Chest Pounding Teams in Philly...
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THE CHOPS
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Chest Pounding Teams in Philly...
Philadelphia teams adjust to P.I.A.A. Syle........
Maybe this will be the year that the Philadelphia teams make their mark in the P.I.A.A. boys' basketball state tournaments.
They struggled a little bit last year with only three of the eight teams that entered states advancing past the first round.
But after Prep Charter served notice on Trinity last week with a 68-58 win in Shiremanstown, and the Philadelphia schools held their own in various shootouts, classics, tournaments and crossover games this year, maybe the city has the P.I.A.A. figured out.
"P.I.A.A. teams" play a different brand of basketball," Simon Gratz coach Leonard Poole Jr. said Sunday after his team fell to Harrisburg 69-61 at the Palestra.
"They're very disciplined in the state and a lot of [Philadelphia] schools are not, so we have to re-adjust," Poole said.
"Philadelphia is a lot of run-and-gun, a lot of teams don't play tremendous defense," he said. "They play OK defense but they don't play the way you need to play to win a state title."
In last year's PIAA-(AAAA) tournament, Gratz lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 71-64 in the first round.
"We have changed our schedule," Poole said. "Once we learn how to play that style you'll see Philadelphia represented pretty well in states."
Gratz teams, which traditionally travel the country to play the best teams, stayed closer to home this season.
They played P-W again, losing 60-57 early in the season, beat Chester in overtime 59-57 with a tap-in at the buzzer, and played to within eight points of top-ranked Harrisburg Sunday at the Palestra.
"We're trying to adjust to the style that the state's great teams play," Poole said. "It's a great challenge. We love every bit of it."
Gratz is No. #8 in this week's (AAAA) top "10" while Harrisburg remains No. #1.
Prep Charter, which should have been ranked last week, has been inserted into the top spot in Class (AA) this week.
Prep Charter was one of the three Philadelphia entries that reached the second round of states last year. York Catholic edged them 45-43 in the second round before losing to Beaver Falls 71-59 in the state final.
The Huskies continued to drop jaws in a 86-65 blowout of Chester Sunday. The (AA) teams from District #7 were also repositioned this week.
"THE CHOPS".
Maybe this will be the year that the Philadelphia teams make their mark in the P.I.A.A. boys' basketball state tournaments.
They struggled a little bit last year with only three of the eight teams that entered states advancing past the first round.
But after Prep Charter served notice on Trinity last week with a 68-58 win in Shiremanstown, and the Philadelphia schools held their own in various shootouts, classics, tournaments and crossover games this year, maybe the city has the P.I.A.A. figured out.
"P.I.A.A. teams" play a different brand of basketball," Simon Gratz coach Leonard Poole Jr. said Sunday after his team fell to Harrisburg 69-61 at the Palestra.
"They're very disciplined in the state and a lot of [Philadelphia] schools are not, so we have to re-adjust," Poole said.
"Philadelphia is a lot of run-and-gun, a lot of teams don't play tremendous defense," he said. "They play OK defense but they don't play the way you need to play to win a state title."
In last year's PIAA-(AAAA) tournament, Gratz lost to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 71-64 in the first round.
"We have changed our schedule," Poole said. "Once we learn how to play that style you'll see Philadelphia represented pretty well in states."
Gratz teams, which traditionally travel the country to play the best teams, stayed closer to home this season.
They played P-W again, losing 60-57 early in the season, beat Chester in overtime 59-57 with a tap-in at the buzzer, and played to within eight points of top-ranked Harrisburg Sunday at the Palestra.
"We're trying to adjust to the style that the state's great teams play," Poole said. "It's a great challenge. We love every bit of it."
Gratz is No. #8 in this week's (AAAA) top "10" while Harrisburg remains No. #1.
Prep Charter, which should have been ranked last week, has been inserted into the top spot in Class (AA) this week.
Prep Charter was one of the three Philadelphia entries that reached the second round of states last year. York Catholic edged them 45-43 in the second round before losing to Beaver Falls 71-59 in the state final.
The Huskies continued to drop jaws in a 86-65 blowout of Chester Sunday. The (AA) teams from District #7 were also repositioned this week.
"THE CHOPS".