Hoops Heaven

Now this is what I call March Madness.

No, not Villanova or Temple.

In Delaware County, that means high school hoops. And we’re about to enter unchartered water when it comes to excellent in high school basketball.

This weekend Delco will be represented by no less than four high school teams seeking state titles – including two from the same school.

Both the Archbishop Carroll boys and girls teams will be seeking AAA titles. The boys will face Greensburg Salem Friday night; the girls tangle with Lampeter Strasburg Saturday night.

Then there’s the O’Hara girls, who will seek a AAAA crown Friday night when they face off with Mount Lebanon.

The crowning moment of the weekend could come Saturday night when Penn Wood looks to keep the AAAA title in Delco (Chester won it last year) when they play Wiliam Penn at 8 p.m.

All games will be played at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State.

I’ve been scratching my head trying to recall if the same school has ever won both boys and girls titles. You would think maybe one of the powerful Pittsburgh schools such as Schenley High might have done it at some point.

Also of note is that this marks the first year Philadelphia Catholic League teams have competed in the PIAA Tournament. All they managed to do is put three teams in the state finals, between the two Carroll teams and the O’Hara girls.

Finally, there is this. Has one county ever had four teams seeking state titles? It just might be an unmatched level of high school excellence. But it comes as no real surprise here in Delaware County, where hoops roots run deep, from the playgrounds and CYO Leagues of Drexel Hill to the unmatched excellence of the roundball played in Chester.

If you can answer any of these questions, feel free to post a response.

In the meantime, the NCAA will have to wait. For this weekend, Delaware County is in high school hoops heaven.

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