City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The District 1 5A girls basketball tournament starts on Friday night with four first-round elimination games, the No. 5 through No. 12 seeds determining who will advance into Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The four first-round losers will see their seasons end; the quarterfinal winners will all advance directly into the state tournament while those who lose next Tuesday will enter the playback rounds to still earn a way into states.

Here’s a look at the four first-round matchups:

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District 1 5A First Round (Girls)
Fri., Feb. 16

8) Upper Moreland (15-7) vs. 9) Bishop Shanahan (10-11), 7 PM
Winner gets 1) Gwynedd Mercy (19-4)

Both of these teams were state playoff squads a year ago, but only one will advance this season. Senior 5-11 forward Holly Gohl, a 1,000-point scorer, is a versatile inside-out threat for Upper Moreland. Junior point guard Mikel Lancit has been really good as well this season, capable of running the show for the Bears and/or popping off for a big scoring night. Junior 6-foot forward Lily Hansen, junior 5-10 wing Marie Meyers and junior guard Lianna Adames round out a starting five that has some size and length for sure.

Shanahan has seniors Sam Blumenthal (Catholic), Faith Ambrose and Abbey Wolfe back from last season’s district semifinal group. Blumenthal is a 5-10 power forward who seems to collect every rebound with Ambrose at the point and Wolfe a threat on the outside. They have experience to lean on but behind them is an inexperienced group for the Eagles that will have to step up for a postseason run.

5) Lower Moreland (16-7) vs. 12) Upper Merion (13-10), 7 PM
Winner gets 4) West Chester Rustin (16-7)

Lower Moreland is coming off its strongest season since joining the SOL, the Lions winning the SOL Freedom Division and making the league tournament for the first time. Longtime coach Rich Becker has done it with a group that is largely short on experience, making the accomplishments stand out a bit more. Amelia Brown is the team’s sole senior while junior Dani Brusha, a transfer after two years at Abington, has rounded back to form after missing last year with a knee injury. Beyond that, it’s largely underclassmen led by the freshman trio of Sydney Santora, Brianna McFerran and Mollie Martin who have started to put themselves on the map.

Upper Merion hasn’t been to the district playoffs since making a run to states in 2018. After just missing the cut last season the Vikings snuck in as the last team. The Vikings get most of their scoring from junior Devon Maiden and sophomores Kennedy Coles and Levayda Fuqua in the backcourt. Seniors Olivia Smith, Addie Eaton, Chloe Kokenberger and Avery Fox endured a winless season as freshmen and now will try to cap their careers with a postseason victory.

7) Phoenixville (17-6) vs. 10) Chester (14-8), 7 PM
Winner gets 2) West Chester East (17-6)

Phoenixville upset Radnor in the first round last season and this year’s squad definitely has more firepower. Sophomore guard Kayden Baratta led the Pioneer Athletic Conference in scoring. Forward and Wilkes commit Maliyah Warren is the lone senior with junior forward Emine Ulcay and sophomore forward Riley Ford-Bey adding more challenges inside. Juniors  Ava Gnias and Nevaeh Batimore-Beasley are two more weapons in the backcourt. A win over Chester would get the Phantoms one more away from their first state playoff berth since 1987.

After starting the season 1-5, Chester found its way to its first winning season since 2013-14. The Clippers split the Del-Val title with Academy Park as they won six straight to end the regular season, including a victory over 6A playoff team Penncrest. Sophomore 5-7 guard Imani Dorsey is the team’s leading scorer, pacing a quartet of double-figure scorers. Junior forward Ja'Mya Muhammad averages a near double-double, sophomore guard Jordan Dennis can pop off and senior Shyne Hall adds some shooting from the perimeter. The Clippers' last district win came in 2009.

6) Villa Maria (15-7) vs. 11) Sun Valley (11-11), 7 PM
Winner gets 3) Radnor (18-5)

Senior Carly Catania (New Hampshire) leads the charge for the Hurricanes, who were in the district title game a season ago, but have zero starters back from that team. The 5-9 guard does a lot of things for Villa, including play big down low. Sophomore Sophia Tray, a standout lacrosse player, can also fill it up. Senior Emma O’Hare has stepped up on multiple occasions this season with junior guard Abby Ferry and senior wing Liz Sharp two of the other big pieces. Villa made a run to the district title as a No. 7 seed two seasons ago, so don't count the Hurricanes out.

The Vanguards make their district playoff return after being passed on the last day of the regular season for the final spot a year ago. Junior 5-6 guard Brielle Wright has taken an expected leap forward this season with some big outings, which includes scoring 25 in a comeback win over fellow playoff team Phoenixville a few weeks ago. Sophomore 5-9 forward Luci D’Amico and sophomore guard Alison Riley are two of the other consistent contributors for the Vanguards with junior Nora Novotni, who missed last season with an injury, able to help out as well.

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Quarterfinals
Tues., Feb. 20
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Semifinals
Fri., Feb. 23
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Championship
Wed., Feb. 28
At West Chester University