Jonassen and Hamm dominate glass to lift Perk Valley into finals

SOUTHAMPTON >> Sometimes redemption can get ugly.

But going by the powerful philosophy, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ Wednesday night’s District 1-AAAA semifinal produced something far from ugly. 

It was a spectacle.

Forget the 59 points Upper Dublin and Perkiomen Valley combined for in the Vikings’ 30-29 victory. Forget the combined 23-for-90 performance from the floor; two teams that bind their team together with defensive intensity will produce games as such.

What shouldn’t be forgotten is the dominance sophomores Megan Jonassen and Taylor Hamm displayed in the paint. Jonasssen registered a game-high 14 points and 17 rebounds, her 20th double-double of the season, while Hamm added 11 rebounds as the Vikings outrebounded the Cardinals 38-22 in a game that was heavily decided by second-chance points.

“They’ve done it all year for us,” Perkiomen Valley head coach John Strawoet said. “The number of rebounds that we average would shock some people, and it’s mainly because of those two bigs right there. They’re very strong on the glass, they never quit, they hit the boards hard and they never, never, ever give up.”

Jonassen notched her double-double by halftime and served as a reliable go-to option as the outside shooting from Perk Valley’s guards faltered for the first time this tournament. Her 10 points were critical in building a 20-16 halftime edge, her seven in the first quarter effectively equaling the seven from Upper Dublin’s Allison Chernow. 

Hamm meanwhile did her work on the defensive glass, finishing with eight defensive rebounds — three offensive ­— as the Vikings built a 30-23 lead before four turnovers in the final 1:30 had Upper Dublin in place to come away with their third straight victory over Perk Valley.

However, with 0.5 seconds remaining, it was the bigs from Perk Valley that got it done again, Hamm knocking away the inbound pass to cue the celebration and the storming of the court by the PV bench.

“I know I have to gut everything out and do everything in my power to help my team win the game,” Jonassen said.

“Oh my, you can’t even put it to words how much they’ve grown,” Strawoet said. “They’re both extremely hard workers and what you see out there is how they are at practice every day, too. They just go hard, go hard, go hard. That’s all those two ladies know how to play.”

Their intensity has shown from the moment they donned the orange and white.

Jonassen, sister of Perkiomen Valley graduate and All-PAC offensive lineman Seth Jonassen, showed her potential in her first season, her ability to crash the boards complementing KT Armstrong’s perimeter shooting and ability to get to the basket.

“I saw Meg Jonassen a long time ago and I knew what type of player she was going to be,” Strawoet said, explaining his first encounter with Jonassen in the Perk Valley youth program. “Last year, Meg just came along real quickly. I can still remember the game against Owen J. It was a tight game, we put in Meg as a freshman and she goes in, produces and has big rebounds and we win the game. The staff looked at each other and said, ‘This kid’s ready to go.’”

Hamm, meanwhile, has come along in her sophomore season, appearing in all 28 games for the Vikings while serving as the No. 2 that makes the PV post so formidable. Her chemistry with Jonassen a key reason why.

“I couldn’t ask for a better forward to play with,” Jonassen said of Hamm. “I can always count on her for getting rebounds and making great passes. She’s great.”

“I really like playing with her (Jonassen),” Hamm said. “You can definitely always count on her to dominate the offensive glass and I always look or her in the high post because I know that she can finish that inside shot. We always look to her when we need that putback or to get a layup.”

Now, the duo has PV on the cusp of its first district title in school history.

Who can forget that?