BOYS BASKETBALL: PJP’s comeback bid falls short vs. Carroll

Photo by Adrianna Hoff/JRC Pope John Paul’s Brent Mahoney looks for an opening around Archbishop Carroll’s Joe Mustardi and Zafir Copeland on Tuesday night at Colonial Elementary School.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — The Pope John Paul II boys had already accomplished their yearly goals and advanced a step further than ever before in both the district and state playoffs heading into their PIAA-AAA Tournament second-round contest on Tuesday night.
But that didn’t mean that they were willing to pack it in for the season, not even after giving up 10 straight points to Archbishop Carroll to start the game and falling behind by 15 after a quarter. PJP rallied to cut the deficit to just three with a little over a quarter to go, but Carroll countered with its second double-digit run of the night and ended the Golden Panthers’ season, 57-40, at Colonial Elementary.
Brent Mahoney scored 13 to lead PJP (16-10) and fellow senior Jamel Stinson followed with 10 points. But the Panthers had trouble containing Carroll 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Derrick Jones, who piled up 16 points, 19 rebounds, and eight blocked shots.

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BOYS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Change of scenery suits Pope John Paul II

By Jeff Stover

Pope John Paul II's Nick Demeno (right)

jstover@pottsmerc.com

 A change of scenery proved therapeutic for Pope John Paul II this week ... a lengthy commute notwithstanding.

After two years of venturing to Philadelphia for the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs, the Golden Panthers got a different venue this season. They traveled north Friday afternoon to face off against Bethlehem Catholic at Bethlehem Freedom High School — a 55-mile one-way trek, which took the team bus about 1½ hours to make.

But it’s a safe bet the players, coaches and faithful fans didn’t bemoan the extensive travel time for PJP’s latest state opener. Not after the Panthers came home with a 59-56 victory over the Golden Hawks that was the program’s first ever at the state level.

“The last couple years, we didn’t get it done,” head coach Jack Flanagan said afterward. In its two previous visits to South Philadelphia High School, PJP saw its season ended by losses to Philadelphia Electrical (62-56) and Boys Latin (70-49). 

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II falls to Archbishop Wood

 By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

RADNOR — Just when one wave began to recede, the Pope John Paul II girls were hit by another one in Saturday afternoon’s PIAA-AAA opening round basketball contest. And that’s the way it went the whole time as three-time defending state champion Archbishop Wood brought in five fresh players at a time every three or four minutes and suffered no decrease in effectiveness while washing the Golden Panthers away into the off-season, 60-39 at Archbishop John Carroll High School.
Madison Tamburini scored 13 points for the Vikings (18-9), eight of them during a 22-0 first quarter and the rest in the second. Senior Haley Mesaros topped PJP (18-7) – making its first state appearance in the school’s three-year history - with 13 points, classmate Taylor Bearden followed with eight, and junior Kelly Moore and freshman Gabby Troisi each added five.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II wins first PIAA playoff game in school history

Nick Demeno came off the bench to score eight crucial fourth-quarter points while helping Pope John Paul II outlast Bethlehem Catholic, 59-56, to advance to the second round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs for the first time in school history. (File photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

BETHLEHEM TWP. — He came up with the battle cry for Pope John Paul II’s entry into the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.
Then Nick Demeno put his basketball talents where his mantra was Friday, helping the Golden Panthers outlast Bethlehem Catholic, 59-56, at Bethlehem Freedom High School.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford leads four area squads into PIAA tourney

Starters Sarah Payonk, left, Sammi Haas, second left, and the Spring-Ford girls basketball team begin their quest for a state title when the PIAA Championships get under way Friday. The Rams reached the semifinals a year ago. (File photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

