The Parkland High School boys basketball team started playing its best basketball of the 2022-23 season at the right time, during the postseason. After bowing out in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinal round, the Trojans ran through the District 11 tournament unscathed, winning their second straight district championship. They then won their opening PIAA State 6A First Round game by double figures over West Chester Henderson.

Last week, Parkland’s momentum carried on into the second round as it raced back from being down by almost double digits midway through the second quarter to rally back and take down Garnet Valley out of District One, 74-58, last Wednesday at Reading High School’s Geigle Complex for their second consecutive, double figure win in states and advanced to the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2016.

Parkland closed the third quarter on an 8-2 run to go up 46-39 and then quickly widened the lead to 53-40 before the Jaguars found one last burst and clawed back to within 59-56. But Nick Coval answered with a drive and Luke Spang converted at the rim. Then Matt Ray hit 9 of 10 at the foul line over the final 2:28 to keep his team in front the rest of the way.

Ray finished with 20 points, just three points behind the team-leader Coval, who had 23. The Trojans outscored the Jaguars 38-27 in the second half. Joey Gerbasio tallied nine points, Robbie Ruisch contributed eight and both Luke Spang and Zaire Smaltz added six points.

Parkland met a familiar opponent in the next round. District 12’s Roman Catholic is the defending state champion and the team that last beat the Trojans in the quarterfinals during that 2016 season. The two teams scrimmaged at the beginning of this year, so they know each other.

Parkland had a 31-27 lead over Roman Catholic in the third quarter. But the Trojans gave up the final eight points of the period to go down by four and then scored just three points in the final frame in a 53-35 loss Saturday at Norristown High School.

“Their size and strength just got to us in the second half,” said Parkland head coach Andy Stephens. “I wish we would have made a couple more shots, but it wasn’t like they weren’t trying to make them. They just didn’t go in today and some of them would have helped keep us in it.”

The score was tied 9-9 after the opening quarter and the Trojans held a slim 20-17 advantage at halftime.

Gerbasio led the team in scoring with 15 points. Roman Catholic held Coval, the EPC MVP, to just eight points, as they focused their defensive attention on him.

Parkland finished its season with a 20-10 overall record.