City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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Here’s a look at Wednesday’s second-round games involving local boys teams; (District-Seed) in parenthesis:

Boys 2A: Mahanoy Area (11-1) vs. Constitution (12-1) (6 PM, Liberty HS)
Constitution, an annual Class 2A contender, was unexpectedly bounced in the second round last season by Mahanoy. The District 11 and District 12 champs meet again this year with Mahanoy carrying an unblemished record. The usual suspects keyed Constitution’s dominant 77-58 win over Delco Christian with seniors Kyree Latimer (22), Amir Speights (18) and Perry Fields (13) leading the way with junior Khaleek Johnson chipping in another 11.

The Golden Bears (28-0) are one of just two undefeated boys teams left in the state along with Abington Heights after a 58-44 win over Northwest Area. They returned quite a bit from last season’s state quarterfinalist team, including junior 6-foot guard Tanner Zawada, an all-state selection last season. Junior 6-foot-1 guard Jade Yedsena, senior 6-foot-7 forward Brady Alansky, senior 6-foot-3 wing/forward Chris Cuff and senior 5-foot-11 point guard Kadin Styka are some of the other key contributors. 

Boys 2A: Sankofa Freedom (12-2) vs. Dock Mennonite (1-1) (6 PM, Bensalem HS)
This is another second round rematch of last season, one Dock won 60-44. There are some familiar faces on both sides but last year’s stars for both teams are gone. Senior guard AJ Washington has taken over that role for the Knights this season, scoring 16 in a 57-47 win over Halifax in the opener, aided by 15 from senior Ethan Parr. Senior guard Vaughan Martin is an experienced player along with classmate Tony Martin.

The Warriors don’t have a single senior on this year’s team. Junior guard Nasir Williams is the top scorer this season for Sankofa and had 17 in a first-round 65-54 win over Marian Catholic. Sophomore 6-2 forward Nafise Dubose, a bouncy athlete, had 19 in the opening round win. Williams’ co-captain Asim Hardy, the junior point guard, had 12 points against Halifax to go along with nine assists. It should be a fun fast-paced game at Bensalem.

Boys 3A: Devon Prep (12-1) vs. Riverside  (2-1) 7:30 PM (Liberty HS)
Devon Prep, with a 73-32 win over Delone Catholic, has won a first round state tournament game for the third straight season. The District 12 champions looked more than prepared for another deep run as 6-3 junior Shane Doyle went for 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and seven steals while 6-6 junior forward Reece Craft controlled things inside with 14 points and nine boards. Zane Conlon, the 6-5 junior forward, showed off his versatility with 11 points and Ayinde McLendon provided a spark in the absence of Calvin Smith and Mason Thear, both out due to PIAA transfer rules, with 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and five rebounds as the Tide shot 40% from the floor in a dominant performance.

Riverside, the District 2 champion, had three players score at least 20 points in a commanding 75-57 win over SLA Beeber. Gerry Rose led the way with 22 points while Connor McNally and Brayden Rose had 21 points apiece as the Vikings took control in the second half. After trailing 32-31 at halftime, Riverside went on a 12-0 run to begin the third quarter and McNally poured in 11 in that quarter alone. The Vikings made the most of their trips to the charity stripe, shooting 33-for-43 at the foul line for the game. McNally began the playoff with eight 3-pointers and 28 points in the first half of the district quarterfinal.

Boys 3A: Math, Civics & Sciences (12-2) vs. Columbia (3-1) (6 PM, Norristown HS)
Coming off of a 67-47 win over Saucon Valley, Lonnie Diggs will look to have his team advancing in March for one last state playoff run. The Mighty Elephants lost to District 3 champion Trinity in the second round last season and get the District 3 winner again in Columbia. Leading scorer Sair Alsbrook and Maki Hill are both out to PIAA transfer rules. Senior guard Kevin Carter and forward Azeem Murphy are the leaders for the balanced group. Senior 6-4 forward Aiden Brown had 17 while sophomore guards Milak Myatt and Zion Robinson combined for 20 in the first-round victory.

The last time Columbia (20-4)  made it this far in states was 2022, when it lost to eventual state champion Devon Prep out of District 12. Columbia opened states with 64-46 over Mastery. Columbia has a big three that includes senior Brelon Miller, Jordan Poole, and Artie Pondexter. Last game against Mastery North, they combined for 58 of their 64 points. 

Boys 6A: West Chester Henderson (1-3) vs. Roman Catholic (12-1) (7 PM, Cardinal O’Hara)
Even without Travis Reed Jr. and Kabe Goss - the hero of the Philadelphia Catholic League title game - the Cahillites rolled to a 63-37 win over Downingtown West, thanks in part to the Jackson brothers. Shareef Jackson, the 6-8 junior forward, put together a solid day with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks while his younger brother, Sammy added 11 points with three three-pointers and also chipped in 10 rebounds and four assists. The two have been superb since the PCL playoffs began and have Roman Catholic playing some of its best basketball. Hunter Johnson, the 6-foot senior guard who played in his first PIAA tournament game on Saturday since his sophomore season at Cardinal O’Hara, returns to his old stomping grounds after tallying 12 points and seven rebounds against the Whippets. Sebastian Edwards, the 6-2 junior guard, is getting his first true opportunity to showcase what he can do with two starters out due to PIAA transfer rules and he had nine points in the win.

