Yes, Springfield lost the District One Class AAA championship game Saturday. Yes, it was within reach. Yes, the Cougars have won only two district titles since 1945.

But, hey - why hang your head about a five-point loss to top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep? There's still the PIAA playoffs. It's new life for these Cougars.

"Maybe in a day or two, we can start talking about it and getting ready for it," said junior forward Adam Washington, who scored 15 points. "This was the game we wanted to win. We just didn't do it."

Junior guard Zack DeVito was so stung by the loss that, on two occasions in post-game interviews, he forgot the questions he was trying to answer.

"This one hurts because this was a goal of ours from the beginning of the season," said senior forward Wally Rutecki. "It didn't happen for us, but we can focus on states now."

Springfield (18-8) begins its PIAA journey Friday.

And just like that, Springfield's district-title aspirations were dashed.

The Cougars dropped a back-and-forth District One Class AAA title tilt to Holy Ghost Prep, 47-42, Saturday night at Villanova's Pavilion.

Adam Washington scored 15 points (on 6-for-10 scoring), Dave Carpenter had eight and Zack DeVito and Wally Rutecki had six apiece for Springfield (18-8), which faces District 12's Murrell Dobbins in the first round of the PIAA playoffs next week.

More to come...

The locations and times for upcoming District One boys basketball playoff games have been announced. If you're a fan of a team in Class AAAA, you're staying close to home. If you follow Springfield, you better gas up.

Here's what you're looking at:
Tuesday - Class AAAA
Semifinal: Penn Wood vs. Souderton, Villanova, 6 p.m.
Fifth-place playback: Penncrest vs. Pennsbury, Norristown, 6 p.m.
Fifth-place playback: Chester vs. Neshaminy, Norristown, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday - Class AAA
Semifinal: Springfield vs. Octorara, West Chester East, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday's win was big for Marple Newtown. How big? After taking down Harriton, 71-61, a throng of Marple fans - who wouldn't stop screaming throughout the game's duration - emptied the stands and occupied space on the floor.

But it's not over yet. The No. 8 Tigers (11-12) have a huge test looming Saturday in the quarterfinals of the District One Class AAA tournament, in top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep.

Here's what those around Marple's program had to say about their upcoming opponent:
Head coach Gerry Doemling: "They know what's coming up. We'll be ready. We know how good Holy Ghost is, but we also know that when we're playing our best, we can play with anyone. Other than St. Joe's Prep, we've been in every game this year.

Senior forward Ryan Hanley: "We've just got to keep playing hard. We have Holy Ghost next. People were predicted us to play for the championship. We knew we'd have to play them at some point. Might as well get it out of the way.

Senior guard Soutiri Sapnas (pictured): "They're the next team on the schedule. It's as simple as that."

Sapnas might have seemed like a man of few words, but that's only because he doesn't usually talk about upcoming opponents. He lets his play do the talking. And against Harriton, Sapnas dropped in 36. He'll need another game like that Saturday if the Tigers expect to beat the Firebirds.

You want 'em, you've got 'em. Here are the District One Class AAAA and AAA playoff brackets. (Analysis from your favorite boys basketball beat writer soon to follow):

District One Class AAAA Playoffs
(Higher seeds host in first two rounds)
First Round – Feb. 19
(32) West Chester East at (1) Plymouth Whitemarsh
(17) Upper Dublin at (16) Spring-Ford
(25) Owen J Roberts at (8) Penncrest
(24) Downingtown West at (9) Lower Merion
(29) Hatboro Horsham at (4) West Chester Rustin
(20) North Penn at (13) Pennsbury
(28) Cheltenham at (5) Coatesville
(21) Boyertown at (12) Norristown
(31) Oxford at (2) Penn Wood
(18) West Chester Henderson at (15) Bensalem
(26) Abington at (7) Neshaminy
(23) Central Bucks West at (10) Wissahickon
(30) Glen Mills at (3) Souderton
(19) Ridley at (14) Central Bucks South
(27) Quakertown at (6) Council Rock North
(22) Conestoga at (11) Chester
Second Round: Feb. 23
Quarterfinals: Feb. 26
Semifinals: March 2, at Villanova
Championship: March 6, at Villanova
NOTE: Nine (9) teams qualify for the PIAA tournament.

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District One Class AAA Playoffs
(Higher seeds host in first two rounds)
First Round – Feb. 24
(9)Harriton at (8) Marple Newtowna
(12) Upper Merion at (5) Upper Perkiomen
(10) Pottstown at (7) Lower Moreland
(11) Phoenixville at (6) Strath Haven
Quarterfinals – Feb. 27
Harriton/Marple Newtown winner at (1) Holy Ghost Prep
Upper Merion/Upper Perkiomen winner at (4) Pottsgrove
Pottstown/Lower Moreland winner at (2) Octorara
Phoenixville/Strath Haven winner at (3) Springfield
Semifinals: March 3
Championship: March 6, at Villanova
NOTE: Three (3) teams qualify for the PIAA tournament.