City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The Ches-Mont playoff field is set, with all four of last year’s championship participants — the Coatesville and Bishop Shanahan boys and Downingtown East and Downingtown West girls — all back in the mix, aiming to get back to West Chester University next Tuesday to compete for the crown. 

The six-team playoffs begin on Thursday with a pair of first-round boys and first-round girls’ games, all at higher seeds. The Shanahan boys host Unionville and Sun Valley boys host Downingtown West; meanwhile, the DWest girls host Sun Valley while the West Chester Rustin girls host crosstown rival West Chester East.

The boys’ field is going to see everybody chasing defending champs Coatesville. The unbeaten National division champs finished the season 17-5 overall and 12-0 in division play, having taken only one loss all season to a fellow District 1 team (Plymouth Whitemarsh). 

Head coach John Allen has the league’s brightest star in sophomore Colton Hiller, a 6-foot-6 wing with a growing list of high-major offers; last year, it was Hiller’s older brother, junior forward and football star Max Hiller, who was a difference-maker in the league title game win over Bishop Shanahan. The Raiders also boast a pair of 6-7 senior forwards, Jonas Chester and Larry Brown, and get quality point guard play from senior Chris Allegra, though they’re not quite as deep as last year’s group.

Shanahan, the No. 2 seed out of the National this year (15-6, 8-4), graduated quite a bit from last season but still returns seniors Danny Keenan and Andrew Corcoran, who led them to an 8-4 league record this year. West (13-9, 8-4) also has a different look this year, but the Whippets are still in the mix thanks to the presence of 6-6 senior Brady Moore and 6-8 senior Amari Ross and a quality supporting group.

The American champs, Great Valley (17-5, 10-0) awaits the Shanahan/Unionville winner after its first division title since 2021-22; the Patriots have one of the league's top scorers in senior guard Chris Woodard (Muhlenberg) and a quality experienced group around him, but they haven't been tested against the top teams from the National. Sun Valley (11-11, 6-4) and Unionville (9-13, 5-5) have an uphill battle against the bigger-school division. 

On the girls’ side, Downingtown East and West have been battling back-and-forth the last couple years, the two district rivals also currently the two strongest teams in the league. East has taken both matchups this year, by five points in December and 12 points in January, the only two losses the West girls have taken all season long. And with the two both in the top five of the district rankings, it’s possible they could play two or three more times this season.

Those two seem to have the inside track, with depth and talent across their rosters. East features UTEP signee Charlotte Aldridge and senior guards Chloe Hunold and Grace Hodges plus junior Kendall Chiavelli; West features junior guard Hayden Blair, senior wing Ellie Dexter, junior forward Addy LeFever and sophomore Kylee Domsohn. 

Great Valley (15-7, 9-1) and Rustin (12-10, 9-1) tied atop the National standings, and both have quality talent; GV is led by do-everything junior wing Kate Weikert, with help from freshman Callie Cole and senior Reilly Lackman, while Rustin features senior guard Jenna Kraft, along with junior Claire Rydel and sophomore Mackenzie Stackhouse. West Chester East, the third-place finisher in the Ches-Mont National, has one of the league’s brightest young talents in freshman Kayla Holman, a 6-foot-tall wing, and Sun Valley features senior guard and Salisbury (Md.) commit Luci D’Amico. 

The move to West Chester’s Hollinger Gymnasium has been a quality one for the Ches-Mont; expect a good crowd both Saturday and Tuesday for the semifinals and championships. Here are the full schedules for the boys and girls’ events: 

Boys
First Round: Thurs., Feb. 5
N2) Bishop Shanahan vs. A3) Unionville (6:00 PM)
A2) Sun Valley vs. N3) Downingtown West (6:00 PM)

Semifinals: Sat., West Chester University
A1) Great Valley vs. Shanahan/Unionville
N1) Coatesville vs. Sun Valley/Downingtown West

Championship
Tues, Feb. 10, West Chester University

Girls
First Round: Thurs., Feb. 5
N2) Downingtown West vs. A3) Sun Valley (6:00 PM)
A2) West Chester Rustin vs. N3) West Chester East (6:00 PM)

Semifinals: Sat., West Chester University
A1) Great Valley vs. Downingtown West/Sun Valley
N1) Downingtown East vs. WC Rustin/WC East

Championship
Tues, Feb. 10, West Chester University