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PIAA Class AAA: Bracket Preview

03/02/2016, 12:00pm EST
By CoBL Staff

Ryan Daly (above) and Archbishop Carroll are on a mission after falling just short in the Catholic League semifinals. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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A trio of Philadelphia-area squads lead the field in the PIAA Class AAA tournament, with defending champion Neumann-Goretti challenged by one Catholic League foe and one Public League opponent that proved last week it's up for the challenge. But there's plenty of competition from the central and western parts of the state too, plus a talented team from up north who all hope to have their say in things.

Here’s a look at the Class AAA field, with all games taking place Friday night at various gyms across the state (to see the full bracket with times and locations, click here):

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The Favorites
Archbishop Carroll (22-3): Despite a not-insignificant turnover from a year ago, Paul Romanczuk’s Patriots are playing perhaps their best basketball since a PIAA championship run in 2009. D-I bound seniors Josh Sharkey (Samford) and Ryan Daly (Hartford) lead the way for a roster that gets production from its top 10. They’ve got good size inside in the form of 6-8 Latvian big man Miks Antoms, while 6-4 senior wing John Rigsby has enjoyed a very strong year as well; 6-3 junior sharpshooter Colin Daly, Ryan's younger brother, rounds out the starting lineup. Beyond them, Romanczuk has a number of players he can call upon off the bench: 6-6 junior Jesse McPhearson, 6-3 junior Khari Williams, 6-6 senior Alex House, 6-5 sophomore Devin Ferrero and others are all capable of coming in to contribute a bucket or two, grab some rebounds and play tough D.

Del-Val Charter (24-4): Senior Semaj Motley (14.9 ppg) leads a group of Warriors that are up there with the hottest teams around, winners of 17 straight rolling into the PIAA playoffs. That includes a Public League championship and District 12 title win over Neumann-Goretti, certainly a wake-up call to the rest of the bracket that the Saints are not invincible. Sophomore Antwuan Butler (11.6) is a name to know, while twins Waheem (10.6 ppg) and Wade (9.1 ppg) Lowman and junior Makai Morris (13.1 ppg) round out Jason Harrigan’s top five scorers.

Neumann-Goretti (22-4): The Saints have won five of the last six Class AAA championships, and are going for three in a row this year. Last year it was Zane Martin who scored 26 points in a 69-67 win over Archbishop Carroll--and over the last 12 months the Towson commit and the rest of Neumann-Goretti’s Division I-quality starting five have gotten even better. A pair of juniors and future high-major D-I recruits, 6-8 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and 5-11 Quade Green, are the two talents to watch, but senior guards Rasheed Browne, a recent Florida Gulf Coast commit, and 3-point/defensive specialist Vaughn Covington are equally as important to Carl Arrigale's squad's success.

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Daron Russell (above) and Imhotep Charter are looking for their first state championship since 2013. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

The Dark Horses
Imhotep Charter (21-5): After losing to Del-Val in the Public League quarterfinal and Archbishop Carroll in the District 12 seeding round, the Panthers are the 12-4 seed for the second time in three years. Sparkplug junior guard Daron Russell is one of the more talented scorers in the state, and he’s joined in the backcourt by Hampton-bound senior Jaekwon Carlyle, sophomore 3-point specialist Bernard Lightsey and high-flying 6-5 junior wing Koby Thomas. Head coach Andre Noble is no stranger to state championship runs, having led Imhotep to the distance in 2009 and three straight from 2011-13, though only the last of those came in the AAA classification.

Bishop McDevitt (20-6): Although Mike Gaffey’s Crusaders looked mighty, mighty good while popping Eastern York 71-47 in the District 3-AAA final and claiming their first district crown since a Jim Rowe-coached club won in 1989, they just happened to fall in the same part of the bracket as Carroll. What McDevitt has going for it, however, is James “Big Game” Williams. While the 6-4 Williams (20.9) repeatedly tormented Eastern with his near-triple-double (21 pts/13 rebs/9 blocks) in the 3-AAA final, he was sheer dynamite in last year’s state quarterfinal thriller with Neumann-Goretti and that cannot be overlooked. Guard Nick Gemmell (34 treys) is another key, but presence of athletic footballers Bryce Hall (12.1 ppg), Kobay White, Alex Marsico, Tim Kater (12.1 ppg/57 treys) and Joe Joe Headen can’t be dismissed since all of them have played in huge postseason games on the gridiron. Won four 3-AAA scraps by an average of 21.8 ppg.

