Title teaser

The Prep Charter Huskies stand along center court at Temple University’s Liacouras Center waiting to receive their medals.

Yet this is not a happy occasion.

The medals signify only that Prep Charter is the top-seeded AA squad in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District XII. The Huskies had been hoping for a Public League championship, but that honor went to the Central Lancers only minutes before.

The title was certainly within reach Friday night. Prep Charter trailed 47-46 with 1:03 remaining but, in the end, the Lancers scored the 52-46 victory and their first Public League championship since 1932.

The Huskies made history of a different kind by becoming the first charter school to advance to a title game in any sport. Many Public League observers would consider the feat by the fourth-year program from a tiny school — Prep Charter’s enrollment is just 580 — a huge moral victory. But some players could find no solace after the loss.

"We should’ve won," a barely audible Rodney Green said as he exited the team’s locker room. "I wanted the Public League championship. That’s what I came here to play for."

Green made 10-for-12 field goals to finish with 20 points and seven rebounds. He took home the championship game’s sportsmanship award trophy.

Senior guard Bilal Rogers put a more positive spin on the outcome.

"It’s kind of disappointing, but at the same time we’ve got to keep our heads up because out of 46 teams, we finished runner-up in the city," said Rogers, who tallied four assists.

If the 21-6 Huskies were intimidated by Goliath-like Central — a team that draws from a student body of 2,300 — it didn’t show on the court. Prep Charter rocketed to a 10-1 lead and held an 18-7 edge after eight minutes of play.

But Central rallied in the second quarter, outscoring the Huskies 17-4. Prep Charter finished the half with a drastically trimmed lead of 24-22.

"I knew Central was going to make a run. It was just a matter of when," said Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley. "It just so happened that they made it before halftime."

IN PAST SEASONS, Public League teams would have to wait a whole year for another shot at a title, but PIAA membership offers a fresh postseason.

The Huskies will begin their pursuit of the AA state championship Saturday afternoon when they play Mahanoy Area at Community College of Philadelphia. The Huskies, which the Patriot-News of Harrisburg ranked second in the state, are among the favorites to win the AA crown. Mahanoy is ranked 10th.

We have to refocus our energy on winning a state championship," summed up Brinkley, who planned to watch the Public League championship game film Monday night before reviewing it with his team.
The players used Monday as a recovery day and returned Tuesday to start preparing for their next opponent. Rogers is confident that he and his teammates can regroup effectively.

We have to come in with the mindset that we are going to win the game," the athlete said. "We’ve got to have a positive attitude and give it our best."

Brinkley will provide his players with a crash course on Mahanoy this week. The District XI squad heads into the tournament with a 27-2 record, which includes Saturday’s 54-38 loss to Notre Dame. With CCP as Saturday’s venue, Prep Charter’s fans can pack the stands as they did for the semifinals at Saint Joseph’s University and last week at the Liacouras Center.

"I definitely believe it’s a home-court advantage," Brinkley said. "We’ve become a team that people in the city are buzzing about and we definitely appreciate their support."

The March 19 state championship game in Hershey is still four wins away, but Prep Charter has defied the odds before.

The states are just as big as the Pub," Brinkley said. "We are going to use the championship game as a learning experience."

PIAA AA state tournament opener

Prep Charter (21-5) vs. Mahanoy (27-2) at Community College of Philadelphia, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Lady Huskies also in states

The game: Prep Charter (13-6, District XII, second seed) vs. Saint Pius X (20-6, District I, first seed) in opening-round action of the PIAA AA girls’ basketball championship tournament

Time and place: Tomorrow, 6 p.m., Upper Moreland High School

Key players: Crystal Enoch, senior guard; Ashley Pearsall, senior guard; Sabriya McDuffie, senior center; Courtney Pratt, junior guard-forward; Victoria Wiley, freshman forward; and Jakiya Workman, senior guard

Leading scorer: Enoch tops the Lady Huskies’ offense with 18.1 points per game.

How they got here: The Lady Huskies qualified by advancing to last month’s District XII Class AA game championship, where they lost 62-33 to Public League runner-up Engineering and Science. Saint Pius X earned the top seed out of District I by beating Sacred Heart 66-42 in Friday’s championship game.

Up next: Tomorrow night’s winner will advance to Tuesday’s second-round game against the winner of the opener between Carbondale (27-0) and Schuylkill Valley (25-5).