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HERE WE GO!!!
H.S. BOYS' BASKETBALL: Blankenhorn, Yordy, Miller named all-stateBy
Staff Reports Published: April 3, 2015
In the process, the trio helped take their programs to new
heights. For their performances, the three were rewarded with selections to the 2014-15 Pennsylvania
Sports Writers’ All-State Boys’ Basketball teams. The team was released Thursday
by the Associated Press. All three were named to the third team in their respective classes —
Blankenhorn in Class AAA, Yordy in Class A and Miller in Class AA. It is the first all-state selection
for each. “I was pretty excited,” Blankenhorn said when he found out by Twitter. “It
was definitely an accomplishment. It is good for Pottsville, too. Most of the players on the team were from Philadelphia and
knowing I was right up there with them is a good feeling.” Blankenhorn, a 6-foot-2 senior
forward, finished the season averaging 16.6 points (482 total), 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Crimson Tide.
He also hit 69 percent (80-for-116) from the foul line, 46 3-pointers and became one of Pottville’s
best defensive players. “I was more of an all-around player than in year’s past,”
Blankenhorn said. Blankenhorn’s season high was 30 points against Tamaqua on Jan. 5. He averaged 15.9 points per game during Crimson Tide’s seven postseason contests, including 28 against Valley
View in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs March 6, a 63-37 Pottsville win. Blankenhorn
finished his career with 1,588 career points, second on the Pottsville’s boys’ all-time list behind Nick Schlitzer
(1,884). The Crimson Tide went 28-1 overall this past winter, winning their sixth consecutive
Schuylkill League Division I title, fifth overall league championship in six years, and first District 11 Class AAA title
since 2010. Pottsville finished the season ranked No. 6 in Pennsylvania in Class AAA in the final
Pennlive.com rankings and had a 28-game winning streak, longest in program history, snapped with a 44-37 loss to Susquehanna
Township in the second round of the PIAA playoffs March 10. Yordy found out he made the team at
12:30 p.m. Thursday when he got a text from Panther Valley graduate Jake Szczecina. Yordy was pleasantly surprised. “I put a hard work in and I am happy to see it pay off,” Yordy said. Yordy
has been pouring in points since he was a sophomore and earned his third consecutive overall league scoring title this past
winter, averaging 22.4 points per game. The 6-2 senior guard also hit 55 3-pointers and shot 65 percent (77-of-119) from the
foul line on the year. Yordy scored a season-high 39 on Dec. 15 during 69-68 win over North Pocono
on Dec. 15. He also put up 30 or more points in a game three other times, including 34 against a normally stingy Mahanoy Area
defense during a 52-50 Hilltoppers’ victory Feb. 6. Yordy also come through in the postseason,
averaging 16.7 points per game as Nativity (15-10) reached the District 11 Class A championship game and appeared in PIAA
playoffs for the first time since 2007. “It was a good season and making states was a good
accomplishment,” Yordy said. “This is good recognition for our school, too.” He
finished his career with 1,729 points and is currently second on the Hilltoppers’ all-time boys’ list behind Kevin
Cuff. Points wise, Miller had the best season of the three. The 6-foot
guard averaged 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, two assists and 1.9 steals per game. Miller scored a season-high 41 against Lancaster
Country Day on Jan. 13 and cracked 30 or more points in a game eight times this season. He also knocked down 93 3-pointers
on the year and was 83-for-125 (66 percent) from the foul line. Miller was named the Tri-Valley
League Player of the Year and led the Trojans (20-5) to their first overall league title since 2008. He
currently has 1,115 career points. Philadelphia schools swept on-court victories in all four of
last month’s PIAA boys’ basketball championships, and dominated again on the all-state teams. Each of four players of the year selected calls the greater Philadelphia area home. Three of the four men chosen
as coaches of the year also front Philadelphia-based programs. And while players from PIAA programs