The whiteboard in the locker room of Spring-Ford’s girls basketball team, the one with a laundry list of goals for the season, has seen plenty of checkmarks over the past several weeks.
An unbeaten Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season? Done.
Second straight PAC-10 championship? Cross it off.
Back-to-back District 1-AAAA titles? Taken care of.
Tonight, Spring-Ford will begin the quest for its ultimate goal — PIAA gold — as the Rams (27-2) square off with District 3 No. 7 seed Hershey (21-5) in a Class AAAA opener at Norristown at 7:30 p.m.
Three other PAC-10 girls squads — Boyertown, Methacton and Pope John Paul II — are also set to begin state tourney play.
In other AAAA openers tonight, the District 1 No. 7 seed Bears (19-9) face District 3 runner-up Central Dauphin (20-6) at Milton Hershey at 8 p.m., and District 1 No. 9 seed Methacton (24-6) takes on District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara (22-5) at Monsignor Bonner at 7:30 p.m.
In Class AAA first-round action Saturday, District 1 No. 3 seed Pope John Paul II (18-6) meets District 12 runner-up and three-time defending PIAA champ Archbishop Wood (16-8) at 5 p.m. at Archbishop Carroll.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: PJP, Methacton push on to PIAA Tournament

Brendan Casper (24) leads the Methacton boys basketball team into the PIAA Tournament, which begins Friday. The Warriors are due to face District 3 runner-up William Penn High School out of York. (Mark C Psoras/JRC)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

They’ve both navigated the tricky – and sometimes treacherous – waters of the District 1 playoffs the past two weeks, and remained upright during that span.
Now, Pope John Paul II and Methacton embark on a different voyage this weekend: The PIAA Tournament, which brings together Pennsylvania’s 30-plus top teams from four classifications for another two weeks of competition leading to state championships. The Golden Panthers, fresh off a second-place finish in the District 1-AAA tourney, will open today against District 11 runner-up Bethlehem Catholic; the Warriors, in turn, make their debut in state-level competition 6:30 p.m. at Dallastown High Saturday against District 3 runner-up William Penn High School out of York.

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BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Six area squads prepare for PIAA Tournament

Mercury file photo Spring-Ford’s Shelby Mueller (5) and Boyertown’s Kaitlyn DeHaven (4) will try to help their respective teams in the PIAA Class AAAA Girls Basketball Tournament, which begins Friday.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

Spring-Ford’s girls basketball team earned its second straight District 1-AAAA championship, the Methacton boys and Pope John Paul II girls qualified for states for the first time and the Pope John Paul II boys reached the 1-AAA final.
All told, six area squads — including the Methacton and Boyertown girls — reached the promised land that is the PIAA tourney.
Here’s a quick look back how they each got there, and look ahead to their opening-round state matchups.
CLASS AAA GIRLS
On a rampage: The Spring-Ford girls marched through their district opposition like Sherman through Georgia, waging a scorched net campaign in which their average margin of victory was 25.6 points.

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PIAA Basketball Sites, Times Announced (with driving directions)

By Steve Moore
smoore@pottsmerc.com

The PIAA unveiled its state playoff basketball brackets on Sunday. PAC-10 teams earned spots in Class AAAA and AAA Girls and Class AAAA and AAA boys.

The complete brackets can be found at the links above, and a rundown of the local teams can be found below.

Click on the name of each site for quick Google Map driving directions.

• AAAA GIRLS (FRIDAY)

• SPRING-FORD: District champion -- and potential state title favorite -- Spring-Ford (25-2) will host Hershey (21-5), the 7th-place team out of District 3, on Friday night at Norristown High School (7:30 p.m.)
• BOYERTOWN: The 7th-place team out of District 1, the Bears (19-8) will have to travel a little bit to face Central Dauphin (20-6), the second-place team out of District 3. That game is Friday at 8 p.m. at Milton Hershey High School.
• METHACTON: The Warriors (22-5) finished as the ninth-place team out of District 1, and will travel to Monsignor Bonner High in Drexel Hill to face District 12 champion Cardinal O'Hara (21-5).

• AAA GIRLS (SATURDAY)

• POPE JOHN PAUL II: The third-place team out of District 1, Pope John Paul (18-5) will face District 12 runner-up Archbishop Wood (17-9) on Saturday at Archbishop Carroll at 5 p.m.

• AAAA BOYS (SATURDAY)

• METHACTON: The Warriors (22-5) enter as the seventh seed out of District 1 and will face District 3 runner-up York (23-3) on Saturday at 6:30 at Dallastown High  in their first ever state playoff game.

