PIAA-1A Semifinal Round Preview: Kehler On Hoops
Written by: Andy Herr on March 19, 2025
PIAA State Championship Tournament Class 1A Final Four Preview
(Cover image courtesy of PIAA.org online bracket)
Lancaster Country Day is the lone survivor to the semifinal round among the Lancaster-Lebanon League teams in this season’s PIAA state championship tournament. Country Day is in Class 1A, and they will play Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter, from the Philadelphia Public League, in a semifinal on Friday afternoon at Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
The Philadelphia Public League is organized into five sections. Unlike the Lancaster-Lebanon League, where the sections are largely arrayed in terms of school enrollment, teams are assigned to sections in the Philadelphia Public League in terms of ability. Sankofa plays in the highest section of the Public League, with such strong teams as Imhotep Charter, Constitution, Murrell Dobbins Tech, Overbook, and Universal Audenreid Charter, all of which qualified for this season’s PIAA state championship tournament. Sankofa won the PIAA Class 1A state title in 2018-19.
Sankofa will be a difficult test for Lancaster Country Day. While Sankofa has 11 losses this season, in addition to their challenging league schedule, the team played tough non-league competition. They opened the season with a loss to Philadelphia Catholic League power Devon Prep, the likely winner of this year’s Class 4A PIAA state title. Sankofa also played three games against public school teams from New York City, including a win over traditional power Wings Academy. While Country Day played several very good teams this season—including Lancaster Mennonite, Linville Hill Christian, and York Country Day—Sankofa played a much more difficult schedule. The teams have one common opponent: Sankofa defeated York Country Day in a mercy rule game in the first round of the PIAA tournament, while Lancaster Country Day lost to York Country Day twice: 64 to 40 on February 3 and 62 to 54 on February 26.
Sankofa plays in an up-tempo style. They will run at every opportunity vs. Lancaster Country Day. Sankofa has a height advantage in the matchup, with 6’ 4” junior Nafis Dubose (a strong offensive player), 6’ 3” sophomore Samad Geary-West, and 6’ 1” senior Asim Hardy. Dubose and Hardy are main scoring threats, but it’s not unusual for eight Sankofa players to score in a game.
It will be to Lancaster Country Day’s advantage to try to play at a slower tempo than Sankofa prefers. Lancaster Country Day also has an important attribute that is a hallmark of good high school teams: tactical flexibility. Country Day’s win over The Christian Academy last Friday is an example. In that game, Christian Academy’s offense was largely focused on outside shooting: the team attempted eight 3-pointers in the third quarter and six in the fourth quarter vs. Country Day’s zone defense. When Country Day switched to man-to-man defense late in the fourth quarter and played it through the overtime period, Christian Academy missed all seven of their 3-point attempts. It was the changed defensive strategy that won the game for Country Day over Christian Academy in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Ability to make in-game adjustments will help Country Day vs. Sankofa.
In the western Class 1A bracket, The Neighborhood Academy, from Pittsburgh, will play Otto-Eldred, from McKean County, on Friday night in Erie. Each team has just one loss this season. The Neighborhood Academy lost by a point to Beaver, the District 7 Class 4A Section 2 champion. Otto-Eldred lost to Cameron County on Valentine’s Day, 54 to 49, but defeated that opponent on two other occasions this season.
The Neighborhood Academy has outscored opponents by an average of 31 points per game in 2024-25. They are high scoring, play at a fast pace, thrive in transition, and have several outstanding outside shooters. Their tallest player is 6’ 4” junior Derrick Hardenman, and their most outstanding player is 6’ 3” senior Cam Wallace, who will play at Yale next season and is a spectacular dunker. Wallace is probably the best Class 1A player in Pennsylvania. However, they have multiple scoring threats, and they are quick. Neighborhood Academy plays aggressive defense that forces many turnovers.
Otto-Eldred is also strong defensively, whether playing their 1-3-1 zone or man-to-man. On offense, they play a sound, fundamental game. They fill the lanes on fast breaks, find the open man in half court sets, and run frequent give-and-go plays with their leader, 5’ 11” senior Landon Francis. Their best inside player is rangy 6’ 1” sophomore Ray Shene Thomas, and they have a terrific catch-and-shoot outside marksman in deadeye Manning Splain, a 6’ senior. Very well coached, Otto-Eldred is really fun to watch, but they may not be quick enough to defeat Neighborhood Academy.
Having seen all four of these teams play this season, either in person or on internet broadcasts, the view from here is that Neighborhood Academy will win the Class 1A state championship, defeating Sankofa in the title game.
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