PJP II edges Upper Merion for Frontier title

PJP II 57, UPPER MERION 54 » Entering the 2021 campaign, the Pope John Paul II boys basketball team had just one Pioneer Athletic Conference plaque to show for its first decade in the league — won in the school’s inagural season in 2010-11.

With a 57-54 win over Upper Merion on Monday, the Golden Panthers (9-0 PAC Frontier, 13-0) added some more long-awaited hardware, clinching their first PAC title in 10 years.

JP Baron led a trio of double figure scorers with 16 points. Kevin Green added 12 and Luke McCarthy 11 for the PJP, which finished as the PAC runner-up a season ago.

PJP led 47-33 entering the fourth quarter before a shorthanded Upper Merion (8-7, 5-5 PAC Frontier) squad cut the lead to one-possession in the final seconds. Madison Tatom scored 20-or-more for the second straight game, netting a game-high 24 points following a 20-point day in a loss to Phoenixville on

Sunday.

METHACTON 66, ABRAHAM LINCOLN 56 » Brett Byrne scored a career high and Cole Hargrove neared a triple-double in the Warriors’ (10-4) non-league win Monday.

Byrne knocked down four threes on the way to 34 points — the most by a PAC boy this season and most by a Warrior since David Duda scored 38 in the 2018 league title game. Hargrove posted a stat line of 18 points, 10 rebounds, and nine blocks. Mike Merola added eight points in the win.

Dahmir Fowlkes and Matt Williams scored 17 points apiece for Lincoln.

Though the lineups looked a lot different, the teams met up in last season’s PIAA Class 6A second round.

WOOD 70, LC 40 » UConn recruit Rahsool Diggins scored 19 points in three quarters as Wood coasted to the PCL win on Monday. Jimmy Casey scored 12 points for LC.

TCA 61, DOCK 56 » The Pioneers dropped the BAL game on Monday after falling behind 40-31 after three quarters. Tamir Johnson tried to rally the Pioneers, scoring 15 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. Nathan Lapp added 15 points, while Steve Martin chipped in with 13 for Dock.

CB EAST 61, SOUDERTON 39 » The Patriots clinched the Colonial Divison title with a dominating performance on Monday. A 20-6 secondquarter run did the damage for East. Evan Kutzler led the Indians with 13 points in a losing effort.

JENKINTOWN 65, CALVARY CHRISTIAN 31 » The Drakes went on a 39-9 run in the second half and pronounced themselves ready for postseason play. Iman Jackson led the way with 24 points for Jenkintown.

Girls basketball

METHACTON 57, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 52 » Cassidy Kropp led the way with 16 points and Nicole Timko followed with 15 to lead the way for the Warriors’ PAC Liberty win over the Vikings on Monday.

Mairi Smith joined the pair in double figures with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Tori Bockrath added eight points, and Alli Hazlett chipped in seven to go along with 10 boards for Methacton, which led by more than 20 points in the third quarter but had to fend off a large PV rally late.

PV’s Anna Stein (16) and Jennifer Beattie (17) matched the efforts of Kropp and Timko in the loss. Emma Miley also added nine points.

POPE JOHN PAUL II 53, UPPER MERION 15 » Amelia Kennedy put together a double-double with 10 points and 11 steals Monday as the Golden Panthers wrapped their PAC Frontier slate with a win.

Tess Crossan added nine points and nine assists, while Kallan Bustynowicz added eight points, six blocks and 12 rebounds in the win. Haley Jackson chipped in two points and 10 boards.

Riley Anderson led Upper Merion with six points.