It wasn’t always easy this season, but the Parkland High School boys basketball team is surely standing tall after claiming both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 Class 6A championships during the 2021-22 season.
The Trojans knocked off the second seed, Pocono Mountain West, 58-33 last Saturday night in the district final at Easton Area Middle School.
It was the first district title in six years for the program and the first victory over the Panthers this year, after previously losing two games to them this season, both in tournaments including the Reading High School Holiday Showcase and the Hoop Group Classic on Parkland’s home floor.
Trojan head coach Andy Stephens, even after the up-and-down regular season, knew his team was one of the best in the conference and district. It is now 21-7 overall and set to embark on a state tournament run.
“We kind of stayed the course,” said Stephens. “I knew we had something in us. I always say, teams that are driven by the players, they do certain things on their own. You can tell how much they want it. They’re not just physically putting forth effort, but they’re mentally putting forth effort. They were so locked in to achieve what they’ve achieved in leagues and districts. It doesn’t surprise me. I’m just so proud of them.”
Senior center Matt Rantz, who was a starter all season but has seen his minutes drop in the postseason, mostly because of playing against smaller lineups, stepped up in the district title game. He finished with five points, five rebounds and two blocks and did not want to see PM West celebrating a third win over his team in just three months.
“We’re playing for a championship, and they beat us twice before,” said Rantz. “None of us were going to let that happen again. I really just wanted this win. I played really, really hard.”
The 6-foot-10 Rantz also limited EPC MVP Christian Fermin, a 6-foot-10 forward headed to Virginia Commonwealth University. Fermin had big games against Parkland in the first two meetings, but he was not a factor in the district title game as Rantz helped hold him to just eight points.
Offensively, sophomore Nick Coval led the way with a game-high 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. He connected on two 3-pointers to give his team a 10-4 lead with 1:49 remaining in the opening quarter, and the Trojans led for the remainder of the evening.
Even after collecting their second gold medal in as many weeks, Rantz and his teammates want more and know that they can achieve it, especially with the way they have been playing of late.
“EPCs were so much fun, playing at PPL Center and getting a championship,” Rantz said. “We all enjoyed it, but we knew the job wasn’t finished. We still have one more goal, to get a state championship.”
Parkland was scheduled to open state tournament play with a home game against Penn Wood, the 10th-place team from District 1. That game was played after Press deadline.