WARREN, Pa. – The District 10 boys’ basketball playoffs get underway on Thursday, with a pair of champions to be crowned in a doubleheader at Mercyhurst University.
Erie battles McDowell for the Class 6A crown while defending PIAA Class 5A champion Cathedral Prep battles General McLane.
Also on tap is the quarterfinal round in a loaded Class 4A boys field.
Here’s a look at each.
BOYS
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) ERIE vs. (2) MCDOWELL at MERCYHURST U.
Records: Erie 12-10; McDowell 11-11
Top Players: Jay Smith 10.7 ppg., Layveon Gore 9.7 ppg., Andreas MCCullum 9.7 ppg., Kre Thompson 7.8 ppg.; McDowell – Luke Chamberlain 13.6 ppg., Stephon Porter 9.6 ppg., Nick Grimm 8.6 ppg., Tyler Grove 8.0 ppg.
Winner Gets: Advances to D6-8-10 subregional
Notable: Teams split the regular-season series, with Erie winning 65-46 in the first meeting and McDowell 59-57 in the second meeting.
CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) CATHEDRAL PREP vs. (2) GENERAL MCLANE at MERCYHURST U.
Records: Cathedral Prep 17-5; General McLane 15-7
Top Players: Prep – Jake Sambuchino 11.5 ppg., Tavion Spencer 8.4 ppg., Nick Lydic 8.2 ppg., Semontae Lofton 7.4 ppg.; GM – Danny Bruce 15.9 ppg., Jeremiah Schreiber 9.6 ppg., Dane Jukes 9.4 ppg.
Winner Gets: Advances to D8-9-10 subregional
Notable: Cathedral Prep, the defending PIAA Class 5A champion, won both meetings this year by nine and 12 points.
CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS
(1) FAIRVIEW vs. (8) CORRY at HFEC
Records: Fairview 20-2; Corry 14-8
Top Players: Fairview – Logan Frazao 16.0 ppg., James Sitter 14.4 ppg., Tyler Shultz 9.4 ppg., Jeremy Frazão 5.8 ppg.; Corry – Logan Joncas 17.2 ppg., Nick Brundage 11.4 ppg., Rylan Smith 8.0 ppg.;
Winner Gets: 4 Hickory/5 Warren winner
Notable: Fairview won both regular-season meetings by 25 and 22 points.
(2) GROVE CITY vs. (7) SLIPPERY ROCK at SHARON HS
Records: Grove City 13-8, Slippery Rock 13-9
Top Players: Grove City – Landon Haggart 13.4 ppg., Dylan Stull 11.8 ppg., Josh Dreves 5.4 ppg., Gavin Lutz 5.2 ppg.; Slippery Rock – John Sabo 13.0 ppg., Dylan Gordon 12.4 ppg., Jacob Wolak 6.6 ppg., Elam Pyle 6.4 ppg.
Winner Gets: 3 Harbor Creek/6 Oil City winner
Notable: Grove City won both regular-season meetings by four and eight points.
(3) HARBOR CREEK vs. (6) OIL CITY at HFEC
Records: Harbor Creek 17-5; Oil City 14-8
Top Players: Jaden Rocco 14.9 ppg., Nick Krahe 12.2 ppg., Gavin Ennis 9.2 ppg., Travis Kruszewski 8.2 ppg.; Oil City – Judias Johnson 12.2 ppg., Cam VanWormer 12.2 ppg., Jake Hornbeck 9.4 ppg.
Winner Gets: 2 Grove City/ 7 Slippery Rock winner
Notable: Harbor Creek won both regular-season meetings by six and 28 points.
(4) HICKORY vs. (5) WARREN at SHARON HS
Records: Hickory 14-7; Warren 14-8
Top Players: Hickory – Jackson Pryts 13.7 ppg., Joey Fazzone 11.9 ppg., Aidan Enoch 10.7 ppg., Tyson Djakovich 9.4 ppg.; Warren – Parks Ordiway 14.2 ppg., J.T. Blum 10.7 ppg., Tommy Nyquist 9.4 ppg., Owen Becker 8.7 ppg.
Winner Gets: 1 Fairview/ 8 Corry winner
Notable: Two teams met in the D10 semifinals last year, a 45-34 Hickory win. Hickory, which went on to the PIAA Class 4A championship game, closed that game on a 14-6 run.
