The time, date and location are set for Archbishop Carroll's PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal.

The Patriots (20-7) will face Hampton (24-4), the runner-up from District Seven, at 7 p.m. Friday at Chambersburg High School.

For those unfamiliar with Chambersburg, that's roughly a 2-hour, 30-minute drive from this neck of the woods.

Friday's game will be Carroll's third appearance in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals in four seasons. The Patriots are 1-1 in quarterfinal games, having won one in 2008-09 en route to earning the state crown and dropping one a season later.

If you haven't been paying attention, Archbishop Carroll and Chester will continue their postseasons Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Here's where, when and against whom:

TUESDAY: Archbishop Carroll vs. Octorara, Coatesville H.S., 7:30
WEDNESDAY: Chester vs. Norristown, Coatesville H.S., 7

Tickets to Chester's second-round game are available at the high school's athletic office today, from 3 to 7 p.m. They will not be available for purchase gameday. (Sorry, Carroll fans, I do not have information for ticket presale for your team.)

#####

If you're a Chester High hoops aficionado, you had to appreciate the atmosphere at Norristown High School Saturday.

The stands dotted with fans in orange and black T-shirts, it was a distinct home-game feel for the Clippers, the nation's fourth-best team. It seemed as though everyone who's anyone came out to the game. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson (Temple junior forward, 2009 Chester All-Delco, 2008 state champion), Nasir Robinson (Pitt senior forward, 2007-08 Chester All-Delco, 2008 state champion) and D.J. Irving (Boston U sophomore guard, 2009 Archbishop Carroll All-Delco, 2009 state champion, Chester native) were among the fans in attendance.

You can imagine even more familiar faces will turn out as the Clippers continue their quest for their second consecutive PIAA Class AAAA championship, and their eighth state title overall.

Archbishop Carroll knocked off Trinity, 63-40, Friday night at Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pa., in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament.

Senior Alec Stavetski torched the District Three runner-up Shamrocks for a career-best 28 points, on 7-for-13 shooting and 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. Carroll (19-7) draws Octorara, a double-overtime winner Friday, in a second-round state game Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

Here's more from Stavetski after the win:

In 2010, it was D.J. Irving's time to shine. In 2011, all eyes were affixed to Juan'ya Green. Tonight, when Archbishop Carroll opens the PIAA Class AAA tournament against Trinity, Yosef Yacob knows this could be his year to take top billing.

“When I was a freshman, we made it to the third round and lost. And last year, we made it to the first round and lost,” Yacob said the other day, when Carroll won District 12's third-place game. “So I'm excited to actually go far being one of the bigger players on the team. I've never made it far in states as one of the key players. I'm really excited to get onto the floor and start winning.”

Yacob, who averages 14 points per game to go along with a keen eye for knocking down 3-pointers, has become the focal point of Carroll's offense. When he's not driving the lane and attacking the rim, he's able to convert from long range or at the free-throw line. (He's a 75-percent shooter at the stripe.)

A junior shooting guard, Yacob has a pair of Division I offers, from Rider and Albany, and said he counts five others as “interested.” They are Princeton, Akron, Delaware, Niagara and Drexel.

So now that the Patriots are in states, the pressure is on for Yacob. And being that he's seen Irving, a star at Boston University, and Green, a standout freshman at Niagara, handle the duties on the state stage, Yacob knows what to do.

“I feel like I should be a leader on the floor – not even just in scoring, but in defense, boxing out and not being lazy,” Yacob said. “If I'm lazy, they're all going to be lazy. It's extra work for me, but if I want to be (viewed as) a leader, I have to do it. That's what I'm supposed to do anyway.”

Added Carroll point guard Isaiah Warren: “I play my role and I try to set Yosef up. He's a good shooter and I like to make him look good. If I have a jumpshot or a layup, I'll take it. But if Yosef has a shot, I try to get him the ball.”

(Times staff photo / ROBERT J. GURECKI)

He hoisted shot, after shot, after shot … but none went in.