were eligible to be chosen and honored by the panel, players from non-PIAA schools also were eligible for selection. Just 12 months after claiming Class AA player of the year honors, Constitution’s Ahmad Gilbert was tagged Class
A’s top performer after averaging 17.6 points per game for Robert Moore’s Generals (24-8). Gilbert scored 28 points
and grabbed 11 rebounds as Constitution defeated Farrell 85-53 for its second straight state title. Constitution
won state gold for the third time in four years. Joining Gilbert on the Class A first team are
his Constitution teammate Kimar Williams, Samir Doughty of Math, Civics & Sciences, Brandon Martinazzi of Bishop Carroll,
Malik Miller of Farrell and Nate Sestina of Cameron County. Doughty is a repeat first-team selection,
while Williams and Gilbert landed first-team recognition at the Class AA level. Moore, the Class
AA Coach of the Year following the 2013-14 season, was tagged the Class A Coach of the Year this time around. Although Neumann-Goretti captured its second consecutive Class AAA championship with a 69-67 victory over Philadelphia
Catholic League rival Archbishop Carroll — the Saints have won five of the last six — Carroll’s Derrick
Jones was named Class AAA Player of the Year. The 6-7 Jones, who signed in November with UNLV,
capped his run of five straight double-doubles in state tournament play by popping Neumann-Goretti with a 30 point, 18 rebound
performance. It still wasn’t enough. Jones averaged 19.3 ppg for Paul Romanczuk’s
Patriots, finishing his career as the Radnor school’s all-time leading scorer. Joining Jones
on Class AAA’s first team are Milik Gantz of Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, the Neumann-Goretti duo of Quade Green and
Lamarr Kimble, Nehemiah Mack of Susquehanna Township and Daron Russell of Imhotep Charter. Jones
and Mack were the lone first-team repeat selections. Indiana’s Greg Lezanic, who piloted
the Little Indians to a 25-3 record and their first WPIAL championship, was named Class AAA Coach of the Year. Roman Catholic junior lead guard Tony Carr, whose stat line (14 points,5 rebounds,6 assists) was a major reason why
the Cahillites turned back Martin Luther King 62-45 in the title game, was tagged Class AAAA’s Player of the Year. The 6-4 Carr is uncommitted, but holds scholarship offers from George Washington, La Salle, Maryland, Penn State,
Rhode Island and Temple. He averaged 12.8 ppg for Chris McNesby’s club. Joining Carr on
Class AAAA’s first team are Levan Alston of Haverford School, Chris Clover of St. Joseph’s Prep, Sammy Foreman
of Martin Luther King, Matty McConnell of Chartiers Valley and Jahaad Proctor of Harrisburg. McNesby,
who guided the Cahillites to a 29-2 record and the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, was named Class AAAA’s
Coach of the Year. Conwell-Egan’s Stevie Jordan, who pocketed 21 points in the Eagles’
62-51 conquest of Aliquippa in the Class AA title game, was named the Class AA Player of the Year. The 5-10 Jordan, just a
junior, averaged 16.8 ppg. Joining Jordan on the Class AA first team are Jair Bolden of Westtown,
Nelly Cummings of Lincoln Park Charter, De’Andre Hunter of Friends Central, Stephon McGinnis of Aliquippa and Trey Staunch
of West Middlesex. Frank Sciolla was tagged Class AA’s Coach of the Year after leading Conwell-Egan
(21-8) to its first state championship. Conwell-Egan had never won a postseason basketball game in 51 seasons, but won six
in a three-week span. HARRISBURG — The 2014-15 Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ All-State
Boys’ Basketball teams, including each player’s school, height, class and scoring average. CLASS AAAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tony Carr, Philadelphia Roman Catholic COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris McNesby, Philadelphia Roman Catholic FIRST TEAM Levan “Shawn” Alston, Haverford School, 6-4, sr, 19.4 ppg Tony Carr, Philadelphia
Roman Catholic, 6-4, jr, 12.8 ppg Chris Clover, St. Joseph’s Prep, 6-3, sr, 20.7 ppg Sammy Foreman, Martin Luther King, 6-1, sr, 14.2 ppg Matty McConnell, Chartiers Valley,
6-2, sr, 29.5 ppg Jahaad Proctor, Harrisburg, 6-3, sr, 24.4 ppg SECOND
TEAM Cole Constantino, North Allegheny, 6-2, sr, 23.4 ppg Kobe Gantz,
J.P. McCaskey, 6-4, jr, 17.8 ppg Kason Harrell, Hempfield (D-7), 6-2, sr, 25.2 ppg Amir Hinton, Abington, 6-4, sr, 19.8 ppg Lamar Stevens, Haverford School, 6-7, jr, 18.3
