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PIAA Semifinal Preview: Tues, March 21

03/20/2023, 11:45am EDT
By Josh Verlin + Andrew Robinson

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)

The number of teams still playing in the 2022-23 season is rapidly dwindling. The PIAA season is down to the state semifinals, which begin Monday night with action in the girls’ 1A, 4A and 5A classes as well as the boys’ 2A, 3A and 6A classifications.

There are five games featuring local teams taking place that evening, three in the Philadelphia area plus one in the Lehigh Valley and one just outside Reading. Here’s an in-depth look at all five:

Trinity's Owen Schlager (11) scored 40 points in the second round of the PIAA 3A tournament. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Boys 3A: (12-1) West Catholic (18-10) vs. (3-1) Trinity (24-3)
Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School, 7 PM

For the first time in program history, the West Catholic boys are playing in a state semifinal. 

Granted, the Catholic League hasn’t yet been part of the PIAA for two decades, but it’s still a meaningful mark for a Burrs program that just won a city title for the first time since the 1950s, which hasn’t won a Catholic League championship since that same decade, as Miguel Bocachica continues to revive a program that was once one of the city’s proudest. A 59-43 win over District 11 champ Executive Education has them deeper into March than ever before, the dynamic duo of Adam ‘Budd’ Clark and Zion Stanford combining for 47 points.

Clark, a 5-foot-10 point guard who’s recently back on the market after Coppin State fired its coaching staff, is an outstanding ball-handler and shot-creator, both for himself and others, with the ball on a string, great court vision and the ability to knock down shots from everywhere. Stanford, a 6-4 wing and Temple commit, is a skilled three-level scorer and finisher who rebounds and defends at a high level. During the season, they were joined by senior guard Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui, a 6-1 senior who can also go for 20+, but he hasn’t played in the state playoffs due to personal reasons.

West Catholic will be the second straight Catholic League opponent for Trinity, which is fresh off outlasting Devon Prep in an overtime classic on Saturday, also at Governor Mifflin Intermediate. The Shamrocks, under the direction of 39th-year head coach Larry Kostelac, have some significant size in 6-11 Mike Bednostin and 6-7 Adelphe Cisse, both seniors, plus 6-3 wing Trey Weiand, a sharpshooter and D-I football recruit. Sophomore guard Owen Schlager is one to watch, having gone for 40 points in a game earlier in the tournament, though he only had nine against Devon Prep as Bednostin (19 points, 14 rebounds), Cisse (13 points, nine rebounds) and Weiand (12 points, 4-5 3PT) led the way; freshman guard Marice Brown popped off the bench to go 3-5 from 3-point range for his nine points.

Mitigating that size will be the key point for a West squad that doesn’t have anybody taller than 6-6 in the rotation, though it’s not an impossible task. The Burrs play physical, and an even shorter Devon Prep squad did an admirable job in the paint against the Shamrocks. Senior wing MJ Branker (6-4), sophomore wing Isaac Cole (6-5) and others will have to play big up front, along with Stanford, while senior Amyr Walker (6-2) is a physical presence as well. Expect West to try and turn this game into an up-and-down one and limit the effectiveness of Trinity’s frontcourt, and if the Burrs can impose their will, they should be playing for a title in Hershey on Saturday.

Gabby Casey (15) and Lansdale Catholic lost in last year's PIAA 4A championship game. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Girls 4A: (12-1) Lansdale Catholic (25-2) vs. (2-1) Scranton Prep (24-2)
William Allen HS, 7 PM

All that stands between Scranton Prep and the state final is a team from the Philadelphia Catholic League.

That’s not anything new for the District 2 power, the Classics having their season stopped by Archbishop Wood each of the last two years, in the semifinals in 20-21 and the second round last year. It’s a different name this time, but no less of a challenge in a Lansdale Catholic squad that’s laser-focused on getting back to Hershey and winning the whole thing.

