North Penn, like CB East, will have a hard time topping this boys basketball season

POTTSTOWN — North Penn won the first PIAA boys basketball state playoff game in school history and put itself in position to double its pleasure Wednesday night.

Trouble handling Coatesville's defensive pressure and some missed scoring opportunities in the third quarter prevented that from happening, though, and resulted in a 61-55 Knights' loss in a Class 6A second-round game at Pottstown High.

Appearing in states for the first time in three years, North Penn handled District 12 runner-up Central 64-52 in the opening round for its historic victory.

"The bar's been raised," said senior forward Ryan Zeltt, a Millersville football commit who had 11 points vs. Coatesville. "We wanted to keep going, but we got one under our belt."

The 20-9 Knights, eighth-place finishers in the District One playoffs, had defeated No. 9 seed Coatesville 64-60 in the second round of districts to secure a state berth. They led by nine points heading into the second quarter Wednesday. Zeltt's buzzer-beater from halfcourt to close out the opening period created the nine-point advantage.

A 15-4 Coatesville run to finish the third quarter proved too much to overcome for North Penn.

"They made one more run than we did in that third quarter," said Knights coach John Conrad. "I think we wore down a little bit, missed some layups. I think that was the difference."

North Penn hit its stride in the middle of the season by winning 14 of 15 prior to falling to eventual District One champion Plymouth Whitemarsh in the district quarterfinals. The victory at states was the capper for the Knights' six seniors.

"We thought we had a chance to win (another) one today, so it's obviously disappointing," Conrad said. "We'll look back and be proud of the season, but right now it's tough. … We had a good, little run with this group of seniors (and) hopefully we can get another one soon."

"We want to keep building," Zeltt said. "The young guys can definitely do that."

CB East's basketball season to remember

The season was also unforgettable for Central Bucks East, which won both head-to-head meetings with Suburban One League Colonial Division rival North Penn.

The Patriots went 24-6 to establish a school record for wins while securing their third straight SOL title with a 14-2 mark in league play.

"We were able to set the new (CB East) standard by trusting each other and having each other's backs, on and off the court," said senior forward Kyle Berndt, a team captain along with senior guard Joey Giordano. "Playing with confidence and as a team was the main part of our success this year."

The fifth seed from District One, CB East dropped a 61-37 first-round decision to two-time defending state runner-up Archbishop Wood. The Vikings rolled past Chambersburg 72-45 behind 24 points from star junior guard Jalil Bethea in the second round to reach the quarterfinals against Coatesville.

"This team raised the standard for future CB East teams by showing the young guys what it means to play for more than yourself," Giordano said.

Boys basketball:CB East's Joey Giordano has a knack for hitting game-winning shots at buzzer

Another championship next year by Erik Henrysen's team would equal the mark of four in a row set by Bob Walsh's CB East squads from 1975-76 through 1978-79.

Leading scorer Jake Cummiskey returns, along with fellow junior starters Dhruv Mukund and Tyler Dandrea. Role players such as juniors Miles Demby and Justin DiRoberto should be among those with increased roles in 2023-24.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: North Penn, CB East will have hard time topping boys basketball season