ppg Lonnie Walker IV, Reading, 6-4, so, 17.0 ppg Derrick Woods, Pennsbury,
6-8, sr, 16.3 ppg THIRD TEAM Nazeer Bostick, Philadelphia Roman Catholic,
6-3, jr, 12.5 ppg Luke Connaghan, Archbishop Wood, 6-5, sr, 19.0 ppg Ramon
Creighton, Taylor Allderdice, 6-1, jr, 12.0 ppg Jonny David, Mount Lebanon, 6-2, sr, 18.5 ppg Gemil Holbrook, Philadelphia Roman Catholic, 6-4, sr, 13.9 ppg David Krmpotich, La Salle
College, 6-7, sr, 13.7 ppg Jahaire Wilson, York William Penn, 6-4, sr, 18.1 ppg CLASS AAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR:Derrick Jones, Archbishop Carroll COACH OF THE YEAR: Greg Lezanic, Indiana FIRST TEAM Milik
Gantz, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 6-4, sr, 18.3 ppg Quade Green, Neumann-Goretti, 5-11, so, 17.8
ppg Derrick Jones, Archbishop Carroll, 6-7, sr, 19.3 ppg Lamarr “Fresh”
Kimble, Neumann-Goretti, 6-0, sr, 14.5 ppg Nehemiah “Bud” Mack, Susquehanna Twp.,
6-0, jr, 14.1 ppg Daron Russell, Imhotep Charter, 5-10, so, 16.5 ppg SECOND
TEAM Sam Allen, Lewisburg, 6-8, jr, 21.9 ppg Tarojae Brake, Octorara,
6-2, sr, 22.5 ppg Daylon Carter, Ambridge, 6-4, sr, 24.0 ppg John
Castello, Mars, 6-5 jr, 17.8 ppg Zane Martin, Neumann-Goretti, 6-2, jr, 16.5 ppg Riley Stapleton, Indiana, 6-4, sr, 13.1 ppg THIRD TEAM Travis
Blankenhorn, Pottsville, 6-2, sr, 16.6 ppg Josh Creach, Beaver Falls, 6-6, so, 17.7 ppg DaShon Giddings, Delaware Valley Charter, 6-4, sr, 16.5 ppg Donovan Jeter, Beaver Falls,
6-5, so, 17.5 ppg Dom Keyes, Steel Valley, 6-7, sr, 19.4 ppg David
Morris, Erie Strong Vincent, 6-1, so, 20.1 ppg Tim Rose, Scranton Prep, 6-0, sr, 15.2 ppg Josh Sharkey, Archbishop Carroll, 5-10 jr, 12.4 ppg CLASS AA PLAYER
OF THE YEAR: Stevie Jordan, Conwell-Egan COACH OF THE YEAR:Frank Sciolla, Conwell-Egan FIRST TEAM Jair Bolden, Westtown, 6-4, jr, 17.0 ppg Nelly
Cummings, Lincoln Park Charter, 6-0, so, 24.5 ppg De’Andre Hunter, Friends Central, 6-7,
jr, 20.8 ppg Stevie Jordan, Conwell-Egan, 5-10, jr, 16.8 ppg Stephon
McGinnis, Aliquippa, 5-9, sr, 17.0 ppg Trey Staunch, West Middlesex, 6-5, sr, 23.6 ppg SECOND TEAM Kyle Datres, Loyalsock Twp., 5-10, sr, 10.2 ppg Noah
Davis, Bellwood-Antis, 6-3, jr, 24.7 ppg Tim Guers, Germantown Academy, 6-3, sr, 16.4 ppg Jason Kenny, Mid Valley, 6-2, sr, 21.4 ppg LaPri McCray-Pace, Conwell-Egan, 6-2, jr,
11.4 ppg Ryan Norkus, Seton-La Salle, 6-3, sr, 18.1 ppg Kody Trude,
West Branch, 6-4, jr, 21.4 ppg THIRD TEAM Julian Collazo, Lancaster
Mennonite, 6-0 sr, 23.2 ppg Vinny Dalessandro, Conwell-Egan, 6-7, jr, 10.5 ppg Austin Gilbertson, Camp Hill Trinity, 6-2, so, 17.8 ppg Sam Lindgren, Germantown Academy,
6-6, sr, 12.6 ppg Matthew “Mookie” Miller, Upper Dauphin, 6-1, jr, 24.1 ppg Romano Sebastiani, Greensburg Central Catholic, 6-4, sr, 22.7 ppg Ben Sosa, Loyalsock
Twp., 6-2, sr, 15.9 ppg CLASS A PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ahmad Gilbert,
Constitution COACH OF THE YEAR:Robert Moore, Constitution FIRST TEAM Samir Doughty, Math, Civics & Sciences, 6-4, sr, 24.5 ppg Ahmad Gilbert, Constitution, 6-7, sr, 17.6 ppg Brandon Martinazzi, Bishop Carroll, 5-9,
sr, 22.4 ppg Malik Miller, Farrell, 6-3, jr, 20.0 ppg Nate Sestina,
Cameron County, 6-8, sr, 21.5 ppg Kimar Williams, Constitution, 6-1, sr, 16.2 ppg SECOND TEAM Chad Andrews-Fulton, Constitution, 6-7, sr, 11.0 ppg Julian
Batts, Jeannette, 5-11, sr, 22.4 ppg Caesar DeJesus, Goodling Impact Academy, 6-3, sr, 23.4 ppg Dane Jackson, Cornell, 6-1, sr, 28.0 ppg Sagaba Konate, Kennedy Catholic, 6-8, jr, 16.1
ppg Tyerell Mann, Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg, 6-4, sr, 23.0 ppg Lavelle
Rush, Monessen, 6-1, jr, 18.1 ppg THIRD TEAM Kevin Anderson, St. John
Neumann, 6-1, so, 19.1 ppg Michael Bryja, Portage, 6-4, sr, 20.5 ppg Bo
Burleigh, North Penn-Mansfield, 6-2, sr, 18.3 ppg Juwan Gooding, Goodling Impact Academy, 6-0,
sr, 23.8 ppg R.J. Laugand, Clarion-Limestone, 5-11, sr, 17.6 ppg Nasza
Short, St. John Neumann, 6-2, sr, 18.9 ppg Jeff Yordy, Pottsville Nativity, 6-2, sr, 22.4 ppg
Super 16 Basketball Final Countdown 2015Posted 6:17 pm, January 2, 2014, by Jim Coles, Updated at 05:49pm, March 23, 2015 
BOYS RANKINGS: | RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANK | | 1 | Pottsville | 28-1 | 1 | | 2 | Scranton
