McCarthy, PJP sink Pottstown
The Pope John Paul II boys basketball team used a seven-point advantage in the fourth quarter to rally back and claim a 53-49 win over Pottstown in Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division play.
Aidan McCarthy led PJP (1-0 PAC Frontier, 2-2 overall) with 13 points while Ricky Bearden added 11 as the Golden Panthers picked up their first conference win under head coach Matt Rafferty. Dan Cirino added nine points in the win while Julien Andrews and Vince Viney added eight and seven, respectively.
Anthony Brown paced Pottstown with a game-high 23 points and a trio of 3-pointers. Tre Bass
added 14 points while Corey Cottman added six as the Trojans (0-1, 0-3) brought a 37-34 lead into the final frame. POTTSGROVE 65, UPPER MERION 51 » Jason Hein headed a trio of double-figure scorers that keyed the Falcons’ victory over the Vikings in their PAC Frontier Division game.
Hein hit for 17 points while Manny Clark and Mike Ziegler had 14 and 11, respectively. Pottsgrove had a combined 39 points in the second and third quarters to expand its 15-13 firstquarter lead. HILL SCHOOL 80, CANTERBURY 73 » The Blues will look to defend their Mercer Invitational Tournament title from 2016 after earning a thrilling victory over Canterbury.
The Hill was paced by Seth Maxwell, who scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. His frontcourt mate, Nick Alikakos, chipped in 17 points and six rebounds to help the host team pull out the win. Hill will play Taft to repeat as MIT champions for the first time in over two decades. C.B. WEST 47, METHACTON 42» With a 16-8 scoring edge in the fourth quarter, the Bucks overtook the Warriors to win their nonleague game.
David Duda scored 13 points to lead Methacton, which reversed a 17-15 halftime deficit into a 34-31 lead through three. Owen Kropp and Noah Kitaw each chipped in with eight point for the locals. BOYERTOWN 61, SCHUYLKILL VALLEY 36 » Zach Benning headed a trio of double-figure scorers who keyed the Bears’ non-league victory over the Devils.
Benning’s game-high 12 points all came off baskets from 3-point range. Jerry Kapp and Noah Kurtz added 11 apiece for Boyertown, which used a 30-13 scoring edge in the middle quarters to expand its early 15-10 advantage. PERKIOMEN VALLEY 47, ACADEMY PARK 44 » Tyler
Strechay hit for a gamehigh 19 points as the Vikings went to overtime to prevail over the Trojans in non-league play.
Kevin Bernabe chipped in with 12 points for PV, which found itself all even with AP in regulation time, 38-38. The Trojans forced the OT scenario by outscoring the Vikes in the fourth, 19-4. HEMPFIELD 67, SPRING-FORD 55 » Scoring a combined 29 points in the middle quarters, Hempfield went on to roll sink the Rams in their non-league contest.
Noah Baker scored 17 points to lead SpringFord, which saw a 15-13 lead erased by Hempfield’s surge. Ryan Hagan chipped in with another 12. DANIEL BOONE 66, OLEY VALLEY 59 » Chaunce Johnson hit for a game-high 29 points to help the Blazers take their Berks Conference divisional crossover game with the Lynx.
Johnson went 15-for-20 to account for a big chunk of his scoring. Boone (1-2) got another 10 points from Jared Tranovich as it rebounded from a 37-30 halftime deficit with an 18-8 edge in third-quarter offense. OWEN J. ROBERTS 54, FLEETWOOD 36 » Ryan Sayers and Dawson Stuart each scored 12 points, heading a quartet of double-figure scorers that spearheaded the Wildcats’ non-league victory over the Tigers.
Nick Massa and Sean Praweckyj chipped in with 11 apiece as OJR (3-1) jumped out to a 10-0 lead.
Girls basketball
UPPER MERION 51, POTTSGROVE 32 » Using a 33-15 scoring edge in the middle quarters, the Vikings pulled away from the Falcons to win their PAC (Frontier Division) opener.
