Here's one guy's top seven District 11 boys semifinals of the past 28 years

FROM KEITH GROLLER

After one season as the girls basketball beat person in 1982-83 -- the year I thought Dieruff was going to go all of the way until a couple of bad calls in Pottstown in the state semis ended things -- I moved over to the boys basketball beat in 1983-84 and I've been covering the District 11 boys basketball tournament ever since.

Not every game in every class, mind you, but I've seen at least a bunch of games every year for the last 28 years, and I don't think I've missed a 4A boys championship since the first one in 1984 when Allen beat Whitehall at Stabler Arena which still ranks as my favorite place for the district finals (no offense Parkland, Easton, Freedom, Northampton, Liberty or any other high school place they've been held lately).

With another couple of nights of semifinals coming up, I'd thought I'd look back on some memorable semifinal games I covered:

7. Pottsville beat Central Catholic 68-63 in the 1984 3A semis at Stabler as Mike Sukeena scored 28 points to help the Tide improve to 30-1. Tony Bacon and future major league pitcher Chris Nabholz were the other Pottsville stars. The Tide would go on to win its first district title since 1942, but CCHS would rally to win its next six games. A consolation win over Salisbury got the Vikings in the state tournament and they would go on to post five memorable victories and get their first PIAA 3A gold.

6. Southern Lehigh beat Northwestern 62-48 in a 2008 3A semifinal at Allen, but what stood out was not who won, but rather the emotion in the building as the entire Northwestern community came out to support the Tigers' Drew Guensch, who was playing just two days after the tragic death of his brother, Mark, in a car accident. The outcome was secondary that night, but what was memorable was how the backdrop of a basketball game brought an enire community together and offered tremendous support to a young man who was coming to grips with the biggest loss of his young life.

5. Liberty rallying from a 16-point first half deficit to beat East Penn champion Dieruff in the 4A semis at Stabler Arena in 1987. Warren West led the charge with 19 points, while current Pocono Mountain West assistant Mike DelGrosso added 12. The Hurricanes would go on to win their first district gold in 26 years three nights. Liberty beat Allen for the title.

4. In a 1998 4A semifinal at Liberty, Stroudsburg stunned Northampton 67-65 on Chip Mery's baseline jumper with two seconds left. didn't cover this one, but I was in the building to watch it after covering the other semifinal. Rich Baker and Tarik El-Bassiouni were the stars for the Mounties, but it was Mery's shot that ended the Northampton season. Stroudsburg would go on to play Pleasant Valley in an all-Mountain Valley Conference district final. Pleasant Valley won. But both teams lost in the first round of the state tournament.

3. Whitehall beating Pocono Mountain East 51-47 in the 2010 district 4A semis. The best stories are the unexpected ones and Whitehall seemed to be in trouble when major dental surgery knocked Javier Rivera out of the Zephs lineup. In stepped Travis Cheeks to deliver a surprising 12-point performance. He had 10 in the second half and the Zephs were able to beat a very talented Cardinals team.

2. Allen's Cinderella story reached epic proportions in the 2002 4A semis when the Canaries beat Easton, 81-79, at Parkland in a double-overtime classic. Ray Barbosa was never better, scoring 39 points. But the unsung Allen hero was Grant Whary who had seven steals in throwing his body all over the court. He also had four points in that amazing second OT. Easton's Kerreshe Dailey, who scored 26 points and had five 3-pointers in the process, swerved to the basket in the final seconds, but missed. Allen would go on to beat Emmaus and Aaron Gray (see Ray and Gray in the photo at right) Ray and Gray in the district final after needing to win the East Penn Conference title just to get into the district tourney.

1. Dieruff upsets Whitehall, 39-37 in the 1986 4A semis at Stabler as John Toman made a length-of-the-court pass with two seconds left to Ron Lacey, who laid it in to give the Huskies a stunning win over the top-seeded Zephs who were featuring Dean Kriebel, Mark Buskirk and lots of talent. "It was a designed play, we practice it all the time," Dieruff coach Dan Kemeter said. "We had done it before to beat Emmaus. John Toman came in there and just made a pinpoint pass and Ronnie made the biggest shot of his life. When that basket went in my heart went."

Dieruff, which would go on to lose to Emmaus in the district final, played that game without power forward Alton Cannon, who was out with a severel sprained ankle.

Alton Cannon is the father of current Allen star Jalen Cannon, who has his chance to make his own semifinal memory on Wednesday night at Parkland.

It should be fun.

My predictions for Tuesday's games:

3A

Central Catholic 66, Saucon Valley 60 -- But remember this, Eric Frans, is one special young man.

Wilson 43, Northern Lehigh 38 -- It won't be pretty, but Warriors basketball seldom is.

1A

Marian Catholic 55, Moravian Academy 45 -- Unless Logan Bernard can stage another miracle.

Tri-Valley 47, Mahanoy Area 44 -- Typical Schuylkill League dogfight.

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