Boyertown, Methacton primed for PAC girls title game

GRATERFORD >> Immediately following her team’s loss against Boyertown during its Breast Cancer Coalition Night last month, Methacton guard Ryan DeOrio found a way to let off some steam in the home corridor.

DeOrio went one-by-one, popping each and every pink balloon she could find with her bare hands, letting out the aggression she couldn’t release on the court that night.

As heads turned and fans looked on, the Methacton senior wore an expression that showed a slight satisfaction, yet plenty still to be desired.

DeOrio and the Warriors will look to make some more noise, but this time for all the right reasons Wednesday night when they travel to Perkiomen Valley to take on top-seeded Boyertown for the Pioneer Athletic Conference Championship at 7 p.m.

Boyertown (12-1 PAC, 20-3 overall) enters in the midst of an 11-game winning streak, the Bears having won 19 of their past 20 dating back to mid-December. The Bears’ lone conference loss came in their season opener against Methacton (11-2 PAC, 18-5 overall), a 44-27 tilt heavily decided from beyond the 3-point line.

Per usual, the Methacton defense will have its hands full with senior Abby Kapp, who is averaging nearly 16 points per game.  Kapp, who became the program’s all-time leading scorer this season, notched 18 points that included a pair of 3-pointers during Boyertown’s 57-51 overtime win over Spring-Ford in the semifinal round of the playoffs on Saturday. Behind her, guards Kylie Webb and Katie Armstrong were on fire, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively, as the Bears staved off Spring-Ford’s late run to punch their third consecutive trip to the conference title game.

Having gotten a taste of the championship win during her sophomore season, Kapp says the Bears are especially hungry, not quick to forget the title game loss to Perkiomen Valley last season.

“Our goal every year is to win the PAC Championship,” said Kapp. “We knew what it felt like to win, and last season we learned what it felt like to lose. Our team has not forgotten what it felt like to lose. We have been motivated all year to get another championship in Boyertown.”

Along with Kapp, senior guards Armstrong and Alli Marcus have both become fixtures on the offensive end.

Armstrong has scored in double-digits in five of Boyertown’s last seven games while Marcus, running the point, has been the team’s key facilitator all season.

“Winning the championship two years ago was such a special feeling for me and the seniors. We want to feel it again,” said Kapp. “We also want the underclassmen to get to experience that feeling.”

Similarly, DeOrio and her fellow senior teammates only got a small snippet of the elusive championship taste. The Warriors’ latest championship berth is their first since the 2013-2014 season where they fell to Spring-Ford 53-23.

That loss, which was their third consecutive title loss in a row to the Rams, lit a fire under then-freshman DeOrio.

“I still remember that game pretty clearly,” said DeOrio, who has committed to Vassar College. “Ever since then, it’s always been one of my goals to get back to the championship but this time win it.

“As a team, we’ve definitely had our sights set on this since the beginning of the season. For me and the other seniors, we really want to be able to end our PAC careers as champions.”

DeOrio leads the way, averaging nearly 15 points per game while fellow senior Jackie Cerchio constantly battles in the paint and scores just shy of 10 points per game. The Warriors’ lineup consists of three legitimate 3-point threats, including DeOrio, Sydney Thompson and Sydney Tornetta.

The Warriors punched their ticket to the conference championship game with a 38-28 win over Upper Merion Saturday in a game that played way closer than the final score indicated. After entering the fourth quarter trailing 21-20, Nicole Cooper sparked the re-energized Warriors in the final frame where she scored seven of her 12 points while DeOrio scored all six of hers in the quarter.

“It took a lot longer than we’re used to for us to click on and get it going. That’s for sure,” Methacton head coach Craig Kaminski said afterward. “We didn’t do or say anything differently than we had all game long (before the fourth quarter). We just finally got it going.”

Methacton surely won’t have that luxury on Wednesday. Boyertown is a team that can jump on you early and in several different ways. Another slow start could be all the opportunity the Bears need to turn the game on its head.

Marquee Matchup

The 6-0 Bucknell commit Kapp has been a matchup nightmare for defenses since she first arrived on the scene as a freshman. Too quick to be slowed by a forward and too much size to be handled by a guard, Kapp is lethal from virtually anywhere past the half court line.

Expect Cerchio to head a rotation of defenders who match up with Kapp. Also expect her to spend some time at the free-throw line as the Warriors will likely utilize their fouls in the paint.

Why Boyertown?

Shooters shoot. During their season-opening loss against Methacton last December, the Bears shot an abysmal 1-for-24 from beyond the 3-point line. During their win a month later, Boyertown played much more collective and created better shots, finishing 3-for-16 from 3-point land and crashing the offensive glass throughout.

If the Bears can get those shots to fall early on and force the Warriors to sell out on defense, look out. That enables Kapp to become a fixture in the paint, where she is most lethal.

Why Methacton?

See above. Methacton’s roster is handcuffed by size, but features a handful of shooters. Freshman Tornetta shot 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point line the first time these two teams met earlier this season. Her shooting from deep, mixed in with DeOrio’s 14 points and Cerchio’s efforts in the paint made all the difference.

Look for Methacton to play physical and to force nearly every Boyertown point to be earned.

Prediction

Boyertown wins it 48-39.