City of Basketball Love

By Jake Adams & Jerome Taylor (@hooplove215)
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Anyone looking for a little madness before March in the District 1 Class 6A girls basketball bracket will have to wait a few more days at least.

Wednesday's second-round games all went chalk, leaving the Top 8 seeds entering the tournament as the last ones standing entering Saturday's quarterfinals.

That includes Central Bucks East, the No. 8 seed which beat ninth-seeded Neshaminy 48-39. 

It was sweet revenge after a 15-point road loss three weeks ago in which Neshaminy was more physical and out-rebounded the Patriots, particularly in the fourth quarter. That game proved a turning point, head coach Liz Potash said Wednesday night on the phone, and since then the Patriots (19-6) have been more intense and physical in practice.

“We were like, ‘This is not how we’re going down,’” Potash said. “All we’ve been doing is preparing for Neshaminy, and honestly the girls have been preparing for Neshaminy … ever since they beat us.”

Anna Barry led CB East with 17 points, while Sydney Ralph chipped in 12 and Jess Lockwood eight. Lola Ibarrondo had a game-high 21 for Neshaminy (22-5), the only player on the team in double figures.

Natalie Berndt (nine points) nailed her first 3-point attempt of the night to open a 3-0 CB East lead, and that set the tone, Potash said. The defense carried things the rest of the way. A lockdown effort by Chantel Van Dongeren held Neshaminy standout Reese Zemitis to just five points, “which is almost unbelievable,” Potash said. 

“Chantel takes so much pride (in defense),” said Potash, who is in her 11th year leading CB East. “She just has a way of just being so physical (despite her size) without fouling.”

The Patriots have a tough task ahead Saturday, facing top-seeded Perkiomen Valley, a 54-27 winner over No. 16 Pennsbury on Wednesday. It’s a sizable challenge and one Potash said she’s being “realistic” about. But the girls are unfazed by the matchup, and every game from here on out is “bonus time” for a team that wanted to make the PIAA tournament for the first time for the senior class.

CB East has made the district semifinals one time in the last 10 years, in 2021 as a three seed when it lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 50-19. CB East has been to the district championship game one time in program history, back in 2002 when it lost the 4A final to Cheltenham 77-41. — Jake Adams

Dotsey, Haverford continue to roll past Abington

Haverford had the size advantage coming into Wednesday’s second-round matchup. The question was how would they take advantage of those mismatches.

The answer came from Rian Dotsey, who said the edge in size was “helpful.” 

Quite the understatement. 

Dotsey finished with a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double, lifting the Fords to a 54-30 victory over Abington in the District 1 6A tournament, securing a top 8 seed in States.

“Our assistant coaches who played in 2011-12, when they played [the second round game] either sent you on or sent you home,” Haverford head coach Lauren Pellicane said. 

“It’s a little bit of icing on the cake coming off a championship game now to have an opportunity to know you’re going to play for a couple more weeks is pretty special. 

The 6-2 junior Dotsey was dominant from the tip. By halftime, she had 19 points, 14 of which came in the first quarter. It was evident that she and the rest of the ‘Fords would use their size advantage to power them to the next round. 

More impressive was how she did it. Scoring from the inside and out with 12 points from behind the arc (4-6 3pt). 

“[My shooting] definitely opens up the floor for me and my teammates, so it’s good when I can step out and see all of the lanes,” Dotsey said.

Dotsey’s first-half performance was also timely, considering Millersville-commit Aniya Eberhart was scoreless through the first two quarters. But the ‘Fords did get production from Dotsey’s fellow frontcourt mate, Natalie Wright, who had 6 points in the first half (she finished with 10 points). 

“[Wright] has been so great to have,” Dotsey said. “Knowing that anyone on our team can step up, and knowing that has been amazing, and it takes a lot of pressure off everyone else.”

In the second half, Eberhart got going, scoring ten points in the final two frames, and Dotsey’s domination continued. 

By the end of the third quarter, the ‘Fords were up 21 points, and with 1:38 remaining in the game, Eberhart and Dotsey checked out to secure their spot in the tournament's quarterfinals. 

They’ll be met by a North Penn team that beat Haverford by one point on January 14th. The winner of Saturday’s game will likely face the reigning tournament champs, Perkimonen Valley, in the semifinals.

“We’re going to make adjustments [from the January 14th game]. They’re a very good team, they’re well-coached, and it’s going to be a tough matchup,” Pellicane said.  — Jerome Taylor

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Upper Dublin 60, Penncrest 34
The Cardinals booked their ninth state playoff appearance in 10 years behind an all-around effort, including two big outings from their young players. Freshman Tamia Clark led the way with 21 points and senior Amy Ngo added 15. Freshman Bridget DiMartile added six points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks. (Read Full Story Here)

North Penn 51, Kennett 27
The Knights rode a big night from senior Caleigh Sperling to book their first state playoff trip since 2020. Sperling scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the first half as the Knights jumped ahead 35-15 through the first 16 minutes. Senior Olivia Stone added 13 for North Penn, which will travel to Haverford in the quarterfinals.

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Spring-Ford 53, Downingtown East 41
Senior Katie Tiffan's first-half buzzer beater gave Spring-Ford a two-point lead at halftime and the Rams never looked back, pulling away after the break dour a double-digit win the closest District 1-6A second game of the night. Senior guard Anna Azzara led Spring-Ford with 15 points with Tiffan and Kareena Preuss joining her in double figures.

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Perkiomen Valley 54, Pennsbury 27
The reigning 6A champion had no trouble getting a step closer to defending its crown. No. 1 Perkiomen Valley doubled up Pennsbury 54-27 on Wednesday, led by Quinn Boettginger's game-high 22 points. She scored 20 in the first half as the Vikings blitzed to a 29-12 halftime lead. Grace Galbavy scored 17 for PV, while Sofia Vitucci led the Falcons with 15. Perkiomen Valley will host eight-seed CB East on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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Conestoga 60, Council Rock South 33
The Pioneers bounced back in a big way from their Central League title loss to Haverford, cruising to a 60-33 victory over the Hawks. Sophomore Ryann Jennings poured in 21 points to spearhead the offense, while the Pioneers put together an all-around defensive effort to stymie a dangerous Hawks attack. Conestoga will play in the district quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 when they host league rival Garnet Valley on Saturday.

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Garnet Valley 60, West Chester Henderson 31
The Jaguars avoided the dram of the playback bracket, which they went through last season, with a dominant victory over Henderson. Junior guard Kylie Mulholland tallied 11 points and four assists in the victory as the Jags reached the district quarters for the second time in three seasons and booked their third straight trip to states.

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District 1 6A Girls

Second Round (Wed., Feb. 21)
1) Perkiomen Valley 54, 16) Pennsbury 27
8) Central Bucks East 48, 9) Neshaminy 39
4) Haverford High 54, 13) Abington 30
5) North Penn 51, 12) Kennett 27
2) Conestoga 60, 18) Council Rock South 33
7) Garnet Valley 60, 1)) West Chester Henderson 31
3) Upper Dublin 60, 19) Penncrest 34
6) Spring-Ford 53, 11) Downingtown East 41

Quarterfinals (Fri-Sat, Feb. 23-24)
1) Perkiomen Valley vs. 8) Central Bucks East
4) Haverford High vs. 5) North Penn
2) Conestoga vs. 7) Garnet Valley
3) Upper Dublin vs. 6) Spring-Ford