Girls Basketball: Springfield, Garnet Valley focused on confirmed title tilt

The seedings for the District One girls basketball tournaments came out Sunday. Well, not the official version. Sure, the power rankings and brackets were posted on the district’s new website, but the pairings are not official until noon Monday.

Hey, with all the problems the district has had with its power-ranking systems in the past, guess district officials probably just want to play it safe. If everything stays the same, though, nine Delco teams will take part in the District One tournament in three classifications. Garnet Valley (20-3) earned the No. 3 seed and will take on Central League rival Penncrest (11-11), the No. 30 seed, at home Friday night.

“It’s a nice reward for all the hard work the girls have put in,” Garnet Valley coach Joe Woods said. Springfield (18-4), which faces Garnet Valley Monday night at Maple Newtown for the Central League crown, is the ninth seed and hosts No. 24 Central Bucks East (12-10) Saturday afternoon.

“We’re thrilled with our seed,” Springfield coach Ky McNichol said. “You want to do well in the regular season so you can get a good seed in the district playoffs.” While Woods and McNichol are happy with their seeds, both are a little more preoccupied with Monday’s championship showdown. Springfield was the only team to beat Garnet Valley in the Central League this season, snapping the Jaguars’ 38-game league winning streak with a 49-37 victory at home Dec. 22, 2015.

“They did a great job that night,” Woods said. “They were well prepared and the played very well.”

“We’re excited about being in the championship game,” McNichol said. “The girls have improved throughout the season. They’ve stuck together and supported each other. We know we’re going against a great team in Garnet Valley, but we’re excited about the opportunity.”

Three-time defending Del Val champ Penn Wood (16-6), Haverford (12-10) and Radnor (11-11) are part of the 32-team field in Class AAAA.

Garnet Valley’s Maddie Ireland drives through the lane en route to her 16 points to eclipse 1,000 career in a 45-27 win over Henderson. (Times Staff/Robert J. Gurecki)