Erik Timko leads Methacton’s come-from-behind charge over Perkiomen Valley

Collegeville >> Erik Timko sat and watched last season as Methacton went on its run to the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship.

The junior guard spent most of the season playing for the junior varsity team and sitting on the varsity bench.

With one starter departing, Timko spent the offseason getting stronger and developing his game so that he would be playing, not spectating as the Warriors tried to defend their title this season.

“I was there for the PAC championship, all those big games,” Timko said. “That motivated me to want to play.”

Erik Timko scores 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to help @MHS_BoysBBall top PV. pic.twitter.com/0gUERlyt1I

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) January 19, 2019

In Methacton’s game against Perkiomen Valley on Saturday, the implications were playoff like. Perkiomen Valley held a share of the Liberty division lead with Norristown after a last-second win over the Eagles on Thursday, while Methacton sat just one game back of both teams.

Timko did not waste the moment, scoring eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors to a 53-51 come-from-behind win.

“From the get-go in the offseason, Erik stepped on the court and he played like he belonged,” Methacton coach Jeff Derstine said. “He stepped on the court during our first offseason game and it was like, ‘I’m ready for this.’ He’s been making big shots ever since.”

Both teams were red hot entering Saturday’s contest. Perkiomen Valley (6-2 Liberty, 13-4) had won seven games in a row. The Vikings hadn’t lost a Pioneer Athletic Conference game since falling to Norristown on Dec. 14.
Methacton (6-2 Liberty, 13-5) came in having won six straight with an average margin of victory close to 25 points per game during that stretch.

It was clear both teams had a plan from the start. Perkiomen Valley was going to try to limit Methacton junior forward Jeff Woodward inside, while the Warriors were intent on shutting down Vikings’ senior guard Tyler Strechay.

The advantage went to Perkiomen Valley at halftime. After Methacton went ahead, 15-12, on a three by senior guard David Duda to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter, the Vikings outscored Methacton by 12 in the second quarter to go up, 32-23, at the half.

Woodward, who finished with three points in the first half and six in the game, picked up two quick fouls as Perkiomen Valley senior forward’s Ian and Bryce Streeper tried to limit him inside.

“It was a collective effort,” Perkiomen Valley coach Mike Poysden said of his team’s defense on Woodward. “Between Woodward and Timko and Duda, and (Brett) Eberly and (Ben) Christian, there’s a lot to guard out there. We tried to do our work early on him, tried to deny at different points from different spots, but that’s a lot to guard.”

Perkiomen Valley extended its lead to double figures at the start of the third quarter, but a 16-7 run to close out the quarter by Methacton shrunk the Vikings’ lead to 42-39 entering the final period. The run included threes from Timko, junior guard Brett Eberly and senior forward Ben Christian, who finished with 10 points.

One of the keys to the Methacton comeback was locking down Strechay. Even with the Warriors playing tight, he slipped away enough times to score 11 points in the first half.

Methacton put even more pressure on the Vikings’ sharpshooter defensively in the second half as Timko and junior guard Owen Kropp shadowed him full court. The Warriors held Strechay, who came in averaging 24 points in the Vikings’ three previous wins, scoreless in the second half.

“I thought we didn’t do a good job on him, and then the coaches gathered up, they made a great change,” said Duda, who finished with 13 points. “They said we’re going to deny him full court, and if you take it out of his hands, it’s kind of tough for him to get some shots off. Give credit to Owen Kropp and Erik Timko. They did a really nice job guarding him.”

Perkiomen Valley increased its lead to seven at the start of the fourth quarter. Then came an and-one from Duda, two foul shots by Timko, followed by a three from Timko with 4:21 to go to cap an 8-0 run and give Methacton its first lead, 47-46, since the first half.

The lead was short lived as the Vikings came and scored on their next possession, but Timko came down and drilled another long ball to give the Warriors a 50-48 advantage they would not relinquish.

“That was the missing piece we didn’t have last year, a guy who could really knock it down,” Duda said of Timko. “He’s been doing that consistently from the start of the year until now. He wants the big shot, he’s not afraid to take it.”

The Vikings intentionally fouled Woodward with 1:20 left to send him to the free throw line, where he knocked down both shots to put the Warriors up 53-48.

Perkiomen Valley senior guard AJ Hansen cut the deficit to three with a putback layup with just more than 30 seconds left, then the Vikings got a steal on the other end and had a chance to tie with 7.3 ticks remaining. After a timeout, Methacton sent Bryce Streeper to the line. He made the first and missed the second before Woodward secured the rebound with 3.6 seconds left.

The Vikings still had another chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a half court heave was way off target. Along with Strechay, Hansen and senior guard Zach Krause led Perkiomen Valley with 11 points.

“We ended up having a couple too many mistakes down the road,” Poysden said. “Guys attempted to step up and take the open shots when they were playing off them, and they didn’t fall. We have to keep shooting, we have to keep taking them. We have to keep having trust in everyone who’s out there. The next one will fall.”

Perkiomen Valley hosts Boyertown on Tuesday before finishing off its PAC schedule with games against Upper Perkiomen, Pope John Paul II and Spring-Ford.

Methacton plays Norristown on Tuesday in another contest with tremendous league implications. A win by the Warriors would create a three-way tie at the top of the Liberty Division standings.

“It’s tough to get a read on how the Liberty will play out or how the Frontier will play out because everyone seems to be able to beat everyone in the division,” Poysden said. “That makes everything more playoff like.”