BOYS BBALL: Predicting the District One Class 4A Playoffs

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

(1) Chester
(32) West Chester Rustin
                           Chester
                           W.C. Henderson
(16) Strath Haven
(17) West Chester Henderson
                                          Chester
                                          Upper Darby
(8) Council Rock North
(25) Harriton
                          C.R. North
                          Upper Darby
(9) Upper Darby
(24) North Penn
                                                          Chester
                                                          Abington
(4) Norristown
(29) Plymouth-Whitemarsh
                         Plymouth-Whitemarsh
                         Ridley
(13) Ridley
(20) Cheltenham
                                           Rildey
                                           Abington
(5) Abington
(28) Oxford
                        Abington
                        Penn Wood
(12) Penn Wood
(21) Perk Valley
                                                                                 Chester over Great Valley 

(2) Lower Merion 
(31) Conestoga
                       Lower Merion
                       Penncrest
(15) Penncrest
(18) Spring-Ford
                                              Penncrest                                     
                                              Coatesville
(7) Hatboro-Horsham
(26) D-Town East
                     Hatboro-Horsham
                     Coatesville
(10 Coatesville
(23) Kennett
                                                                   Coatesville
                                                                   Great Valley
(3) Great Valley
(30) Harry S Truman
                      Great Valley
                      Wissahickon
(14) Central Bucks South
(19) Wissahickon
                                                  Great Valley
                                                  Methacton
(6) Methacton
(27) Bensalem
                      Methacton
                      Pennsbury
(11) Souderton
(22) Pennsbury


PIAA Qualifiers: (1) Chester, (2) Great Valley, (3) Abington, (4) Coatesville, (5) Upper Darby, (6) Penncrest, (7) Methacton, (8) Ridley, (9) Lower Merion, (10) Council Rock North

Breakin' down the First Round Match-Ups

North Penn at Upper Darby - I think the Knights can prove themselves here in this game and show how far they have come since their 5-10 start. The scrappy defense of the 24th seed may keep them in the game for a half, but eventually the senior guard play of the 9th seeded Royals may make it an uphill battle. If the Knights are not shooting at a high clip they will need to rebound and they are definitely undersized and underdogs in this first round game.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh at Norristown - What an exciting game in the first round between long-time rivals. The 4th seeded Eagles are clearly the deeper and more talented team, but coach Donofrio has kept his club close in the two regular season losses. It is rare to give a 29 seed a chance, but in this scenario the Eagles better hope to pull away early and not let Colonials' senior guard Anthony McKie take over late.

Cheltenham at Ridley - It is not often you say this about an SOL American Conference team, but I am not sure if the 20th seeded Panthers have been really tested this season. The Green Raiders are 9-5 against playoff teams, while coach Brian Johnson's club is 5-4, with their big win being over Coatesville. Untested, unproven, and on the road all add up to a tall task.

Oxford at Abington - I am have a huge soft spot for savvy guard play. I believe a strong point guard can take you a long way in this tournament. There a not many better guards in the area than the Ghosts Anthony Durham. Oxford has not seen a team as deep and as experienced as the fifth seed and National Conference Champs. Chalk up a cake walk for coach Charles Grasty's group.

Perkiomen Valley at Penn Wood - What a bad draw for the Pac-10 champs, whose win over Methacton on Tuesday just missed the meeting. The Vikings draw a well coached, playoff proven bunch in the 12th seeded Patriots. Penn Wood overcame the adversity of losing senior point guard Jerry Price in mid-season and captain Tyree Bynum has been nearly unstoppable since. Maybe a few timely threes from Steve Leonard give them a  shot, but I think they may be exhausted from their Pac-10 playoff run.

Spring-Ford at Penncrest - If the 15th seeded playoff team can avoid a slow start against the Rams they should be able to get their second round rematch with Lower Merion. The Lions will have to go right at the Rams' Zameer McDowell and get him and foul trouble early because the Rams are a different team when their 1,000 point scorer has to defend with caution.

Downingtown East at Hatboro-Horsham - The Hatters picked the wrong time to slump, but they still earned a share of the league title, and this is a game senior Mike Brown has waited for four years. The Hat-Box will be rocking and if coach Dennis Steinly's squad can avoid early nerves they should be able to dispose of the Cougars. Junior Zach Quattro will need to rebound and stay strong down-low to give Brown and Ryan Kelly some space for their outside shots.

Wissahickon at C.B. South - The Titans picked up confidence early this season and coach Jason Campbell found the formula for a 10-team rotation. While the 19th seeded Trojans will not be able to tire out the Titans with their fast break offense, I still do not think there is a player on the floor that can guard junior Chase Wilson. Look for a low scoring game and the Trojans' defense to be the difference.

Bensalem at Methacton - How do you get over a upsetting loss in your league title game? The 27th seeded Owls are no slouch, but I'm not sure they are going to know what hit them here. The Warriors may be  underestimated at times because of their average schedule, but Brendan Casper and crew has not played this well all year by fluke. The loss to Souderton early this season stings and sets up an interesting second round game.

Pennsbury at Souderton - As one of the teams I have watched the most this season I think the 11th seeded Indians have what it takes to return to the state playoffs, but if they are not careful the Falcons will fly in and fly out with a win here. I think the Indians John Kanas and the Falcons Cameron Jones will trade off points in bunches, but can the Indians crash the boards with the big guys for the 22nd seed. Every game seems like junior center Brendan Wagner's coming out party - and for Big Red's sake, this needs to be it.





CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR GIRLS 4A PREDICTIONS