City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The District 1 playoffs get underway this week with elimination games in the 5A and 6A brackets. The boys 5A bracket has eight games, all of which will see one team move into the second round — with at least two more games to play — and the others done for the season:

Here’s a look at the eight first-round boys games, which all take place Friday with one exception (indicated below):

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Second Round: Tues., Feb. 18
Quarterfinals: Fri., Feb. 21
Semifinals: Tues., Feb. 25
Championship: Fri., March 1 @ Hagan Arena (8:00 PM)

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16) Great Valley vs. 17) Pennsbury (6:00 PM)
Winners play 1) Lower Merion

After missing out on the 6A field last year, Great Valley bounced back nicely, the Patriots starting the season off strong with eight wins in its first nine games and riding that to a 15-8 record going into districts, including a loss in the Ches-Mont playoffs. Junior guard Chris Woodard has become the Patriots’ go-to scorer, replacing his brother Jack in that role from a year ago, with a senior class around him including Henry Person, Jack Weikert, Aaron Levine, Will Benson and more who will all chip in in various ways.

As for Pennsbury, Wes Emme’s Falcons (12-10) battled hard in the SOL Patriot, finishing a game behind Bensalem for the division title, but couldn’t quite make enough noise in the non-league to move up in the district rankings. Seniors Michael Roccograndi and Grayson Gozum lead a group that’s getting production from all four classes, including sophomore Sean Breslin and a pair of talented freshmen in Patrick Jajua and Brayden Clark, who represent the future of the program. 

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9) Phoenixville vs. 24) William Tennent (Sat., 1:00 PM)
Winners play 8) Central Bucks East

The Phantoms (17-7) reached the Class 5A playoffs a season ago before making the jump to 6A this season. Talented 6-6 wing Deacon Baratta (Tufts) has blossomed into a star this season, an excellent outside shooter who’s become more aggressive off the bounce. Sophomore point guard Keron Booth, their best ball-handler and shot-creator, went down with a wrist injury during the PAC playoffs, but is expected back for districts. Seniors Trey Lear, Jehoash Leo and Brady O’Donnell are among the group of Phantoms who will have to step up alongside Baratta.

Tennent, the No. 17 seed a year ago, snuck into the last spot this time around, a six-game winning streak in late December into January the best stretch of the season for a team that started the year with five losses and is 5-6 in its last 11. The Panthers are guard-heavy with a number of shooters who like to space the floor, led by seniors Tony Pople and Jay Bright plus junior Brayden Goldberg. This will be their first matchup this season against a PAC opponent.

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13) Bensalem vs. 20) Owen J. Roberts (7:00 PM)
Winner plays 4) Garnet Valley

Bensalem (14-9) captured the SOL Patriot title this season, as Ron Morris did a great job of keeping his program competitive despite significant losses to graduation from a year ago. The Owls, who lost in the SOL quarterfinals, had won six of their previous seven, including quality wins over Cheltenham, at Pennsbury and at Neshaminy to capture the division crown. They’re not a big squad but have a bunch of impressive athletes in Amir Drummond, Aidan Mayfield, Jahmir Chatman and Jacob Eberhart, all upperclassmen.

Owen J. Roberts (12-11) is in the district postseason for the first time since 2018 and just the third time since 2009-10. Senior 6-4 wing Elijah Cline is the team’s top option, a smooth athletic wing who can score from all three levels, and 6-4 forward Gavin Winnick gives them a good post presence. Junior 5-10 guard Danny Walker is a shooter who can catch fire, which he showed with five first-half 3-pointers in a PAC playoff loss to Phoenixville. 

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12) Abington vs. 21) Neshaminy (7:00 PM)
Winner plays 5) Plymouth Whitemarsh

This should be an entertaining matchup of backcourts, as both Abington and Neshaminy’s guards — while almost all under six feet tall — are fun to watch and can score in multiple ways. Abington (14-8), which finished behind PW and Upper Dublin in the SOL Liberty, has alternated wins and losses in its last nine games, with all four of those losses coming on the road; in fact, the Ghosts are 8-1 on their home court this year, Upper Dublin the only loss. Neshaminy (10-12) snuck into districts despite the losing record, Mark Tingle’s group benefitting from a strong strength of schedule, and six of their losses are by five points or fewer. 

