Things to watch in Bucks County area boys basketball playoffs, plus vote in postseason poll
With the boys basketball playoffs getting underway, there are plenty of questions to be answered over the next six weeks.
We take a look at six things to watch for in the Bucks County area during the postseason.
But, first, don't forget to vote in our postseason poll until it closes Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m.
How many Bucks County area teams will qualify for the PIAA state playoffs?
Led by high-scoring senior tandem Jalil Bethea and Josh Reed, Archbishop Wood, which reached the Class 6A state semifinals out of District 12, should be formidable again if it can get out of the loaded 6A Philadelphia Catholic League/district field.
Suburban One League Colonial Division champion Central Bucks East (7th seed at districts), Patriot Division champ Bensalem (8th seed), SOL Colonial runner-up Central Bucks West (11th seed) and SOL Liberty second-placer Abington (9th seed) would appear to have the best chances of being among the 12 teams advancing to states in District One Class 6A. William Tennent (No. 18), Council Rock South (20), North Penn (21) and Pennsbury (No. 22) could also be dangerous in the 24-team District One playoffs.
No 8 seed Upper Moreland and No. 9 Holy Ghost Prep, who open districts against each other Friday in Willow Grove, could be in the hunt for one of the six spots in 5A and top-seeded Dock Mennonite is again solid in 2A despite significant graduation losses from its state-quarterfinal squad last season.
A year ago, five Bucks County area teams qualified for states. Archbishop Wood (third in District 12 6A), Central Bucks East (fifth in District One 6A), North Penn (eighth in District One 6A), Holy Ghost Prep (sixth in District One 5A) and Dock Mennonite (District One 2A champions) advanced to states, while George School reached the championship game of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) tournament.
I'll say we end up with four teams at states this season.
Will Bensalem's success in close games pay off in playoffs?
The Bensalem Owls had a knack for making big shots/plays at crunch time, as evidenced by their 5-1 record in games decided by three points or less in the regular season. One example was senior Antonio Morris' 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Bensalem a 50-47 victory over CB West. That helped Ron Morris' team finish 14-2 in the SOL Patriot Division, including Colonial Division crossover games (18-5 overall), and capture its third title in five years.
If the Owls are in a tight contest, their confidence from previous late-game success could be a factor.
More: Boys Basketball: Pairings, results, recaps for the District One tournament
Who will be the surprise teams in District One 6A to make states?
Neshaminy, the No. 17 seed featuring seniors Emeer Coombs and Nate Townsend, would appear to be one candidate. Mark Tingle's team, defeated SOL Patriot champion Bensalem, as well as SOL Colonial champ CB East and SOL Tournament finalist CB West in SOL crossover play.
SOL, PCL boys tournament info: See matchups, scores, recaps from Suburban One League, Catholic League playoffs
A year ago, it was 17th seed West Chester Henderson (10th at districts) and No. 21 Haverford High, which secured the 12th and final spot, making the state tourney.
What to make of the Suburban One League Tournament?
Top seed Upper Dublin, the only 5A school in the eight-team tourney, prevailed in Tuesday's championship game over Central Bucks West 49-43 at Holy Family. The Cardinals were solid in all three tournament victories and could be a real factor in the District One playoffs.
The tourney began with Friday's first-round games:
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No. 1 Upper Dublin defeated No. 8 Neshaminy 71-46,
No. 2 CB East topped No. 7 Plymouth Whitemarsh 62-56,
No. 6 CB West edged No. 3 Bensalem 56-53 and
No. 5 Abington downed No. 4 Cheltenham 70-57.
That produced Saturday's semifinals of No. 6 CB West getting past rival/No. 3 seed CB East 59-49 and No. 1 Upper Dublin upending No. 5 Abington 58-41.
West making the final as a No. 6 seed and downing a pair of SOL division champions (Bensalem, CB East) was impressive and should boost the Bucks confidence heading into districts.
What about the Philadelphia Catholic League championships?
The PCL is deep and formidable.
Three teams tied for first place with 11-2 league records — Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Wood, which has won nine in a row. Archbishop Ryan and St. Joe's Prep were right behind at 10-3.
The PCL playoffs started Wednesday, with the quarterfinals Friday, the semifinals Feb. 21 at the Palestra and the final Feb. 26 also at the Palestra. Third-seeded Wood hosts No. 6 Father Judge in a Friday quarterfinal.
Can Jake Cummiskey of CB East get the school scoring record?
Senior guard Jake Cummiskey moved to 1,256 career points after scoring 13 in Saturday's 59-49 SOL Tournament semifinal loss to rival Central Bucks West. He needs 105 to break the East all-time record of 1,360 points set by 1992 graduate Brian Penecale. Cummiskey is averaging 16 points per game this year.
The more games East plays in the postseason, the better Cummiskey's chances to catch Penecale. A year ago, the Patriots played a total of eight — four district playoff contests and one at states after three games on the way to the SOL Tournament final.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County area teams to watch in boys basketball 2024 playoffs
