City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The area’s high school league conference races are in full swing, so we’re taking a look around the Delaware Valley’s various high school basketball leagues to see where things stand at the moment and what games will determine regular-season champions and postseason spots down the stretch. 

Read ahead for the Ches-Mont League update, or click the links below to check out the other leagues we’re providing updates on:

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Catholic League | Central League | Ches-Mont League | Pioneer Athletic Conference | Suburban One League

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Girls

Click here for CoBL’s Ches-Mont League page with standings and schedules for every team

Ches-Mont American
The smaller of the two divisions by one team, the American members have only played three or four games of their 10-game division slate, so we’re not quite at the halfway point. Rustin (8-5, 4-0) leads the American so far, with Unionville (9-4, 3-1) and Great Valley (7-4, 2-1) one game back in the loss column, followed by Sun Valley (10-3, 2-2), the only other team to have won a divisional game thus far. Rustin has two games left against Sun Valley, at Sun Valley tonight (Jan. 14) and at home on Feb. 3, right after they host Unionville (Jan. 28) and go to Great Valley (Jan. 30) in what’s certainly a pivotal season-closing stretch. 

Ches-Mont National
The National Division race is coming down to Downingtown, with West (12-1, 6-0) ahead of East (13-1, 5-10 thanks to a 35-28 win at East back on Dec. 17. The rematch is quickly approaching, Jan. 21 (Tues) at West, which will play at Shanahan (3-3) two days later with a chance to really wrap up the division title with wins in both games; Coatesville (3-3) and West Chester East (3-3) are also still in the race for a spot in the Ches-Mont playoffs. In a wide-open Ches-Mont overall, anybody who makes the postseason is liable to make a run.

Boys

Click here for CoBL’s Ches-Mont League page with standings and schedules for every team

Ches-Mont American
Due to a scheduling quirk, Great Valley (10-4, 3-0) leads the American despite playing the fewest league games of anybody in the Ches-Mont, though it’s only one fewer than most of the rest of the division. Sun Valley and Unionville are both 3-1 in Division I play, with Unionville getting two shots left at Great Valley — at home today (Jan. 14) and at Great Valley on Feb. 14, while also hosting Sun Valley on Thursday (Jan. 16) in a rematch of a 52-48 Sun Valley win from back in December. Rustin (2-2) hasn’t beaten any of the three above but only lost by two Great Valley on the road last week and could certainly play spoiler in one of these down the stretch with hopes to grab a spot in the opening round of the playoffs.

Ches-Mont National
There’s no doubt that Coatesville (10-3, 6-0) has put its foot down in the National division, the Raiders beating Bishop Shanahan (9-6, 5-1) by 29 in December and Downingtown West (7-7, 4-2) by 27 at West three days into January. Shanahan hosts the return game today (Jan. 14), but if the Eagles don’t pull it off, Coatesville’s got a clear path to get to the postseason. Shanahan, which has won eight games in a row, travels to Downingtown West on Jan. 23; winner of that game has the inside track to be the No. 2 spot in the division, with West Chester Henderson (8-7, 3-3) lurking to try and nab the final playoff spot.