Sat. Pa. boys' and girls' roundup: Imhotep ousts McDevitt

After a slow start, Imhotep came alive in the second half on Saturday afternoon behind Brandon Austin's inspired performance and downed Bishop McDevitt, 65-54, in the PIAA Class AA boys' basketball quarterfinal at Germantown.

Imhotep trailed by 10 at the half before putting together a 24-8 third quarter led by Austin's five points. The senior guard finished with 10 rebounds, five steals and a game-high 24 points.

"We did a good job pressuring the ball in the second half," Imhotep coach Andre Noble said. "The kids kept their energy level up throughout the second half."

Nigel Grant chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds and Kamani Jordan dropped in 19 points and four assists.

Class AAAA. Junior Raheem Hall poured in a career-high 27 points and Lower Merion turned away Easton, 66-54, in a state quarterfinal in Reading.

The Aces knocked down 17 of their 22 foul shots to create separation from Easton. B.J. Johnson added 14 points.

Lower Merion entered the state tournament as the second seeded team from District 1 and the Aces have topped their three state playoff opponents by an average of 18 points per game.

Archbishop Wood needed two overtimes to dispatch South Park, 59-56, in the PIAA Class AAA quaterfinal at Chambersburg.

Alex Heck scored nine straight Vikings points to erase a late fourth quarter deficit and force overtime.

Head coach Jim Ricci said the team used a balanced attack over the two extra periods to seal the win.

Heck, a 5-foot-11 senior center, dominated down low enroute to a team-high 13 rebounds and 23 points.

Archbishop Wood entered the state tournament as the third seed from District 12 and will enter the semifinals for the third straight year. They have won the state title the last two seasons.

Also in the AAA quarterfinals, Neumann-Goretti fell to Lancaster Catholic, 50-27, in Reading. Lancaster Catholic forced 33 turnovers.

Neumann-Goretti entered the state tournament as the second seed from District 12.