Prep | 24-4 | 2 | | 3 | Loyalsock | 26-4 | 3 | | 4 | Mid Valley | 25-5 | – | | 5 | Abington Hts. | 23-4 | 5 | | 6 | St. John Neumann | 26-2 | 6 | | 7 | Notre Dame ES | 22-3 | 7 | | 8 | Milton | 22-6 | 4 |
PENN LIVE RANKINGS - March
23, 2015
Neumann-Goretti claims another PIAA Class AAA boys' basketball title, finishes No. 1 in PennLive rankings
2014 PennLive Boys' Basketball RankingsGuess the fine folks at Philadelphia’s
Neumann-Goretti High School never get tired of hanging state championship banners somewhere in their gymnasium. Hey,
who would? Carl Arrigale’s remarkably successful boys’ hoops program brought home yet another PIAA Class
AAA crown Friday night, adding more gold following a 69-67 victory over Archbishop Carroll at Hershey’s Giant Center. They’ll
also end the season at No. 1 in PennLive’s Class AAA rankings. As for the latest Class AAA championship, it was
the second straight and fifth in six seasons for Arrigale’s talented Saints. Zane Martin poured in 26 points and
Vaughn Covington added 17 for Neumann-Goretti, which trailed 27-24 at the halftime break. Arrigale’s Saints also picked
up 14 points from Quade Green and 10 more from Saint Joseph’s recruit Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble. UNLV recruit
Derrick Jones posted his fifth double-double in as many state tournament games, scoring 30 points and grabbing 18 rebounds
to lead Archbishop Carroll. Brief glimpses of our top 10 appear below, with PIAA district, this season’s overall
record and the past week’s mark displayed in parentheses. 1. Neumann-Goretti (12,
29-2, 2-0) — previous ranking: 1 Recent results:
Carl Arrigale’s Saints successfully defended the PIAA Class AAA championship they captured in 2014 by defeating Imhotep
Charter 75-67 and Archbishop Carroll 69-67. Notables:
Zane Martin (19.5 ppg), Vaughn Covington (19.0 ppg), Quade Green (16.5 ppg) and Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble (10.0 ppg)
enjoyed productive weeks for N-G. Martin popped a 26-point salvo in the championship game.
Week ahead: Season complete. 2. Archbishop Carroll (12, 23-7, 1-1) —
previous ranking: 2 Recent results: Paul Romanczuk’s Patriots
decked Cathedral Prep 59-32, but tumbled to Neumann-Goretti 69-67 in the state title game.
Notables: Sensational UNLV recruit Derrick Jones popped double-doubles in his last two high school games, belting
Cathedral Prep with 22 points and 22 boards and registering 30 points and 18 rebounds against Neumann-Goretti.
Week ahead: Season complete. 3. Imhotep Charter (12, 22-10, 0-1) —
previous ranking: 3 Recent results: Andre Noble’s Panthers
fell in the state semis, dropping a 75-67 decision to eventual champ Neumann-Goretti.
Notables: Daron Russell rang up a game-high 27 points in the loss to Neumann-Goretti for Noble’s Panthers.
DeAnte Robinson added 10. Week ahead: Season
complete. 4. Bishop McDevitt (3, 22-6, 0-0) — previous ranking: 5
Recent results: Season ended March 13 in state quarterfinals. 5.
Susquehanna Twp. (3, 22-7, 0-0) — previous ranking: 6
Recent results: Season ended March 13 in state quarterfinals. 6. Pottsville (11,
28-1, 0-0) — previous ranking: 10 Recent
results: Season ended March 10 in second round of state playoffs. 7. Scranton Prep (2, 24-4, 0-0)
— previous ranking: OW Recent results: Season ended March
10 in second round of state playoffs. 8. Cathedral Prep (10, 22-7, 0-1) —
previous ranking: 4 Recent results: Mark Majewski’s Ramblers
suffered a 59-32 setback to Archbishop Carroll in the state semifinals.
Notables: Matt Colpoys netted 12 points in the loss to Carroll.
Week ahead: Season complete. 9. Mars (7, 26-3, 0-0) — previous
ranking: 7 Recent results: Season ended March 13 in state quarterfinals. 10.
Beaver Falls (7, 23-4, 0-0) — previous ranking: 8
Recent results: Season ended March 10 in second round of state playoffs. Checked in: No.7
Scranton Prep. Checked out: Previous No. 9 New Castle. OTHERS TO WATCH: Allentown
Central Catholic (11) 17-11, Ambridge (7) 17-9, Audenried (12) 16-6, GAR Memorial (2) 21-6, Glen Mills (1) 18-8, Hampton (7)
20-7, Indiana (7) 25-3, Manheim Central (3) 25-5, New Castle (7) 22-6, Octorara (1) 25-3, South Fayette (7) 19-7, Steel-High
(3) 23-6, Strong Vincent (10) 17-9, Tamaqua (11) 21-7.
FINAL PA Class AAA High School
Basketball Rankings- Rankings updated: Monday & Thursday, Last update: 3/22/15..