That's how it goes some nights for Alec Stavetski, Archbishop Carroll's senior sharp-shooter. Stavetski went 0-for-11, including 0-for-7 from 3-point range, against Philadelphia Electrical Charter Feb. 29, when Carroll clinched District 12's No. 3 seed in the upcoming PIAA Class AAA tournament.

Carroll (18-7) faces Trinity Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Milton Hershey School.

It's not as though Stavetski had hands in his face on every attempt. It just wasn't his night, which is why Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk isn't worried about his leading scorer – especially with a nine-day lag between districts and states.

“If it was someone that I didn't feel was a mentally strong player and couldn't rebound from this, yes, I'd be worried,” Romanczuk said. “But Alec has played for us and, now, started for us for two years. He's the kind of kid who would miss four shots and take the fifth shot as if he had made the previous four. His confidence is pretty stable.”

Romanczuk said he expected Stavetski in the gym in the days that followed the PEC win, but only because “that's the way he is. He'd be in there even if he went 11-for-11.” The Patriots (18-7) will need Stavetski if they plan on advancing past their first-round game Friday, March 9.

“He'll be fine. He's really confident,” Carroll senior Pat Finnegan said of Stavetski. “He knows we go to him and he knows we have to go to him if we're going to win in the state tournament.”

(Photo courtesy Philly.com)

Archbishop Carroll, the third-seeded team from District 12, will face Trinity, the runner-up in District Three, in a PIAA Class AAA opening-round game Friday, March 9, at a site and time to be determined.

Trinity (23-4) lost to Berks Catholic Friday night, 56-49, in the District Three Class AAA championship game, despite a big effort from Brad Wesner (pictured). The guard shot 10-for-17 from the floor for a game-best 26 points.

Archbishop Carroll (18-7) defeated Philadelphia Electrical Charter, 48-37, Wednesday night in the District 12 third-place game, behind 19 points from Yosef Yacob.

(Photo courtesy Harrisburg Patriot-News)

Last Wednesday, Archbishop Carroll lost in the Catholic League semifinals. This Wednesday, Carroll has a District 12 seeding game. A week from Friday, Carroll opens the PIAA Class AAA tournament.

For those keeping score at home, that accounts for three games in 17 days for Yosef Yacob (pictured) & Co.. Since the opening week of their season, the Patriots (17-7) haven't gone more than four days between games. At one stretch, they played four games in six days.

"Maintaining our focus in a two-week span where we only have one game is asking a lot," Archbishop Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said over the weekend. "We’re in this rhythm where it’s two practices, game, one practice, game. Keeping guys sharp has become the challenge, as well as keeping them healthy."

So why the lapse in the schedule? Unfortunately, that's the way it is. But why? Well, there's one reason: End date.

To make a five-round state tournament end with a championship weekend in State College, the tournament has to open on a weekend -- thus following a Friday/Wednesday format for Class AAA and Saturday/Tuesday for Class AAAA. So even though most districts will have closed out their tournaments by this weekend or, at the latest, March 6, the PIAA waits to open its state tournaments March 9.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise for some teams, like those with players nursing injuries or others -- like the eighth seed from District One Class AAAA, which will open its state-tournament run on a three-game losing streak -- which may just need a break from the games.

The PIAA brackets were unveiled Sunday. Here's what we know:

Tuesday
Class AAAA Play-In Game
2-2 Wyoming Valley West (18-6)at 1-9 Penn Wood (19-8), 7 p.m.

Friday
Class AAA First Round
3-2 Eastern York (24-4) vs. 12-3 Archbishop Carroll (21-5), at Hempfield HS (Landisville, Pa.), 6 p.m.

Saturday
Class AAAA First Round
1-1 Chester (26-1) vs. 3-7 Dallastown (21-7), at Norristown HS, 6 p.m.
Penn Wood-Wyoming Valley West winner vs. 3-1 York (27-2), Dallastown Area HS, 7:30 p.m.

