City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADrobinson3)
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The Friends Schools League decided its league champions last week, and the Central League crowned it champions Monday night. On Tuesday, six more league champions will be crowned as the Suburban One League and Ches-Mont League host their boys and girls title game and the AACA and Pioneer Athletic Conference boys finish up their tournaments. The PAC girls will add another league winner to the list on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at what’s in store for those championship contests:

SOL Tournament Girls Championship

No.1 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. No. 2 Souderton, 5 p.m. at Plymouth Whitemarsh

The Suburban One League’s tournament has netted a mixed reaction within the league since its inception nine years ago.

Whether it’s a change in the format, no set annual venue for the championship — the last two years the higher seeds have hosted and in years prior, it rotated around the league or quick turnaround times, some teams have viewed it less favorably. For example, most of last year’s first round was contested less than 18 hours after the entrants wrapped their regular seasons and this year, the quarterfinals and semifinals were on back to back days.

Regardless of how anybody else sees it, Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Abby Sharpe and Erin Daley are into it. After all, chances to win championships aren’t common, so they take it very seriously.

“A lot of people look at this tournament as a joke, that it doesn’t really matter, but we’ll take every chance we can get to win a championship,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe, Daley and No. 1 seed PW host No. 2 seed Souderton, the Colonials looking to defend their SOL Tournament title while Soudy is after its first title since the 2017-18 season. The teams both won outright division titles — PW snaring the SOL Liberty for its fourth straight crown while Souderton repeated as the SOL Colonial champ — and both posted impressive 15-1 records in league play.

In the Colonials’ comeback win over Abington, Sharpe was stellar with 22 points including the game-winner on a drive in overtime. Daley shook off a rough first half to post all 17 of her points after halftime and while the rest of the team only combined for six points, Angelina Balcer had a nice first round game and grabbed a huge offensive rebound Saturday while freshman Kenna Winland continues to make late-game plays and freshman AJ Avery is playing confident.

Souderton is a very competitive group too and it comes into the final after a 34-32 win over Neshaminy in Saturday’s semifinals, extracting a little payback on the team responsible for that lone league loss. Defense is the team’s forte and senior point guard/Northwestern recruit Casey Harter is one of the best defensive players in PA with a lot of long-armed wings and post players behind her.

Stylistically, the two teams have a lot of similarities that they defend well and are patient with their offense. PW had an advantage in Saturday’s OT semifinal against Abington on the glass but with Teya McConnaha, Mikayla McGillian and Grace McDonough inside for Souderton, grabbing offensive boards will be a challenge.

Part of the reason Souderton held on against Neshaminy were the key shots Erin Bohmueller and Brooke Fenchel hit from behind the arc in the second half, the two wings also solid defenders in their own right.

Sharpe and Daley are friends with Harter — Daley and Harter were AAU teammates for a few years — so they were looking forward to the game after their win Saturday. Daley was mostly just glad she and her teammates wouldn’t have to spend a whole week practicing before their first District I playoff game.

“One, we get games, we don’t have to go through a two-hour practice so I love game days,” Daley said. “I like to practice, that’s how you get ready, but playing is so much more fun and exciting, it’s a way to get closer with your teammates and something to prepare for.

“We are getting these experiences and we will have them moving forward. We don’t know what’s going to happen moving forward but we have the opportunity to win a title right now.”

SOL Tournament Boys Championship

No. 1 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs No. 2 Central Bucks East, 7 p.m. at Plymouth Whitemarsh

PW’s boys’ program has been one in recent years to not put much emphasis on the SOL tournament but this time around, the Colonials are in it to win it as well.

“This tournament, in general, is great prep for what we’ll have going on in districts,” Colonials point guard Jaden Colzie said after Saturday’s win over North Penn. “We’re going to see these teams again in the next couple of weeks, so it’s great prep, we’re getting more reps in and building team chemistry.”

Colzie was terrific against North Penn, scoring 19 points and dishing six assists while Qudire Benentt continued to pile up points with a 23-point outing, Chase Coleman calibrated 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals and senior Lincoln Sharpe continued his low-profile importance with seven points and seven of his 11 rebounds on the offensive end.

