If you've never attended the Donofrio Classic, this week would be a great time to do so.

It's a long-running single-elimination tournament that features the best players and the best AAU teams from Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey (and sometimes even the North Jersey/NYC suburbs).

There's a nice twinbill this Wednesday, April 8:

• I-3 All-Stars vs. Mainstreet, 7 p.m.
• Sonny Hill Juniors vs. Positive Image, 8:30 p.m.

The early game featuring nine players from Delaware County and three members of this year's All-Delco team. There are two starters from Archbishop Carroll's PIAA Class AAA championship team and four starters from Penn Wood's Class AAAA title team:

MAINSTREET
Rahlir Jefferson, Sr. F, Chester *
Maurice Nelson, So. G, Chester
Tyree Johnson, Jr. G, Penn Wood * (pictured)
Duane Johnson, Sr. F, Penn Wood *
Shawn Oakman, So. C, Penn Wood
Thomas White, Sr. F, Penn Wood
Aaron Brown, So. F, Penn Wood

I-3 ALL-STARS
Andre Wilburn, Sr. F, Archbishop Carroll
Kasheef Festus, Sr. C, Archbishop Carroll (pictured)

The later game has just one county player – Episcopal Academy’s sophomore center Isaiah Baker, whose Sonny Hill Juniors take on Positive Image in an 8:30 p.m. tipoff.
Note: An asterisk (*) signifies All-Delco status.

# # #

Two Delco teams were shown some love in recent national basketball polls.

Archbishop Carroll is ranked fifth in the Northeast Region (Pa., N.Y., N.J. and New England) by PrepNation.com. The PIAA Class AAA champion Patriots are three spots ahead of league rival, eighth-ranked Neumann-Goretti.

In USA Today’s East Region poll, Penn Wood garnered a No. 7 ranking. Though inactive, the PIAA Class AAAA champion Patriots moved up from last week’s No. 8 rank

One of the best all-star games around – the All-Star Labor Classic – announced its rosters Wednesday. The game, which benefits United Cerebral Palsy, will be held Sunday, April 5, at La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena. It follows the Suburban vs. City format.

The Suburban team, coached by Glen Mills’ Craig Mellinger and Conestoga’s Mike Troy, features nine players from Delaware County (including three from Penn Wood):

SUBURBAN BOYS
Cory Goodman, G, Episcopal Academy
Marvin Holman-Little, F, Penncrest
Rahlir Jefferson, F, Chester (pictured)
Duane Johnson, F, Penn Wood
Aaric Murray, C, Glen Mills
Calvin Newell, G, Strath Haven
Khayri West, G, Upper Darby
Thomas White, F, Penn Wood
Chris White, G, Penn Wood

CITY BOYS
Kasheef Festus, C, Archbishop Carroll

Well, members of Archbishop Carroll's boys basketball team talked about it. They wanted it, and now they've got it.

The Patriots, with their 62-51 win over Shamokin in the second round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs, get another shot at Catholic League Blue Division rival Neumann-Goretti. The Saints won Tuesday, as well, beating Susquehanna Township, 65-51.

After their first-round win last weekend, the Patriots so desperately wanted another meeting with the Saints (26-3). Of course, they didn't want to look too far ahead, but Andre Wilburn could not resist.

"They won the division championship, the league championship, the district championship," the senior forward said. "We want to win something. We want to get them again."

In their last meeting, the Saints dunked nine times on Wilburn and fellow senior big-man Kasheef Festus. (Even though Ben Mingledough, pictured, got one of his own in there.) The site and time for the highly-anticipated third meeting have not been announced, but you have to imagine it'll be close by.

More to come...

The first two teams on the chopping block in the state playoffs passed their opening-round tests.

Archbishop Carroll and Strath Haven both survived the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs. Carroll knocked off District One champ Phoenixville, 56-50, and Strath Haven bested District 12 runner-up Franklin Learning Center, 76-56.

For Carroll, junior guard D.J. Irving and senior center Kasheef Festus each netted 20 points on their way to the Patriots' first win in the state playoffs in school history.

For Haven, senior guard Calvin Newell poured in 18 points by halftime - half of the Panthers' 36 points through two quarters - in their first-round rout.