Pottsville-Valley View State AAA Playoff
Pottsville-ACC District XI AAA Championship
Pottsville - Tamaqua - District XI Playoff
Super 16 Basketball Countdown 2015 Week NinePosted 6:17 pm, January 2, 2014, by Jim Coles, Updated at 06:56pm, March 2, 2015
BOYS RANKINGS: | RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANK | | 1 | Pottsville | 28-0 | 1 | | 2 | Scranton
Prep | 23-3 | 2 | | 3 | Loyalsock | 23-3 | 3 | | 4 | Milton | 22-5 | 5 | | 5 | Abington Hts. | 22-3 | 6 | | 6 | St. John Neumann | 24-1 | 7 | | 7 | Notre Dame ES | 22-2 | 8 | | 8 | Shamokin | 19-8 | – |
Neumann-Goretti still No. 1 in PennLive's Class AAA boys' basketball rankings; Octorara checks in at No. 9 Dave Mullaney and his Pottsville Crimson Tide, which captured the District
11-AAA title last week, enter the state playoffs as the lone Class AAA unbeaten. (Mark Pynes, PennLive.com) By Michael Bullock | mbullock@pennlive.com
on March 02, 2015 12:00 PM, updated March 02, 2015 2:12 PM 2014 PennLive Boys' Basketball RankingsAbout to begin its pursuit of a
second straight PIAA Class AAA championship — and a fourth title in five seasons — Neumann-Goretti will initiate
its gold-plated quest as the No. 1 team in PennLive’s Class AAA boys’ basketball rankings. And while the
record books show that Carl Arrigale’s Saints actually suffered a rare setback last week, that loss came in the Philadelphia
Catholic League championship game against Roman Catholic, the same team that bested N-G earlier. Since Roman sits No.
1 in PennLive’s Class AAAA rankings, we’re not going to punish a program that rebounded several days later with
a win over No. 3 Imhotep. Recent close results aside, Arrigale’s club has been tested heading into states and
should be prepped and ready for another title chase. We’re about to find out. With Susquehanna
Twp. moving out of the top 10 following a 64-59 loss to OW Steel-High in the District 3-AAA semis, Octorara moves in at No.
9 after capturing the District 1-AAA championship with three wins in five days. Five programs — Scranton Prep,
Pottsville, Indiana, Beaver Falls and New Castle — climbed one rung each to close the gap left by Susquehanna Twp. District
3-AAA champ Steel-High also drew strong consideration for a top 10 berth until that vacancy was filled by Gene Lambert’s
Braves. Brief glimpses of our top 10 appear below, with PIAA district, this season’s overall record and
the past week’s mark displayed in parentheses. 1. Neumann-Goretti (12, 24-2, 1-1)
— previous ranking: 1 Recent results: Carl Arrigale’s
Saints had 14-game winning streak and string of six consecutive Philly Catholic League titles snapped by loss to Roman Catholic
(64-59) in PCL championship. Rebounded with 77-74 triumph over No. 3 Imhotep Charter in District 12-AAA final that delivered
to Arrigale his 400th career win.
Notables: Quade Green pocketed 25 points — including a last-second trey that decided the outcome — in
Neumann-Goretti’s victory over Imhotep. Green also bagged 21 points in the loss to Roman.
Week ahead: Friday vs. OW Gettysburg in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Philadelphia’s
Archbishop Ryan High School. 2. Archbishop Carroll (12, 19-6, 1-0) — previous
ranking: 2 Recent results: Paul Romanczuk’s powerful Patriots
pocketed District 12-AAA’s third seed by pounding Audenried 71-46 in the third-place game.
Notables: UNLV recruit Derrick Jones (20), Ryan Daly (13) and David Beatty (12) shared 45 points in Carroll’s
latest success. Week ahead: Friday vs. No.
9 Octorara in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Harriton High School in Rosemont. 3. Imhotep
Charter (12, 19-9, 0-1) — previous ranking: 3
Recent results: Imhotep Charter dropped a 77-74 decision to No. 1 Neumann-Goretti in the District 12-AAA
title game on a last-second shot. Notables:
Daron Russell racked up 21 points for Andre Noble’s Panthers, while DeAnte Robinson finished with 18 and Jaekwon Carlyle
added 12. Week ahead: Friday vs. OW Berks
Catholic in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor. 4.
Scranton Prep (2, 23-3, 2-0) — previous ranking: 5
Recent results: Make it 10 straight victories for Andrew Kettel’s Cavaliers, who rode lopsided
conquests of then-OW Honesdale (95-44) and OW GAR Memorial (88-55) to the District 2-AAA championship.
Notables: Bobby Casey (22.5 ppg), Binghamton recruit Tim Rose (17.5 ppg) and Matt Bednarz (14.5 ppg) enjoyed productive
weeks for Prep. Week ahead: Friday vs. OW
Shamokin in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Scranton’s Lackawanna College. 5.
Pottsville (11, 27-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 6
Recent results: Dave Mullaney’s unbeaten Crimson Tide closed out their march to the District
11-AAA championship by turning back OW Tamaqua (50-35) and OW Allentown Central Catholic (57-47).
Notables: Eli Nabholz pocketed 19 points to lead Pottsville past ACC, while Travis Blankenhorn rang up 20 as the
Tide bested Tamaqua for the fourth time.
Week ahead: Friday vs. Valley View in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Blue Mountain High School
in Orwigsburg. 6. Indiana (7, 24-2, 2-0) — previous ranking: 7
Recent results: Greg Lezanic’s Indians captured the school’s
first WPIAL hoops championship by edging then-No. 8 Beaver Falls (62-61) in the title game. They also knocked off OW Ambridge
(54-45) in the semifinals. Notables: Riley
Stapleton’s finish with 1.5 seconds remaining — off an off-balance dish from his brother, Dylan — delivered
Indiana its WPIAL crown. Jacob Zilinskas’ 16 points paced the Indians in the title game.
