City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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Call it a title wave. 

An impending snowstorm on Tuesday forced a number of championship games to move to Monday night, meaning five different leagues — the Catholic Academies (AACA), Central League, Ches-Mont League, Pioneer Athletic Conference and Suburban One League — will also hand out trophies on the same night, nine title games in all.

For some programs, it’s a chance to defend titles; for others, it’s a chance to bring home a trophy for the first time in decades.

Here’s a look at the various championship games on Monday night:

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AACA (@ La Salle College HS)
1) Gwynedd Mercy vs. 2) Villa Maria

The last two teams to have won an AACA title, Gwynedd Mercy is the defending champion while Villa Maria took the crown two years ago - fittingly they beat each other in each of those games - will meet for a rubber match. GMA, which is after a third title in four years overall, won both regular season meetings but the Hurricanes generally do well in championship opportunities under longtime coach Kathy McCartney. On the other side, first-year Monarchs coach Taylor Sweeney is seeking to lead her team to a title that eluded her as a player in her time at Gwynedd Mercy.

Both teams will look to follow the lead of a standout junior guard, with Gwynedd Mercy Academy’s Bailey Balkir and Villa Maria Academy’s Sophia Tray also the leaders to be named league MVP after the game. Balkir, an energetic 5-foot-7 spark plug, has thrived in taking on the lead role while getting plenty of support from a senior cast including Cara Lapp, Megan McDonnell, Carsy Kelly and Carli Amos and supplanted by some talented underclassmen. Tray, an exceptional lacrosse player, is no less dynamic and her toughness sets the tone for the Hurricanes. VMA has more of a younger supporting cast, although seniors Abby Ferry and Sierra Dean add veteran experience, getting plenty of production out of Rebecca Croft, Briella Romeo, Anna Vickers and Erin Urbanski.

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Central League (@ Marple Newtown)
Girls: 1) Garnet Valley vs. 2) Conestoga (6:00 PM)

The Big 3 in the Central League is down to a final two, after Conestoga beat defending champ Haverford in a hard-fought semifinal while Garnet Valley dispatched Lower Merion in the other. Garnet’s taken both matchups so far this season, playing one at ‘Stoga’s venue and tempo (29-24) and another at GV’s (50-43). Joe Woods’ Jaguars come into Monday night on a 17-game winning streak dating back to their only loss of the season on Dec. 17 at Haverford; Conestoga (18-5) doesn’t have a record to sneeze at, either, as AJ Thompson has a veteran group to rely upon as well.

Conestoga’s biggest advantage comes in the post in 6-1 Army West Point commit Janie Preston, as Garnet Valley doesn’t have a true forward in its starting lineup, though Katie Dwyer is its top reserve. Instead, the Jaguars’ guard-heavy attack is led by Lafayette commit Haylie Adamski, a 6-foot-tall sharpshooting wing who’s one of the best scorers around. And she’s got help in fellow 1,000-point scorer Kylie Mulholland, a talented 5-4 guard, defensive-minded senior wing Savannah Saunders and her own younger twin sisters, sophomores Kylie and Addison Adamski, who both have their sister’s shooting ability. Conestoga’s got its own quality backcourt in senior Ruth Lanouette (MIT), junior D-I recruit Ryann Jennings and junior Maggie Neary, with additional support from senior Rebecca Schmidt and junior Libby Brown.

Boys: 1) Penncrest vs. 2) Lower Merion (7:45 PM)

Buckle up, because this one might need more than 32 minutes to settle. When the Lions and Aces met in January, it took not one but two overtimes to settle the score, a 75-71 Penncrest win on its home court, with senior wing Theo Gladue playing hero, hitting a 3-pointer to send things to the second extra session. Even though Penncrest has a couple district titles in the last decade, it hasn’t won the Central League since 2010; Lower Merion, meanwhile, has nine titles in that span, including six of the last eight, as Gregg Downer’s program continues to be the class of the league. 

