Slow start doesn’t slow down Christian Academy
Things did not begin well for The Christian Academy in the opening round of the Bicentennial League boys basketball playoffs Monday. But once the Crusaders got going, Plumstead Christian didn’t stand a chance.
TCA got its offense in gear and turned up the defensive pressure in the final three quarters to erase an early five-point deficit and rally for a 73-56 victory over the Panthers.
The third-seeded Crusaders outscored Plumstead 6341 over the last three quarters to climb out of a 15-10 hole and earn a quarterfinal date at third-seeded Holy Ghost Prep Tuesday night. Tipoff is 7 p.m. The Firebirds ousted Calvary Christian Academy, 60-37.
Grant Sareyka paced TCA with 20 points. Luke Sareyka added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Tehron Phillips chipped in with
11 points, eight steals and seven assists.
DELCO CHRISTIAN 50, NEW HOPE SOLEBURY 46 >> No other details were reported. The eighth-seeded Knights are right back at it Tuesday night. DC travels to topseeded Dock Mennonite for a quarterfinal game at
7 p.m. The Pioneers dispatched MaST Charter, 4527.
Elsewhere, the Central League championship game between Lower Merion and Penncrest was postponed until Tuesday night because of the weather. The Aces and Lions will square off at 7:45 p.m. at Harriton High School.
The fields for the District 1 tournament were officially released Monday and as expected, Chester is the No. 6 seed in Class
6A and will receive a firstround bye. The Clippers host the winner of Friday’s first-round game between No. 11 Plymouth Whitemarsh and No. 22 Haverford in the second round next Tuesday.
Garnet Valley is seeded
15th in the 6A field and hosts No. 18 Downingtown East Friday night. The winner gets second-seeded Coatesville in the second round. The top 10 teams move on to the PIAA tournament.
In Class 5A, Penncrest is the highest seeded Delco team. The Lions are fourth and host No. 13 Pottstown in the opening round Wednesday, Feb. 20. Sun Valley garnered the No. 6 seed and entertains No. 11 Phoenixville in the first round. No. 8 Penn Wood hosts No. 9 and Del Val rival Academy Park, and No. 14 Radnor is at No.
3 Unionville. The top six teams qualify for the PIAA tournament.
Glen Mills earned the No.
4 seed in Class 4A and visits No. 1 Upper Moreland in the first round Wednesday Feb. 20. Only the district champion moves on to the PIAA tournament. Delco Christian is seeded second in Class 2A and hosts No. 3 Valley Forge Military Academy in the semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The top two teams earn a spot in the PIAA tournament.
Girls Basketball
A slow start on the road proved costly for Agnes Irwin Monday.
The Owls scored just nine points in the first half and dropped a 61-35 Inter-Ac League decision to Baldwin.
AIS did put up 26 points in the second half, but it was not enough to climb out of a 31-9 halftime hole. Katie Anderson led the Owls with 16 points. Mary Grace Miller added 13. Anajah Brown poured in a game-high 26 points and Kaya Weiser added 15 to lead the Bears.
In the Bicentennial League:
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 60, DELCO CHRISTIAN 15 >> Rachel Sexton tallied 17 points and Kate Dougherty added 12 as the Lions cruised in the opening round of the league tournament. Emily Mothervil led DC with nine points.
Elsewhere, weather forced the Central League championship game between Garnet Valley and Springfield to be postponed until Tuesday. Tipoff is 6 p.m. at Harriton High School.
Earlier in the day, the Jaguars, Cougars and Sacred Heart officially were tabbed as the No. 1 seeds in the District 1 Class 6A, 5A and 2A tournaments, respectively.
Garnet Valley received a first-round bye and hosts the winner of Friday’s game between No. 16 Kennett and No. 17 Central Bucks East on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Haverford High earned a home game as the No. 13 seed in
6A. The Fords entertain No.
20 North Penn in Friday’s first round. No. 19 Upper Darby is on the road at No.
14 Central Bucks West. The top 11 teams qualify for the PIAA tournament.
As fate would have it, the four Delco teams that made the Class 5A field are all in the upper half of the bracket. Top-seeded Springfield hosts No.16 Wissahickon in the first round on Tuesday, Feb. 19. No. 8 Strath Haven entertains No. 9 West Chester East and No. 13 Penn Wood is at No.
4 Radnor. The top six teams move on to the PIAA tournament.
Sacred Heart hosts No.
4 Bristol in the Class 2A semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Only the district champion earns a berth in the PIAA tournament. The Christian Academy and Chester Charter School for the Arts are seeded second and third, respectively in the District 1-12 Class A Regional. The Crusaders will host the Sabers in the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 23. Since the top four teams advance, both teams have qualified for the PIAA tournament.