Week ahead: Friday vs. OW South Fayette in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at suburban Pittsburgh’s
Plum High School. 7. Beaver Falls (7, 22-3, 1-1) — previous ranking: 8
Recent results: Doug Biega’s Tigers split a pair of taut tests in the
final two rounds of the WPIAL tournament, squeezing past then-No. 9 New Castle (52-49) in the semis before tumbling to Indiana
(62-61) in the title game. Notables: Josh
Creach rolled up 26 points in Beaver Falls’ loss to Indiana, while Donovan Jeter (12) and Keyan Gibson (11) also reached
double digits. Jeter pocketed 21 points in the Tigers’ win over New Castle.
Week ahead: Friday vs. OW Meadville in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Pittsburgh’s Cardinal
Wuerl North Catholic High School. 8. New Castle (7, 20-5, 0-1) — previous ranking: 9
Recent results: Ralph Blundo’s Red Hurricanes suffered a 52-49 setback
to then-No. 8 Beaver Falls in the WPIAL semifinals in their only action last week.
Notables: Marquel Hooker (16), Marcus Hooker (12) and Geno Stone (10) combined for 38 points in the loss to Beaver
Falls. Week ahead: Friday vs. OW Strong
Vincent in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Edinboro University’s McComb Fieldhouse. 9.
Octorara (1, 25-2, 1-1) — previous ranking: OW
Recent results: Gene Lambert’s talented Braves are debuting in the top 10 after defeating Upper
Moreland (68-47), then-OW Pottsgrove (68-65) and OW Glen Mills (80-54) to win the District 1-AAA championship.
Notables: Tarojae Brake (24.0 ppg) and Levi Worthington (21.7 ppg) produced big weeks in Octorara’s charge
to the 1-AAA crown. Week ahead: Friday vs.
No. 2 Archbishop Carroll in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Harriton High School in Rosemont. 10.
Mars (7, 24-2, 2-0) — previous ranking: 10 Recent
results: Rob Carmody’s Fightin’ Planets secured their invite to the state tournament by defeating Highlands
(61-57) and OW Hampton (82-67) in their two WPIAL consolation bracket outings.
Notables: Alex Gruber averaged 26.0 ppg in Mars’ two victories, while John Castello posted a pair of 19-point
outings. Week ahead: Friday vs. OW Somerset
in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg. Checked in:
No. 9 Octorara. Checked out: Previous No. 4 Susquehanna Twp. OTHERS TO WATCH:
Allentown Central Catholic (11) 16-10, Ambridge (7) 16-8, Audenried (12) 16-5, Berks Catholic (3) 18-10, Bishop McDevitt
(3) 20-5, Cathedral Prep (10) 19-6, GAR Memorial (2) 21-5, Gettysburg (3) 16-10, Glen Mills (1) 18-7, Hampton (7) 20-6, Manheim
Central (3) 24-4, Meadville (10) 22-3, Milton (4) 22-5, Shamokin (4) 19-8, Somerset (5) 21-3, South Fayette (7) 19-6, Steelton-Highspire
(3) 22-5, Strong Vincent (10) 17-8, Susquehanna Twp. (3) 20-6, Tamaqua (11) 21-6. BULLOCK ON TWITTER:
@thebullp_n
Maxpreps State AAA Rankings - March 2, 2015
Pennsylvania Class AAA Rankings
State Wide Ranking - All Classes
High School Boys Top 20 Teams #1 Parkland
Location: Allentown, PA
Head Coach: Andy Stevens
PIAA Class: AAAA #2 Pottsville
Location: Pottsville, PA
Head Coach: Dave Mullaney
PIAA Class: AAA #3 Stroudsburg
Location: Stroudsburg, PA Head Coach: Rich Baker PIAA Class:
AAAA #4 Allen
Location: Allentown, PA Head Coach: Doug Snyder PIAA Class: AAAA
#5 Emmaus
Location: Emmaus, PA Head Coach: Steve Yoder Class: AAAA
6. Central Catholic- Allentown, PA- Class AAA 7.
Salisbury- Allentown, PA- Class AAA 8. Whitehall- Whitehall, PA- Class AAAA 9.
Nazareth- Nazareth, PA- Class AAAA 10. Bangor- Upper Mt. Bethel, PA- Class AAAA 11.
Pocono Mt West- Pocono Summit, PA- Class AAAA 12. Wilson- Easton, PA- Class AAA 13.
Saucon Valley- Hellertown, PA- Class AAA 14. Notre Dame ES- East Stroudsburg, PA- Class A 15.
Lincoln Leadership- Allentown, PA- Class A Season Complete: Easton, Liberty,
Northampton, Notre Dame GP, Southern Lehigh Pottsville - Tamaqua WNEP Highlights
Pottsville - Mahanoy Area Highlights-WNEP
BEASTS
OF EAST(PA) 1. NEUMANN GORETTI- District 12 AAA
2. Roman Catholic- District 12 AAAA
3. ARCHBISHOP CARROLL- District 12 AAA
4. Parkland- District 11 AAAA
5. CONSTITUTION- District 12 A
6. Martin Luther King- District 12 AAAA
7. Lasalle College High School- District 12 AAAA 8. Imhotep- District 12 AAA 9. Pennsbury- District 1 AAAA 10. Susquehanna Twp- District 3 AAA 11.