It’s been Colzie, Coleman and Bennett leading the way most of the season but Jahseir Sayles is a long wing with floor spacing ability and Jimmy Flowers has given good minutes off the bench. PW went unblemished in SOL play, capturing the Liberty division crown.

PW wants to run, using an aggressive defense to try and force turnovers in the open floor and some outlet passers to fling the ball the other way quickly. Saturday, that defense was the catalyst in a 27-9 run that totally flipped the script on the Knights.

The Patriots have some really quality guard play of their own and needed it in Saturday’s come-from-behind overtime win over Upper Dublin. Their SOL Colonial championship regular season saw a rolodex of contributors and it seemed fitting most of them had a role in the semifinal victory.

Jake Cummiskey had the shot that forced overtime, another clutch shot on the junior’s long resume of them while Joey Giordano didn’t score against the Cardinals, he’s been just as clutch in the backcourt all season. Tyler Dandrea had the game-winner, hitting a three in overtime as part of his 17 points.

Neither of them were even the leading scorer, that distinction belonging to senior forward Kyle Berndt who had 21. Berndt has been rock-steady all season for the Patriots, who went 14-2 in SOL play to capture an outright Colonial title.

Leo Masterson, Dhruv Mukund and Miles Demby provide depth for the Patriots, with Mukund having led the team in scoring in Friday’s quarterfinal win over Pennridge.

AACA Championship

No. 1 Villa Maria Acad. vs No. 2 Gwynedd Mercy Acad., 7 p.m. at La Salle College HS

The two top teams in the AACA meet for a third time this season, the Hurricanes having both in the regular season as part of an unbeaten league slate. However, it took a buzzer-beater last time to down the Monarchs

Gettysburg College recruit Marah McHugh leads the way for VMA, a skilled scorer who fits right in to longtime coach Kathy McCartney’s ethos of defense, defense, more defense and the effort to match. The Hurricanes are a generally experienced team, with seniors Ella Iacone, Clare Cronley and Ava Irvine eager to end the team’s woes in the AACA tournament and secure VMA’s first title in more than a decade.

Even super-sub Carly Catania, fresh off a impactful semifinal performance against Nazareth Academy, could start for most teams and senior Elaina Guerzon dictates on both ends of the floor at point guard.

Where Villa Maria is the veteran, experienced team then Gwynedd Mercy Academy is the young squad still learning as it goes.

Tom Lonergan’s group starts just one senior, but point guard Hannah Griffin is one of the best around, an energetic floor leader who didn’t get to play in last year’s AACA tournament title game due to injury. While she was elated to be part of a championship, the Holy Cross recruit wants to be on the floor to try and repeat.

Junior Dylan Burke, the team’s keystone on defense, is the other returning starter and senior Morgan Newell is a top bench player - she started in Griffin’s place last season - but otherwise it’s a youth movement. Freshmen Bailey Balkir and Emilia Coleman have earned starting spots, both contributing plenty in Saturday’s semifinal win over rival Mount Saint Joseph, and sophomore Cara Lapp rounds out the starting five with Megan McDonnell another key contributor off the bench.

Ches-Mont Girls Championship

West Chester Rustin vs. Bishop Shanahan, 5:30 p.m. @ West Chester University

The Ches-Mont’s American and National division champions both put together undefeated seasons in the league before avoiding too much drama in the semifinal round — Rustin taking down Coatesville, 58-45, behind Laine McGurk’s team-high 22, and Shanahan using balanced scoring from Faith Ambrose (14), Abbey Wolfe (13), Alyssa Brown (12) and Alexa Bojko (12) to knock off Unionville.

Shanahan and Rustin didn’t play this season but the Golden Knights knocked off the Eagles in last season’s Ches-Mont semifinals on their way to a league championship. Laine McGurk leads the way for Rustin along with help from seniors Ava Panetta, Elizabeth McGurk, Lola Flynn and junior Riley Stackhouse.

Ambrose has been red hot for Shanahan down the stretch of the season and continued that in the semifinal game. Ambrose, Wolfe, Brown, Bojko and junior forward Sami Blumenthal make up the top of the Eagles’ rotation.

Almost all of the pieces on both sides have experience from last season’s matchup.

— Owen McCue

Ches-Mont Boys Championship

Downingtown West vs. Unionville, 7 p.m. @ West Chester University

Both division winners also face off in the title game on the boys side of the Ches-Mont. 

