PIAA Semifinals: Player Matchups to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final four teams in each classification are set and the cream has risen to the top in terms of player talent. Here are pairs of players we expect to go head-to-head Monday and Tuesday:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1189096' first='Jalil' last='Bethea'] (2024 | Archbishop Wood) vs [player_tooltip player_id='991334' first='Xzayvier' last='Brown'] (2023 | Roman Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be the third time the Vikings and the Cahillites go head-to-head this season, with Roman winning both contests. In the second outing, Brown defended Bethea, while putting up 22 points and 4 assists before going on to win the PCL chip. Bethea has been on a tear since then, including two 30-point games and eclipsing 1000 points for his career. If he can generate efficient offense, Wood might be too much for this depleted Roman team. Conversely, Roman can control the flow of the game if Brown is able to keep Bethea in check and conduct the Cahillites' attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1460771' first='Jacob' last='Nguyen'] (2025 | Spring-Ford) vs [player_tooltip player_id='1378453' first='Ruben' last='Rodriguez'] (2023 | Reading)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the Rams knocking off a good State College team in the quarterfinals, Nguyen is steadily building his reputation as a bonafide high-volume scorer. His 22-point outing is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he's done all season. But he hasn't quite faced a player like Rodriguez. The Rider-bound guard is relentless on both ends of the floor, creating havoc at the defensive point of attack and bending the defense when he has the ball in his hands. A critical dynamic in this one will be how well Nguyen can sustain consistent offense for SF. Rodriguez and the Red Knights will throw knockout shots early. Can they make the Rams beat them without a big performance from Nguyen?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='991341' first='Justin' last='Edwards'] (2023 | Imhotep) vs [player_tooltip player_id='1213553' first='Thomas' last='Sorber'] (2024 | Archbishop Ryan)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Basketball is a team sport; but even at the highest level, big games are decided by who has the best player on that day. Edwards and Sorber likely won't guard one another man-to-man. However, their play will affect each other. Edwards is dangerous from the elbow and mid post. And, when AR goes zone, Sorber often clogs the paint from the paint from the free throw line and down. On the flipside, Edwards will be involved in containing Sorber whenever he gets a touch inside the arc, whether that's digging at the ball on the help side or simply keeping eyes on him from the weak side. The Panther cruised to victory in the District 12 title game. Can Sorber &amp; the Raiders turn Edwards into a scorer, taking away from his energy on defense?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1486760' first='Jahrel' last='Vigo'] (2025 | Allentown Central Catholic vs [player_tooltip player_id='1116063' first='Robert' last='Wright III'] (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vigo had yet another tremendous two-way performance in ACC's big win over Eastern York, after a last second victory against O'Hara. He set the tone early on both ends, finishing with 16 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. Meanwhile, Wright III continues to shred opponents, scoring 23, 33, and 29 in NG's respective state playoff games. Pa's 2022-23 Gatorade Player of the Year, defenses can't stay in front of him. The Vikings haven't faced a player like him yet. But Vigo and the squad don't care. The sophomore from the Lehigh Valley will want all the smoke and have some thunder of his own. The Saints will want more possessions to get the ball back in the Wright hands, while the Vikings may try to grind it out with Vigo making NG work on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1121735' first='Adam' last='“Budd” Clark'] (2023 | West Catholic) vs [player_tooltip player_id='1865345' first='Owen' last='Schlager'] (2025 | Trinity)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trinity Shamrocks have defeated three straight District 12 teams to reach the 3A semifinals and Schlager has been their bellcow. The 6'3 playmaker handed out 40 points in their round 2 win over MCS, then shifted to more of a facilitator with 10 points in the quarterfinals. Clark on the other hand did a bit of everything in West's last two games. Most notably, the unsigned senior put up 15 points and 7 assists versus Holy Redeemer, followed by 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals versus Executive Education. In the semis, he'll have to lead the charge of trying to take Schlager away, completely, in addition to his primary ball-handling duties. Schlager in turn will have to give Clark all he can handle on offense and try to force him into tough shots on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->