Abington- District 1 AAAA 12. Cedar Crest- District 3 AAAA 13. Scranton Prep- District
2 AAA 14. Reading- District 3 AAAA 15. Pottsville- District 11 AAA 16.
Plymouth Whitemarsh- District 1 AAAA 17. Cedar Cliff- District 3 AAAA 18.
Ridley- District 1 AAAA 19. York- District 3 AAAA 20. Conestoga-
District 1 AAAA 21. Del Val Charter- District 12 AAA 22. McCaskey- District
3 AAAA 23. Harrisburg- District 3 AAAA 24. George Washington- Distict 12 AAAA 25.
Bishop McDevitt- District 3 AAAA Watch out for: Conwell Egan, Manheim
Central, Methacton, Pennridge, Steel High 2015 Schuylkill League Boys' Basketball Tournament
Schuylkill League Boys' Basketball Semifinal CapsulesBy Mike Carnahan Published: February 11, 2015
Schuylkill League Boys’ Basketball Semifinals Tonight, at Martz Hall Tamaqua (18-4, Division I wild card) vs.
Minersville (18-3, Division II champ), 6 p.m. About Tamaqua Head coach:
Caszy Kosciolek (4th season) Previous Schuylkill League playoff appearances (since 1985): Five Last appearance: 1995 — Lost to Pottsville in semifinals League rankings: Offense
(3rd, 58.0 points per game), defense (3rd, 42.8 ppg) Probable starting lineup: G Russell Blaker
(jr., 6-1, 8.6 points per game), G Bo Rottet (sr., 6-0, 17.0), F Nate MacDonald (sr., 6-1, 5.7), F Tyler Skripko (sr., 5-10,
3.5), F-C Brett Kosciolek (sr., 6-7, 17.2) Key reserves: G Ernie Shilko (sr., 5-8, 1.7), G Ben
Miller (sr., 6-1, 1.4), G Thaddaeus Zuber (fr., 5-9, 1.2) About Minersville Head coach: Cliff Woodford (8th season) Previous Schuylkill League playoff appearances
(since 1985): Three Last appearance: 2011 — Lost to Pine Grove 54-47 in semifinals League rankings: Offense (6th, 53.8 ppg), defense (4th, 43.0 ppg) Probable starting lineup:
G Colin Hashin (sr., 5-8, 6.1), G Jon McBreen (jr., 6-2, 7.4), G Chris Leshko (jr., 6-2, 12.4), F David Graham (jr., 6-0,
11.0), F Spencer Tobin (sr., 6-1, 8.8) Key reserve: F Brian Brennan (jr., 6-2, 3.5) Game notes Two teams met during the regular season Dec. 8 with the Raiders winning 45-33.
Rottet had 23 points in the contest, while Graham had 10 for the Miners. ... Miners enter on eight-game winning streak. That
includes a 46-45 win over North Schuylkill on Jan. 31 and a 59-58 victory over Shenandoah Valley on Saturday. Leshko had the
go-ahead bucket in both games. ... Leshko is the league’s top 3-point shooter, averaging 2.4 per game. ... Rottet went
over 1,000 points for his career last week, joining Kosciolek, who did it last season. ... Tamaqua will likely play a 2-3
zone, but will show other zone looks, too. Miners will play man-to-man. ... Both teams — Tamaqua (Class AAA) and Minersville
(Class AA) — are listed as others to watch in latest PennLive.com Pennsylvania High School Rankings. Mahanoy Area (18-4, Division III champ) vs. Pottsville (22-0,
Division I champ), 7:30 p.m. About Mahanoy Area Head coach: Scott
Hudson (1st season) Previous Schuylkill League playoff appearances (since 1985): 17 overall, 5
titles (1991, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2014) Last appearance: 2014 — Beat Pottsville 45-44 in championship
game League rankings: Offense (5th, 53.9), defense (2nd, 42.3) Probable
starting lineup: G Matt Yedsena (jr., 6-0, 15.7), G Mike Wronski (jr., 5-9, 8.2), G Mike Joseph (soph., 5-8, 8.9), F Peter
Luddy (sr., 5-9, 2.3), F-C Brian Miller (sr., 6-3, 15.4) Key reserves: F Marcus Styka (jr., 6-1,
2.4) About Pottsville Head coach: Dave Mullaney (8th season) Previous Schuylkill League playoff appearances (since 1985): 17 overall, 10 titles (1985, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2000,
2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) Last appearance: 2014 — Lost to Mahanoy Area 45-44 in championship
game League rankings: Offense (2nd, 62.3) defense (1st, 31.9) Probable
starting lineup: G Connor Hinchliffe (sr., 6-1, 4.5), G Ty Painter (sr., 5-7, 3.2), G Travis Blankenhorn (sr., 6-2, 16.9),
G-F Jordan Melochick (jr., 6-2, 9.3), F-C Eli Nabholz (sr., 6-5, 12.7) Key reserves: F Jed Dunkel
(sr., 6-2, 2.2), G Derek Shuman (sr., 6-1, 1.2), G Christian Witman (jr., 6-1, 1.9), G Jordan Abdo (soph., 5-10, 6.0) Game notes Rematch of last year’s title game. All five of Pottsville’s likely
starters tonight started in that game. Miller played for the Golden Bears and scored two points. ... With their 59-29 win
over Jim Thorpe last Friday, Crimson Tide became first boys’ team from Schuylkill League to finish with undefeated regular
season since Mahanoy Area (2006-07). ... Golden Bears were on an 11-game winning streak before going 2-2 in their final four
regular-season games. ... Crimson Tide have simply overwhelmed their opponents this season, winning their games by an average
margin of 30.4 points per game. ... Both teams will play a man-to-man. ... Crimson Tide are ranked No. 7 in Class AAA in latest
