Boys and Girls District One 2nd Round Preview

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

BOYS CLASS AAAA RESULTS
(16) Methacton 43, (17) Springfield (D) 34 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(9) Norristown 50, (24) Ridley 33 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(13) Cheltenham 58, (20) Upper Dublin 50 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(5) Wissahickon 54, (28) Glen Mills 47 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(18) Plymouth-Whitemarsh 51, (15) Conestoga 39 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(10 Souderton 67, (23) W.C. Henderson 55 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(14) Pennwood 76, (19) Spring-Ford 57 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(11) Abington 62, (22) Marple Newtown 43 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY

GIRLS CLASS AAAA RESULTS
(1) Cheltenham 55, (32) Plymouth-Whitemarsh 39 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(8) Methacton 66, (25) Ridley 42 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(9) North Penn 48, (24) Council Rock North 42 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(4) Downingtown West 46, (29) William Tennent 26 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(13) Abington 50, (20) W.C. Rustin 46 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(5) Mount St. Joes 58, (28) Radnor 21 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(3) Spring-Ford 62, (30) Chichester 46 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY
(6) Upper Dublin 56, (27) Sun Valley 30 CLICK HERE TO READ THE GAME STORY




Breakin' down the Montgomery Media 2nd round Match-Ups
BOYS CLASS AAAA

Methacton at Chester - To be blunt, and coach Jeff Derstine knows, the Warriors (16) will need to play their best game of the year to match Chester's size and scoring. Brendan Casper needs to continue to do what he has done over the last month and get a little help from his brother Ryan, and center Geoff Wittenberg. The trio needs to drop at least double digits to have a chance against the clearcut favorite to run away with the District championship.
Norristown at Pennsbury - The 8th seeded Falcons will pose some of the toughest defense the 9th seeded Eagles have seen all season. If Norristown can limit the turnovers and be patient when in the half-court offense they could pull off the mini-upset.
Cheltenham at Central Bucks West - Similar in size and style both teams rely on their stud senior finding the touch. Whether it's the 13th seeded Panthers Nafis Walker or 4th seeded Bucks Derek Dyer, the key to this game will be whoever crashes the offensive boards more efficiently.
Bensalem at Wissahickon - The Trojans seem to be gasping for air lately, barely getting by Glen Mills and falling to Cheltenham to end the regular season. The Owls have been playing better lately, but they definitely will miss their home floor. The Owls have a big challenge in going to Wiss Nation and winning.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh at Lower Merion - The Colonials were they only first round upset, but to do it again, against the 2nd seeded Aces is a entirely different story. I'm not sure the Colonials score enough to keep pace with one of the best teams in the state.
Souderton at Council Rock North - CR North could be intimidating for some teams, but Souderton might have just enough fearless senior leadership to take down last year's district runner-up. If they can keep Aaron Morgan off the foul line and play discipline defense the Indians have a chance to advance to the elite eight.
Abington at Great Valley - The Patriots will be one of the toughest match-up the young Ghosts have faces all year. In a game about keeping scoring runs to a minimum we'll see if the 11th seed can play strong enough defense to pull off the upset.


BOYS CLASS AAA
Phoenixville at Upper Moreland - I point directly to the level on competition both these teams play and the Golden Bears clearly have the advantage playing in the Suburban One American Conference over the Phantoms in the PAC-10. This is one of the more winnable games on the Bears beyond difficult schedule.

Sun Valley at Pope John Paul II - The Vangaurds do not have that much confidence this season as they squeaked into the playoffs just based on the tough teams they lost to. They don't have many wins, where as PJP has played even with some of the mid-range seeds in Class AAAA.
Upper Merion at Harriton - Upper Merion's senior James Mobley is by far the most dynamic scorer in this game and possibly the entire bracket. If he can heat up Mobley can take his team far. Like Upper Moreland, they know what its like to play in the SOL.






BOYS CLASS A
Morrisville at Christopher Dock - The Pioneers won by 22 points to open up the season against the Bulldogs, but they are two different teams now. Both teams have learned and matured throughout the season and it's anyone's game. It all depends on who can find the twine on the given night.



GIRLS CLASS AAAA
Downingtown East at Cheltenham - This is not your Avon Grove, the team the 17th seeed Cougars topped in round one. Not many teams run the floor as well as the Panthers and not many teams have a scorer like C.C. Andrews. Andrews' leaping ability along with smooth jumper makes her so tough to stop.

North Penn at Methacton - Down the street resides the Warriors, a young team coming off an impressive win in the opening round. But the Maidens now have seniors with three years of deep playoff runs and a scoring tandem of Lauren Crisler and Steph Knauer that can challenge a team of any style.
Abington at Downingtown West - This will truly test if the Ghosts' seniors Aiyannah Peal and Sarah Listenbee are ready for their time in the spotlight. The Whippets have not lost at home (or the road because they only have two neutral site losses) and it should be a tight game.
Central Bucks East at Mount St. Joes - While the 5th seeded Magic play sound defense this could be a tough match-up for the defending district champs. The Patriots pack a lot of height and scoring inside and I'm not sure if they AACA school has enough of a post presence to prevent the upset. I would be shock if the teams combine for more than 80 points.
Central Bucks South at Spring-Ford - The Titans are going to need to take their top notch defensive performance from Saturday and amped it up to another level if they are going to stop the the Rams, who can score is a variety of ways.

Haverford at Upper Dublin - Let's hope a laugher in the first round does not translate into a laid back start against Haverford. They need to keep Haverford's confidence down and get off to a fast start. The Flying Cardinals should not take any one for granted, because they have been to this point before and know how awful it is to go home earlier than expected.












GIRLS CLASS AAA
Gwynedd Mercy at Merion Mercy - These two teams are no strangers having split the two regular season matchups, both winning the road. game. But in the playoffs you have to give the slight advantage to the home team. Carolins Shimrock will have to lead the Monarchs in more ways than one to win this game. Her offense has been there all season, but her leadership will be the biggest key.
Phoenixville at Pope John Paul II - Playing a team for a third time is never easy and the Phantoms have the 13 point loss against PJP from a month ago still fresh in their mind. PJP cannot get too confident here because the Phantoms enter this game confident they can win.