The 2014 District 9 basketball playoffs are here.
Things get kicked off today, with the Smethport and Cameron County girls and the Ridgway boys in action.
Keep in mind, this will be the only round where teams play home games, as District 9 has now gone to neutral sites for quarterfinal games.
Ready, let’s go!
CLASS A GIRLS
FIRST ROUND
No. 9 Brockway (11-10) at No. 8 Smethport (13-9)
The Smethport girls enter the playoffs on a tear, winning eight-straight games by an average of 18.1 ppg.
The Lady Hubbers are a young team, with no seniors on the roster, and struggled out of the gate, dropping four of their first five games.
They have grown by leaps and bounds since, however, led by the play of 5-11 junior Morgan Okerlund. Okerlund comes in leading Smethport in scoring at 13.5 ppg, including a stretch of at least 20 points in five of her last seven games.
Juniors Kiyah Taggart and Molly Lord as well as freshman Katie Treat all average 6.0 ppg., while juniors Laura Alfieri and Rachel Duffy also play key roles.
They will be playing a Brockway team that is making its first appearance in the district playoffs in quite sometime and is coming off a loss to Elk County Catholic in the AML semifinals
Julie Esposito leads the way for the Lady Rovers, averaging 10.9 ppg, with Katie Whitaker at 6.5, Taylor Cappetta 6.4 and Ashley Moore 5.8.
The winner will play No. 1 seed Port Allegany either Thursday or Friday at a site and time to be determined.
No. 10 Cameron County (12-10) at No. 7 Keystone (15-7)
It’s a tough draw for the Lady Red Raiders, who draw a Keystone team that made the state playoffs last season and is two years removed from a district championship.
Keystone junior forward Maddie Johnson is one of the top players in District 9, averaging 15.9 ppg.
Cameron County has got balanced scoring all season, led by 5-7 junior guard Susie Guisto, who checks in at 11.3 ppg, with Brooke Burfield (8.0), Madi Guisto (6.9) and Mallory Lyon (6.8) following.
They have also got solid contributions from Amelia Holjencin, Madison Harrier and Kendyl Guisto.
Amber Hess, a sophomore guard and outside shooting specialist, averages 10.0 ppg. for Keystone with McKenna Shick checking in at 7.1
The winner will play No. 2 Coudersport either Thursday or Friday at a site and time to be determined.
CLASS A BOYS
FIRST ROUND
No. 11 Clarion (11-11) at No. 6 Ridgway (16-6)
Ridgway, as a No. 6 seed, is more than capable of making a run to the championship and will be a heavy favorite against the Bobcats out of the KSAC.
Clarion won’t be a complete pushover, however, as they do own a win over No. 2 seed Clarion-Limestone, 63-58 on Feb. 3.
The Elkers and Johnsonburg have played for the district title the past two season, with Ridgway winning in 2012 and Johnsonburg last season.
There’s a possibility that could happen again, as the two teams are on the opposite end of the bracket, but that’s still a long way off.
Ridgway is led by dynamic 6-4 sophomore Jeremy Breier, who averages 16.8 ppg, while junior guard Josh Roselli is at 11.6, with Joe Horning, Ben MacDonald and Dustin Cowan also playing pivotal roles.
They will face a Clarion team that relies heavily on outside shooting, paced by 5-11 sophomore Taylor Smith (13.4 ppg.), who set the school record for three-pointers made in a game early this season with eight, as well as 6-0 senior Antonio Troese (11.4 ppg.).
Ellis Painter, Brendan Miller and Cody Hearst round out Clarion’s starting lineup.
The winner gets No. 3 seed Cameron County in the quarterfinals Thursday or Friday at a site and time to be determined.
Should the Elkers win, it would set-up a fantastic re-match. For those who don’t remember, that was when Cameron County rose to the national spotlight when Dylan Clingan hit a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer to stun the Elkers, 44-43 on Dec. 9.