Mike Doyle’s got one incredibly well-coached group of its own — and most impressively, the 6-3 Gladue is the only senior in the rotation. The junior class of wing forward Mikey Mita (6-6) and guards Sean Benson (6-1) Connor Cahill (6-0), Ben Stanton (5-11) will ensure that Penncrest will be good for the next little while, as it’s a well-rounded group that can all score, pass and defend at a high level. Lower Merion will have to find an answer for Mita, as the Aces are also guard-heavy: senior Carson Kasmer (Gettysburg) and classmates Sam’i Singletary, Rashyne Patterson and Gus Wright carry the load, but the 6-3 Patterson is the tallest of the group. Even though LM’s the defending champs, most of the rotation are first-year contributors, so neither group has a ton of experience on this stage; “handling the moment” might be the biggest X factor.

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Ches-Mont League (@ West Chester University)
Girls: 1N) Downingtown East vs. 2N) Downingtown West (6:00 PM)

Talk about big rivalry games. The two district schools and archrivals will bring all of Downingtown down to West Chester for the third game between the two this year, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them meet again in districts and/or states. The teams split the two earlier matchups, West (20-4) winning the December matchup and East (21-2) repaying the favor, each doing so on the road. West’s win over East’s was the Cougars’ only loss to a PIAA school all year long, with its other loss coming to Germantown Academy.

West coach Mike Young relies on his team’s depth, playing 10 or more on any given night, in an attempt to throw different looks at opponents and wear them down over the course of games. Sophomore guard Hayden Blair leads a group of talented underclassmen, including freshman forward Kylee Domsohn and freshman guard Eme McComsey, along with upperclassmen including Liv Young, Caitlin Grant, Ellie Dexter and more. Downingtown East’s Darren Domsohn relies more heavily on a starting five of sophomore Kendall Chiavelli and juniors Chloe Hunold, Grace Hodges, Charlotte Aldridge and Jazlyn Boyd, but they’ve gotten some good bench minutes too of late.

Boys: 1N) Coatesville vs. 2N) Bishop Shanahan (7:45 PM)

To repeat as Ches-Mont champs, Coatesville first had to survive Downingtown West in overtime, and now advances to play yet another Downingtown-based opponent, a Shanahan squad that’s one of the hottest in the district at the moment. The Eagles (16-8) have won 15 of their last 17 games overall since an injury-plagued 1-6 start, though one of those losses came to the Raiders (18-5) — a 67-64 margin at Shanahan on Jan. 14. A 41-39 win over Sun Valley has Bishop Shanahan back in the Ches-Mont championship game for the first time since 2018, when it beat Coatesville in the championship game. 

Shanahan’s attack features 6-8 senior forward Sean Griffin, a versatile inside-out threat who can stretch the floor with his shooting but also does a great job around the rim. On the perimeter, senior guard David Maddrey and junior guards Danny Keenan and Andrew Corcoran all can handle the ball and create for themselves and others, and 6-4 senior wing Ryan Keating gives them more size, shooting, and rebounding. Coatesville responds with two 6-7 forwards in juniors Larry Brown and Jonas Chester, two talented senior guards in Amon Fowlkes and Nasir Williams and one of the area’s top freshmen in 6-5 Colton Hiller; Coatesville also has a deeper bench, so pace dictation will be a major part of who comes out victorious. Shanahan can run in spurts, but can’t let this become a 32-minute track meet.

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Pioneer Athletic Conference (@ Perkiomen Valley)
Girls: 1) Perkiomen Valley vs. 3) Spring-Ford (5:00 PM)

It’s no secret what’s been happening in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this year. Perkiomen Valley, the two-time defending champs, has been absolutely stomping every opponent up 422 this season; not a single league opponent has been able to stay within 25 points of PV all year long, with most of the games blowouts by 30 or 40 points, or more. That includes both games against Spring-Ford: the Vikings pillaged the Rams 64-31 at Spring-Ford on Jan. 4 and 83-40 on its home court three weeks later.

PV coach John Russo has an incredibly talented top five to lean on: 6-3 center Quinn Boettinger (Navy), 6-1 wing Grace Galbavy (Wake Forest), 5-10 wing Grace Miley, 5-9 guard Lena Stein (West Chester), and 5-5 point guard Bella Bacani (Jefferson). It’s a group that’s been clicking together for the last two seasons and is playing as well as any around, with fellow senior Julia Smith and sophomore Hannah Evans providing quality minutes off the bench. Mickey McDaniel’s Rams are senior-led too, with 5-10 wing Kareena Preuss, 5-9 wing Christina Tiffan, 5-9 guard Lilly Brescia and 5-4 guard Devon Chamberlain all in the starting lineup, with 5-10 forward Haley Prophet playing big minutes off the bench. 

