skip navigation

PIAA Playoff Preview: Class 4A

03/09/2017, 1:00pm EST
By Michael Bullock & Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
--

In the old PIAA system, the quad-A classification was the big-boy bracket, featuring all the heavy hitters in the state: Chester. Harrisburg. Reading. Etc.

Now, with six classes, the 4A class is an interesting mix of teams from around the state, not quite big, not quite small, without much of a Philly presence -- besides, that is, one of the top prep teams in the entire country.

Here’s a look at the Class 4A bracket:

~~~

More Previews: Class A | Class 2A | Class 3A | Class 4A | Class 5A | Class 6A

~~~


Daron Russell (above) and Imhotep Charter are ranked No. 6 in the country by USA Today. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Favorites
Imhotep Charter (26-2)
When you're No. 6 in the country (according to USA Today), there are no co-favorites. Andre Noble has had some talented Panther squads in his 16 years at the helm of the program, but this one might just be his best yet -- and that's saying something, considering they have a quartet of PIAA titles under their belts. A pair of Division I committed senior guards, Daron Russell (Rhode Island) and David Beatty (South Carolina) are both explosive scorers, capable of combining for 40-plus points with ease. The sophomore class is special, including 6-7 Donta Scott, 6-6 Jamil Riggins and 6-5 Chareef Knox keeping the future very bright, indeed. There are a number of storied programs that have won a lot of games this year in the chase, but none have the raw talent that 'Tep brings to the court.

Dark Horses
Bethlehem Catholic (21-6)

Talented squad with all sorts of youth — Ray Barbosa’s Golden Hawks feature just two seniors — that’s capable of making a lengthy run after reaching the East Penn Conference title game and winning a District 11 title. Guard Justin Paz, a 5-10 sophomore who can strike from deep and get to the hole, leads Becahi in scoring at 17.4 ppg and has 71 treys. Junior 6-9 big man Ryan Young (14.0 ppg) offers consistency inside, while 5-10 junior Will Melson (9.5 ppg) is another perimeter threat. Seniors Amir Pettiford (6.0 ppg) and Jordan Odle (4.4 ppg), both of whom transferred in prior to the school year, round out Barbosa’s typical starting five.

Lancaster Catholic (24-4)
Packing depth, balance and the versatility needed to deal with a variety of opponents, Joe Klazas’ Crusaders come into state play riding a six-game winning streak highlighted by Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3 championships. Not bad, huh? Although 6-5 bigs Danny Bomberger (13.1 ppg) and Sean Landis (11.3 ppg) are Catholic’s top scorers — Landis crafted a 26-point, 14-board effort in the Crusaders’ 86-78 victory over Middletown in OT in the 3-4A final — 5-11 slasher Jon Ware (9.8 ppg) added 24 in that win. While 6-1 senior defensive stopper Mark Cannon (4.5 ppg) added 17 against Middletown, 5-10 senior Chad Wenger (6.1 ppg) is another threat for an LC squad that will gladly go eight or nine deep.

New Castle (23-2)
Not sure how Ralph Blundo continues to coax max effort out of his New Castle hoops program, but he’s ready to roll yet again behind another small yet remarkably athletic bunch of driven Red Hurricanes. While the trio of 6-0 senior Geno Stone, 5-11 junior Marcus Hooker and 5-8 senior Gino DeMonaco all average in double figures — an Iowa football recruit, Stone averages just over 16 points per outing — even more production comes from the likes of 5-10 senior Garrett Farah and 6-2 senior Te’Qwawn Stewart. Stone, Hooker, Farah and DeMonaco cracked double figures in the WPIAL championship game — Hooker added 14 boards to go with his 13 points — as the Hurricane winded section playmate Quaker Valley 73-58. If everything falls just the right way, New Castle could meet Quaker Valley a fourth time.

Quaker Valley (22-3)
Although Mike Mastroianni’s Quakers fell to New Castle in the WPIAL championship game — Quaker Valley split a pair of regular-season outings with its section playmates — his club could collide with the Red Hurricanes one more time. First things first, however. And that means rebounding from last week’s loss against District 10 entry Harbor Creek in Saturday’s opening round. While 6-2 junior Ricky Guss (15 ppg) will get plenty of attention, so will 5-11 senior Amos Luptak and 6-4 junior Coletrane Washington. Luptak, who years earlier was a ring bearer in New Castle coach Ralph Blundo’s wedding, scored 29 points in Quaker Valley’s loss to the Hurricanes in the WPIAL final and Washington wound up with 16. Rounding out QV’s usual starting lineup are 6-1 senior Wolf Moser and 6-5 soph Danny Conlan.

Scranton Prep (22-3)
Senior-heavy squad with a number of players on hand that seem like they’ve been around for five or six seasons. Terrific in the backcourt, Andrew Kettel’s Cavaliers are fueled by the likes of 6-4 senior Logan Bailey (13.3 ppg), 6-1 senior University of the Sciences commit Paddy Casey (15.5 ppg/41 treys) and 6-1 senior Nick Dende (11.7 ppg/64 treys). Kettel also has a trio of bigs in 6-4 senior Brett Para (8.6 ppg), 6-5 junior Wes Simons (6.8 ppg) and 6-7 junior Leo O’Boyle (5.8 ppg) that he can rotate through the painted area. Quality program capable of all sorts of things, but Kettel’s Cavs unfortunately are in the same part of the bracket as Imhotep.