Wins by Carroll and Haven were only the beginning. Five teams from Delaware County are in the state playoffs. The Del Val League triumvirate of Penn Wood, Chester and Glen Mills square off in opening-round games Saturday in the Class AAAA bracket.

For more on the boys basketball scene, pick up a copy of Saturday's Daily Times.

Archbishop Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk was named the Catholic League's Coach of the Year Tuesday, when the postseason awards were announced.

In his sixth season, Romanczuk led the Patriots to a 21-2 record and an appearance in Wednesday's league semifinal, where they will face Roman Catholic.

Romanczuk wasn't the only one from Carroll to garner high honors. Junior guard D.J. Irving and sophomore guard Juan'Ya Green (pictured, left to right) were named to the league's Blue Division First Team. Senior forwards Kasheef Festus and Andre Wilburn were picked for Blue's Second and Third teams, respectively.

CATHOLIC RED
At Monsignor Bonner, junior point guard Jamal Melvin was named to the Red Division First Team. Junior guard Keefer Francis was selected to the Second Team.

INTER-AC
Episcopal Academy junior guard Omari Grier garnered a First-Team nomination. Teammate and senior guard Cory Goodman made the Second Team, and senior guards A.J. Jones and Sam Kurtzman of The Haverford School were Honorable Mention selections.

There was a pep rally Friday at Archbishop Carroll, employed to get everyone excited for the game that was going to determine (one way or another) the champion of the Catholic League's Blue Division.

There also was a scrimmage ... between Carroll's boys team and its girls team.

Kasheef Festus, (pictured), a senior who measures in at 6-4, 240 pounds, decided to sit this one out.

"Juan'Ya (Green) hit the game-winner at the end," Festus said. "Me, Andre (Wilburn) and D.J. (Irving) didn't play.

So you didn't want to get hurt for Friday's big game, huh?

"No, it's not like that," Festus said. "We had to make it a little more fair. That's not to say they're not good. They were actually really tough the whole game. They were hitting every jump shot."

Festus said the best individual matchup was Green versus senior guard Kerri Shields, a Boston College signee who earlier this week was named a nominee for the McDonald's All-America Game.

"Kerri guarded him really well," Festus said. "But he hit the game-winning shot off her, so he got the last laugh."

So Friday night, two teams that spent all season hoping for a shot at the Central League title had those hopes dashed.

Top-seeded Conestoga dispatched No. 4 Upper Darby, 55-49, by erasing the seven-point lead the Royals carried into the fourth quarter. Sophomore Montrail Talford played beyond his years with 13 for UD.
No. 2 Lower Merion knocked out third-seeded Penncrest, 44-43, on a questionable 3-pointer in overtime. The Aces forced the OT and Harley Williamson converted a trey that was not as down-the-middle as believed.

It's not the All-Delco championship game everyone was hoping for, but Penncrest and Upper Darby have the District One Class AAAA playoffs to look forward to.

###

Coming Saturday morning: More with Archbishop Carroll's Kasheef Festus, from Friday's loss to Neumann-Goretti.

Monday night, Archbishop Carroll had something to prove.

The Patriots were the last of Delaware County's unbeaten teams to lose, falling to Neumann-Goretti last weekend.

So Kasheef Festus and Andre Wilburn, who combined for 28 points, made sure the Pats didn't lose another one, in beating Archbishop Wood 54-45.

Festus, a hulking forward, looked good when all things are considered. The 6-6 senior suffered a debilitating ankle injury in the summer, which required surgery and prohibited him from playing much basketball in the offseason.

He's not 100 percent, but he's back and looking strong:

Daily Times: What kept you sharp when you weren't playing?
Kasheef Festus: Well, I gained a lot of weight, man. I probably got up to about 280, and now I'm down to 240. I don't remember ever being that much.

DT: How'd you drop the weight?
KF: Practice. (Coach Paul Romanczuk) was like, 'Not going to make the time for your sprints? Then you have to keep running.'

DT: What was the specific injury exactly?
KF: I tore ligaments completely off my foot, so they had to go in there and pin them back into place. And I popped a piece of bone in my foot. The doctors said I'm not supposed to be 100 percent until the end of the school year, which would be a year (since the injury), but I feel good.

DT: How did it happen?
KF: I was playing summer league for Carroll and I went up for a rebound and came down on someone's foot. Simple as that.

