One team is coming home with the hardware. The other one had a hard night.

Archbishop Carroll's boys basketball team claimed the PIAA Class AAA title over Greensburg-Salem (game story). The Patriots said afterward that their rigorous schedule - which featured three games vs. Neumann-Goretti and meetings with Roman Catholic and Norristown - got them ready for this stage (sidebar).

For Cardinal O'Hara, the trip to Penn State wasn't so memorable. The Lions girls basketball team lost to unbeaten Mt. Lebanon in the PIAA Class AAAA final (game story). A magical end to the Lions' season was not meant to be. Once ranked No. 1 nationally, the Lions lost star center Steph Holzer in the third quarter before losing the game (column).

# # # #

For all the latest from Happy Valley - and live blogs of tonight's games - check out our PIAA Championships blog.

There, you will find up-to-the-minute updates by the Daily Times staff on Archbishop Carroll's bid for the PIAA Class AAA girls title and Penn Wood's claim on the PIAA Class AAAA boys crown.

I think it goes without saying that Delaware County has never had four teams playing for PIAA basketball championships. So the higher-ups at the Daily Times decided to create a blog for this weekend's big games.

Thus Live at the PIAA Championships was born.

The Daily Times staff that is Bryce Jordan Center-bound will be posting throughout the weekend with random musings, score updates and everything you need to know from Happy Valley. Of course, I'll be posting all weekend on Gettin' Schooled, but please give some love to Live at the PIAA Championships, where you'll find me, columnist John Lohn and girls basketball writer Harry Chaykun typing away at PSU.

# # # #

Last installment before hitting the road for PSU. Safe travels to everyone heading up there for the weekend:
Nervous? Who's nervous?

Andre Wilburn isn't. The senior captain for Archbishop Carroll tells all of his teammates (somewhat jokingly, of course) that he hasn't been nervous since playing in eighth grade. His AAU career has taken him to Duke's Cameron Indoor Arena and North Carolina's Dean Smith Center. With the Patriots, he's played at the Palestra.

If only for what's at stake, it doesn't get any bigger than Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, Wilburn said. So will he be nervous on the bus ride up to State College?

"I think I will, but all the guys will talk for a little bit and then everybody will put their iPods in and just relax," Wilburn said earlier this week. ",I'll put on a little Jay-Z, some Li'l Wayne. None of the new stuff - well, maybe some - but mostly the older stuff.

Wilburn likes Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint' and 'The Black Album' as inspirational music before a game. "But I have to watch," he said. "Sometimes, they take the iPod away from me because I get too hyped up before a game."

The field is complete.

Delaware County has gone a perfect 4-for-4 in sending its playoff teams to the PIAA state basketball championship games. Archbishop Carroll boys and Cardinal O'Hara girls won Tuesday to do it, then Penn Wood boys and Archbishop Carroll girls joined the party.

Perfect was the talk around Penn Wood Wednesday. Sophomore Aaron Brown went 10-for-10 from the floor, scored 22 points and led the Patriots past Mt. Lebanon, 79-58, at Big Spring High School in Newville. The Pats will play York in the Class AAAA final Saturday.

At Reading's Geigle Complex, the Carroll girls punched their PIAA title-game ticket by getting past Trinity, 49-45. The Patriots will take on either Lampeter-Strasburg or General McLane (the game wasn't decided as of this post) Saturday night in the Class AAA title tilt at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

More to come in Thursday's Daily Times. Again, we have to get on the road. (It's a 2-hour, 45-minute drive from Big Spring.)

Well, basketball fans, the season is finally behind us. In addition to congratulating the Chester Clippers on their Class AAAA state title, I just have a few announcements to make:

All-Delco News. It's almost time to reveal my All-Delco teams, which were finalized following Saturday's game. Keep close to the Daily Times for updates on when the teams will appear in the newspaper.

PIAA Rule Change No. 1. The PIAA has approved two notable amendments which take effect next season. First, District One receives an additional seed in the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament, increasing its tally from eight teams to nine. What does this mean? Well, the eight teams to make the quarterfinals are still guaranteed a berth in the state bracket, with one more team finding its way in. How? That's to be determined.

PIAA Rule Change No. 2. The PIAA made official a transfer rule, which forces a student-athlete between 10th and 12th grades to sit out half a season should he switch schools.

Staying at State College. Though unofficial, the PIAA and Penn State have agreed to extend a contract to keep the state-title games at Bryce Jordan. More to come as it becomes known.

It's baseball season! Just because the hoops season is over doesn't mean you can't visit Gettin' Schooled for the next few months. It's a high school sports blog and as such, I'll be posting my daily musings from my next high school beat - baseball. And there definitely will be basketball news to check back for, as always. So I look forward to your continued readership.

Just arrived at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, where the Chester Clippers will take on the Norristown Eagles in a short while.

Here's what you need to know about tonight's game:
1 ... Norristown is the owner of just one state title, having won it all in 1948.
2 ... Number of cable networks televising the game (CN8 and PCN).
4 ... Chester senior starters hoping their last game in orange and black in a win.
6 ... Number of state championship banners possibly hanging in Chester's gym after tonight.
8 ... Tip off time. Make sure to have the popcorn ready and a spot reserved on your couch.
25 ... Win percent of Norristown in its four title-game appearances.
36 ... Win percent of Chester in its 14 title-game appearances.

Check back to Gettin' Schooled throughout the night for updates from the Bryce Jordan Center.