Sacred Heart commit Nyle Ralph-Beyer sank seven three-pointers on his way to 25 points and fellow senior Connor Fleet scored 20 points to help West Chester Henderson claim its first-ever state tournament win with a 80-73 victory over Hazleton. The win also marked the 25th win of the year for the Warriors, their most in a single season in program history. West Chester Henderson was 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter with Fleet hitting a pair at the 1:19 mark to give his side a 77-68 lead. Dylan Delucia was huge off the bench with 11 points and Jesse Smith made two three-pointers to finish with 12 points. 

Boys 6A: Cumberland Valley (3-1) vs. Coatesville (1-6) (7 PM, Garden Spot)
Coming off a state quarterfinal appearance a year ago, Coatesville’s certainly going to have to earn its way back if it wants to get that far or deeper into March. The Raiders took two overtimes to beat Liberty in their first-round game, and now have to face a strong Cumberland Valley squad, the District 3 champions coming in with a 25-3 record after beating Bensalem by 25 on Saturday. The Eagles are junior-heavy, led by guard Nolan Buzalka, wing Creston Austin and guard JJ Lebo, their top three scorers all around 6-3. Freshman Aidan Diehl is one to watch in the middle part of the state, while senior Jake Snyder brings even more size at 6-4 for head coach David Vespignani. But it’s a group playing in uncharted territory after losing to Garnet Valley in the first round of states last year and to Fox Chapel in the first round two years ago. 

Coatesville isn't going to back down from any challenge: senior guards Zuri Harris, Dior Kennedy and Marquis Peoples are all fearless with the ball in their hands, while junior Amon Fowlkes is another offensive option and 6-7 forward Larry Brown is a rapidly-developing young big. Head coach John Allen, the former Coatesville great and Seton Hall standout, was on the team the last time they won a state title more than two decades ago, and he’d like nothing more than to bring them back. Winner of this game gets either Reading or McDowell.

Boys 6A: Lower Merion (1-1) vs. Archbishop Wood (12-3) (7:30 PM, Bensalem)
It’s a powerhouse clash in the second round at Bensalem, as Lower Merion and Archbishop Wood both have plans on a much deeper run into March. The Aces (28-1) have been on a roll all season long, their only loss coming in December to a team from Oregon, capturing the Central League title and their third District 1 title in the last four years. These two met in the state semifinals in the COVID-shortened 2021 state playoffs, which only included seven district champions; Roman Catholic knocked off LM in the 2022 semifinals, then Wood in the state championship game. Lower Merion’s got an entirely new cast since then, with an underdog group led by senior guards Owen McCabe, John Mobley and Adam Herrenkohl plus senior forward Jayden Robinson

Archbishop Wood (17-8), which squeaked by Methacton (81-73) in the opening round, has only one title in its history, in 2017, and would really like to get one for senior guards Jalil Bethea and Josh Reed. The Miami (Fl.) and Drexel commits, respectively, combined for 55 points in Wood’s win over Methacton, a game in which the Vikings trailed with five minutes to go before Bethea closed with 12 of his game-high 31 points. The Vikings are similarly guard-heavy, going with juniors Deuce Maxey and Milan Dean in the starting lineup as well as 6-4 forward Tahir Howell, and the bench is all guards and wings too. Expect this game to get played well into the 70s or 80s.

Boys 6A: Springfield (Delco) (1-8) vs. Spring-Ford (1-9) (7:30 PM, Norristown) 
An unexpected game to say the least, featuring two solid programs out of District 1. Springfield coach Kevin McCormick has gotten a team that didn’t even make its league playoffs to a date with Spring-Ford in the second round of the PIAA state tournament. The Cougars are led by first team All-Central League and York College commit Colin Truede, a 6-5 center who gets things done inside, though he can also make plays outside of the paint. Springfield also has junior guards Patrick Flaherty (Maryland lacrosse) and Chris Dolan, both of whom are coming off of arguably their best games as high school players. Flaherty led the way with 15 and Dolan chipped in 13 to help Springfield take down Abraham Lincoln 59-43 in the first round of the state tournament. Springfield also has 6-4 senior forward Ryan Johnston and senior guard Jake Adams, plus freshman guard T.J. Valletti.

Spring-Ford had originally planned on a trip back to the Liacouras Center for the district championship, but they’ll settle for a state title run instead. Joe Dempsey has done an excellent job the past couple of years, leading the Rams to back-to-back state tournament appearances. It helps that he’s had some real talent to work with, starting with Jacob Nguyen, a 6-3 junior guard who has already recorded 1,000 points in his high school career; he’s received offers from Albany, Drexel, and other mid-major Division I programs schools. He’s got plenty of help from senior EJ Campbell (6-2) and juniors Matt Zollers (6-3) and Tommy Kelly (6-5). Zollers, who missed a month with a broken foot, is coming off one of his best games of the season, with 18 points in a 55-52 win over Scranton; he takes a lot of scoring pressure off of Nguyen and Campbell, while reserves Jake Dellangelo and Jordan Marsilio bring toughness from the football field as well.