The District 10 boys’ basketball playoffs have arrived.
On Thursday, a pair of champions will be crowned as Cathedral Prep takes on Meadville in the Class 5A title game and McDowell battling Erie for the 6A crown in a doubleheader at Mercyhurst University. The Prep-Meadville tilt will get things going.
The Class 4A boys, headlined by top-seed Warren, also get going on Thursday with four quarterfinal games on tap.
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP: (1) Cathedral Prep vs. (2) Meadville
The Ramblers went on a magical run to the state championship in 2021 and are looking to bounce back following a loss to General McLane in the D10 title game a year ago.
The Ramblers (19-3) had won 12 games in a row before losing their regular season finale to rival McDowell, their lone loss to a District 10 team this season.
The two teams met twice during the regular season, with Prep winning by scores of 63-47 and 68-33.
Jake Sambuchino leads what has been a very balanced Rambler attack at 14.2 points per game, while Amaree Pickens checks in at 11 points. Zion Barksdale, a 6-7 senior, serves as an eraser on the back line for the Ramblers, while also averaging six points per game.
Prep has held opponents to 50 points or fewer in all but three games this season.
Meadville (6-16) is led by Jack Burchard at 15.4 ppg., while Khalon Simmons checks in at 13.7 ppg. and Lucas Luteran 12.7 ppg.
The winner will meet the winner of DuBois and Obama Academy in the PIAA Class 8/9/10 subregional final on March 3.
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP: (1) McDowell vs. (2) Erie
These two teams played an epic championship game a year ago, won 49-47 by McDowell in overtime.
In that game, McDowell rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 39-37 lead, with Erie hitting a shot at the end of regulation to force overtime.
McDowell (17-5) comes in red-hot, winners of seven-straight, including a win over rival Prep to close the regular season.
The two teams met twice this season, both McDowell wins by scores of 62-51 and 49-39.
Tyler Grove leads a balanced attack at 14.8 ppg, while Kamden Kramer checks in at 11.5 ppg.
Erie (14-8) has won five straight and 10 of 12.
The Royals are led by Andreas McCullum at 14.2 ppg., while Jay Smith checks in at 11.2 ppg. And Layveon Gore at 9.3 ppg.
The winner will face the District 8 champion in a subregional semifinal that also includes the District 6 championship game as the other semifinal.
CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS
(1) Warren vs. (8) Slippery Rock at Hagerty Family Events Center, 6 p.m.
District 10 originally had just a six-team bracket planned for 4A, but the depth of the class allowed them to expand to eight teams.
Slippery Rock (11-11) comes in winners of five of six, including a victory over No. 2 seed and Region 5 champion Grove City to close the regular season.
Warren (15-7) established itself as one of the best offensive teams in District 10 this season, averaging just a shade over 65 points per game.
The Dragons have five players averaging double figures scoring, led by junior point guard Tommy Nyquist, who checks in at 12.3 ppg. to go along with 6.2 assists per game. Brady Berdine (12.0 ppg.), Parks Ordiway (11.8 ppg.), Braylon Barnes (10.4 ppg.) and Owen Becker (10.3 ppg.) round out the starting five for Warren.
The Dragons enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, with 12 of their 15 wins coming by double-digits.
Slippery Rock, meanwhile, also features a well-balanced squad.
John Sabo returned early in the season for the Rockets to average over 11 points per game, while sophomore Josh Book averages over 12 per contest. Junior Levi Prementine and seniors Elam Pyle, Jacob Wolak, and Quinn Parson also help lead the Rocetks’ attack.
(2) Grove City vs. (7) Corry at Farrell H.S., 7:30 p.m.
Grove City (13-9) had won seven-straight games prior to the loss to Slippery Rock to close the regular season.
Sophomore Nathan Greer leads the Eagles in scoring at 14.9 ppg., while junior Brett Loughry checks in at 13.6 ppg. and fellow junior Gavin Lutz 11.4 ppg.
The Eagles are the lone region champion in the field. Eleven of their 13 wins came by double-digits.
Rylan Smith leads Corry (11-11), averaging 17.3 ppg., while Markus Lambert checks in at 14.8 ppg.
(3) Harbor Creek vs. (6) Sharon at Hagerty Family Events Center, 7:30 p.m.
Harbor Creek finished the season 11-11, but the Huskies played in the brutal Region 7 that included the likes of bigger schools like Prep, McDowell, and Erie.
The Huskies own a win over Meadville, as well as a season sweep of General McLane, which included a 50-43 win over the Lancers to close the regular season.
West Virginia football signee Nick Krahe has been a force in the middle for Harbor Creek this season, averaging a double-double at 18.1 ppg. and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Guard JT Delsandro was one of the top freshmen in District 10 in the regular season, averaging 10.8 ppg. and four assists per game. Brady Rzodkiewicz averages 10.3 points per game, while Brayden Wilson checks in at 8.6 ppg.
Sharon (11-11) has been streaky at times this season, rattling off five straight wins in January (which included wins over Grove City and Hickory), which was followed by a four-game losing streak.
Derek Douglas leads the Tigers at 15.2 points per game.
(4) Hickory vs. (5) General McLane at Farrell H.S., 7:30 p.m.
Outside of being in the ultra-competitive Region 5, Hickory (13-8) scheduled very aggressively out of region, losing games to the likes of New Castle, SPIRE (Ohio), and Mohawk. The Hornets also own wins over Trinity and Canon-McMillan out of the WPIAL.
General McLane went 10-10, playing in Region 7, and owns wins over Meadville and Girard. The Lancers bumped down from Class 5A this cycle after beating Cathedral Prep for the Class 5A title a season ago.
Hickory (13-9) comes in winners of four-straight, including double-digit wins over Greenville, Slippery Rock, and Sharon.
Tyson Djakovich leads a balanced Hickory offensive attack at 11 points per game, while Aidan Enoch and Rylan Dye average 10 each per game.
General McLane is led by Jacob Zietz (12.6 ppg.), Logan Anderson (12.3 ppg.) and Jackson Dailey (9.1 ppg.).
