District Six Boys Baksetball A Playoff Primer

Jim Hammett
D6SN Sports Editor
Follow me @JimHammett @D6SN

22-0 Bishop Carroll

The Favorite - Bishop Carroll - 22-0, LHAC Champions, and ranked third in the state. Those are the facts, and they make for an easy pick to make Bishop Carroll the favorites to win District Six. The Huskies rolled through their regular season schedule, and only played in two games that were settled by single digits. Bishop Carroll is coming off two impressive wins with a 16 point road win over AAAA Hollidaysburg, and a 33 point dismantling over Bishop McCort to wrap up the school's first ever LHAC Championship.  Carroll's up-tempo style, strong guard play, and the play of big man Marcus Lee make them the overwhelming favorites to win their first District title since 2011.



The Challenger -  Bishop Guilfoyle - If there is anyone that can take down the Huskies, it is Bishop Guilfoyle. The Maruaders took Carroll to overtime once, and lost by four the second time around, and those were Carroll's only two true tests all year long. Bishop Guilfoyle is also the defending champions, and will not go away quietly.  They have a great group of athletes that play sound defense, and will be out to defend their title.  BG is paced by two solid seniors, CJ Fulare and Damon Rickens, and some great underclassmen athletes like Sam McCloskey, Brandon Chadbourn.





The Dark Horse - Juniata Valley - I think it is understood that Homer Center is the top team behind Carroll and Guilfoyle, it would come as no surprise if they make a run to the championship. Junaiata Valley on the other hand, could maybe surprise some people. The Hornets are coming on strong of late, and had a big time win in the ICC Championship over Northern Bedford. JV has a very balanced attack, with three players averaging double figures. Their versatility could give Carroll some trouble in round two.


New Kids on the Block - St. Joseph's is a newer school, and will be making their first trip to the District Six playoffs this year with a very young team. Prep is a tough team to figure, but it appears they played better basketball down the stretch. They have some blowout losses to teams like Penns Valley and Juniata Valley, but handed 20-2 Cameron County of District 9 one of their losses.  It may be too early for them to be serious contenders, but playing in the playoffs should be a learning experience for this program.


Balanced Bucs - Williamsburg comes into the 2014 playoffs with a unique attack on offense. The Blue Pirates do not have one player that averages 12 points a game, but they have seven different players averaging 4.9 or more.  With seven different people contributing, it can open up the offensive side of the ball and keeping the defense guessing. It will take a complete team effort for Williamsburg to take down Guilfoyle, but if everyone comes to play they can make things interesting.


Slumpin' Stangs - Portage got off to a great start this year, and really surprised a lot of people. Since then, it has been rough. Portage is entering the playoffs losers of four of their past five games. All four of those losses were to playoff teams, but it still can discouraging heading into the postseason, especially with a tough draw against Juniata Valley.

Chasing more Gold - Homer Center locked down a football district championship back in November by defeating Bishop Guilfoyle in a snow covered Mansion Park. The snow is still on the ground, and perhaps another impressive run is in order, only this time on the hardwood. Homer has a very sound 20-2 record, with both losses coming to AA playoff opponents.  The hype will be surrounding a potential Carroll-Guilfoyle rematch, but nobody should sleep on this squad either.

Predictions

9. Saint Joseph's over 8. Saltsburg

1. Bishop Carroll over 9. St. Joseph's

4. Juniata Valley over 5. Portage 

3. Homer Center over 6. Claysburg-Kimmel

2. Bishop Guilfoyle over 7. Williamsburg

1. Bishop Carroll over 4. Juniata Valley

2. Bishop Guilfoyle over. 3. Homer Center

Bishop Carroll over Bishop Guilfoyle