On a serious roll since falling to Class AAAA hammer New Castle in late December, Lincoln Park Charter maintained its tight-fisted grip on the No. 1 spot in PennLive’s Class A basketball rankings by rolling its latest pair of opponents.
In the state tournament, no less.
And while Mark Javens’ powerful Leopards ran their winning streak to 22 games with convincing conquests of Forbes Road (81-28) and a ranked Vincentian outfit (99-64), will we see the Midland-based unit in Hershey later this week?
A victory over No. 3 Bishop Carroll — Lincoln Park edged Carroll 86-84 in a quarterfinal-round thriller last season — will bring Javens’ high-scoring outfit to Giant Center and give the Leopards a shot at their first state title.
Stay tuned.
Short synopses of our top 10 appear below, with PIAA district, overall records and record for the week displayed in parentheses.
CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL STATE RANKINGS: AAAA, AAA AND AA
CLICK HERE FOR A PIAA CLASS A TOURNAMENT BRACKET
1. Lincoln Park Charter (7, 28-1, 2-0) — previous ranking: 1 — Packing away two more convincing victories, Mark Javens’ Leopards stretched their winning streak to 22 games. Maverick Rowan (23/37) and Ryan Skovranko (20/14) reached double figures both nights as LPC wheeled past Forbes Road (81-28) and Vincentian (99-64). Elijah Minnie chimed in with 18 in the win over Vincentian, which moved the Leopards into a matchup with unbeaten Bishop Carroll in Tuesday’s state semis.
2. Math, Civics & Sciences (12, 14-14, 2-0) — previous ranking: 2 — Moved back into the state semis for the fourth year in a row by defeating Sullivan County (57-39) and escaping Church Farm (47-46). Samir Doughty (13/14) and Penn State verbal commit Mike Watkins (10/13) cranked out double-digit efforts for Dan Jackson’s Mighty Elephants, who will meet unbeaten St. John Neumann in Tuesday’s semis.
3. Bishop Carroll (6, 28-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 3 — Cosie Aliquo’s club encountered plenty of resistance, but the Ebensburg-based Huskies maintained their perfect mark by squeezing past Monessen (69-65) and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (63-59, OT). Brandon Martinazzi (28/22) paced Carroll in both victories, totaling 50 points. Up next for the Huskies is a Tuesday night showdown with Lincoln Park, which edged Carroll in last season’s state quarterfnals.
4. St. John Neumann (4, 30-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 4 — With Alize Johnson registering a pair of double-doubles — the gifted 6-5 senior has eight straight in postseason play — Neumann moved into the state semifinals. Johnson picked up 25 points and 15 boards in a 51-48 win over Phil-Mont Christian, then posted 23 points and 16 rebounds as Paul Petcavage’s Golden Knights downed New Hope Academy 78-68. Njoku-Ibe Amanze also pocketed a double-double (20 points, 12 boards) in the win over New Hope, which moved Neumann into Tuesday night’s semi against Math, Civics & Sciences at East Pennsboro.
5. Church Farm* (1, 25-5, 1-1) — previous ranking: 5 — Although Marc Turner’s Griffins were able to extend their impressive winning streak to 22 games by beating Mahanoy Area (56-52), Church Farm’s sparkling run and season ended several nights later with a 47-46 loss to Math, Civics & Sciences 47-46. Aondofa Anyam (18/20) and Tyler Ofray (19/16) reached double figures in both outings.
6. Mahanoy Area* (11, 25-3, 0-1) — previous ranking: 6 — Falling in the PIAA second round for the second straight season, Mickey Holland’s Golden Bears dropped a 56-52 decision to Church Farm despite 21 points from Tyler Cavenas and 13 from Larry McNeil. Mahanoy Area also lost to Church Farm in the second round in 2013.
7. Monessen* (7, 21-7, 0-1) — previous ranking: 7 — Javon Brown (19), Justice Rice (13) and Justice Rawlins (12) combined for 44 points, but it wasn’t enough as Joe Salvino’s Greyhounds watched a late lead disappear in a 69-65 loss to Bishop Carroll. Monessen led Tuesday night’s second-round scrap by a 43-37 count at halftime and was still on top 53-50 after three quarters.
8. Vincentian* (7, 24-4, 1-1) — previous ranking: 8 — While George Yokitis’ Royals handled Homer-Center 94-66 in their second-round scrap, they were victimized by streaking Lincoln Park (99-64) in Friday’s quarters. Ryan Wolf (30/16) and Jim Kenna (14/18) reached double digits in both outings, while Jay Cortese checked in with 25 in Vincentian’s win over Homer-Center.
9. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic* (7, 17-11, 1-1) — previous ranking: 10 — Dave Long’s Trojans opened last week by upending Ridgway (58-43), but closed it with a narrow loss to Bishop Carroll (63-59, OT) that brought the season to an end. Ryan Kirby (21/12), Dom Robb (16/12) and Jon Savulchak (10/21) cracked double figures in both outings for North Catholic, which won 11 of its last 15.
10. Ridgway* (9, 21-7, 0-1) — previous ranking: 9 — Jeremy Breier netted 17 points and Ben MacDonald checked in with 13 points, but it wouldn’t be quite enough as Tony Allegretto’s Elkers fell to fast-closing North Catholic 58-43 in Tuesday’s second round. Ridgway, which will bring back four of its top six, trailed by just three (42-39) heading into the fourth quarter.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Berlin Brothersvalley* (5) 23-3, Bishop Guilfoyle* (6) 19-7, Cochranton* (10) 21-4, Elk County Catholic* (9) 23-5, Erie First Christian* (10) 15-10 Forbes Road* (5) 17-9, Greenwood* (3) 18-8, Homer-Center* (6) 23-4, Johnsonburg* (9) 23-5, Lebanon Catholic* (3) 17-9, Mount Calvary* (3) 22-5, New Hope Academy* (3) 16-10, Phil-Mont Christian* (1) 20-6, Pius X* (11) 20-5, Sullivan County* (4) 20-7.
*-season complete
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