Scranton Prep’s not an overly experienced roster, starting three sophomores who were on the JV roster last year but it hasn’t shown much with an impressive 24-2 record and District 2 title for coach Bob Beviglia. The Classics haven’t been down this way much this year - they unfortunately had to cancel a January date with PW due to weather - but they did slip past District I champion Nazareth Academy in overtime in the second round and lost by one point to Villa Maria Academy in late January.

Senior Rose Collins is the centerpiece, a three-sport athlete who works mostly inside and is the team’s top rebounder. Offensively, the Classics are a tough guard with all five starters capable shooters with some more range off the bench. Sophomore Jenna Hillebrand and Maya Jenkins are primary guards who spread the floor and work through the offense.

They’re also a stout defensive team too, with an aggressive approach in the halfcourt that looks to speed teams up and force turnovers. Sophomore Belle Dennebaum is an energetic one at forward, standing about 5-foot-8 and giving max effort to counter any height she gives up. 

Lansdale Catholic’s approach hasn’t changed much all year and there’s no reason it needed to. The Crusaders likely won’t go to their bench much, or at all, but their top five is as good as any group around the state with any of them able to handle the ball, create a shot and have a big game.

Of course, it starts around senior Gabby Casey - the Catholic League MVP and St. Joe’s recruit - who has been in double figures in all three state games with two double-doubles for good measure. Casey, who can get to the rim but finish anywhere in between out to the 3-point line, will look to get LC off to a bit of a faster start than it’s had the last few outings.

Senior Jaida Helm has given the Crusaders just what they needed, a high-energy forward who rebounds really well and can attack the hoop in a variety of ways. Olivia Boccella wasn’t as lethal from three as she had been the previous five or six games, but she’s still been in double figures all throughout the PIAA bracket and Nadia Yemola has been shooting with confidence.

LC will ask Sanyiah Littlejohn to pace its own rigid defense, but don’t sleep on the sophomore guard’s passing or ability to get herself going if Scranton Prep tries to overplay elsewhere.

Archbishop Wood's Kara Meredith (above), one of several big wins on the Viking roster, is committed to Holy Family. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Girls 5A: (1-1) West Chester Rustin (27-3) vs. (12-1) Archbishop Wood (23-5)
Bensalem HS, 5:30 PM

This game is a case of tradition vs history.

On one hand, it’s the Archbishop Wood tradition to be playing this late into the season. After all, the Vikings are in their 11th PIAA semifinal and they’ve never lost in this round.

On the other, it’s West Chester Rustin writing history with each win. The Golden Knights already claimed the first District I title in program history, so getting to within reach of their first state final would be another prime footnote to add.

Laine McGurk has certainly made the most of her state playoffs. The 6-foot senior wing has 75 points in three PIAA games (32, 29, 14) for a 25 ppg average and a memorable game-winner in the second round. How her night goes will probably go a long way to determining how Rustin’s night goes, the Drexel recruit will no doubt draw the focus of Wood’s defense.

There’s a high chance Delaney Finnegan starts out guarding McGurk, which sizes up as a good duel of an ace scorer against an ace stopper. If Wood needs, senior Kara Meredith and sophomore Emily Knouse can take a few turns - or switches - the three wings all about the same size and solid defenders.

Rustin got plenty of help from its supporting cast in taking down a quality Bethlehem Catholic team in the quarterfinals. Elizabeth McGurk tied her twin sister for the team lead with 14 and senior Ava Panetta, who gets every bit out of her five-foot build, provided eight key points and scrappy defense with Lola Flynn adding seven.

It’ll be another case where Wood’s Deja Evans has an advantage in height, the senior Albany recruit on a streak of eight straight double-doubles in state playoff games and the Vikings will need her to control the glass. Guard Ava Renninger has balanced her scoring and passing well, the junior likely to see a good amount of pressure against Rustin’s engaged full-court defending.

Anthony Finkley (above) and Roman Catholic beat Archbishop Wood twice during the season. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Boys 6A: (12-1) Roman Catholic (26-3) vs. (12-3) Archbishop Wood (19-8)
Bensalem HS, 7:30 PM

How much did the rest of the state not like seeing Roman and Wood match up in the 6A championship game last year? Well, they rearranged the bracket to make sure the two Catholic League squads met up in the semifinals this time around, meaning only one of them will get the chance to play for a state title on Saturday. It’ll be the third time these two have matched up this year, Roman winning both in the regular season (77-56 on Jan. 3) and in the Catholic League semifinals (66-59).