So ... if Penn Wood wins a game in its backyard, it gets a first-round game 2 hours, 15 minutes from Essex Avenue. And Archbishop Carroll is nearly two miles from home in its first-round game.

Better gas up the cars, Delco basketball fans. It could be a road-trip kind of weekend.

########

In the latest PIAA rankings, released weekly by the Harrisburg Patriot-News, Chester is No. 1 and Penn Wood is No. 8 for Class AAAA and Archbishop Carroll holds steady at No. 2 in Class AAA.

Central Dauphin East High School, Harrisburg: 118 miles, 2 hours.

In a little while, I'll be hitting the road en route to Archbishop Carroll's second-round, PIAA Class AAA matchup with Danville at 6 p.m. It's going to take some time to get there and, according to the CD East folks, I've been told there's no Wireless in the building.

Bummer.

That being said, you can rest assured that right here on Gettin' Schooled you will see a synopsis of the game and some quotes from players and coaches within an hour after the final buzzer sounds. And, of course, you can always check Wednesday's Daily Times for the full report.

I'll keep you informed from Harrisburg. See you there.

UPDATED 10:23 P.M.
The Patriots pulled out a 64-51 victory over Danville and move into the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal round for the second time in as many seasons of PIAA eligibility.

Of course, they'll have to get through Neumann-Goretti to go further.

Juan'ya Green scored 21 points, Ben Mingledough tossed in 20 and D.J. Irving recovered nicely from the opening round, in which he posted the first scoreless game of his career at any level. The All-Delco point guard finished with 13 points.

Carroll (24-4) overcame a hot spell by Danville, during which the Ironmen made 11 straight baskets in a 9-plus minute span. The Patriots trailed at the break but poured it on after halftime.

For more check out Wednesday's Daily Times.

(Photo by Varsity365.com)

The PIAA brackets have been updated for each of the respective classes. Here's what we're looking at for Tuesday's and Wednesday's pairings:

On Tuesday....
BOYS CLASS AAA
Archbishop Carroll vs. Danville
At Central Dauphin East HS, Harrisburg, 6 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAAA
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Central Dauphin
At Governor Mifflin School, Shillington, 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday....
BOYS CLASS AAAA
Penn Wood vs. Neshaminy
At Norristown HS, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAA
Archbishop Carroll vs. Oley Valley
At Spring-Ford HS, Royersford, 6 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS A
Delco Christian vs. Tri-Valley
At Governor Mifflin School, Shillington, 7:30 p.m.

To be short and sweet, here's what you should know about Friday night: Archbishop Carroll can win (and will win) with a half-effective D.J. Irving, left.

Absent from the Patriots' two previous outings, Irving was one of several difference makers in their 37-30 win over Holy Ghost Prep in a PIAA Class AAA first-round game. Irving, who didn't score, had four steals, two rebounds and two assists.

But he wasn't alone. Junior Juan'ya Green , right, was wildly effective. He scored 14 points, picking and choosing the best shots to choose in order to maximize his effectiveness. He also had five rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

Because Irving – limited because of his still-tender hand – wasn't 100 percent, Green took the reins. He was all over the court, soaring from behind to block shots, dishing out eye-popping assists and doing much of the clock-killing dribbling in the game's final minutes.

Ben Mingledough led the way with 15 points and Vince Mostardi had eight to round out the scoring leaders. Needless to say, those who doubted the Patriots because of Irving's hand … think again.

Here are other results from the PIAA Class AAA bracket:
Eastern York 68, Coughlin 42
Dobbins 57, Springfield 52
Mifflinburg 51, Pottsville 38
Abington Heights 58, East Pennsboro 28
Neumann-Goretti 64, Susquehanna Township 45
Holy Redeemer 59, Steel-High 39
Danville 68, Allentown Central Catholic 59
Archbishop Carroll 37, Holy Ghost Prep 30
Lancaster Catholic 52, Pottsgrove 44
York Suburban 61, Johnstown 46
Chartiers Valley 96, Erie Central 66
West Allegheny 42, Hickory 41
West Mifflin 81, Oliver 65
Bradford 45, Trinity 43
Hampton 63, Huntingdon 41
Montour 49, Erie East 42

####################

Next up: Archbishop Carroll vs. Danville
When and where: Tuesday night, TBD
What to know about Danville: The Ironmen went 18-6, have won five in a row and have won an opening-round PIAA game each of the last two seasons. They won Friday night, partly, because ACC showed up late to the game and weren't loosened up. Danville forced 10 first-half turnovers and the rout was on.