Abington’s offense is driven by senior guard Jake Manigault, senior wing Paul Glants, junior guard Faizon Garland and sophomore guard Xander Grasty. Glants, a four-year starter, has a strong basketball IQ and can score inside and out; Garland and Grasty are both about 5-8 but super-quick and shifty with the ability to get to the hoop, while Manigault is more likely to gun away from outside. Neshaminy features 6-4 senior Max Currie, a versatile forward, plus sharpshooting Logan Gale and point guard Jason Leiva.

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15) Chester vs. 18) Downingtown West (7:00 PM)
Winner plays 2) Coatesville

This is the smallest team in the history of the vaunted Chester program. Lack of height still did not deny the Clippers (15-7) of another Del Val League title. The Clippers were dealt a severe blow a few weeks ago when junior twins Jalen or Daron Harris, Division I football talents, decided to leave the team and throw their focus into offseason football training. It’s been players like 6-foot-2 freshman guard Ramee Davis Jr. that have stepped up and made a difference. It’s Chester. Everyone knows what the Clippers do, press, press, and press. Beating it is the problem. That is where this Chester team is much like their predecessors. Senior 5-10 guard Dallas Thompson provides steady leadership and runs the Chester offense, which has been a scoring by committee group.

This postseason is the last run for Downingtown West (14-9) star Donovan Fromhartz. The West Chester commit, an athletic 6-4 wing, just became the all-time leading scorer in Downingtown school district history, and it’s his team for however much longer this season lasts. Junior guard Brady Moore has taken a huge step forward this season, and sophomore guards Brendon Good-Kimble, Isaiah Hicklen and Keron Whitfield are the Whippets’ future. 

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10) Spring-Ford vs. 23) Wissahickon (7:00 PM)
Winner plays 7) Souderton

This is the fourth year in a row Spring-Ford (17-7) will host a District 1 playoff game under coach Joe Dempsey. Senior 6-4 sharpshooter Jacob Nguyen has been around for all four postseason runs, including the last three seasons with classmate Tommy Kelly, an athletic 6-5 wing/forward. It’s been a lot of new faces stepping up beside the senior linchpins this season for the Pioneer Athletic Conference runner-ups, including junior guards Syaire Barnes and Jack Kennedy.

Wissahickon (11-11) is back in the district playoffs after two years outside the bracket, head coach Kyle Wilson with a no-doubt star to lean on in Nico Vacchiano. A physical 6-2 junior guard, Vacchiano burst onto the scene in fall events and has kept it rolling right through the season with a number of 20-point outings. Senior guards Mason Stelzer, Ben Schwartz and senior forward Michael Maltin among others fill in around him. The Trojans shook off a six-game losing streak in December and are 9-5 in 2025, a good sign for their postseason.

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14) Methacton vs. 19) Council Rock South (7:00 PM)
Winner play 3) Conestoga

The Warriors (16-7) dropped their league playoff opener a year ago before making a run to the state playoffs and hope to do the same again behind a balanced group. Senior Sal Iemmello is the tone-setter for the group at the point guard spot and junior Wes Robinson and Mason Conrad were key pieces during last year’s run. Junior 6-2 forward Jahmir Carter has played big throughout the season, and sophomore guard Jack Lineen is one of a few players who can get going.

The Golden Hawks (13-9) were flying high, riding an eight-game winning streak on Jan. 31, but dropped their last three heading into the postseason. Nevertheless, Andrew Rogers’ group has shown it can hang in some big games, and he’s got an experienced group with size and athleticism across the board. Sophomore MJ Thompson, a 6-3 wing, has a bright future ahead of him, but he has a lot of help in junior Ryan Delp, senior Ryan Wekluk, senior Adam Elabed and more; it’s a group that plays with a lot of confidence and aggression at both ends. 

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11) Cheltenham vs. 22) Penn Wood (7:00 PM)
Winner plays 6) CB South

Cheltenham (15-7) enters the playoffs a little hot-and-cold. The Panthers are 3-4 over their last seven games. What is scary about Cheltenham is anyone among Kamal Mason, Justin Ezeukwu, Xavier Willoughby, Osei Johnson, or Salim Kelly can have a night and send a team packing for home. 

Penn Wood (10-11) is one of two teams to make the District 1 Class 6A playoffs with a losing record (No. 21 Neshaminy at 10-12 is the other). The Patriots needed a little help in making the playoffs, and they have won three of their last five. Freshman guard Bellvin Smith has come on lately, and was one of the bright points in the Pats’ Del-Val league loss to Chester last week.

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