Tough foes await Delco teams in districts
Six Delaware County teams are alive and well in the District 1 playoffs, which resume Tuesday.
Central League playoff finalists Springfield and Ridley make their district tournament debuts after receiving first-round byes.
Radnor, Haverford and Penn Wood all look to keep the momentum going after winning their openers Saturday.
Here’s a brief rundown of all six games scheduled involving Delco teams.
Class 2A
Dock Mennonite at Sacred Heart, 4:30
Sacred Heart is aiming to win its fifth consecutive district championship Tuesday. The top-seeded Lions (8-4) and No. 2 Pioneers met in the district final in 2019. In January, the teams tipped off their seasons against each other, with Sacred Heart coming out on top, 42-14.
Sacred Heart normally is battle tested come postseason time after spending its regular season in the competitive Catholic Academies League. Longtime coach Zach Shuler has received steady production from junior guard/forward Kathryn Gallagher, who is the team’s leading scorer. Other key contributors include senior guard Mary Lauren Franz and junior guard Ainsley Davis.
Class 5A
Mount St. Joseph at Springfield, 7
So they meet again.
Last year the Cougars (170) ended a two-year playoff losing skid to Mount. Alexa Abbonizio went 10-for10 at the foul line in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points en route to Springfield’s 10-point win in the 2020 district semifinals. Two days later Springfield captured the District
1 championship at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.
This time the teams clash in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round. And if there is one team that can knock off undefeated and No. 1 Springfield in this year’s tourney, it’s probably Mount (8-6), which bested No. 9 Pottsgrove in the first round,
56-44. For the Magic, it all starts with standout senior Grace Niekelski, who tallied a game-high 20 points in last year’s game. The athletic 6-1 guard/forward is bound for Dartmouth College.
Springfield has yet to play a team outside the Central League. Last Thursday the Cougars claimed a 5944 win over Ridley for the league title.
Radnor at Harriton, 7
No. 10 Radnor (9-9) rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter at No. 7 Marple Newtown, winning 43-42 in overtime. Sally Austen scored all five of her team’s points in the extra session. Austen and Margaret Mooney led the way with 11 points each.
Radnor avenged a regular season loss to Marple and will look for the same success Wednesday against No. 2 Harriton (9-4). The Rams, who fell to Ridley in the Central League semifinals, are buoyed by junior guards Annie Aspesi and Maretta Smith. Harriton defeated Radnor, 41-29, back in February.
Class 6A
Penn Wood at SpringFord, 7
The 16th-seeded Patriots (7-4) won their second district playoff home game in program history Saturday, a 63-60 decision of No. 17 Perkiomen Valley. Junior guard Lashanda Smith went for 26 points and senior guard Ashley Cyrus produced 15 points in the victory.
A second- round showdown with No. 1 SpringFord means that Penn Wood is a heavy underdog Wednesday. The Rams (180) are a well-oiled machine. Led by Villanova commit and senior guard Lucy Olsen, the Rams have scored
60 or more points in 12 of their 18 games. That includes an 80-8 shellacking of Upper Merion.
Haverford at Upper Dublin, 7
The No. 13 Fords extended their season with a 56-44 triumph over No.
20 Kennett. Sophomore big Caroline Dotsey dominated in the low post and scored
20 points. Junior guard Emma Rowland chipped in 10.
Haverford hits the road Wednesday to play the fourth-seeded Cardinals
(18-3). The Fords must contend with 1,000-point scorer and University of Sciences commit Dayna Balasa, who is the program leader in 3-point field goals. Senior Jess Polin is an excellent point guard who recently set the team record for most assists in a career.
Pennsbury at Ridley, 7
The No. 6 Green Raiders (12-3) got a first-round bye and extra time to prepare
for a formidable foe Wednesday night. Ridley’s been a balanced team on offense this season. Senior guard Lindsay Boyd is their best all-around talent, but senior guard Kylie McNicholas, senior forward Shannen Hinchey, and junior guard Emily Liberio have also excelled.
The 11th-seeded Falcons
(14-4) lost to Central Bucks West in last year’s District
1 Class 6A final and made it to the quarterfinal round of the state tourney. Junior Ava Sciiolla is one of the top talents in the nation — and she’s already committed to Maryland. The slickshooting guard also hit the
1,000-point plateau earlier this season.