District 1-6A Semifinals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a preview of the District 1-6A tournament semifinal games which will take place tonight at the home court of the higher seed. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-seed) versus Lower Merion (1-seed)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“P-Dub” boasts a 19-4 record and handily defeated Central League contender Garnet Valley in the D1-6A quarterfinal round. Superstar shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1576723' first='Mani' last='Sajid'] posted 27 points (4 threes) in that win over Garnet. In their 2nd round victory Sajid poured in 36 points. Obviously, Lower Merion will have to stop Sajid if they want any chance at winning this game. Running the floor with Sajid will be 6'8” power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2400237' first='Michael' last='Pereira'] as well as point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2427190' first='Buddy' last='Denard']. Pereira has worked an impressive two-man game with Sajid all season. He posted 20 points and 8 rebounds in PW's win over Garnet. Denard has elevated his play during the post season and become a tremendous third option for the Colonials. 6'6” Class of 2026 prospect Micah Thompson has flashed for PW too. Lower Merion (21-4) features a balanced scoring attack that has produced twelve straight wins and back-to-back Central League titles. Shifty combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2699527' first='Carson' last='Kasmer'] leads the Aces. Kasmer (18.7 ppg.) is a scoring threat from anywhere on the court and is a plus defender. Flanking Kasmer are a pair of dynamic “3 &amp; D” wing prospects in [player_tooltip player_id='2699524' first='Sam'i' last='Singletary'] (10 ppg.) and Rashyne Patterson (11 ppg.). Singletary and Patterson thrive in LM's transition game. Both players have posted multiple 20+ point games this season. Lastly for LM, keep an eye on 3-point ace Gus Wright.       </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conestoga (3-seed) versus Coatesville (2-seed)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conestoga (21-3) presents one of the deepest and most balanced lineups in the region. They can rotate eight players without a drop off. Their constant player movement and well-timed passing makes ‘Stoga extraordinarily difficult to defend. Conestoga's highly skilled point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1454262' first='Rowan' last='Miller'] (13 ppg.; 1^st Team All-Central League) directs this squad. Miller does a fantastic job of balancing getting teammates involved with capitalizing on his own scoring opportunities. Hybrid guard-forward [player_tooltip player_id='2224494' first='Cory' last='Hogan'] provides mid-range scoring and a presence on the offensive boards. Spacing the floor for those two are a host of shooting guards who can bury threes all night for the Pioneers. Seniors Ben Robinson and [player_tooltip player_id='2631129' first='Sam' last='Gibbs'] as well as junior [player_tooltip player_id='2461930' first='Shane' last='O'Brien'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2425553' first='Sunny' last='Tummala'] can all torch the nets from deep. The Red Raiders boast a 21-4 record and have won seven straight games headed into this semifinal matchup. Coatesville's dynamic backcourt of point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1379430' first='Amon' last='Fowlkes'] and combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1874234' first='Nasir' last='Williams'] have scored at every level and caused chaos with their menacing full-court pressure. 6'6” athletic small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1576717' first='Larry' last='Brown'] will present serious matchup problems for Conestoga. Brown can dominate a game with his transition scoring and mid-range skills. Still, the biggest challenge for ‘Stoga could be stopping 6'4” freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2485359' first='Colton' last='Hiller']. Hiller is a 3-point sniper who has quickly become one of the top 2028 prospects in southeastern Pennsylvania. Hybrid-forward [player_tooltip player_id='2247328' first='Jonas' last='Chester'] has been a solid presence on the interior at both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->