• AAA BOYS (FRIDAY)

• POPE JOHN PAUL II: As the second seed out of District 1, the Golden Panthers (15-9) will face District 11 runner-up Bethlehem Catholic on Friday night at 6 p.m. at Freedom High School in Bethlehem.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II falls in District 1-AAA final

Pope John Paul II's Michael Cianciulli drives to the basket against the defense of Upper Moreland's Tommy Robinson during the District 1-AAA boys basketball championship game at Villanova University. (Photo by Brian Ludy)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

VILLANOVA — Sometimes stopping the other team’s high scorer isn’t enough, which was the problem the Pope John Paul II boys ran into during Saturday night’s District 1-AAA basketball championship contest. The Golden Panthers held Upper Moreland’s Matt Kohn - who had scored 28 in the semifinal round - to just eight points, but a well-balanced Golden Bear offense was too much too keep up with in a 57-49 loss at Villanova University’s Pavilion.
Brent Mahoney scored 17 for PJP (15-10) and Jamel Stinson 10. But 6-foot-5 junior Kevin McFall dominated the inside scoring for Upper Moreland (14-11) with 20 points and James Martin scored 12, including three baskets from beyond the three-point stripe.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II ready to let loose in District 1-AAA final

Pope John Paul II’s James Bleming (4) and the Golden Panthers are set to meet Upper Moreland in the District 1-AAA championship game Saturday night (8 p.m.) at Villanova. (Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

The pressure was certainly on for the Pope John Paul II boys basketball team each of the last two seasons as it headed into the last day of the District 1-AAA Tournament both times needing a win to keep its season alive and earn the district’s third and final spot in the state playoffs. And the Golden Panthers came through in the clutch twice, winning in double overtime the first year and by three points the second time.
Compared to those nerve-wracking experiences, tonight’s 8 p.m. District 1 championship game versus Upper Moreland at Villanova’s Pavilion should be comparatively stress-free as PJP shoots for the first district basketball title in the school’s three-year history after having already clinched a PIAA Tournament spot with a do-or-die semifinal win on Wednesday.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II pushes on to District 1 final, clinches states

Brent Mahoney led Pope John Paul II with 13 points in a win over Glen Mills Wednesday night in the District 1-AAA semifinals. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — Even after allowing what amounted to a five-point play to fall behind by six late in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s District 1-AAA basketball semifinal, the Pope John Paul II boys continued on as if nothing had happened. The veteran-laden squad kept patiently running its offense and going to the basket and eventually overtook Glen Mills for a 48-42 win at Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Colonial Elementary.
That means that PJP will play for the district title for the first time in the school’s three-year history at Villanova University on Saturday at 8 p.m. against Upper Moreland, a 60-55 winner over Octorara, and advances to the PIAA Tournament for the third straight time.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul comeback effort comes too late

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Pope John Paul’s Lauren Dao drives against Merion Mercy’s Martha Zeller.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — All the Pope John Paul II girls could do in the second half of Tuesday night’s District 1-AAA basketball semifinal was try to get back into the game one play at a time after a horrible half of shooting left them 17 points behind.

And that’s what they did, by not only finally hitting some of their own shots, but by also shutting down Merion Mercy’s inside game while cutting what had eventually become a 19-point deficit to just three by midway through the fourth quarter.

But Merion then scored its only basket of the final period and added 10 free throws in the last minute and a half to hold off the Golden Panthers, 47-35 at Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Colonial Elementary and clinch one of the district’s three spots in the PIAA Tournament. PJP will have a second chance to earn its first state berth in the three-year history of the school back at the same place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against fourth-seeded Lower Moreland, a 52-28 loser to top-seeded Villa Maria.

Taylor Beardon scored 11 for the third-seeded Golden Panthers (17-6), all of them in the second half, and Caroline Corzel led 10th-seeded Merion (17-10) with 14 points, including six straight free throws down the stretch.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II holds off Lower Moreland

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

UPPER PROVIDENCE — Win and advance … lose and you’re done. There’s really no bigger incentive than that during the opening round of the district basketball playoffs, especially if you’re a senior.
And a couple of those Pope John Paul II seniors, who might have been playing their last game, were major contributors Friday night as the third-seeded Golden Panther boys fought off visiting Lower Moreland, 42-38, to move on to the District 1-AAA semifinals.
Jamel Sinson scored 12 and pulled in 14 rebounds for PJP (14-9) and Brent Mahoney scored 11, three of them on a bomb from the top of the circle that broke a tie with a little over a minute to go. Jake Cohen scored 18 for the sixth-seeded Lions (9-14).

