Keith Pompey: Southeast Pa. will go 3-1 in PIAA state championships

CAMP HILL, Pa. - Come 11 p.m. tomorrow, Southeastern Pennsylvania could become the region of champions.

Four area boys' basketball teams are competing in the PIAA state championship games that begin today at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Two of the squads - Penn Wood (Class AAAA) and Imhotep Charter (Class AA) - are living up to their state-championship hype from the preseason. And with John Johnson in the lineup, folks had to figure that Girard College would come close to reaching the Class A final.

Archbishop Carroll's appearance in the Class AAA championship is totally unexpected. Some people are still shocked about the Patriots' quarterfinal victory over state-championship favorite Neumann-Goretti.

But Carroll, Penn Wood, Imhotep Charter and Girard College are the teams in position to bring state titles back to Southeastern Pennsylvania. And all four teams are making their first final's appearance in school history.

I predict that three teams will bring home state titles, while the other leaves State College heartbroken.

Here's my look at the PIAA state boys' basketball championship games that begin today at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center:

Player to watch:

Penn Wood's Tyree Johnson, 5-foot-9 junior point guard.

Skinny: Penn Wood and William Penn are mirror images. Both squads prefer an up-tempo game. Both squads love to utilize pressure defense. And both squads have towering inside players.

Projection: A wizard with the ball, Johnson will break William Penn's pressure defense and set teammates Duane Johnson and Aaron Brown up for easy baskets. Afterward, all three will be cutting down the nets.

Player to watch:

Carroll's D.J. Irving, 5-11 junior point guard.

Skinny: Greensburg Salem is led by standout point Chris Klimchock. The sharp-shooter earned the nickname Klimshot after he hit the game-winning floater against Chartiers Valley in the second round of the playoffs. The Lions, who recorded their first state playoff victory last season, lack size. I hope they can run. If not, Irving and backcourt mate Juan'ya Green will blow past them with ease. When those two are not doing that, senior forward Kasheef Festus (6-5, 245-pounds) will likely outmuscle the Lions. Extremely motivated, the Patriots look to prove their victory over Neumann-Goretti wasn't a fluke. They also want to prove that Carroll is more than a girls' basketball school.

Projection: Averaging 19.5 points, Irving has been unstoppable in the playoffs. Greensburg Salem won't stop him tonight. Carroll wins.

Player to watch:

Imhotep's Sam Prescott, 6-3 senior guard.

Skinny: The North Catholic Trojans - or should we say the North Catholic Longs - make their first state championship appearance. The Trojans are coached by Dave Long, and four Longs are starters - Martin, Jesse, Matt and Joe. North Catholic's lone losses came in close contests to South Fayette and Clairton.

Imhotep, which has posted unimpressive state-tournament victories, has to be patient against the Trojans' 1-2-2 zone. Prescott, a Marist signee, has the ability to take over games. Panthers point guard Parrish Grant is a proven winner, having won two state titles at Prep Charter in 2006 and 2007. Backcourt mate Will Adams is unstoppable when he's on his game.

Projection: Imhotep figures out a way to solve North Catholic's 1-2-2 zone. As a result, the Trojans will have a long night against the quicker and more athletic Panthers.

Player to watch:

Girard College's John Johnson, 6-0 sophomore guard.

Skinny: This is a must-see matchup as this game will showcase two of the state's premier guards regardless of classification.

Kennedy Catholic's Kyle Randall has scholarship offers from Stanford and Cleveland State among others. Harvard is also in the mix for his services. Johnson is a flat-out scoring machine. The speedster scored 54 points in a game this season. He also had 37 points against Scotland School in the state semifinal despite sitting out the fourth quarter. That's not bad for a player who missed all week of practice before the game with a groin injury.

Kennedy Catholic has the big-game experience and is attempting to win its seventh state title. Girard College, however, is a state-championship newcomer.

Projection: Girard College can't overcome Kennedy Catholic's big-game experience. The Cavaliers come back to Philly heartbroken.