By Todd Stanford
Take a gander at the 16 teams remaining in the PIAA Class AAA boys basketball playoffs, and you’ll probably notice a few things that shouldn’t surprise you.
District 12, which is comprised of the Philadelphia Public League and Philadelphia Catholic League, has three teams left, as does District 3 — the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster region.
Heck, District 7, the WPIAL, still has five teams alive — nearly one-third of the remaining field.
Meanwhile, the champions from five other districts have already gone home.
This shouldn’t be surprising since the areas in and around Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh have historically produced many of the best players and teams in the state.
Now here comes the surprising part: Both District 4 teams are still alive. District 4 champion Danville and runner-up Mifflinburg will be in action tonight in the second round of states. The Ironmen (19-6) will meet defending state champion Archbishop Carroll (23-4) at Central Dauphin East High School at 6, while the Wildcats (23-3) will travel to Hazleton to play Abington Heights (28-2) at 7:30.
This is the second year in a row that both District 4 teams made it past the first round in the Class AAA bracket. Last season, Shamokin and Danville got to the PIAA’s version of the Sweet 16, though neither got any further. Before then, the last time both D-4 AAA teams made it past the first round was in 1999, when Shamokin and Warrior Run did it.
“I don’t know if (District 4) is getting better but that’s pretty neat,” says Danville coach Lenny Smith, whose team beat Allentown Central Catholic 68-59 in the first round. “District 4 ... plays some good basketball.”
Mifflinburg junior point guard Zac Hoy — who had a game-high 21 points in the Wildcats’ 51-38 win over Pottsville in the first round — agrees.
“We have some really good teams in this area,” says Hoy, the son of Mifflinburg head coach Eldon Hoy. “Danville is a very good team and we’ve developed and we’re playing well right now.”
Hoy credits summer-league ball for helping his team jell during the high school season. He estimates that they play 15-20 games together over the summer.
“We’ve been friends all along, but that really helps us bond,” Hoy says. “And then we become better friends, which helps us on the court.”
Mifflinburg is making its first trip to states since 2002, but Danville has been there seven times in the last eight years. This is Smith’s third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last five years; he’s hoping to get to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Smith has seen how success has bred success, especially when it comes to the teams that know what a state win feels like.
“They went through it last year,” he says. “This year they stayed calm and they know what to expect; it really helps. They see what comes with that success: It’s a pretty good ride and some good memories.”
Eldon Hoy, who was also the coach in 2002 when the Wildcats won their first state playoff game ever, is again seeing the interest that’s generated by winning a PIAA game.
“We had some young kids who wanted to have their basketballs signed by some of the players (after the win over Pottsville),” he says. “There’s no question it sparks interest in the sport, which breeds competitiveness in the program, which breeds better teams.”
Skeptics may point out that District 4’s success in AAA the past two years has coincided with a change in the brackets. For the last two years, the District 4 champ has met the District 11 runner-up, while the D-4 runner-up has played the D-11 champion.
“We used to always be matched up with District 3,” Eldon Hoy says. “I’m not making a comparison between the two, but the Harrisburg area has always produced good teams. Playing District 11 has maybe been a better matchup for us.”
Nevertheless, Smith reiterates his point that the teams in this area prepare one another well for states.
“Our league is pretty strong,” he says. “You go into any of those gyms and they give you a game. ... If you’re not ready to play, they’re going to get you.”