Riley Simon led Pottsgrove with her 10-point showing. Jordan Wilson, scoring a game-high 14, headed a trio of double-figure scorers for UM. GREAT VALLEY 38, METHACTON 32 » A 12-4 edge in second-half scoring was key to the Patriots topping the Warriors in their nonleague game.
Jill Zerbe had a teamhigh 14 points to go with her six rebounds for Methacton (2-3). Olivia Pennypacker chipped in with 11 while Abby Penjuke and Sydney Tornetta each pulled down nine rebounds. GOV. MIFFLIN 30, BOYERTOWN 29 » After forcing their non-league game into overtime, the Bears were edged by the Mustangs.
Kylie Webb and Julia Smith each scored nine points to lead Boyertown, which scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to erase GM’s 20-13 lead through three. The Bears found themselves trailing their hosts 8-2 after one quarter before forcing a 26-26 tie in regulation. DANIEL BOONE 56, MANHEIM CENTRAL 46 » Madison Spitko scored 18 points, heading a quartet of double-figure scorers that keyed the Blazers’ overtime victory over Manheim Central in non-league play.
Boone (3-2) outscored MC in the OT frame, 11-1. Sydney Hayes added 13, Kaylie Walker 12 and Courtney Gabbert 10. C.B. EAST 67, POPE JOHN PAUL II 45 » Elise Sylvester was the bright spot for the Golden Panthers in their non-league loss to the Patriots.
Sylvester hit for 19 points, all but two of them coming in the second half. It fell short of enabling PJP to answer East’s 32-17 halftime advantage. POTTSTOWN 43, QUAKERTOWN 22 » Ebony Reddick and Riley Owens headed the offense for the Trojans in their non-league victory over the Panthers.
Reddick and Owens each scored nine points to key Pottstown. HILL SCHOOL 41, ST. ANDREWS EPISCOPAL 32 » The Blues won their first game in the Bullis (Md.) Tournament, getting 14 points from Maia Lockhart and nine from Alexa Giacche.
Steph Percy had a stellar defensive outing and led The Hill in rebounds on the night.
Wrestling
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN » Daniel Mancini headed Owen J. Roberts’ showing at the
King of the Mountain Tournament, coming away with third place at 152.
Cole Meredith came away fifth at 145 while Antonio Petrucelli placed sixth at 138.
Boyertown’s Elijah Jones made the championship bout at 182, where he faced Blake Barrick of Big Spring. Jacob Miller wrestled for third place at 182, against Mike Kustenbauter of Muncy, and Zak Reck ended up eighth at 220 against Kross Todaro of Mifflin County.
Indoor track
AT&T COACHES HALL OF FAME » Melissa Israel had a record-breaking day for the Spring-Ford contingent competing at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City.
Israel broke her school record in the pole vault with a jump of 11-7, good enough for first place. She also set a new meet record, erasing the 10-6 mark previously held by Zavattaro Rubinetti.
Madison Turosinski jumped 10-0 to place fourth. The Ram girls 4x800 relay of Gabriella Bamford, Emily Smith, Julia Vledder and Sydney Galster ran a 10:00.49 to medal for fifth, and the boys 4x800 of Zachary Smith, Jacob McKenna, John Clark and Milan Sharma was eighth with a time of 8:24.94.
Girls ice hockey
HILL SCHOOL 3, GREENWICH AC.0» The Blues clinched the championship of the Howard Invitational Tournament, riding goals in each period past Greenwich Academy.
In its fourth year competing in the event, The Hill broke through with a strong tournament: wins over St. George’s, Hebron and Greenwich. The final game saw the Blues’ Elizabeth Buck score early in the first period on a goal-mouth scramble, for her third of the tournament. Nicole Guidi scored in the second period on a hard shot from the point, and Sami Shoebottom capped the day, converting on a partial breakaway during the third period.