened Spring-Ford’s already formidable rotation.

Friday night at Norristown High, Hinnant showed what she is capable of in helping the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams down District 3 No. 7 seed Hershey 59-41 in a PIAA Class AAAA Tournament opener.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: North Penn holds off Pocono Mountain West

By Kev Hunter
khunter@journalregister.com

Pocono Mountain West had reached the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament in large part due to its three-point shooting.

But it was North Penn’s three-point shooting that tilted control to the Maidens Friday night and put them in the lead for good against the Panthers.

Jenn Halcovage, Vicky Tumasz and Erin Maher all hit from outside as part of a 17-1 first-half run for North Penn, and the Maidens’ defense forced 20 turnovers in holding off Pocono Mountain West, 44-38, in a first-round state playoff game at Pleasant Valley High School.

North Penn now advances to face Wilson in the second round on Tuesday.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Cardinal O'Hara topples Methacton

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

The first half of Friday night’s game between Methacton and Cardinal O’Hara had a bit of an undertaker vibe.

The O’Hara girls were burying threes with amazing ease in the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball opening round game at Bonner-Prendergast High’s gym. Methacton, on the other hand, was digging a hole for itself that was almost too deep to allow escape.

The second half was a different game. O’Hara didn’t make a three-point basket the entire half and the Warriors outplayed the team from Delaware County for long stretches in both the third and fourth quarters.

Methacton closed to within six in the final half of the fourth quarter. But, the experienced Lions, who are ranked third in the state, withstood the surge and held on for a hard-fought 46-34 victory.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II edges Bethlehem Catholic

By Jeff Stover
jstover@journalregister.com

He came up with the battle cry for Pope John Paul II’s entry into the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

Then Nick Demeno put his basketball talents where his mantra was Friday, helping the Golden Panthers outlast Bethlehem Catholic, 59-56, at Bethlehem Freedom High School.

Demeno scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter of a game PJP appeared in danger of losing, sparking its comeback against District 11’s second seed. It validated the pronouncement the Panthers’ senior guard made when approached by his head coach about the status of the team’s starting lineup.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford rolls past Mount St. Joseph for district title

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Spring-Ford's Brittany Moore drives past Mount St. Joseph's Adrienne Cellucci during Friday's District One Class AAAA championship game at Villanova.

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Mount St. Joseph hadn’t lost a game since Jan. 12, winning 14 in a row since that defeat. Unfortunately, for the Magic, that loss came against the very team – Spring-Ford – which they were going up against in the district championship game.

Though both teams entered with identical 26-2 records, the Magic were absolutely no test for Spring-Ford, which ran up the score thanks to a 27-0 run between the second and third quarters.

In the end, that run prompted the Lady Rams to their second consecutive district title thanks to a 51-30 win in the District One Class AAAA final at the Pavilion at Villanova University on Friday night.

The Magic were shut out in the third quarter and went nearly 13 full minutes without scoring a single point as the top-seeded Lady Rams (27-2) ran away with their second victory over MSJ (26-3) this season.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: St. Basil takes care of business, captures District One Class AA title

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Delco Christian's Jamie Barr harasses St. Basil's Molly Greenberg during Friday's District One Class AA championship game at Villanova.

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There was little, if any, shaking. And no deer-in-the-bright-lights stares. The St. Basil girls basketball team knew it had business to take care of on Friday night and playing at The Pavilion at Villanova University wasn’t going to change that.

“Coach (Terry) Mancini said it was just a court like any other court,” Panthers junior Kate Skalski said. “And we came out and played like we were playing on a regular court.”

The Panthers put on a clinic in the first half in building a big league, withstood a third quarter run by Delco Christian, then put the hammer down in the fourth quarter to earn a 47-28 victory and the District One Class AA championship.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Abington locks up District One third seed with win over Great Valley

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Abington went into its playback game with one thing in mind: grabbing the District One Class AAAA three seed at states and checking its fitness. Mission accomplished.

The Ghosts travelled to Great Valley and won, 53-47, locking up a favorable seed in the upcoming PIAA tournament. Led by Michael Griffin’s 16 points off the bench, Abington did not have the prettiest of wins, but it completed the task at hand.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Upper Moreland sets down Octorara

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Upper Moreland made a good argument toward the end of season and in the quarterfinals that it is much better than its 12-11 record suggests. The Bears made it a fact in the semifinals.