Unionville knocked off reigning league champion West Chester East with ease in the semifinal round with a 60-32 win, while West outlasted Rustin, 52-46, to reach the title game.

Junior wing James Anderson led the way with 13 (three threes). Senior guard Robbie Logan and junior guard Ryan Brown both added 12 points and a pair of triples, while junior forward Nick Diehl, who came off the bench with Logan, chipped in 11 points to give his team an interior presence. The semifinal game hints at what Unionville looks like when it’s rolling on all cylinders. George Napolitano, Kevin Carson, James Brenner and Charlie Kammeier are a few more pieces of the Longhorns’ balanced attack that can get going.

Downingtown West senior point guard Dylan Blair, the son of West Chester coach Dylan Blair, has a chance to deliver the Whippets a league title at the place he grew up watching games. Blair, an Army commit, propelled his team with 16 of his team-high 18 in the second half against Rustin. Sophomore forward Donovan Fromhartz added 13 and senior forward Kelly Bell added 12 in the semifinal win. Senior guard Joey Suarez, whose dad also coaches the Golden Rams, and junior wing Alex Neuhaus round out West’s rotation, while junior guard Antonio Lewis has sparked his team off the bench at times.

— Owen McCue

Pioneer Athletic Conference Boys Championship

No. 1 Spring-Ford vs. No. 2 Upper Merion, 7 p.m. at Spring-Ford

It will be hard for these two teams to top two epic semifinal contests where the Liberty Division champion Rams and Frontier Division champion Vikings both earned double overtime thrillers to earn their championship spots, Upper Merion winning on a putback rebound at the buzzer by senior Josh Zimmerman.

The Vikings are making their first PAC championship appearance since joining the league in 2016-17. They’ve had some squads make noise in the district postseason during the seven-year stretch, but last week was their first league tournament win.

Junior guard Nick Smiley had 22 to lead the way in the semifinal win over PV, 64-62. Sophomore Devon Nelson has consistently led on the offensive end as well, but it was a well-rounded effort that got the Vikings to the title game as seniors Devin Swayze, Yusuf Riley and Zayd Etheridge all had their moments and junior guard Allen Cole hit two big threes. Junior guard Colin Hirshorn has also hit big shots all year.

Spring-Ford is making its first league championship appearance since 2018 and hasn’t won the league since 2017. Sophomore 6-4 guard Jacob Nguyen exploded for 26 points in the semis, hitting some clutch shots in the extra periods, and junior guard EJ Campbell had 21. They’re the top scorers for Spring-Ford, while sophomore forward Tommy Kelly, senior guard Caleb Little and senior wing Alex Lewis round out the starting five and seniors Zach Zollers, Tyree Banks and Mike McKenna are the top options off the bench.

— Owen McCue

Pioneer Athletic Conference Girls Championship

No.1 Perkiomen Valley vs. No. 3 Spring-Ford, Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Perkiomen Valley

The PAC girls decide decide championship with the league's top two teams matching up Wednesday night for a meeting that's been a year in the making. Spring-Ford rallied in the fourth quarter to take down PV in the 2022 title game and win its fifth straight championship. Neither had much trouble in the semifinal round as juniors Anna Azzara (15) and Mac Pettinelli (15) paced Spring-Ford in a 64-17 win over Phoenixville 64-17; and Perk Valley pulled away from Methacton, 58-33, behind sophomores Bella Bacani (19), Grace Galbavy (18) and Quinn Boettinger (13).

A 56-44 loss to Rams on Jan. 14 is the Vikings’ lone blemish on their season, though they got revenge in the second meeting with a 44-37 win on Feb. 2. Bacani, Boettinger and classmates Lena Stein and Julia Smith have title-game experience from last season along with the team’s lone senior Ella Stein. 

Azzara and Pettinelli have been key cogs on two PAC titles teams already, playing complementary roles on a Lucy Olsen-led team as freshmen before beginning to lead the way as sophomores. Senior forward Meg Robbins and junior guards Siena Miller and Katie Tiffan  are the other holdovers from last season’s game, while sophomore guard Lily Brescia, junior guard Sophia Allocca and sophomore wing Haley Prophet came off the bench against the Vikings in the most recent matchup.

— Owen McCue