City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith)
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Believe it or not, this is the last week of pre-district tournament play for the PIAA, as many of the area’s various leagues wrap up their regular season slates and play their league playoffs in preparation for next weekend’s district seeding meetings.

Here are some of the games to watch that will have a big impact on the various league playoffs and perhaps some district seeding as well:

Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Cheltenham (Tues., 7 PM)
If the first meeting between P-W and Cheltenham is any indicator of Tuesday’s showdown, there will be a playoff pulse in Cheltenham’s gymnasium. The Panthers came within two points of the Colonials earlier this season, a Mike Lotito buzzer-beater that put Plymouth Whitemarsh up by one game in the Suburban One-American standings.

Since then, each has suffered a stunning defeat--P-W fell by 15 to Upper Merion, and Cheltenham lost by just one point to Upper Moreland--meaning the Colonials still hold that one-game lead in the American division and can clinch the division title with a win. Cheltenham, however, can not only gain revenge with a win, but also keep its chances of a division title alive. This should be an exciting matchup of two of the best scorers around in P-W’s Xzavier Malone and Cheltenham’s Khalil White, both seniors.

Council Rock North @ Abington (Tues., 7 PM)
Both teams are playing for something a little different, though equally important. For Abington, who’s 11-1 in Suburban One-National play, a win locks up a division title for the fourth time in a row, the first time the program’s achieved that sustained level of success. Council Rock North, at 9-3, is the only team that could catch them, but more pressing is that the Indians are teetering on the edge of the district playoff picture.

In the first released District 1 power rankings, CR North sits right at No. 32, which would make them the final team included in the AAAA tournament. A win over Abington, who looks well inside the top 10 at this point, would all but assure Derek Wright's bunch a spot in the postseason. Abington, which still has hopes of making it to the Suburban One League's four-team playoff to defend its title from a year ago, would almost certainly be eliminated from contention with a loss.

Ridley @ Lower Merion (Tues., 7 PM)
There’s a lot riding on this one, as Lower Merion has a chance to alter the entire Central League playoffs with a win here. The league’s rules state that a team who finishes the regular season undefeated gets a bye into the championship, meaning whoever finishes in fourth place gets left out instead of having two semifinals. Ridley is 14-0 headed into the final week of league play, and while Garnet Valley (7-7) on Thursday is no gimmie, it’s the Aces (10-4) who have the best chance at pulling off a win at home.

If LM loses, it’s a double-blow: not only does Ridley move that much closer to an automatic spot in the league’s championships next weekend, but Lower Merion would drop an extra game behind Conestoga (10-4) for the fourth spot. Here’s where things get even more interesting: ‘Stoga beat LM twice during the regular-season, so if LM falls to 10-5, they would need Conestoga to lose to both Upper Darby (5-9) and Haverford (5-9) to get back into the third seed. Effectively, if Lower Merion loses to Ridley, they knock themselves out of the Central League playoffs.

Holy Ghost Prep @ Church Farm (Tues., 7 PM)
The Bicentennial Athletic League’s Independence Division is up for grabs as the Griffins host the Firebirds in a rematch of 42-34 Church Farm road win on Dec. 17. That was an ugly one, as Church Farm shot just 11-of-27 from the foul line and managed to survive blowing a 14-point lead in the second half to top a team that’s won 19 of the league’s last 28 championships. The Griffins are huge up front, led by 6-11 sophomore Fred Odhiambo; the Division I recruit had 13 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in that first matchup, as the Firebirds have no one taller than 6-4 in their rotation. They'll counter with Jack Coolahan, a 6-4 wing/forward with a crafty inside-out game, plus 6-3 junior guard Mike McFadden, a 3-point specialist who can score from all over the court.

