Perkiomen Valley overwhelms Downingtown East to win first District 1-AAAA title

PHILADELPHIA >> It took an ugly win to get past the semifinals.

Friday night, Perkiomen Valley’s performance was anything but. It was picture perfect.

KT Armstrong scored a game-high 23 points while Taylor Hamm and Hanan Richmond also scored in double figures as Perkiomen Valley led from start to finish en route to a 56-41 victory over Downingtown East in the District 1-AAAA championship game Friday night at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.

The district title marks the first in Perkiomen Valley history, which will play the seventh-place finisher from District 3 in the opening round of the PIAA-AAAA tournament Friday at a site and time to be determined.

“It feels great,” Armstrong said. “I thought winning the PAC-10 was a great moment, but this is even better. This is awesome.”

Armstrong’s big night was the second time in four games that the St. Joseph’s commit reached 23 points, also hitting that mark in the team’s 52-39 victory over Abington in the second round of districts.

The senior’s night outshined East’s Paige Warfel, who stood as the bright spot for the Cougars, finishing with 16 points as the team fell behind 16-2 after the first quarter and trailed 26-14 at the half.

“As much as we wanted to win, I can’t hang my head,” Warfel said. “Getting here is a big accomplishment. Give all the credit to PV, they played a great game. Have to give it to them.”

It was the second time East trailed Perkiomen Valley by double digits entering the half, most recently trailing 28-14 in a game last month. East was able to send that game into overtime with a furious second-half rally (ultimately a 46-44 PV win on Feb. 2).

GB: @PVGBBALL getting their medals. @ChkenpARMSTRONG pic.twitter.com/ZQ3S3Y5jiW

— Sam Stewart (@Samuel_Stewart7) February 27, 2016

This game … not so much.

“They’re a fast-starting team. They were aggressive early and got on us,” East coach Tom Schurtz said. “Once we tightened up we couldn’t get that ball to go through the rim. In a game like this you need to find that one shot to get you relaxed and it didn’t happen.”

“We battled back but couldn’t get the shots early to get us going.”

Warfel sparked East for six points in the third as the Cougars tried to rally from the 12-point deficit, but for every bucket East made, it was answered — and quickly — by the Vikings, which kept the margin at eight points or greater throughout after building a 10-1 lead in the first.

“We went in, had a great practice yesterday, everybody was upbeat. We came out here and did exactly what we said we were going to do,” PV coach John Strawoet said.

“All I could ask for is when my kids stepped on the court, that they give 100 percent. That was evident today. There wasn’t any letdown. I was a little concerned because of the venue, it’s so big and the baskets have so much space behind them, but they came out and got it done.”

Hamm and Richmond were key components behind the victory with Hamm, a sophomore forward, contributing 13 points and 13 rebounds. It was the second straight game she finished with more than 10 boards. Richmond, meanwhile, came alive later, scoring eight of her 10 points in the final quarter that was capped by an emphatic block that sent the ball into the first row of the Liacouras Center stands.

“I said yesterday to our coaches: if Taylor Hamm scores for us tomorrow, we’re going to win,” Strawoet said. “And that’s what she did. Hanan Richmond scored for us. Neither of those two had big games for us in regard to scoring against Upper Dublin but when you have four people that are scoring, it’s hard to stop you.”

“I just knew that everybody wanted this,” Richmond said. “It got a little tight in the third so I knew we had to pick it up. I found them, they found me. That block lifted me. I love blocking shots.”

Celebrate @PVGBBALL pic.twitter.com/q8ADoRQ0nv

— Sam Stewart (@Samuel_Stewart7) February 27, 2016

NOTES >> Aryah Aungst and Danielle Tyrell finished with seven points in the loss for East. … Megan Jonassen finished with seven points and 14 rebounds for Perk Valley.