MIDDLE ATLANTIC SPORTS NEWS/LLHoops.com PENNSYLVANIA BOYS BASKETBALL RATINGS

 

PENNSYLVANIA STATE RATINGS

 

FINAL RATINGS

 

April 2 , 2006

 

Philadelphia Episcopal Academy (27-4) (Philadelphia Inter-Ac League)

 

We did not rate the Churchmen this year since 6-9 Mike Yocum repeated his sophomore year when he came to Episcopal. But since North Carolina bound Wayne Ellington 6-4 and Duke bound Gerald Henderson 6-5 are both legit seniors we kept track of them every week.

 

++++Season finished, won Inter-Ac title and beat both Roman and Neumann-Goretti.

 

Henderson scored 667 this year and Ellington had 657 as both went over 2,000.

 

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NEW MEMBERS OF THE 2,000 POINT CLUB:

 

ANYONE KNOW OF ANY WE MISSED PLEASE LET US KNOW.

 

Matt Hilton, Lewistown 2,327

 

Lance Jeter, Beaver Falls 2,243

 

Wayne Ellington, Episcopal - 2,211

 

Tyrone Lewis, Levittown H. S. Truman - 2,211

 

Steve McNees, Shenango 2,192

 

Dan Geriot, Springfield Delco 2,157

 

Adam Highberger, Blairsville 2,109

 

Gerald Henderson, Episcopal - 2,059

 

Zach Hoover, Lebanon Catholic 2,037

 

Patrick Mansell, Cheltenham 1,874 - Close but didnÔt make it.

 

1. Philadelphia St. John Neumann-St. Maria Goretti (22-6) (Philadelphia Cath. League)

 

Defeated Philadelphia Cardinal Dougherty 84-73 in the semifinals and Philadelphia Roman Catholic 44-41 in the championship of the Catholic League tournament. Was not invited to play in the Alhambra National Catholic Invitational.

 

2. Philadelphia Prep Charter (28-5) (Philadelphia Public League-District 12 AA)

 

All year long we had hailed the Huskies as one of the top teams in the state and they were proving us right up until mid-February when they had some internal problems and lost two games during the Public League playoffs. They had trouble winning in the early rounds of the state tournament beating Reading Central Catholic 49-44 after leading by 14 in the third quarter, Southern Columbia 61-49 and Trinity 77-60. And then in the semifinals, they trailed York Catholic most of the way before pulling it out 56-53. There were two sides to the story of those games. Some felt and rightfully so that those teams forced PC to play a style they didnÕt like, except for Trinity, but more important was the fact that their coach Dan Brinkley held them back for fear of getting into foul trouble as had happened last year. Whatever you choose to believe is up to the individual person, but the coach had said if they get to the state final he would not hold back any longer. Well they did not and they used a 55-22 second half to hammer a very strong Beaver Falls team 82-51 and claim the city of PhiladelphiaÕs first state wide title since 1944 when Philadelphia Southeast Catholic (now Neumann-Goretti) won the PCIAA state championship. Philly schools played in that tournament until 1948 when they pulled out. LaSalle bound Rodney Green and Doug Davis led the Huskies with 25pts apiece. Markeiff Morris grabbed 10rebs and his twin brother Marcus had 9rebs in the final.

 

3. Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep (24-5) (Philadelphia Catholic League)

 

Finished third in the Alhambra National Catholic Invitational by defeating Roman Catholic 44-40 for third place. Defeated Arlington Bishop OÕConnell, VA 57-45 in the first round and then lost to Baltimore Mount St. JosephÕs, MD 53-47 in the semifinals. Reggie Redding and Matt Griffin both made second team All-Tournament.

 

4. Lower Merion (28-6) (District 1 AAAA)

 

The Aces defeated previously undefeated Plymouth-Whitemarsh 62-55 in the District 1 semifinals but lost to Chester 83-80 in overtime in the finals. Then in the state tournament they defeated Philadelphia Edison 77-53, Springfield-Delco 66-55 (their third win over Delco) and Lancaster 63-48 to reach the state semifinals and a rematch with Chester who they had lost to twice this season. Lower Merion came from 10 points down, 47-37, to defeat the Clippers 70-65 and reach their second consecutive state final. Schenley started fast and led 8-0 out of the gate, but Ryan Brooks and Greg Williamson had been through to much together to let that bother them and with 8 first quarter points by Brooks the Aces were down only 13-11 at the first stop. LM still trailed 26-22 at the half and fell behind 41-33 late in the third quarter, but then nailed 3 three-pointers in 41 seconds to take a 42-41 lead and went on to a close 60-58 win and the state championship. Brooks led with 22pts and Williamson had 15pts and Greg Robbins scored 13pts.

