HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR AREA TEAMS

Souderton, GMA, PW looking to make deep postseason runs once again

For the second year in a row, Archbishop Wood lifted a state title trophy in Hershey to cap off another strong girls basketball season for teams in The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media coverage area.

As the PIAA season begins on Friday, an army of area teams are making final preparations for their season openers, many of them carrying lofty expectations into the season. Given the area’s run of strength recently, with a state champion, district champions and numerous conference champions, there’s plenty of reason for these teams to chase those goals.

Like every year, a really good group of seniors departed — many of them to college basketball — but there’s always another wave of excellent players ready to step into those spots.

Wood will again be pursuing PCL and 5A state titles, Abington is the defending District 1-6A champion while Souderton was a state semifinalist in 6A last year and returns all of its rotational players. St. Basil (3A) and Lower Moreland (4A) each lost a key player from last year’s district title teams but have plenty back while Gwynedd Mercy Academy, a state semifinalist in 4A, is looking to a veteran backcourt to chase its third district title in four years.

Plymouth Whitemarsh, the SOL American champion, District 1-6A runner-up and state quarterfinalist, will also be leaning on its trio of senior guards to improve on last year’s spectacular season. Upper Dublin has been in states three straight years and will try to win back the American after losing it to PW last year.

Jenkintown has been one of the district’s top small schools

BOB RAINES — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Souderton’s Kate Connolly lofts a shot over Coatesville’s Brianna White during their game on March 3, 2017.