Led by Matt Kohn’s 28 points, Upper Moreland downed Cinderella eighth-seed Octorara 60-55. The Bears never flinched as the Braves constantly brought the game to within five, using clutch shooting, rebounding and defense to propel themselves into the district final at Villanova.

“It’s a great feeling,” Kohn said. “I think we have the upper edge [in the final] because we are playing really good basketball right now. It’s all about experience; we were in this tournament last year and we’ve been in a lot of close games this year. We did a good job tonight.”

Octorara had just come off upsetting No.1 seeded Holy Ghost Prep and were high on confidence, while the No. 4 Upper Moreland entered the semis with a 20-point win over Pottstown in the quarterfinals under its belt. It was interesting to see whether or not the Braves would keep rolling or have a big-win hangover, but coach Brian Corrado and the Bears could not have cared less either way.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mount St. Joseph battles past Upper Dublin

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Mount St. Joseph's Alex Louin pops out of the rush of fans flashing the number one sign after the Magic defeated Upper Dublin Wednesday in District One Class AAAA playoff action.

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In the first quarter, it came from outside the arc. In the second, it was from the free throw line. And when it came down to the final stretch, it was on the defensive end of the floor. No matter what, Mount St. Joseph wasn’t going to allow Upper Dublin to continue its win streak any longer.

Between the three-point shooting of freshman Libby Tacka and the free throw shooting of junior Alex Louin and senior Meg Geatens, the Magic came out on fire against Upper Dublin, building an early lead in what eventually led to a 48-36 win over the Lady Cardinals in a District One Class AAAA semifinal at Norristown High School.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Jenkintown topples Sacred Heart in semifinals

By Dave Holloway
dholloway@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / SCOTT ROMAN Jenkintown’s Madison Kremp battles for the ball with Sacred Heart's Alanna Tucker during Wednesday's District One Class A semifinal action.

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Coaches preach all the time about working together as a team. It doesn’t happen on game day all that often, but when it does it leaves the coach just shaking his head.

Jim Romano was all smiles Wednesday night. Without starting point guard Ruby Westkaemper available for the game, Jenkintown needed everyone to pitch in. And what they got was a 35-25 victory over Sacred Heart in the District One Class A semifinal at Cheltenham High.

“Everybody did what they had to do,” Romano said, almost gushing. “It was just a great game. Everybody was focused this week in practice and it worked out tonight for us.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Christopher Dock pulls away from Calvary Christian

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Christopher Dock's Landon Leinbach goes up for a shot past Calvary Christian's Joel Thibodeau during Wednesday's District One Class AA semifinal action.

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A close game would be expected in a district semifinal game that featured two teams that split its regular season matchups. This was the case for the District One Class AA semifinal pitting the Bicentennial Athletic League champion Calvary Christian against the fourth-seeded Christopher Dock.

Until the game reached the 5:30 mark in the fourth quarter, that is.

Dock was holding on to a five-point lead it looked like the game was slipping away when Calvary’s Jon Boback hit a three-pointer and a chance to go to the line to make it a one-point game.

Prior the free throw Dock called timeout. After that the Pioneers slammed on the gas and pulled away from the Cougars ending the game on an 18-5 run to win 57-42 and secure a spot in District One Class AA championship game Saturday at Villanova.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Phil-Mont Christian falls to Girard College

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

After finishing with their best regular season record in nearly a decade, the Phil-Mont Christian girls’ basketball team had to watch as its season came to an end on Wednesday night.

The Lady Falcons trailed for nearly the entire contest and eventually lost to Girard College, 43-26, in a District One Class A semifinal at Cheltenham High School.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Chester pulls away from Abington

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / BOB RAINES Abington's Anthony Durham goes up for a shot against Chester's James Kirksey during Tuesday's District One Class AAAA semifinal at Temple University.

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Abington’s boys’ basketball team has come a long way since the mid-point of the current season. Unfortunately, for the Ghosts, it wasn’t far enough to beat Chester.