Milton Hershey (25-2): While Mark Zerbe’s run-and-stun Spartans don’t pack a lot of size into their high-octane lineup, they are capable of overwhelming unsuspecting adversaries in a hurry with one of their quick-strike outbursts. Plus, the Mid-Penn Conference’s postseason champs have to be miffed after conceding a double-digit lead to Eastern York in the 3-AAA semis. Averaging nearly 76 ppg, Milton Hershey’s up-tempo attack is paced by the backcourt trio of 5-8 Don’Yae Baylor-Carroll (14.6 ppg/52 treys), 5-10 Keonte Lucas (12.1 ppg/39 treys) and 5-9 Tyron Brown (10.7 ppg/37 treys). Darrien Richards (10.9 ppg), a 6-3 senior, is the Spartans’ most consistent frontcourt performer, but 5-11 Juwon Owolabi (8.3 ppg) and 6-3 Jarin Lyons (7.1) fit snugly into Zerbe’s high-speed scheme.

Pottsville (27-0): Difficult to believe the Crimson Tide are sporting an unblemished mark after graduating four starters a year ago, but Dave Mullaney’s bunch hitched up the drawers and dug in on the defensive end. A second straight District 11-AAA title followed. Jordan Melochick, a 6-3 senior who is the Tide’s lone returning starter, is Pottsville’s top scorer at 13.8 ppg. While 5-11 junior Jordan Abdo (13.1 ppg) and 6-1 Maldeen Thomas (10.1 ppg) are the Tide’s other top threats, fast-rising 6-7 soph Ian Renninger (7.3 ppg) can cause all sorts of problems, too. Lost to Susquehanna Twp. the last two years in the second round, but may be poised for more.

Scranton Prep (24-2): Here’s another high-scoring bunch that’s rolling into state play lugging another District 2-AAA crown and an 18-game winning streak. Andrew Kettel’s Cavaliers, who decked Berwick 70-45 in Friday’s 2-AAA final, are led by 6-4 Logan Bailey (16.8 ppg/20 treys), 6-1 Paddy Casey (11.7 ppg/19 treys) and 6-2 Nick Dende (10.8 ppg/55 treys) — all juniors. Prep, which tumbled to Imhotep Charter in last season’s second round, unfortunately finds itself in the same part of the bracket as two-time defending state champ Neumann-Goretti.

Mars (19-6): With a host of veterans returning from a club that fell to Erie Cathedral Prep in last season’s state quarters, it’s hardly a surprise that Rob Carmody’s Fightin’ Planets are poised to make something happen yet again. Particularly since 6-5 double-double machine John Castello, a returning all-state selection, is generally in the middle of most scrums. Plus, Furman commit Christian Schmitt and 6-4 soph Robby Carmody form a terrific backcourt. The younger Carmody is drawing all sorts of attention and offers from Division I recruiters. Narrow loss to eventual champ Beaver Falls in WPIAL semis probably has Planets stoked for states.

Beaver Falls (23-3): If Doug Biega’s WPIAL champions can get past Steel Valley in the opener and nemesis New Castle in a possible second-round matchup — New Castle stopped Biega’s Tigers twice during the regular season — a deep run is possible for a proud program that captured PIAA Class AA gold in 2013. Junior twin towers Josh Creach and Donovan Jeter, both of whom landed all-state recognition last season, provide plenty of pop up front. Tigers lost in OT to Mars in last season’s second round.

