A couple interesting tidbits about the remaining teams in the District One Class AAAA bracket...

No. 1: The final eight are the top eight seeds overall.

• 1 CHESTER vs. 8 Norristown
• 2 Conestoga vs. 7 Plymouth-Whitemarsh
• 3 PENN WOOD vs. 6 Lower Merion
• 4 Pennsbury vs. 5 Central Bucks South

No. 2: Three of these games are rematches.
Chester knocked off Norristown, 58-47, Dec. 26 at the Jameer Nelson Classic. Penn Wood dropped one, 47-44, to Lower Merion Jan. 24 at the Kobe Bryant Classic. And Conestoga took down P-W, 50-43, Dec. 6.

No. 3: The Chester-Norristown game is a look into the future at Temple University.
Clippers forward Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) and Eagles combo Khalif Wyatt are headed to North Broad Street next fall. Said Jefferson last week of the potential playoff meeting: "I didn't look (at the bracket). Khalif called me and said, 'We both win two and we'll see each other."

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As for that elusive ninth seed, here's how it'll be determined: The bracket reverses itself and plays the opposite way. There is no re-seeding. First-round games in the eight-team, single-elimination playback are as follows:

• No. 17 Souderton at No. 9 W.C. Rustin
• No. 13 O.J. Roberts at No. 12 GLEN MILLS
• No. 23 Neshaminy at 18 W.C. Henderson
• No. 14 Bensalem at No. 11 C.B. West

Just got word from Penn Wood High School's Athletics Department: the game is on.

The highly-touted rematch between Penn Wood and Chester will be played tonight at 7 p.m. at Penn Wood Middle School in Darby. The impending snow and ice storms will not cause it cancellation.

Penn Wood, ranked No. 4 in the latest PIAA Class AAAA poll, lost its first meeting of the season with Chester, the current third-ranked team in the state. Making matters worse, the Patriots (15-2, 5-1) are coming off a loss to Lower Merion in the Kobe Bryant Classic.

The Clippers (15-1, 6-0) meanwhile could lock up (basically) an 11th consecutive Del Val League championship with a win tonight.

See you at the gym tonight.

Episcopal Academy senior Cory Goodman's situation is not what you would call 'made in the shade.'

As a freshman, he had to watch from the bench as Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington stole the spotlight. A year later, he tore up his knee and required surgery. As a junior, he reclaimed his game. But, as a senior, he isn't EA's leading scorer.

Go figure. Read all about Goodman's story in this week's boys basketball notebook, which also features an item on the likelihood of there being a Central League Championship playoff tournament at the conclusion of the regular season.

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A REMINDER
Saturday is the 10th annual Kobe Bryant Play-By-Play Classic, and there are four teams playing some meaningful games at Norristown High School.

• Arch. Carroll vs. Norristown, 2 p.m.: Let's see what the No. 3 team in the Super 7 is all about against the PIAA Class AAAA runner-up.
• Chester vs. Academy of New Church, 4 p.m.: The Clippers should be able to handle ANC.
• Monsignor Bonner vs. Williamsport, 5:45 p.m.: The Friars should put up a fight against the Millionaires, a state finalist last year.
• Penn Wood vs. Lower Merion, 7:30: The game of the night pits the Patriots against the Aces in Penn Wood's last big test before Chester.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. We're only two weeks into the boys basketball season and here I am blogging about in-season tournaments. Oh well. Sue me for being overly excited.

Here are a couple dates to keep your eyes on, including one that bears the name of Lower Merion's finest:

THE 9th ANNUAL GIRLS PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
(Jan. 17, at Archbishop Carroll H.S.)
Mt. St. Joseph vs. Spring-Ford, 12 p.m.
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Trenton Catholic, 1:30
Archbishop Carroll vs. Notre Dame, 3

THE 10th ANNUAL KOBE BRYANT PLAY-BY-PLAY CLASSIC
(Jan. 24, at Norristown H.S.)
Msgr. Bonner vs. Williamsport, 12 p.m.
Arch. Carroll vs. Norristown, 1:45
Chester vs. Academy of the New Church, 4
Penn Wood vs. Lower Merion, 5:45

THE 10th ANNUAL BOARDWALK CLASSIC
(Dec. 26 - 31, at the Wildwood Convention Center)
There aren't any Delaware County teams involved, but if the mood should strike you, you could make the 2-hour drive to see Lijah Thompson, the Monsignor Bonner transfer who is tearing it up for Communications Tech.

Just got back in from the Kobe Bryant Classic at Villanova's Pavilion. Here are a couple things I saw that I couldn't fit into my stories:

• The Catholic League playoffs are right around the corner, so a couple role players from Delco's CL teams made sure they got one last look at Roman Catholic. Archbishop Carroll's D.J. Irving and Monsignor Bonner's Lijah Thompson and Henry Smith were on hand to watch the Cahillites.


• American Christian's Tyreke Evans returned to the Pavilion following his afternoon game for one of the nightcaps - Roman vs. Chester. He tried to slip in a back door before a security guard tried to squelch that plan. That is, until she recognized who Evans was. No one likes to give out special treatment. But in this case, the security guard felt she had to oblige.


• Chester's Russell Johnson sat out the Clippers' 83-73 win over Roman Catholic. Johnson was dressed in street clothes on the Chester bench for Friday's game, too. His status was not immediately known.


• Congrats to Conestoga and Ridley, which clinched a co-championship in the Central League with wins Saturday. Both teams will enter the District One Class AAAA tournament with identical 20-4, 15-3 records.

I feel pretty lucky. It's not often that in a 24-hour period you get to see the nation's top football recruit and boys and girls basketball recruits. But that's what the Primetime Shootout and the Kobe Bryant Classic have provided me.

I just watched Elena Delle Donne (a Connecticut commit) and her Ursuline Academy team polish off a 57-44 victory over Germantown Academy at Villanova's Pavilion, where American Christian and Tyreke Evans are warming up to face Academy of the New Church.

And last night right here, I saw Jeannette's Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 football player in the country, struggle against Chester. It only gets better today, with Ridley and Lower Merion doing battle for the Central League crown.

Be sure to check back to Gettin' Schooled later tonight, when I'll post an update from the Kobe Bryant Classic.

The Primetime Shootout proved to be quite entertaining. In the first night of the four-night, two-weekend extravaganza, there were plenty of reasons for basketball fans to buy a ticket:

1. Jeannette forward Terrelle Pryor (pictured), the No. 1 football recruit in the country, scored 21 points and was named team MVP in their 80-70 loss to Chester.
2. Clippers guard Karon Burton never ceases to amaze me. Fighting the flu last week, he turned in a solid effort. Tonight, he won team MVP with a team-high 32 points.
3. American Christian's Tyreke Evans & Co. traveled from Aston to Villanova, drawing crowds and defensive attention against the formerly-top-ranked St. Benedict's.

For more on the Primetime Shootout, be sure to check out Saturday's Daily Times. Columnist extraordinaire Jack McCaffery and I tag-teamed the event, so pick up a copy today.

American Christian is back in action here Saturday against Academy of the New Church in the Kobe Bryant Classic. Also participating in that event are Lower Merion and Ridley, who go to battle with the Central League title on the line. Hold onto your seats.