Moon Area competed in Class AAAA in basketball this past season and was one of the smallest WPIAL schools in that classification.

Coach Jeff Ackermann had just two proven players -- Brian Walsh and Kier Jeter -- returning when practices began in November.

So what did the inexperienced, undermanned Tigers do?

They went 23-8, came within a heartbeat of winning the WPIAL Class AAAA title and advanced to the PIAA Western final before an injury to all-everything Walsh and a talented Norristown team ended Moon's season.

"I think we overachieved," Ackermann said. "When you consider we had a 6-foot-2, 175-pound freshman [Aaron Johnson] starting in the post and were really inexperienced when the season began."

True, but Ackermann has a way of squeezing every ounce of ability out of his players. Plus, he had strong leaders in Walsh, a 6-4 guard who is headed for Xavier University, and Jeter, a 6-2 senior forward who averaged 12 points and five rebounds a game. Senior starter Anthony Valenzie was also steady.

What turned what could have been an ordinary season into an extraordinary one was the development of juniors Ryan Falbo and Jason Jacobs, Johnson and fellow freshmen Kyle Henderson and Brett Hoffman.

"We actually had a deeper team in the playoffs because I developed more faith in some of the younger players as the season went along," Ackermann said. "When you consider that we started out 6-4, we really came together and went on a pretty nice run."

It was a shame that Walsh, who averaged 20 points and seven rebounds a game, injured his right knee in the Norristown game. He was the player who usually took the shots at crunch time and was the triggerman when Moon went to its spread offense.

Because Moon wasn't big -- Walsh was the tallest starter and he played guard -- it would run a version of the four-corners offense if it had a lead in the fourth quarter.

That way, the Tigers could use their quickness to get to the basket. One of the few times that didn't work was against Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class AAAA final at the Palumbo Center. Still, Central Catholic needed to make a buzzer-beater to win the game.

"We played in Quad-A the past two seasons and we won 23 and 25 games," Ackermann said. "That's 48 wins, so I think that we proved that we can hold our own against anybody."

Moon is moving back to Class AAA next season under the PIAA's revised enrollment figures. Look for the Tigers to challenge for another WPIAL title.

Ackermann admits he doesn't have a replacement for the talented Walsh -- "He's the best player to come through the program since I've been here," Ackermann said -- but he will have six guys returning with a ton of experience. And in Johnson, who averaged seven points and five rebounds a game, Moon has another budding star.

Johnson played on the inside to take advantage of his leaping ability, but has a good shooting touch and will probably play outside more next season. His father is 6-8, so he should keep growing.

"He's very skilled and how much better he gets will depend on how hard he works in the offseason," Ackermann said. "He'll probably play the 4 [power forward] for us.

"We brought up three freshmen to the varsity this season and they all played. The freshman class is a good one."

Henderson is 6-3 and Hoffman 6-0. Falbo, who brings toughness from football, is 6-2 and 6-7 Daniel Murray, a sophomore, was also on the roster.

What Ackermann is most proud of is his seven-year record at Moon. In that time, the Tigers have won three WPIAL Class AAA titles, a PIAA championship and had only one season in which they didn't win 20 games,

"And we've done it with different classes, multiple players and teams with different styles," he said.