New Castle (23-2): Ralph Blundo’s Red Hurricanes may have one of the largest followings in Pennsylvania, but there’s a reason why the folks back home chase these guys all over the place — and that’s because they’re fun to watch. Small and athletic, New Castle won’t start a single player over 6-0 yet they will frustrate the opposition with pressure defense and a high-octane attack fueled by Marquel Hooker, Marcus Hooker, Geno Stone and Micah Fulena. Reached last season’s state quarters, but lost to Derrick Jones and Archbishop Carroll.

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Quade Green and Neumann-Goretti are the two-time defending Class AAA champs and have won five of six titles. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

The Stars
Ranked in the top 50 nationally in the junior class by multiple recruiting services, Neumann-Goretti's Quade Green (18.2 ppg) is just one cog in the Saints' machine, but he and Zane Martin (17.9 ppg) are both capable of taking over games at any point. ...Archbishop Carroll has its own terrific backcourt duo in Samford-bound point guard Josh Sharkey (14.5 ppg) and Hartford-bound Ryan Daly (21.6 ppg), with the 5-9 Sharkey utilizing his speed to break down defenses while the 6-4 Daly can score from all three levels. ...If Shannon Pullium’s Colonels (18-7) are going to make consistent noise in state play, they’ll need some big-time efforts from 6-1 junior guard David “Little Motown” Morris. An all-state selection last season, Morris is averaging 21.2 ppg for the Erie-based District 10-AAA champs. … Don’t overlook Lewisburg’s 6-7 Sam Allen, a hammer in the low blocks averaging a double-double (20.1 ppg/11.7 rpg) for John Vaji’s Green Dragons (25-2). Allen was a second-team all-state choice last season. … Antonio Ionadi (22.7), a 6-0 junior guard, can really fill it up for a Hampton squad (17-9) that’s back in the state mix. ...Lower Moreland's Danny Duffey showed why he's the 2x Bicentennial Athletic League Player of the Year, with a 40-point outing in the district quarterfinals. The 5-10 senior point guard can pour it on in the scoring column, but he's also got the ball on a string and has excellent court vision. ....Robby Carmody, a 6-4 guard and the son of Mars coach Rob Carmody, is averaging around 20 ppg; Penn State, Cincinnati, Xavier, Pitt and Purdue have already offered.

First-Round Games to Watch
Eastern York vs. Imhotep: Although Eastern York dropped a 71-47 verdict to Bishop McDevitt in the District 3-AAA final — and had all sorts of problems with the Crusaders’ James Williams — Jon Reichard’s Golden Knights (22-6) will have one thing going for them since they’re ticketed for West York’s brand new gym. As a result, plenty of folks should make the short drive from Wrightsville to back EY. Slick Shippensburg recruit Broguen Nicholas (17.7 ppg) could cause problems for Imhotep guards Daron Russell and Jaekwon Carlyle, while forward Jared Achterberg (12 ppg) is another scoring threat for a Knights group that’s not all that big up front. Imhotep did not enjoy its last trip to the District 3 area, as Andre Noble’s Panthers fell to eventual finalist Susquehanna Twp. in their 2014 state opener.

Milton Hershey vs. Lower Moreland: While Milton Hershey rebounded from its reversal in the District 3-AAA semis to Eastern York by dusting a good Lampeter-Strasburg side 63-52 in the third-place game, Mark Zerbe’s Spartans are entering unfamiliar territory as they head into state play for the first time in a while. If Milton Hershey can turn people over and get some easy hoops, smallish bunch could roll into possible second-round scrap with a stubborn Pottsville bunch. Don’Yae Baylor-Carroll, Keonte Lucas and Tyron Brown, but Spartans may need solid production from bigs Darrien Richards and Jarin Lyons to move forward. The Lions rely heavily on senior point guard Danny Duffey to get things done, but he's got shooters around him like Tyler Millan, who had 22 points in a district semifinal win over Bishop Shanahan. Seth Baron also has a promising freshman in 6-1 Forrest Keys and a few 3-point specialistics, including seniors Nick Smolda and Dicky Rhodes.


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