Downingtown West vs. Coatesville (Tues., 7:15 PM)
Whenever the Whippets and Red Raiders square off, the attendance and energy are comparable to any other high school basketball atmosphere; just take the example of last year’s 2,000-fan district playoff game, where Downingtown West knocked off Coatesville to advance to their first state tournament since 2008. The defending Ches-Mont champion Whippets will have their hands full in their home gym this Tuesday, as both teams bring one-loss records into the second to last game of the season. The winner, barring a shocking upset in either of their season finales (West vs. Avon Grove, Coatesville vs. West Chester East) will in all likelihood lock up the Ches-Mont National division title--which would pit them against either Great Valley or Oxford as opposed to 19-2 Octorara in the league’s final four--as well as the top seed in district playoffs.

Just four weeks prior, Downingtown (19-1, 10-0) went into Coatesville and kept its undefeated league record intact with a 49-39 win, their first in the Red Raiders’ gym since before any of their three-year starters--Ryan Betley, Josh Warren, and Dom Guerrera--were even in high school. Coatesville will certainly bring a chip-on-the-shoulder mentality into this rivalry showdown, as well as a ton of momentum after a dominant 70-44 win over rival Octorara. Expect sparks to fly and courts to be stormed in what will arguably be the most highly profiled district one game of the season.

Chester vs. Academy Park (Tues., 7:30 PM)
The Del-Val league doesn't have any playoffs, so a league title is on the line when the Clippers host the Knights in what should be a rockin' Clip Joint on Tuesday night. It's been an up-and-down year for Larry Yarbray's Chester squad (13-6, 7-0), despite having an imposing front line led by seniors Marquis Collins and Maurice Henry, two Delaware State commits who stand 6-7 and 6-8, respectively, as well as 6-6 senior Jamar Sudan and 6-7 senior Jordan Camper.

The Knights (14-5, 7-1) will have the best overall player on the court in two-sport star Jawan Collins. The 6-foot dynamo guard has gone over 40 points several times in his high school career, and Academy Park will feed him as long as his shot is falling and usually even if it isn't. The two teams have met already once this season, a 66-59 Chester win at Academy Park that you can be sure will be in the forefront of Allen Brydges' Knights' minds.

Archbishop Wood vs. Roman Catholic (Fri., 7 PM)
There are a few Catholic League games worth watching on Friday night, including St. Joe's Prep (6-5) at Conwell-Egan (6-4) in a game that will certainly have an impact on the league's playoff seeding, but if you have to pick one to go to, travel up to Warminster to see the resurgent Vikings hosting the powerful-if-inconsistent Cahillites. There's a crowded field in the middle of the Catholic League, with seven teams currently with between four and six losses, including two (Egan and 4-6 West Catholic) that are playing on Monday night; if West wins, things get even more complicated.

Wood (13-7, 6-5) certainly had its struggles during a five-game losing streak that had them as low as 10th in the league, but now have their eyes on the No. 4 seed and a home game in the quarterfinals of the PCL playoffs--though they'll settle for a spot in the top 6 and a bye through the first round--after winning their last four. Roman (17-4, 9-2), led by the Penn State-bound trio of Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick, hasn't lost in seven games since getting beaten by Archbishop Carroll on Jan. 10. It's a 7 PM tip, but this one will be sold out well before then.

Episcopal Academy @ Germantown Academy (Fri., 7:30 PM)
The revenge factor is just one of many intriguing ways to view Friday night’s showdown between EA and GA, as the Churchmen took down their rival Patriots on January 19 by a final score of 58-56. Germantown came back from down by double-digits only to watch that game slip through its fingertips. Since then, neither team has lost a game, keeping them both tied atop the Inter-Ac at with 6-1 records, each just one game ahead of Malvern Prep.

The winner--assuming EA gets past Malvern on Tuesday--will likely take the league title, which has been in GA's hands since 2013. Episcopal had a similar shot at winning the Inter-Ac last year, but got pounded by the Patriots in a 24-point loss in the season finale, giving GA its third straight league title. It’s certainly safe to say the Churchmen would like to flip the script in the 2016 installment.