One more step

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So, who had Prep Charter in the Final Four of the PIAA AA state tournament? Did anyone even bother to fill out the tournament bracket?

OK, so maybe the PIAA battle doesn’t have the same luster as the NCAA’s March Madness, but the Huskies making the state semifinals is still a huge accomplishment.

They’re only the second Philadelphia Public League District 12 team to advance that far. The other is Southwest Philly’s Communications Tech, who defeated West Perry 66-60 in Tuesday night’s PIAA AAA Eastern final.

Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., played York Catholic in last night’s AA Eastern semifinal at Reading High School, which started after press time. The victor heads to Hershey for Saturday afternoon’s state championship game against the winner of the Beaver Falls-Quaker Valley semifinal.

"We’re happy to be representing District 12," Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley said, following March 18’s 77-60 quarterfinal win over Trinity. "We’ve taken a lot of criticism around the state for not going far last year."

Last season, the first time Public League teams were eligible for state tournament competition, Prep Charter was one of three city squads to advance to the second round. They ended up losing to York Catholic – the team they faced in Wednesday night’s semifinal.

Senior Rodney Green is one of many Prep Charter players looking forward to another shot at York Catholic.

"I want them bad," Green, who is bound for La Salle University, said. "They kicked us out last year. I want revenge."

The Huskies, 26-5 overall, entered the state tournament as one of the top contenders for the crown and were ranked number one in Pennsylvania by the Patriot-News in Harrisburg.

PREP CHARTER WAS also considered one of the best teams in this year’s Public League tournament, but hopes of a championship came to a screeching halt following the Feb. 17 quarterfinal loss to Communications Tech at home. It sent shockwaves through the gym, but provided a wake-up call for states.

"We went into [the Communications Tech] game thinking very highly of ourselves and that we couldn’t be beat," junior Josh Martin said.

Now, with a state title on the line, the Huskies are still extremely confident – but not overconfident.

"We go into games thinking [teams] got this far, so they must be a good team and they can hang with us," Martin said. "I think we are the most talented team in the state. If we run our sets and play together, I don’t think we can be beat."

The strategy worked well Saturday afternoon with Prep Charter leading 22-16 after one quarter. Trinity, from Camp Hill, closed the gap at halftime, 38-32. But Prep Charter maintained at least a four-point lead for the entire game, eventually winning by 16.

The Huskies delivered a balanced effort with all five starters tallying nine points or more. Green led the way with a team-high of 19 points and eight rebounds, while the 6-foot-9 junior twin towers, Markieff and Marcus Morris, tallied 18 and 14 points, respectively. Martin added 13 points and eight assists, while Doug Davis scored nine.

Although it was the Huskies second win over Trinity this season and they won an earlier non-league contest, Brinkley was expecting a tougher game.

"You’ve got to be more disciplined the second time around, regardless of who you’re playing," he said.

Martin has taken his coach’s theory onto the court, playing the role of floor general.

"I get my team involved and then me," he said. "I have to be a leader and coach on the court."

It also helps having 60- to 90-minute road trips to Shillington, Allentown and Reading to bond as a team and get focused. Most of the players spend the majority of the time listening to their favorite rap mixes on iPods. Martin said he plays various artists, including Jay-Z and Trey Songz, to get revved up for a game. Green said he prefers 50 Cent.

So far, the road to Hershey has gone as well as can be expected. The Huskies opened the state tournament March 11 in Shillington with a 49-44 win over Reading Central Catholic. March 15, they traveled to Allentown and defeated Southern Columbia, 61-49.

Saturday, they beat Trinity in Reading – where they played again last night.

Now, it’s all about putting Philadelphia on the PIAA map. Eight Philadelphia Public League boys’ basketball teams qualified for the state tournament, including South Philadelphia High, but Prep Charter is one of two teams still alive and winning a state title has become much more important.

Even though Communications Tech spoiled Prep Charter’s Public League championship plans, Martin said he is still rooting for the Southwest Philly squad to win the AAA crown.

"This city has got to come together as one," the junior said

Road to the PIAA AA Title

March 11
Prep Charter 49, Reading Central Catholic 44

March 15
Prep Charter 61, Southern Columbia 49

March 18
Prep Charter 77, Trinity 60

March 22
Prep Charter vs. York Catholic (started after press time)

March 25
PIAA AA State Final, 2 p.m.
Giant Center in Hershey