PennLive.com rankings. Golden Bears are a team to watch in Class AA. — Complied by Mike
Carnahan
Boys Basketball 2015 Schuylkill League Boys' Basketball TournamentRound 1Feb 11
6:00PM Martz Hall, Pottsville Feb 11 7:30PM Martz Hall, Pottsville Round
2Feb
13 7:30PM Martz Hall, Pottsville
Crimson Tide Interview with Coach Mullaney
Pottsville - Shamokin - WNEP
Pottsville - Pine Grove Highlights
2015 Crimson Tide Preview
Schuylkill League Standings - 2/7/2015
| Division 1 | Wins | Losses | | Division 2 | Wins | Losses | | Division 3 | Wins | Losses | | Pottsville | 14 | 0 | | Minersville | 12 | 1 | | Mahanoy | 11 | 2 | | Tamaqua | 11 | 3 | | Williams
Valley | 7 | 6 | | Shenandoah | 9 | 4 | | North Schuylkill | 10 | 4 | | Sch. Haven | 6 | 7 | | Nativity | 8 | 5 | | Blue Mountain | 7 | 7 | | Lourdes | 4 | 8 | | Marian | 5 | 6 | | Lehighton | 7 | 7 | | Tri Valley | 0 | 13 | | Weatherly | 1 | 11 | | Jim Thorpe | 4 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | Panther Valley | 2 | 12 | | | | | | | | | Pine Grove | 1 | 13 | | | | | | | | |
Pottsville Leads WNEP Rankings - 2/4/2015
BOYS RANKINGS: | RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANK | | 1 | Pottsville | 22-0 | 1 | | 2 | Loyalsock | 19-2 | 2 | | 3 | Scranton Prep | 17-3 | 3 | | 4 | St. John Neumann | 20-0 | 4 | | 5 | Stroudsburg | 18-4 | 7 | | 6 | Crestwood | 17-3 | 8 | | 7 | Lewisburg | 18-2 | 6 | | 8 | Hazleton
Area
| 16-4 | – |
DISTRICT XI - AAA STANDINGS
| Rank | School | W | L | T | | 1 | Pottsville Area | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0.815139 | | 2 | Salisbury Township | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0.746981 | | 3 | Allentown Central Catholic | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0.724483 | | 4 | Tamaqua Area | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0.703808 | | 5 | North Schuylkill | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0.691759 | | 6 | Saucon Valley | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0.680105 | | 7 | Wilson Area | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0.604889 | | 8 | Lehighton Area | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0.601006 | | 9 | Blue Mountain | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0.565572 | | 10 | Palisades | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0.546955 | | 11 | Notre Dame of Green Pond | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0.510481 | | 12 | Palmerton
Area | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0.490953 | | 13 | Northwestern Lehigh | 9 | 13 | 0 | 0.456352 | | 14 | Jim Thorpe Area | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0.439064 | | 15 | Bethlehem
Catholic | 3 | 18 | 0 | 0.392578 |
Tide hope to roll to a Schuylkill League ChampionshipPosted 6:43 pm, December 17, 2014, by Steve Lloyd The pieces are in place for Pottsville to make a big run this season. All five starters are back
including Travis Blankenhorn-the Tide leading scorer from a year ago averaging 18.5ppg. “I think we did a lot
of stuff in the off-season. We worked really hard on improving our offense and defense and so far it’s been paying off,”
said Travis Blankenhorn. In his 8th season now here at Pottsville-Coach Dave Mullaney has high expectations for this
group certainly re-claim that Schuylkill League championship, win every game here at home, and play defense-and with that
good things will come. “That’s an area we’re going to be a little bit better this year, as opposed
to year’s past. We do have some depth. We have guys pushing for minutes and in the first couple games it’s really
helped us out,” said Dave Mullaney. “Defense is definitely our #1 thing that’s what we’re known
for. I think this year more year’s in the past we’re worked about playing a little but harder on defense because
of how many subs we have so that allows us to play a little but harder,” said Eli Nabholtz. Last year Pottsville
lost in the district final, but picked up their first state playoff win in nearly 40 years when they beat Lower Moreland. “I
love playing basketball. Personally I love competing especially with these guys that I play with. They are my brothers, and
I would love to come out with this season accomplish some of those team goals and again just compete and have fun. Obviously
Schuylkill league you want to get that back? Yes. Absolutely we want to get that Schuylkill League back,” added Eli. “We
knew we had to step up and a lot of us just started playing well. Once the playoffs came once the whole season yes we could
have won the Schuylkill League Championships wish we could have done better in Districts, but hopefully well make some of
those goals happen this year,” added Travis. With the rise in personal foul calls-a PIAA priority this season
into hand checking the Tide bench might prove to be a key difference down the stretch.
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