 

5. Pittsburgh Schenley (30-2) (Pittsburgh City-District 8 AAAA)

 

The Spartans won the Pittsburgh City title by crushing Pittsburgh Allderdice 82-46. In the first round of state tournament play they defeated Bethel Park 77-64, then got by a stall ball game by Chartiers Valley in a 45-23 win and defeated McKeesport 70-58. In the semifinals in a much anticipated game with Harrisburg the Spartans ran away from the Cougars 66-46 to reach the state final, where they were defeated by Lower Merion 60-58 in a game where they were just outplayed in almost every faze of the game. DeJuan Blair and Deandre Kane, off the bench, led with 15pts apiece. Gerald Brooks scored 12pts and D.J. Kennedy had 10pts

 

6. Harrisburg (32-2) (District 3 AAAA)

 

The Cougars rolled to the District 3 championship by defeating Lancaster 70-36 in the semifinals and Red Lion 48-29 in the final. In state play they brushed aside Wissahickon 80-50, Plymouth-Whitemarsh 47-44 and Central Dauphin 82-55 before the much awaited match with Pittsburgh Schenley. But the Cougars had their season cut short as they were overwhelmed by the Spartans 66-46.

 

7. Philadelphia Roman Catholic (26-6) (Philadelphia Catholic League)

 

The Cahillites lost four of their last seven games to drop down in the ratings. Defeated Philadelphia Archbishop Ryan 69-49 in the Catholic League semifinals but was beaten by Neumann-Goretti 44-41 in the championship game. Then in the Alhambra National Catholic Invitational, they defeated Washington St. JohnÕs 60-44 before losing to eventual champion, DeMatha Catholic 65-54 in the semifinals and Philadelphia St. JosephÕs Prep 44-40 for third place. Mike Ringgold made first team All-Tournament, while Bradley Wannamaker made the second team. Roman was riding high and had won the Catholic League South before losing to St. Joe Prep. But they would lose three more the rest of the season..

 

8. Chester (25-8) (District 1 AAAA)

 

Clippers won their fifth consecutive District 1 AAAA championship when they defeated Cheltenham 80-74 in the semifinals and Lower Merion 83-80 in overtime when Karon Burton hit a three at the buzzer. Then in the state tournament they started with a 68-42 win over Penn Manor and a 79-60 win over Bethlehem Liberty. Then in the best game we saw this year defeated Allentown Allen 97-89 to reach the state semifinals. Trying for their third win of the year over Lower Merion they lost a 10-point fourth quarter lead and the game 70-65 to the Aces

 

9. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (28-3) (District 1 AAAA)

 

Lost their undefeated season in the District 1 semifinals when they were defeated 62-55 by Lower Merion. Then lost the third place game to Cheltenham 67-65. Got back on the winning track with a 60-59 first round state win over Pocono Mountain East, but then ended their season with a 47-44 loss to Harrisburg.

 

10. Philadelphia Simon Gratz (24-5) (Philadelphia Public League-District 12)

 

Won the Public League championship with an easier than expected 62-36 win over Communications Tech. But then was upset in the first round of PIAA play by Lancaster 55-53 to end what was supposed to be a deep run in PIAA play..

 

11. Aliquippa (28-3) (District 7 AA)

 

The Quips won the WPIAL AA title by defeating Quaker Valley 81-70 in the semifinals and Pittsburgh Bishop Canevin 57-52 in the championship game. Then in state tournament play they defeated Shenango 83-64 and Johnstown Bishop McCort 76-68 before being upset by Beaver Falls 72-71.

 

12. Allentown Allen (27-5) (District 11 AAAA)

 

Defeated Northampton 78-49 in the District 11 semifinals and Pocono Mountain East 63-47 in the championship game. Opened state tournament play with 73-56 win over Wyoming Valley West and a 72-58 win over Philadelphia University City. Then lost to Chester in my game of the year, 97-89 to finish a great season. .

