Playoff basketball: Pocono Mountain West, Notre Dame, Eastburg South play Saturday
Three Monroe County teams are playing in the opening round of the PIAA state championships on Saturday.
Pocono Mountain West starts the action at home at 3 p.m. against Chichester. Notre Dame East Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg South, the District 11 champions in their classes, will play at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at South.
Here’s a look at the games:
Notre Dame East Stroudsburg vs. Mount Calvary
The last game: The Spartans won the District 11 Class 1A championship in the final moments of the March 4 game against Forest City.
When Forest City scored to lead by 2 points going into the final seconds, that’s the kind of game where “you start to sweat a little bit,” coach Matt Gallagher said.
But in the timeout, “Xavier Spears comes over and just says, ‘Coach, we’ve got three seconds.’ That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, we’re good.’ So I was confident going into that last possession.”
Spears hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. “Obviously, when it goes in, I was still in shock,” Gallagher said.
Next up: “We played really well throughout, but we need to improve on being able to close games out,” he said, adding that at this point in March, “you’re playing against really good teams every single night.”
Mount Calvary Christian is “a very formidable team,” Gallagher said, and the roster includes a guard who averages 22 points per game.
Players to watch: In addition to Spears, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the semifinal game of the Class 1A championship, keep an eye on Heavin McCain, a guard who is “extremely explosive and talented” and difficult for some teams to guard, Gallagher said.
Roman Parris “gives it his all” and “always makes the right play.” He energizes the team, as does Malcolm Naughton, who is “pretty much the heartbeat of our team. He keeps the guys together.”
Also look for Jayden Freeman, a “tough kid” who can make 3-pointers and is “great on-ball defender” and Preston Protheroe, who averages double digits off the bench. “When he comes in, we elevate a little bit, which is great,” Gallagher said.
Story continues after gallery.
East Stroudsburg South vs. West Chester East
The last game: South wasn't favored to win a district championship over Pocono Mountain West, but the Cavaliers pulled it off with a 43-34 victory.
"We were so proud of our kids' perseverance. It was the fourth time that we played the same team. And each time we play them, it is always a hard fought battle to the finish. They showed a lot of courage to get the win that mattered most all season," said Denise Rogers, South's athletic director.
Next up: West Chester East has a record of 18-8 and beat Holy Ghost Prep 80-34 in its last outing.
"This is going to be a tough game — this will be the toughest team we have played all season. They are bigger in size and have some really good players, so I hope we're up for the challenge. They have a sophomore guard — KJ Cochran — who's an athletic wing and a Division 1 player, he will be a tough cover. I think he'll be their leading scorer, but all of their players are good," Cavs coach Shawn Munford said.
Players to watch: "We have to be tough and play smart and play together. I'll need my big guns, Jaen Chatman, Logan Santos, Michael Green and Michael Patterson to play the best game of their high school careers to have a chance to beat a team like this. This is one of the toughest districts in the state. This is a great opportunity for our program and the boys are looking forward to it," Munford said.
Chatman scored 21 points — about half the team's total — against West.
"We're holding that Michael Green is available to play (he rolled his ankle at the end of the game vs. West) as we'll need all hands on deck," Munford said.
Pocono Mountain West vs. Chichester
The Miracle:How PM West's Juju Pagan came back from injury to lead team to the finals
The last game: West beat East Stroudsburg South three times this season, but lost in the District 11 Class 5A championship on March 4.
South played a physical game, “which doesn’t bode well for us. We’re not a physical team. We’re much more of a finesse team,” coach Rich Williams said.
“We also didn’t shoot the ball well,” he said, and added that it would be tough to beat a team four times in a season.
Next up: After losing both the EPC championship and the district title game, “our guys were obviously really down” and the team is trying to get back on track mentally before Saturday’s game against Chichester.
Chichester is “a very good team” that comes out of District 1, which is “arguably the best district in the state when it comes to basketball” Williams said, and he expects another physical game.
“Our goal right now is to try to get to the Elite Eight of the state tournament. That’s something that no other team in our program has ever done. We’ve only had teams get to the Sweet Sixteen,” Williams said.
Players to watch: Three players have been big for the Panthers all year, Williams said: Juju Pagan, Adrian Brito and KJ Coles.
“Obviously we have to have all three on the same page, and then some of our role players have to come in and hit big shots,” Williams said. “Guys like Jonathan Mateo and Ethan Sakwa, it’s important that they make shots in order for us to win.”
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Playoff basketball: Monroe County teams set to play Saturday
