Tornetta, Methacton prove too much for Boyertown
BOYERTOWN >> Ryan DeOrio was merely a freshman the last time Methacton beat Boyertown.
And on Thursday night, moments after the Warriors beat the Bears 44-27 inside Boyertown High School’s gymnasium, DeOrio stood there soaking up the win with freshman teammate Sydney Tornetta.
“It was really important for us to get this win and get our season started this way,” said DeOrio, noting Methacton’s win over Spring-Ford earlier in the week.
DeOrio and Tornetta combined for all but five of the Warriors’ points during the decisive second half where Methacton outscored Boyertown 27-13 and held the Bears to just two points during the final quarter.
Tornetta was dialed in from long-range, hitting five of six attempts for a game-high 19 points while DeOrio scored 14, including a clutch pair of trips to the free-throw line early on in the final frame.
“I’m definitely getting more used to playing at this level,” said Tornetta. “All of the seniors, all of my teammates have been really encouraging me, even after a bad game. I know they have my back.”
Tornetta had just 11 points through her team’s first three games. That didn’t phase Methacton head coach Craig Kaminski, though.
“She’s been doing a lot of great little things for us,” he said, “but she’d been struggling with her scoring. Sydney came out of her shell tonight, and that was huge for us. We knew we could trust her.”
The win improves Methacton to 2-0 (4-0 overall) and to the top of the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division. Boyertown, on the other hand, drops to 0-1 in the PAC and 1-2 overall.
“We know every night in our league, we’re gonna have a battle,” said Boyertown head coach Jason Bieber. “Craig had his kids ready to play. They came in and they played really hard. They’re a nice team and they were well prepared.”
Methacton ended the first half on a 10-0 run and extended it to 15-2 during the early minutes of the third quarter. With a three-point lead headed into the final frame, the Warriors secured it with a 16-2 fourth-quarter advantage capped by an 11-point run to close it out.
Standout senior Abby Kapp scored a team-high 17 points for Boyertown, but was held in check during the second half where she converted only six points.
Way too soon to talk playoffs, both sides were quick to point out how much time remains between now and the postseason.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said Kaminski. “We know that. We’re on the right side of it right now, and we’ve got to keep it going.”
“We’ve got a tough non-league opponent in Governor Mifflin on Saturday,” said Bieber. “That’s what we’re focused on. We’ve got to have a hard practice (Friday) and get prepared for them.”
It’s A Long Shot
Boyertown shot an abysmal 1-for-24 from beyond the 3-point arc Thursday night.
“Unfortunately, early on we had some shots rim-out on us that we usually make,” said Bieber. “We’ve got to be able to get our shots to fall if we want to compete.”
Junior guard Kylie Webb sunk the Bears’ lone 3-ball midway through the third quarter.
Heave & A Prayer
With the final seconds ticking down during the first half, Tornetta secured a loose ball well beyond the 3-point line and flicked it up and in just before the buzzer sounded.
“I was hoping it would go in, but I wasn’t expecting it to,” she said with a laugh. “That was a good way to go into the half.”
Turning Back Time
Methacton had lost its last four tries against Boyertown by a combined 98 points. The Warriors’ last win over the Bears was 47-28 in February 2014 to complete the season sweep. DeOrio contributed six points while teammate Jackie Cerchio scored three as freshmen.
Not coincidentally, that was the same season Methacton last