DT: At 280, did you consider going out for football?
KF: I did think about it, yeah. I didn't want to grow up and wonder if I could have played or made the team even. Being as though the injury happened, it didn't work out. I think I would've been a good tight end. I probably would've played defense or offense because I like hitting people.

Banging on the boards Monday, Festus finished with 13 points and eight rebounds for the Patriots (12-1, 7-1), who are in sole possession of second place in the Catholic League Blue Division.

Marple Newtown's Soutiri Sapnas brought to an end his incredible sophomore season with a record.

His Tigers fell in the first round of the District One Class AAA tournament, 65-55, but Sapnas became the single-season scoring champ in Marple Newtown history. Sapnas' 527 points in 25 games surpassed the 521 in 26 games posted by Greg Bishop.

Sapnas (pictured) has two seasons left at Marple Newtown and is sure to break even more records in his high school career.

All-Catholic Teams Announced: Six players from Delaware County schools were named to this year’s All-Catholic League Southern Division teams, which were announced Wednesday.

The only area player named to the First Team was Monsignor Bonner’s Lijah Thompson. The 6-7 junior forward averages 14 points per game for the Friars. He also leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots.

Bonner’s Jamal Melvin and Archbishop Carroll’s Kasheef Festus made the division’s Second Team. Selected to the Third Team were Carroll’s D.J. Irving and Ellis Rogers and Cardinal O’Hara’s Zach Tansey. Kudos to those guys.

Additional basketball coverage: Check out preview capsules for tonight's games and a feature story on Chester's Kevin Green-Germany, who has emerged as a consistent 3-point threat for the Clippers.

For 32 minutes, Academy Park's Anthony King and Chester's Nasir Robinson (pictured) played like a state title was on the line. Loose balls were pounced on. The glass was cleaned after clanged shots. But after the game, though, the two shook hands and smiled at one another as if they hadn't just done battle.

"I've known Nasir since he was four, so I can't be mad at him for winning," King said of Chester's 87-63 win. "He lived around the corner from me when we were kids. I've known him all my life."

Robinson, who has given his word to Pittsburgh, and King remain good friends to this day. Thus explaining all their pleasantries after the game, which is written about in detail in today's Daily Times.

"When he patted me on the back, he was saying 'Keep doing what you're doing,'" said King, the Knights' leading scorer who has narrowed his college choices to Penn State and Bloomsburg.

In other hoops news:
...Chester native Mark Medley scored 10 points in Delaware-based Tatnall's win over Delco Christian Friday.
...A crazy finish in tonight's only Delco Catholic League game. Archbishop Carroll snuck into a second-place tie with Monsignor Bonner by beating the Friars in overtime on two free throws with three seconds to go by Kasheef Festus. That's good, solid basketball right there.
...Ridley stayed in a tie with Lower Merion for first in the Central League with a win. The Green Raiders own the tie-breaker over second-place Conestoga, which they've beaten twice.
...My alma mater - Holy Ghost Prep - improved to 18-3 Friday. So for fans of any Class AAA teams, look out. Ghost will be a force in the district playoffs.

Archbishop Carroll's Kasheef Festus is getting a lot of press today. If you picked up today's Daily Times, you'll see that he's the lead-in to my story on the Patriots' 67-61 win over Cardinal O'Hara Monday.

But all the press is deserved. The senior forward, pictured, has been a steadying force for Carroll, which at times has lost both its point guard (Lamar Jackson) and its sixth man/role player (Andre Wilburn) to injury. Festus leads the Patriots in scoring, tallying 14.5 ppg.

Festus told me Monday that he's narrowed his college choices to Clemson and St. Francis (Pa.) While it seems odd that a player would be in limbo between an ACC team and one from the lesser-known Northeast Conference, it makes sense. Festus has a confirmed scholarship offer from St. Francis and is waiting to hear from Clemson, whose campus he intends to visit in the near future. He's simply playing all his cards.

As for today's games, there's a full Del Val League slate...so take your pick. Mine, of course, would be Chester/Penn Wood, 7:30 p.m. (There's plenty at stake there.) Monsignor Bonner plays The Prep in the only Catholic League game, and Garnet Valley has a nonleague affair at Kennett.

Also, be sure to check out the latest boys basketball standings of every Delaware County team - published only in the Daily Times.