City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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It’s been an interesting year in the Central League, to say the least.

We came in expecting a year of parity — and while there was certainly plenty of that in the middle of the pack, one familiar face rose above the rest to have a dominant season, while several others enjoyed strong years as well.

Here’s a look at the Central League playoff field, with first-round games taking place Thursday night and semifinals on Saturday:

1) Lower Merion (21-1, 16-0)
Yeah, yeah, the Aces are on top of the Central League once again, what’s new? Except this wasn’t expected to be one of Gregg Downer’s strongest squads, a group of largely-unproven former role players who were without program stalwarts in 2023 grads Sam Wright and Sam Brown, among others. Instead, Lower Merion rolled to a perfect league record, their only loss coming to a team from Oregon back in December, to finish three games clear of the rest of the field. It’s an accomplishment that in prior years would have gotten them a clear pass right to the championship game; in the six-team playoff era, all it does is get them a home game in the semifinals and a first-round bye. 

Senior guards Adam Herrenkohl, John Mobley, Owen McCabe and Justin Mebane plus athletic forward Jayden Robinson and junior sharpshooter Carson Kasmer have given Downer a terrific top six to lean on. It’s a group that’s heavily reliant on dribble-drive creation and shot-making, but that’s a formula that hasn’t failed them yet.

2) Radnor (18-3, 13-3)
Who saw this coming? The Raptors won the league last year, sure, but then graduated 80% of their starting lineup, changed head coaches, and were relying on a pack of lacrosse players to lead the way. As it turns out, the factors that have Radnor’s lacrosse team the three-time defending state champs translate over to the court: Tim Smallwood’s group is a blend of motion with size and athleticism across the board, led by do-everything guard Michael Savadove and wing Elijah Sellers plus Kessy Cox, Sawyer Smith, Henry Pierce and more. Radnor’s only three losses came at home to Lower Merion and on the road at ‘Stoga and Penncrest, the latter two both coming by only four points.

3) Conestoga (14-8, 11-5) vs. 6) Harriton (14-8, 9-7)
The first-round games should both be competitive; Conestoga beat Harriton 53-42 on the road in January, getting 19 points from junior guard Ben Robinson and 16 from sophomore guard Rowan Miller in the win. Those two have been doing that a bunch this season, while senior guard and Wilkes commit Brendan Styer and sophomore wing Cory Hogan have also had their turn leading the way or stuffing the stat sheet. Harriton counters with its own tough guard duo in Marquis Kubish and Jadyn Gaskins, while junior wing Sean Gallagher has had a breakout season; senior wing Cameron Sullivan adds more size and shooting.

This will come down to the guard play; the 6-3 Kubish is a bruiser who can score at all three levels, and slowing him down will be paramount for Conestoga. As for the Rams, they'll have to limit Millers' dribble-drive ability, as that can really open things up for a number of shooters that Sean Forcine can rotate in and out. If one team gets hot from deep, that could also swing the pendulum in a big way.

4) Garnet Valley (15-7, 10-6) vs. 5) Marple Newtown (12-10, 10-6)
Garnet won the regular-season matchup 59-48 between these two teams, but Marple’s got some momentum after winning three straight and five of seven entering the playoffs, including a buzzer-beater over Penncrest in the final game of the season to lock up not only the No. 5 seed in the Central League but also a spot in the district playoffs.

The Tigers are led by junior guard Matt Gardler, who hit that buzzer-beater, and who generally does a lot for a well-coached group that also features senior guards Steven Tansey and P.J. Esposito as well as junior forward Ryan Keating, who gives them a nice rebounding and post presence. Garnet Valley, which has made postseason appearances a regularity under Mike Brown, is led by junior wing guard Jake Sniras and senior guard Quinn O’Hara. Brothers Jack and Brady Krautzel (a senior and junior, respectively), as well as freshman forward Grayson Golek all bring something good to the table, though depth has been an issue.