 

13. Beaver Falls (27-5) (District 7 AA)

 

Defending state champion Tigers made it back again but were overwhelmed in the second half and fell to Philadelphia Prep Charter 82-51, despite 23pts from four year starter Lance Jeter. After being knocked off by Pgh Canevin 57-44 in the WPIAL AA semifinals, Beaver Falls got to their second consecutive state title with wins over Tussey Mountain 75-38, North East 61-49, a 72-71 upset win over Aliquippa and a 71-70 victory over Quaker Valley.

 

14. Franklin (27-5) (District 10 AAA)

 

The Knights never quite made the state ratings during the regular season because they were always behind other District 10 AAA teams. And they lost the D-10 final to General McLane 54-48 after having to go overtime to defeat Erie Strong Vincent 64-56 in the semifinals. But in state play they sailed all the way to the state final, where they defeated Philadelphia Communications Tech, the season long #1 AAA team, 74-63 for the title. Opened state play with a 56-42 win over Hopewell. Then upset Johnstown 63-52, defeated Blue Mountain 65-39 and got back at General McLane 58-52 to reach the final. Franklin was led by 6-5 sr Nate Bynum who scored 22pts in the final, 6-4 sr Jude Urda who had 21pts in the final and 6-4 sr Josh Smith who had 14pts in the championship game..

 

15. Pocono Mountain East (23-5) (District 11 AAAA)

 

Defeated Bethlehem Liberty 40-36 in the District 11 semifinals but then lost for the second time to Allentown Allen 63-47 in the championship game. In the first round of state play, the Cardinals could not hold a big first quarter lead and lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 69-59.

 

 

16. Central Dauphin (28-5) (District 3 AAAA)

 

The Rams were upset in the District 3 semifinals, 55-49 by Red Lion but took third place with an 86-78 overtime win over Lancaster. Then opened state play with a 92-56 thumping of Levittown Harry Truman and a 51-47 win over Hollidaysburg. But the season ended with an 82-55 lost to Harrisburg.

 

 

17. Philadelphia Communications Tech (29-4) Phila. Public League-District 12 AAA)

 

The Phoenix lost to Simon Gratz 62-36 in the Public League Championship game. But then made it all the way to Hershey for the AAA state championship to become the first ever Philadelphia Public League school to play in a state final. To get there they defeated Upper Moreland 67-47, Crestwood 63-52, Oxford 69-53 and West Perry 66-60. But they could not bring home the gold as they lost to Franklin 74-63 to come in second.

 

18. Lancaster (25-9) (AAAA)

 

Red Tornado finished fourth in District 3 by losing to Harrisburg 70-36 in the semifinals and Central Dauphin 86-78 in the third place game. But then had a strong showing in state play with a 55-53 win over Philadelphia Simon Gratz and a 46-43 win over Cheltenham. Their season finally ended in a 63-48 loss to eventual state champion Lower Merion It was the exact same score they lost to the AceÔs on December 3.

 

19. Cheltenham (25-6) (District 1 AAAA)

 

The Panthers lost 80-74 to Chester in the District 1 semifinals, but then took third place with a 67-65 win over Plymouth-Whitemarsh. In state tournament play they opened with a 71-58 win over Philadelphia Southern but then lost to Lancaster 46-43.

 

20. Johnstown (25-4) (District AAA)

 

Won the District 6 AAA championship with wins over Bellefonte 69-60 and Indian Valley 69-56. Opened state tournament play with a 67-51 romp over Laurel Highlands. Then lost to eventual state champion, Franklin 63-52 in their quest to get back to Hershey.

 

21. Philadelphia Cardinal Dougherty (21-6) (Philadelphia Catholic League)

 

The Cardinals season ended with an 84-73 loss to Philadelphia Neumann-Goretti in the semifinals of the Philadelphia Catholic League tournament.

