District 12 teams down, but not out

IT WAS GREAT WHILE it lasted . . .

After storming to an 11-4 record in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, and winning all five second-round games played on Tuesday (in Class A/AAA), District 12 absorbed a punch to the gut - or even lower - in the AA/AAAA games played Wednesday.

The AA squads went 2-2 while the AAAAs staggered to 0-2.

Don't fret. Lots of teams are still alive. There will be five games tonight and another tomorrow and the latter will be an all-12 affair.

Tonight, a doubleheader at Wissahickon will feature what many consider the state's top two A teams, Constitution and Math, Civics & Sciences Charter. Constitution will battle Faith Christian at 6 followed by MC&S vs. Church Farm at 7:30.

In AAA, Ss. Neumann-Goretti, winner of the last two state crowns, will meet Holy Ghost Prep, of District 1, at quite the curious site, Norristown High. N-G and HGP are 20 miles apart. Alas, their fans will have to travel roughly 25 and 30 miles, respectively, to reach Norristown.

The other D-12ers face longer treks. Boys' Latin Charter-Abington Heights will be played at 7:30 at Parkland High, near Allentown. Archbishop Carroll will trek roughly 150 miles to Chambersburg High to meet Hampton, of District 7 (Pittsburgh suburbs). That one's also set to start at 7:30.

The BL-AH game could offer a wonderful feat. If Boys' Latin senior forward Carlos Taylor (UMass-Lowell) scores 14 points, the Warriors will become the second team in city history with three guys to reach 1,000 points exclusively for that school.

Senior guard Maurice "Doo-Wop" Watson (Boston U.) very much leads the way at 2,324, the No. 2 total in city-leagues history. Junior guard Yahmir Greenlee boasts 1,022.

By the end of the '04 season, Penn Charter boasted three guys who had reached 1,000 points in its uniforms in future NBAers Sean Singletary (1,137) and Rob Kurz (1,258) and then-junior Zack Zeglinski (1,142). PC was Singletary's third school and he netted 1,137 in just two seasons with the Quakers. Kurz played first at Germantown Academy. Zeglinski missed almost all of his senior season due to injury.

Tomorrow's lone game will feature Imhotep Charter vs. Bishop McDevitt at 2 o'clock at Germantown High. Big contrast: Imhotep won state titles in '09 and '11. With wins in the first two rounds, McDevitt now owns just three postseason victories in 49 seasons of Catholic League membership.