The Cahillites — who won that state championship matchup a year ago — aren’t quite the same team they were those past two meetings, however. Chris McNesby is without two seniors, Erik Oliver-Bush and Jermai Stewart-Herring, the two transfers ineligible in the postseason, keeping Roman from having two of its best defenders and one of its top scorers in Stewart-Herring. That hasn’t bothered them too much just yet, the St. Joe’s-bound duo of Xzayvier Brown (6-3) and Anthony Finkley (6-7) getting them past the likes of Perk Valley, Lower Merion and Parkland, with help from junior Robert Cottrell (5-10) and sophomores Shareef Jackson (6-7) and Sebastian Edwards (6-3). 

Wood has no such issues, John Mosco getting to roll with the group he’s had all year. It starts with junior guard Jalil Bethea, who’s gone from “promising prospect” to perhaps the area’s best all-around guard in the span of a year, the 6-4 sharpshooter a high-major target who’s been playing consistently terrific this season, including a 31-point outing in the quarterfinal win over Coatesville. He’s not their only name that the Cahillites have to worry about: senior forward Carson Howard (6-8) has had a strong postseason, while senior Gus Salem, junior Josh Reed and sophomores Deuce Maxey, Milan Dean Jr. and Mike Green all provided scoring punch on the perimeter. 

Does that mean Wood will be the one playing for its second state title? Not so fast. Roman might not have the depth, but Brown has been playing at a high level, and Finkley/Jackson give them a duo up front that could neutralize Howard and give the Cahillites the advantage inside. They’ll have to find a way to slow down Bethea and make the rest of the Vikings beat them — far easier said than done, but not impossible. Expect a great one that might not be at the Palestra but should have every bit the intensity of a PCL semifinal or championship.

Spring-Ford sophomore Jacob Nguyen (above) and the Rams have a tall task in Reading this weekend. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Boys 6A: (1-2) Spring-Ford (28-3) vs. (3-1) Reading (30-1)
Coatesville Area HS, 7 PM

It’s been a magical run for Spring-Ford, Joe Dempsey taking the Rams deeper than they’ve ever been in the state tournament, and now they face their toughest test yet in a Red Knights squad that hasn’t taken a single loss to another Pennsylvania team. Rick Perez has taken an already-proud Reading program and built it into a juggernaut, with the full-on belief that it can and should win another state championship this season, even without Lonnie Walker IV leading the way. 

This year’s Knights are led by 6-2 Rider-bound senior guard Ruben Rodriguez and 6-4 senior wing guard Aris Rodriguez (no relation), plus 6-1 senior guard Myles Grey, juniors Yadiel Cruz and Malik Osumanu and more, Perez not afraid to utilize his depth to ensure his program is always playing with the intensity and passion that he demands. The biggest challenge for opponents is to somehow get Reading playing on its heels, which no one’s really managed this season. 

The Rams also pride themselves on their defense, holding a very good State College squad to just 39 points in their quarterfinal win, the same number that Hempfield managed in the second round. Dempsey knows what it takes to win this time of year, leading La Salle into the state championship game in 2014, but he’s got a young group that’s still figuring it out. Sophomore guard Jacob Nguyen is an emerging star, but he’s got offensive help from junior EJ Campbell, senior Caleb Little, senior Zach Zollers and sophomore Tommy Kelly, while a mix of others help out defensively to give them some depth. 

Spring-Ford has managed to make some strong offensive squads look fairly ordinary, but Reading will be the toughest group yet for the Rams. Spring-Ford needs to control the tempo, limit Reading’s run-out opportunities and limit turnovers, which are all tall tasks against a team that prides itself on its relentless attack. Reading’s the favorite, but Spring-Ford has exceeded expectations at every step.


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