Back in a holiday tournament on Dec. 27, the Ghosts fell to Chester by 36 points. And while the Ghosts weren’t able to come out victorious in their rematch with the state’s top-ranked team, the upset bid was still in play early in the third quarter.

Chester’s size and strength in the paint was too much for Abington to handle, as the Ghosts fell to the Clippers, 76-43, in a District One Class AAAA semifinal at Temple University’s Liacouras Center on Tuesday night.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Dry spell costs Lower Moreland against Villa Maria

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Lower Moreland’s run to the district semifinals was a great one, but you can’t get shut out in a quarter and expect to move on, especially against a team like Villa Maria.

The Lady Lions’ run at a district title came to an end on Tuesday night when they fell to Villa Maria 51-28 in a District One Class AAA semifinal final game at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Although Lower Moreland started off the game on a 6-0 run, it went on a stretch of almost 15 minutes without scoring from the middle of the first quarter to a couple minutes into the third. The Lady Lions outscored the Hurricanes in the third period, but it was far too late.

“We are not deep enough to overcome that,” Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker said. “I think we were a little bit like a deer in headlights. We came out strong, but they pressured us and we got overwhelmed by their athleticism. Our lack of experience in this situation showed.”

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SPRING TRAINING: Brown keeps showing positive signs

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

For Montgomery Media / ERIC HARTLINE Philadelphia Phillies rightfielder Domonic Brown during spring training workouts in Clearwater, Fla.

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CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Phillies don't have many position players with the potential to break through the ceiling of expectations these days.

It's hard to imagine Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins getting any better than they were in their primes, when they were competing for and at times winning MVP awards.

Carlos Ruiz had a career year last season, and with the veteran catcher missing the first 25 games due to a suspension, it's tough to see that surpassed.

Ben Revere is young, but there is only so much a speedy slap-hitter can do for a team.

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Phillies notes

By Dennis Deitch
ddeitch@journalregister.com, @DennisDeitch

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Alex Rodriguez isn't in Florida, choosing to spend his time rehabilitating from hip surgery in New York, where he can stay a safe distance away from the Biogenesis scandal that continues to keep the onus of performance-enhancing drugs on the three-time American League Most Valuable Player.

However, according to Michael Young, if A-Rod were in Clearwater with the Yankees Tuesday, his pregame preparation would have involved a microwave and refrigerator.

"He used to put his glove in the microwave before every game," said Young, who was Rodriguez's teammate in Texas for three seasons. "He'd put it in the microwave, then in the freezer. I never really understood that one. It was wild. I never knew why."

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Church Farm rolls over Phil-Mont Christian

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / SCOTT ROMAN Phil-Mont Christian's Zach Dolton gets past Church Farm School's Larry Cermak during Tuesday's District One Class A playoff game.

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Church Farm School entered Tuesday’s district semifinal game as heavy favorites over Phil-Mont Christian. A line-up littered with players over six feet tall was only one visible reason why the Griffins were the number one seed in the tournament.

The Falcons were able to hang through much of the first half before bigger and more athletic Church Farm started to establish itself. With the game never in much doubt, Church Farm won 72-38, advancing to the District One Class A championship game.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: St. Basil's defense shuts down Pioneers

By Andrew Marcus
amarcus@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS Christopher Dock's Lauren Hunsberger has a ball knocked away by St. Basil defenders Kelly Mancini and Liz Napierkowski during Tuesday's District One Class AA playoff action.

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Thanks to a strong regular season the St. Basil Academy girls basketball team was awarded the top seed in the District One Class AA playoffs. However the Panthers still felt like work needed to be done before they were going to acknowledge any accolades.

Taking down the defending district champ Christopher Dock was the first step, but the Pioneers did not plan to willingly hand over the title. If the fourth seed was relinquishing their title, it was going to go down kicking and screaming.

“This is a new venture for us,” Panthers coach Terry Mancini said. “This is new teams we are facing and the long layoff we had hurt us in the first half. Once we got our legs we showed what we were capable of.”

It did not take long for the Panthers to prove it was their championship to win or lose this season — their first as a Class AA club — and St. Basil’s fast start led to a 50-14 semifinal win at Wissahickon Tuesday night.

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