With this being the second-to-last week of the Del Val GOYA season, there was certainly a lot on the line heading into Sunday’s matchups at Holy Trinity of Wilmington, with St. George Media’s boys clinging to hopes of sneaking into the playoffs, but knowing they would need a convincing win and some help to have any chance of doing so. When the dust settled on the day, the playoff picture, or at least who will be in the picture, has been set, with now teams jockeying for seeding and first round byes next week.
Evangelismos Girls – 31, St. George Girls – 21
The opening matchup of the day featured two girls teams, coming off wins last week, and with sights on landing the #3 seed in the DVGOBL playoffs in St. George Media and Evangelismos Philadelphia. On the day the girls from the Boulevard were a little too much for St. George to handle, winning by a score of 31-21. Francesca Bogiatzis led the charge once again for Evangelismos, putting her firmly in the discussion for league MVP this season. The Bourantas girls did what they could to keep St. George in the game but ultimately could not overcome the deficit. The loss finishes St. George’s regular season with a 2-4 record, which is good enough to lock in the #5 seed and a first round matchup with their neighbors to the north in St. Luke Broomall on January 4th. With the win, Evangelismos improves to 3-2 which locks them into the #3 seed with a date against St. Demetrios of Upper Darby in the quarterfinals, and with an interesting matchup against their playoff opponent to close out the regular season.
Evangelismos Boys – 58, St. George Boys – 40
For the boys from St. George, the odds were stacked tall against them heading into this week, as they knew they needed about 10 different things to break their way, starting with earning a convincing win over the boys from Evangelismos. On the day, the boys from the Boulevard, at full strength for the first time all season, eliminated any need for me to even explain what steps 2 through 10 would have been for St. George, as they came away with a decisive 58-40 victory. Cameron Elliott led the way for Evangelismos, who exploded for a team and league-high 58 points on the week. If this is the team that heads into January then Mr. GOYA sees potential on the horizon, as the win locks Evangelismos into a first-round date with St. Demetrios of Upper Darby in the 4/5 matchup, rendering next week’s contest no more than an exhibition and feeling out game for both teams.
For St. George, there was not much the boys could do as they ran into a juggernaut on the day. The loss drops them out of playoff contention, and finishes their season at 1-6. However with the return of the guard tandem of Panos Skoutelas and AJ Aivazoglou, Mr. GOYA is renewing his prediction from this year next season in saying that this team will be a force to be reckoned with next year.
What Does it Mean, and What is Left At Stake?
With Sunday’s action in the books, Santa paid a visit to the boys of St. Luke leaving them a playoff berth in their stocking. They will find themselves locked in to the sixth and final playoff spot, and will have to wait until next week’s action to find out who they will play in the 3-6 slot on January 4th. With the six teams decided on both the boys and girls sides of the coin, and with the girl’s six matchups already set, the only thing left to be decided is on the boy’s side, where the coveted top spot in the DVGOBL playoffs, and a first round bye, is at stake. St. Thomas Cherry Hill and Annunciation Elkins Park will do battle next Sunday in a size vs. speed matchup, that will leave one team atop the boy’s standings, while the other will fall to third place and will face St. Luke’s on January 4th. With that game being played, Holy Trinity of Egg Harbor, idle since November 23rd, will slip into the second spot in the playoffs, having won the tiebreakers over both Cherry Hill and Elkins Park earlier in the season. Regardless I am tabbing next weekend’s game a must-watch, as two of the top teams go at it with the top spot in the league on the line.
As always keep checking in with Cosmos Philly for all the league-wide action. Following next week’s recaps, also look for Mr. GOYA’s playoff preview, complete with bold predictions and possible end of season award projections!