Methacton ends losing skid to Spring-Ford, wins 55-47
ROYERSFORD >> Methacton’s seniors know they are down to their last shot.
The goal to go out on a high note was evident Tuesday night.
Ryan DeOrio headed a trio of Warriors who finished with double figures, registering a team-high 15 points as Methacton fended off Spring-Ford en route to a 55-47 victory.
It was Methacton’s first victory over the Rams since Jan. 30, 2014 — DeOrio’s freshman season — and third straight victory to open the season. Now, along with Jackie Cerchio, who finished with 10 points in Tuesday’s victory, Sydney Thompson (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Jenna Cooper, the Warriors are looking to push forward after two lackluster seasons.
“We’ve been working more together,” said DeOrio, a 5-7 guard. “We’ve been playing well as a team, have been flowing more together and everything is just clicking for us.”
“Us four seniors, we’ve been playing varsity since freshman year,” Cerchio added. “This is our last chance and we want to get after it. So far we’ve gelled together really well and we hope we can continue that moving forward.”
The Rams, without Stetson University commit Sydney Wagner, was headed by a 21-point performance from 5-11 forward Maddie Haney. The Philadelphia University commit kept Spring-Ford within reach throughout the first three quarters with her tenacity on the glass and in the paint. She scored 11 of her team’s 16 points in the first before adding another nine in the third to keep within one entering the fourth.
Fouls and Methacton’s ability to penetrate, however, ended up the Rams’ downfall.
The Warriors, in the double-bonus a minute into the second quarter, ended up going to the line 32 times, converting 22 free throws — eight coming in the fourth as the Rams tried to claw back from a 51-42 deficit.
“Methacton played better than us, got to the rim too many times and we put them on the free throw line way too much,” Spring-Ford head coach Mickey McDaniel said. “We had that really good start to the game and Methacton stepped it up and took control. I thought our kids played hard. Maddie (Haney) was tough inside. I was really impressed with how hard she played, going to the rim and her play defensively.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll bounce back and get ready for Norristown on Friday.”
Up and Up
Methacton has started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2012, when the Warriors advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA tournament and finished with a 24-7 record. The team started with two wins in the Methacton Tip-Off tournament, winning the tournament title game over Mount Saint Joseph’s. Head coach Craig Kaminski attributes the start the leadership of his senior class and getting contributions from the top-to-bottom of his roster.
“I’m extremely proud of our team, especially the seniors,” Kaminski said. “Last year, they learned a lot, but were never able to get over the hump. “This year so far with Mount and Spring-Ford, we’ve been able to get over the hump. We’re playing great team basketball right now. It’s not just one individual out there. We’ve been getting contributions from pretty much everyone on the team.
Stay in Control
Methacton led for 28 of the 32 minutes in Tuesday’s contest, and led by as much as nine points. The Warriors’ largest deficit was midway through the first quarter when Haney’s jumper made it 12-5 in favor of Spring-Ford. A 9-0 run to end the quarter gave the Warriors the lead which it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
“Our big focus was to make sure we remained calm,” DeOrio said. “They (Spring-Ford) are a quick team that gets in your face defensively. We just had to stay calm and stay focused and make the right play.”
Double Figures
Alyssa Conway finished with 10 points in the loss for the Rams, which dropped its first game of the year after two straight wins at the “She Got Game Classic” in Washington, D.C.