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II shows no rust in rout of Chichester

Pope John Paul II's Ellen Chernaskey dribbles ahead of the pack on a breakaway as Chichester's Logan Newman and PJP's Haley Mesaros follow during Friday night's District 1-AAA playoff game. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Timothy J. Raub
sports@pottsmerc.com

UPPER PROVIDENCE — Coming into Friday night’s District 1 Class AAA quarterfinal game with eighth-seeded Chichester, it would have been no surprise had the Pope John Paul II girls basketball team come out with a little rust in their game.
Two weeks had passed since the Golden Panthers played a game of note, and a flaw here or there could have been expected.
But that wasn’t the case.
Not even close.
The third-seeded Panthers (17-5) used a healthy dose of stifling defense and a 21-5 run to open the game and never looked back en route to a 56-39 victory on their home court.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Methacton rallies past Pope John Paul II

Methacton's Jenna Carroll (13) rushes to save the ball from going out of bounds in front of Pope John Paul II's Ellen Chernaskey during their PAC-10 girls basketball semifinal at Spring-Ford Saturday night. (Photo by Tom Kelly III)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

ROYERSFORD — For the better part of Saturday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference girls basketball semifinal, Pope John Paul II proved it was talented enough to hang with favored Methacton.
Unfortunately for the Golden Panthers, they also showed they still have some work to do in the shot selection and crunch-time composure departments.
Methacton’s wealth of big-game experience wound up being the biggest factor why the Warriors were able to rally for a 58-49 victory over up-and-coming Pope John Paul II at Spring-Ford.
Senior forward Kelsey Watson scored a game-high 21 points and junior center Jenna Carroll had 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as Liberty Division runner-up Methacton (20-4) advanced to Wednesday’s PAC-10 championship against Liberty champ Spring-Ford (21-2) — which defeated Upper Perkiomen 69-20 in the other semifinal.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Perk Valley rolls over Pope John Paul

Perkiomen Valley's Purnell Wilson shoots over the denfense of Pope John Paul II's Brent Mahoney and James Bleming during Saturday's PAC-10 semifinal. Photo by Barry Taglieber.

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

ROYERSFORD — Perkiomen Valley used its week off prior to the Pioneer Athletic Conference boys basketball Final Four wisely. First, the Vikings worked on their set offensive plays. Next, after finding out who their opponent would be, they planned ways to stop Pope John Paul II’s top scorers.

Then when they took the court on Saturday afternoon at Spring-Ford High School, they executed both those phases of the game to near-perfection over the first 13 minutes as they jumped out to an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter and boosted the margin to 16 late in the first half.

That was enough for PV to sustain a PJP run in the third quarter and gain a spot in the championship game with a 65-52 win. Four players scored in double figures for the Liberty Division runner-up Vikings (16-7), who were led by Steve Leonard’s 20 points and Mekhi Clemons’ 12 rebounds. Brent Mahoney scored 27, including 19 in the second half, for the Frontier Division champion Golden Panthers (13-9).

Perk Valley, making its first Final Four appearance since 2007-08, will play for the title on Tuesday at 7 p.m. back at Spring-Ford against Methacton, a 53-51 winner over Phoenixville.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: PAC-10 playoff preview

Spring-Ford's Samantha Stipa

By Darryl Grumling

dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

 

ROYERSFORD — Spring-Ford not successfully defending its Pioneer Athletic Conference girls basketball title seems about as likely as a February without snow.

Still, there are several storylines that could add a touch of drama to the overwhelming sense of inevitability as the PAC-10 Final Four playoffs get under way with a semifinal doubleheader tonight at Spring-Ford.

In the 6 p.m. opener, Frontier Division champion Pope John Paul II (15-4) faces Liberty Division runner-up Methacton (19-4). In the nightcap, tentatively scheduled for 7:45 p.m., the Liberty Division champ Rams (20-2) face Frontier runner-up Upper Perkiomen (13-9).