Five. It's a number that separates Delco's state playoff teams from history.

The Class AAA (Archbishop Carroll, Springfield) and Class AAAA (Penncrest, Chester, Penn Wood) teams need only five wins to claim a state championship in their respective brackets. Five wins? That's a good 10-day stretch for some of these teams. What's five more wins?

It's the difference between being remembered and being forgotten. The PIAA playoffs commence tonight. And we'll have the scores here on Gettin' Schooled.

Check back throughout the night.

After Holy Ghost Prep put the finishing touches on Springfield Saturday, it began to settle in that HGP would draw the defending PIAA Class AAA champion in the first round of states.

Needless to say, the Firebirds weren't thrilled with that prospect. Fair enough, right? The District One champion deserves a little better a draw than Carroll. But that's how the bracket worked last year, too. Another year, another bracket ... In hindsight, perhaps PIAA should employ a power-rankings system for states.

In any case, here's some of what those around Holy Ghost had to say about Carroll:

COACH TONY CHAPMAN
"The shoe will be on the other foot, too, a little bit. More will be expected of Carroll. Even though we are district champs, we'll probably go into that game as an underdog."

"It is what it is. In a perfect world, you have a seeding thing with the PIAA and maybe you play someone not as dominant. We'll look at them and get ready to go. We're going to play hard and we're going to play a real good basketball game. If that's good enough to win, great. If it's not good enough to win, than it's not. We're going in confident."

SENIOR GUARD MICHAEL BYRNE
“We look forward to being the underdog a little bit. “Through the districts, we were the one seed. Now, we can play a little bit looser. Most people probably think we’re going to lose, so it will be nice to be the underdog.”

#############

So... yeah, it should be a good game. I don't predict any sort of trash-talking or bad blood. Nah, none of that. (Thanks to Bucks County Courier Times' Kevin Cooney, for the Byrne quote.)

The PIAA playoff brackets were released Sunday night. Some of Delaware County's five boys teams have brief drives; others, well, aren't so lucky.

Here's the breakdown...

PIAA CLASS AAA - FRIDAY
***Springfield (18-8) vs. Murrell Dobbins (16-8)
At South Philadelphia High, 6 p.m.
What to know: The Cougars, District One's runnerup, probably has a better draw against their opponent from the Public League than district-champ HGP. Yeah, about that...

***Archbishop Carroll (22-4) vs. Holy Ghost Prep (24-3)
At Norristown High, 8 p.m.
What to know: The Firebirds, who won the District One crown, were rewarded with a first-round draw against the reigning state-champion Patriots. Fair? No. But it is what it is.

########

PIAA CLASS AAAA - SATURDAY
***Penn Wood (23-3) vs. Penn Manor (17-10)
At Norristown High, 3:30 p.m.
What to know: The newly-crowned District One champion Patriots knocked off the Comets, of District Three, in the first round of states a year ago. Probably enough said.

***Penncrest (24-5) vs. Bethlehem Liberty (22-5)
At Freedom High, Bethlehem, 4:30 p.m.
What to know: The Central League champion Lions have a 90-minute drive that covers 70-plus miles for this game. Liberty has a three-mile drive that takes eight minutes. Fair? No. But it is what it is. (See above.)

***Chester (16-10) vs. La Salle (19-5)
At Archbishop Carroll High, 4:30
What to know: The Clippers are in the unfavorable spot of losing three straight heading into states; meanwhile, the Explorers won a hotly-contested District 12 title game. It seems like the teams are going in opposite directions.