Strong Vincent (23-3)
While returning all-stater David Morris picks up plenty of headlines for his entertaining performances on basketball courts all over northwestern Pennsylvania, Shannon Pullium’s talented Colonels used balance to turn back Grove City 66-39 in the District 10 title game. Although Morris collected 14 points in SV’s one-sided success, 6-5 sophomore Khamoni Moye netted 17 points and 6-3 senior Aje Gore chimed in with 13. Other key contributors for the Colonels, who have lost only once against Pennsylvania competition, are 6-3 senior William Lyons, 6-6 sophomore Jerome Henderson and 5-9 senior Tahjmere Jones.

~~~

Players to Watch
David Beatty
, Imhotep Charter
After spending his first two years at Archbishop Carroll and then one season at St. Benedict's (N.J.), Beatty has come back to Philadelphia to help Imhotep try to break a four-year state championship drought. A 6-3 scoring machine, Beatty can get it done from all three levels, no matter who's matched up on him.

Ryan Hughes, Middletown
While the multi-faceted Hughes (17.5 ppg) ideally would be parked in the Middletown backcourt alongside some creative facilitator, the 6-2 junior bounces all over the court whenever the Blue Raiders have the ball, striking from deep, slicing into the paint, attacking the offensive glass and even flashing the occasional post-up move. No wonder D-I programs are beginning to reach out.

David Morris, Strong Vincent
While many of us have been waiting for the explosive 6-1 Morris to have a chance to play at Hershey’s Giant Center, maybe his time finally will arrive later this month. Between now and then, however, watch out for more offensive eruptions from the Tennessee State recruit, the lone player in Erie County history to score 2,000 or more career points.

Will Myers & Tommy Hazel, Clearfield
With a pair of 6-3 bookends available at all times,
Nathan Glunt’s District 9 champions have a capable tandem that could go off at any time from anywhere on the floor. And while Myers, a returning all-state selection, sits No. 1 on Clearfield’s all-time scoring list with 1,400-plus points, Hazel is just a few rungs below his talented classmate. Opening-round foe McGuffey is aware.

Patrick Robinson, Conwell-Egan
Junior guard had a breakout season, earning all-Catholic League honors after averaging 17.3 ppg, including a 42-point outburst against Roman Catholic. Won't hesitate to pull up and knock down a 3-pointer if left open, but prefers to get to the hoop and finish or go to the line.

Daron Russell, Imhotep Charter
The Panthers' all-time leading scorer is in the final few games of a marvelous four years at Imhotep, going from a confident freshman to a real team leader by his upperclassman years. There's a lot of Iverson in the somewhat-diminuative (5-10) guard who's never let his size stop him from absorbing a ton of contact.

Jon Ware, Lancaster Catholic
While Ware is averaging a hair under 10 ppg on the season, the 5-11 senior has upped his productivity in the postseason, totaling 69 points as
Joe Klazas’ Crusaders have pocketed Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3 championships. What Ware does on the floor that really troubles opponents, is use his slashing ability to get to the basket repeatedly.

~~~

First-Round Schedule (District-Seed in Parenthesis, all games 3/11)
(3-1) Lancaster Catholic vs. (12-4) West Philadelphia -- Warwick, 5 PM
(2-2) Wilkes Barre GAR vs. (4-2) Selinsgrove Area -- Wilkes U., 5:30 PM


(12-2) Conwell-Egan vs. (11-4) Saucon Valley -- Archbishop Carroll, 5 PM
(11-1) Bethlehem Cath vs. (2-3) Greater Nanticoke -- Bethlehem, 4:30 PM

(12-1) Imhotep vs. (3-4) Bishop McDevitt -- Lincoln HS, 5 PM
(2-1) Scranton Prep vs. (11-3) Salisbury -- Marywood U., 5:30 PM

(11-2) Jim Thorpe vs. (12-3) Audenried -- Pleasant Valley HS, 4 PM
(4-1) Lewisburg Area vs. (3-3) Berks Catholic -- Shamokin Area HS, 7:30 PM

(3-2) Middletown vs. (4-3) Danville Area -- Central Dauphin East, 8 PM
(6-1) Greater Johnstown vs. (3-5) Schuylkill Valley -- Richland HS, 5:30 PM

(7-2) Quaker Valley vs. (10-3) Harbor Creek -- Cardinal Wuerl NC, 3 PM
(10-2) Grove City vs. (7-3) Central Valley -- Slippery Rock U, 4:30 PM

(7-1) New Castle vs. (10-4) Sharon Area -- Butler HS, 3 PM
(9-1) Clearfield vs. (7-5) McGuffey -- DuBois MS, 6 PM

(6-2) Central Martinsburg vs. (7-4) Beaver Falls, Hollidaysburg HS, 5:30 PM
(10-1) Strong Vincent vs. (7-6) South Fayette -- Prep-Villa Center, 4:30 PM


HS Coverage:

Recruiting News:

Tag(s): Home  Old HS  Josh Verlin  Michael Bullock  Public League A (B)  Imhotep  West Philadelphia