Tonight’s winners square off in the title game Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Spring-Ford.

Here’s a quick glimpse of what to expect: 

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Four fast finishes vie for best finish in the PAC-10 playoffs

Methacton’s Brendan Casper, right, and Perkiomen Valley’s Rasaan Stewart have helped their respective teams reach the PAC-10 playoffs this season. Casper (21.9 ppg) and the Liberty Division champion Warriors face Frontier runner-up Phoenixville in a league semifinal tonight (7:45 p.m.) after Stewart and the Vikings face Frontier winner Pope John Paul II in the other semifinal (6 p.m.) Both games are part of a doubleheader at Spring-Ford. (Adrianna Hoff/JRC)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

Fast finishes were a hallmark of the Pioneer Athletic Conference this winter.
The circuit’s top schools, across the board, came on strong down the stretch to solidify their positions at the top of the regular-season standings. Now, the question will be which of the front-runners will be able to maintain that pace in the postseason — and come away with a championship.
The PAC-10’s Franklin K. Manley “Final Four” playoffs get under way tonight at Spring-Ford High School, with a doubleheader pitting the top teams from the Liberty and Frontier Divisions. It’s return trips for two clubs (Methacton, Pope John Paul II), and the end of multiple-year absences for two others (Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville), yet all share one common thread.
That sprint to the finish line.
“Our playoffs started with six league games left,” head coach Randy Reber said of his Phantom unit, which won six of its last 10 games after starting the year 5-7. “The kids worked hard and responded well. They had to learn how to play together at the offensive end.”
Phoenixville will face defending PAC-10 champion Methacton in the nightcap of the opening-round doubleheader, their tip-off scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. Kicking off the twinbill will be Pope John Paul II and Perkiomen Valley at 6 p.m.

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ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Methacton’s Brendan Casper and Pope John Paul II’s Haley Mesaros

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

Brendan Casper

Haley Mesaros

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Brendan Casper
Methacton
Basketball

What he has done
Casper reached a personal milestone for his scholastic hoop career last week, reaching the 1,000-point plateau in the Warriors’ win over Boyertown. It capped a big week for the Methacton senior, who had a combined 44 points and 32 rebounds in three games his team won in its bid to go unbeaten in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s regular season.

What he says
“It was nice to have that accomplishment ... get it over before the playoffs started. I knew it was going to be close toward the end of the season. I scored a little more than I was expecting to score.”

GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Haley Mesaros
Pope John Paul II
Girls Basketball

What she has done
Senior wing erupted for a career-high 23 points, highlighted by four 3-pointers, to lead the Golden Panthers to a 56-46 victory over Upper Perkiomen that clinched the Frontier Division title. The 5-foot-7 Mesaros, who missed five games due to a stress fracture in her foot, ranks second on the squad with a 9.8 scoring average.

What she says
“I just try to provide offense and also play good defense and help my teammates.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Jenna Carroll, Methacton, Girls Basketball
Emma Christman, Owen J. Roberts, Girls Swimming
Matt Crider, Owen J. Roberts, Boys Basketball
Dan Downs, Daniel Boone, Boys Basketball
Eva Gerhart, Owen J. Roberts, Girls Swimming
Aubrey Gibbs, Upper Perkiomen, Girls Basketball
Adam Moser, Owen J. Roberts, Wrestling
Morgan Schreiber, Pottsgrove, Boys Swimming
Logan Thorneloe, Perkiomen Valley, Boys Swimming
Jordan Wood, Boyertown, Wrestling

BOYS BASKETBALL: Quick start leads PJP over Phantoms

Phoenixville's Greg Hughes pulls down a rebound in front of Pope John Paul II's Timothy Tadros during Monday's PAC-10 boys basketball game. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

PHOENIXVILLE — Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville both got a taste of boys basketball playoff-atmosphere Monday night in the windup game of their Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season schedules.
A large and loud crowd came out to watch the Golden Panthers and Phantoms battle it out for the PAC-10 Frontier Division title.
Pope John Paul II roared to a 12-0 start at the outset and then staved off Phoenixville’s comeback bid to come away with a 71-62 victory at the Phoenixville Area School District gymnasium.

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