Boys: 2) Spring-Ford vs. 4) Pope John Paul II (7:00 PM)

The PAC has seemed wide-open on the boys’ side all year long, and that’s exactly how these playoffs have turned out, with exciting games all over the bracket. The final promises to be no different, as both Spring-Ford and Pope John Paul II have quite a bit of firepower and neither one’s shy about using it. The two tied for the PAC Liberty title this year, with PJP II (17-6) and Spring-Ford (17-6) both finishing 8-2, splitting their two meetings this year, each winning on each other’s court. Spring-Ford is going for its second league tournament title in three years; PJP II is going for its first since 2011, though it won the COVID-shorteened 2020-21 season, which didn't include a league tournament. 

Spring-Ford’s primary three offensive options are senior guard Jacob Nguyen, senior wing Tommy Kelly and junior guard Syaire Barnes, all of whom can go for 20 points on any given night, and junior guard Jack Kennedy has been a spark as well. They’ve got toughness in some football players, including senior guard Jordan Marsilio, and a few bench pieces who don’t need to score to have an impact. PJP II’s got its own high-level scorers in juniors Jason Green and Ayden Wise, two talented combo guards who work well together in the backcourt, and senior Jake Robinson gives them good size up front at 6-6 to go up against the 6-5 Kelly. Don’t be surprised if this one takes 70 to win.

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Suburban One League (@ Bensalem)
Girls: 1) Central Bucks East vs. 2) Upper Dublin (6:00 PM)

Last year, an Upper Dublin team running on adrenaline in the wake of Megan Ngo’s knee injury was able to find its way past CB East in the SOL semifinals. Ngo is back, inching a bit closer to 100 percent with each passing week and whatever the junior doesn’t have yet in terms of ability, she makes up for with willpower. The Cardinals have played at a high level all season, coach Morgan Funsten unlocking a group laden with juniors and sophomores that was bolstered by the offseason arrival of wing Emilia Coleman. Sophomore Tamia Clark has been a breakout player and classmate Bridget DiMartile has also added to her game despite splitting her time between three varsity sports. Freshmen Ella Morris and Lexi Ngo round out the top end of the rotation.

CB East got some payback on UD in last year’s district playbacks and the Patriots won the regular season meeting between the two this year, so there’s definitely precedent for a good game here. East coach Liz Potash also has a group with a heavy influence from its juniors and seniors. Junior forward Jess Lockwood has emerged as a top scoring option, a knockdown outside shooter who can also score inside while sophomore Haley Moran has broken out after taking over as starting point guard this year. Senior Sydney Ralph and junior Natalie Berndt are both athletic, solid defensive wings who can knock down some shots and Emma Penecale has fit in well in a similar role as a starter while senior Savannah Hayes adds another defensive option off the bench.

Boys: 1) Upper Dublin vs. 2) Upper Moreland (7:45 PM)

Just win. That’s been the motto for Upper Dublin since the first of December, the Flying Cardinals carrying a 23-game winning run into Monday’s final as they seek to become the first boys’ team to repeat as SOL tournament champion. Derek Brooks has built a winner in Fort Washington, UD going back to back as SOL Liberty champions, but he’ll be the first to tout the willingness of his players from the seniors down for their commitment to doing it together. Seniors Ryan Mulroy and Idris Rines play team-oriented games and the same is true for junior point guard Kobe Bazemore, the supporting cast including junior Brandon Altman and seniors Reilly McLaughlin and James Castronuovo and has even spread to the next wave in sophomores Justin Ragsdale and Horace Jackson.

This year’s Upper Moreland team has some similarities to last year’s Upper Dublin team that broke through to win its first SOL title. The Golden Bears shared the SOL Freedom title, their first league title in four decades and coach Dan Heiland has developed a team with a strong identity and plenty of depth. UM’s backcourt of senior Colson Campbell and Nate Best is terrific, Campbell a capable three-level scorer and Best a sharp-eyed facilitator who play off each other well. Larry Hughes, a standout football player, plays taller than his 6-foot-4 inside and the Bears have a strong supporting cast led by seniors Jadon Cybok, Anthony Carson, Aidan Tuffy and Luke Roussell and sparked by freshmen Cannon Campbell and Jose Fernandez.

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