City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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The Ches-Mont League semifinals are set for Saturday with a quadruple header at West Chester. The girls teams tip things off starting at noon before the boys games follow. Here is a breakdown of the semifinal matchups:

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Girls: West Chester Rustin vs. Coatesville, Noon

West Chester Rustin (19-3, 10-0) is the defending league champion and has looked like it throughout the season, likely to get back to the title game once again. Drexel-bound senior guard Laine McGurk (23.7 ppg) is among the area’s top scorers and  leads the way for the Golden Knights. But there’s firepower behind her with Rustin’s four other starters — junior wing Riley Stackhouse, senior guard Lola Flynn, senior wing Elizabeth McGurk and senior guard Ava Panetta — averaging about six to eight points apiece. Rustin’s won eight straight games and 13 of 14 since the start of the new year despite testing itself quite often outside the league.

Coatesville (14-8, 8-4) lost two games before closing with a win over Avon Grove to secure its postseason fate. Senior wing Dejah Morris is another player who can fill it up as opponents have thrown the kitchen sink at her to try and slow her down. Junior guards Serenity Burgess and Alexis Fields, junior wing Kaitlyn Ward and senior point guard Sydney Butcher are among the others who have stepped up this season and will have a tall task trying to keep up with the Golden Knights. It would certainly be a major upset if Coatesville can knock off Rustin, but the Raiders did show they can hang with the upper tier of the Ches-Mont League when they took National Division champion Shanahan to overtime back in on Jan. 17.

Girls: Bishop Shanahan vs. Unionville, 1:30 PM
Bishop Shanahan (19-3, 12-0) fell to West Chester Rustin in the league semifinals last season, and the Eagles would certainly like another shot at the Golden Knights in this year’s title game. However, a really good Longhorns (17-4, 8-2) team stands in the way of that rematch.

The Eagles have won 11 of their 12 games ins 2023, with the lone loss a 47-40 defeat to Catholic League co-leader Cardinal O’Hara. Shanahan junior Faith Ambrose is leading the offensive charge as of late for the Eagles, who have won six straight games, including a victory over District 3 power Lancaster Catholic on Wednesday. Senior guard Alyssa Brown has had some big games down the stretch too. Junior wing/forward Abbey Wolf, junior forward Sami Blumenthal and senior guard Alexa Bojko are some of the others to keep an eye on from a Shanahan squad that has plenty of postseason experience.

Unionville went 10-12 last season but has taken a major leap forward under Fred Ellzy this season. The Longhorns have a balanced group that likes to share the ball. Senior guard Riley Angstadt, junior guard Milana Amoss and sophomore guard Elle Johnson are steady scoring presences for Unionville and sophomore Shannon Megill and junior forward Savannah Lang are able to boost the team on that end as well, though the team’s defense is probably its strength. The Longhorns have won 12 of their last 13, holding all but one opponent to under 40 points during that — West Chester Rustin in a 44-33 loss.

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Boys: Downingtown West vs. West Chester Rustin, 3 PM

Downingtown West (17-5, 10-2) has already played on West Chester’s campus this season back when the Whippets knocked off Chester in an early-season showcase event. Senior guard and Army commit Dylain Blair is one of the top players in the league and District 1. Versatile sophomore forward Donovan Fromhartz has consistently been West’s other top threat though senior guard Joey Suarez can get hot from deep. Senior wing Alex Neuhaus and junior wing Kelly Bell contribute in a multitude of ways. After dropping three of five in mid-January, the Whippets closed strong with four straight wins, including a 19-point victory over West Chester East to finish off a season sweep over the league’s other favorite, who defeated West in last season’s Ches-Mont title game.

West Chester Rustin (11-11, 8-2) was somewhat off the radar entering this season and the Golden Knights’ postseason chances seemed in doubt until an upset victory over Unionville on Jan. 24. Rustin ran away with wins over Great Valley, Oxford and Kennett to secure its postseason spot. Senior guard and captain Tyler Giunta was one of the ones leading the charge in the victory over Unionville. The veteran Golden Knights also have senior wings Sam Sproull, Ian Schlesinger and Matt Nochumson and sophomore guard Chase Hatton leading the charge. West certainly comes in with the edge, but a veteran Rustin group has proven it’s ability to step up in games already.

Boys: Unionville vs. West Chester East, 5 PM
Like the girls, the Unionville boys (19-3, 9-1) made quite a turnaround this season, all the way to the top of the American Division standings. The Longhorns can really move the ball and knock shots down when they get open looks. Senior guard Robbie Logan, junior guard Ryan Brown and junior wings Charlie Kammeier and James Anderson can all pack a punch, while freshman forward James Brenner and junior forward Nick Diehl provide an inside presence.

West Chester East (16-6, 9-3) has won the last three Ches-Mont League championships. Sophomore guard KJ Cochran, already a Division I recruit, is another one of the area’s top talents, but the Vikings also have senior guard Jose Ramos and rugged senior forward Jack Kushner, who have been big pieces during the team’s title run. Junior sharpshooter Ryan Price and junior forward Josh Sherlock are a couple more of the holdovers from last season’s Ches-Mont champion squad that are vying for the program’s fourth-straight title. The Vikings will have nine days to stew on a 19-point loss to Downingtown West in their regular-season finale before Saturday’s matchup with the Longhorns.