 

22. Elk County Catholic (33-0) (District 9 A)

 

Rarely do we end up with a Class A team rated this high, but this team deserved it and maybe they are even better than #22. ECC raced through the state tournament with big wins over Leechburg 81-49, Southern Fulton 77-53, Kennedy Catholic 67-34 (this one really opened non believers eyes), powerful Blairsville 77-52 and then in the final Scranton Bishop Hannan 71-61. They not only electrified the Giant Center with their team, but also with their fans. There was 9200+ in the place for that double-header and probably five or six were from St. MaryÕs or at least they had the yellow of the Crusaders. Jesse Bosnik, who scored 39pts in the semifinal win over Blairsville led the way with 22pts. Kevin Genevro added 20pts and Josh Salter came off the bench to scored 17pts and delighted the crowd with 2 nice dunks.

 

 

23. Quaker Valley (23-8) (District 7 AA)

 

The Quakers were led by 5-10 sr Amir Johnson and 6-5 sr Ryann Bradford. Johnson missed nearly a quarter of the season with an injury and the Quakers lost five games in his absence. But with him back in the lineup late in the season they lost only to Bishop Canevin, Aliquippa and Beaver Falls. They lost to Aliquippa 81-70 for the WPIAL championship. Then in state play they defeated Westmont-Hilltop 61-51, Jeannette 80-62, avenged the loss to Bishop Canevin with a 56-46 win before losing in the semifinals to Beaver Falls 71-70.

 

24. General McLane (26-5) (District 10 AAA)

 

Won the District 10 championship with a 54-48 victory over eventual state champion, Franklin. Then in state play they defeated Knoch 64-59, Thomas Jefferson 74-35 and Moon 58-57 before losing in the semifinals to Franklin 58-52 to end their season. Their starters were: 5-10 sr Ben Swank, 6-1 sr Chris Orr, 5-9 jr Bob Stauffer, 5-9 jr Drew Astorino and 6-2 soph Shawn Walker.

 

 

25. Springfield-Delco (24-7) (District 1 AAAA)

 

Led by Richmond bound 6-8 sr Dan Geriot the Cougars suffered three of their losses to AAAA state champion, Lower Merion. They also held one win over the Aces. After losing to LM in the District 1 quarterfinals, the Cougars took fifth place by beating Truman 74-60 and Pennsbury 70-69 in overtime. They defeated Hazleton Area 58-50 in the first round of state play but then had their season ended by Lower Merion 66-55 in the second round.

 

26. Pittsburgh Bishop Canevin (26-5) (District 7 AA)

 

The Crusaders led by 6-5 sr Antonio DiMaria upset Beaver Falls 55-44 in the WPIAL AA semifinals but were then defeated in the final by Aliquippa 57-52. They opened PIAA play with victories over Farrell 64-56 and Bald Eagle Area 44-33. But then were defeated by Quaker Valley 56-46 to end their season.

 

27. Crestwood (27-3) (District 2 AAA)

 

The Comets defeated Wyoming Area 53-43 in the District 2 AAA semifinals and won the title with a 52-44 victory over Scranton Prep. Opened state play with a 48-41 win over Milton, but lost in the second round to Philadelphia Communications Tech 63-52.

 

28. Moon (24-6) (District 7 AAA)

 

The Tigers defeated Thomas Jefferson.74-60 in the WPIAL AAA semifinals then won the title with a 51-50 victory over Hampton. Defeated Erie Strong Vincent 65-60 in first round of state tournament play. Then belted Bradford 66-45 before losing to General McLane 58-57.

 

29. Bethlehem Liberty (23-8) (District 11 AAAA)

 

The Hurricanes defeated Allentown Allen twice during the regular season but other losses to lesser teams kept them out of the ratings. But they pushed Pocono Mountain East to the limit before losing 40-36 in the District 11 semifinals. They took third place and a trip to the state tournament with a 58-45 win over Northampton. In the state tournament they topped Red Lion 63-55 and pushed Chester for three quarters before losing 79-60. Four of their top players were 6-3 sr Brien Ruyak, 6-4 sr Ali Davis, 5-11 sr David Lasko and 5-11 sophomore Trevor VanAckeren.

 

30. Red Lion (28-3) (District 3 AAAA)

 

The Lions upset Central Dauphin 55-49 in the District 3 AAAA semifinals, then finished second to Harrisburg losing 48-29 in the final. They then bowed out of state play in the first round losing to Bethlehem Liberty 66-58.

 

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