Tornetta’s double-double energizes Methacton against Perk Valley
EAGLEVILLE >>It was a long week for the Methacton girls’ basketball team.
Not only did the players have to grind through their midterm exams, but they also took a loss to Spring-Ford earlier in the week, so coach Craig Kaminski was worried their might be a lack of energy Saturday morning. With next door rival Perkiomen Valley coming in, junior Sydney Tornetta made sure that wasn’t a problem.
Tornetta scored 23 points and ripped down 15 rebounds as she paced the Warriors to a 58-45 win Saturday morning.
“We started working a lot better as a team today,” Tornetta said. “We started passing the ball up the floor more and were looking for the open person, which really sparked us and it helped a lot.
“Our coaches really motivated us, we all knew it was a big game and we all really wanted to win it.”
Nicole Timko played a strong second chair to the tune of 16 points and hit back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a pivotal third quarter run, Abby Penjuke was strong defensively and Tori Brockrath provided a spark off the bench. It was Tornetta who got things rolling however, scoring her team’s first seven games and showing the Warriors (13-4, 5-3 PAC Liberty) were ready by pulling in four first quarter offensive boards.
Offensively, the Warriors also went right at the Vikings (5-12, 2-6 PAC Liberty) and they were able to draw a lot of whistles relatively quickly, getting into the bonus before the end of the first frame. Against a team that Kaminski said is much better than its record shows, it was a crucial development.
“Today was one of the better games we’ve played in our last few and every time they made a run at us, we were able to come back,” Kaminski said. “Everyone on the team today played extremely well for us. We did a great job of controlling the pace and especially once we got into that one-and-one situation, we stressed we had to drive the basketball.”
Perk Valley ended the first half with three different players with three fouls but did an excellent job staying in the game even after going deep into the bench. It certainly helps that the Vikings can shoot the ball well from the perimeter and their first few reserves kept the team step for step with Methacton.
Junior Lilly Sherman scored the team’s first five points while junior guard Gabby Marranacci led the Vikings with 12 points off the bench. PV held a 16-12 lead in the second quarter and a layup by Marranacci made it 18-18 with 3:06 left in the half before Methacton closed on an 8-0 run sparked by Bockrath.
“Against Spring-Ford earlier this week, we had trouble passing and had to play one-on-one a lot,” Timko said. “To work as a team the way we did today was a big improvement.
“We played good defense outside on their threes and Abby played good defense inside then we were able to get the rebounds and cut down on giving up second shots.”
A free throw by Tornetta put the Warriors ahead 28-21 in the third, but Katie Hurd scored to get the lead back to five with five minutes left in the quarter.
With 4:34 left in the frame, Tornetta was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and made all three attempts at the foul line. Following a PV miss on a drive, Tornetta found Timko in the corner for a trey and again, following a Vikings miss from deep, Penjuke found the freshman spotted up in the corner to cap the 9-0 run.
Methacton had turned a close game into a 37-23 lead in just 48 seconds of game time.
“We have a good chemistry, all of us get along really well and I think it helps us in games too because we trust each other,” Tornetta said. “We’re ok with passing each other the ball and not just settling for one-on-one stuff.”
From the 2:06 mark to the 18 second mark, Perk Valley outscored the hosts 6-2, getting within nine on Kelly Owens’ score at 41-32 at the end of the stretch. Penjuke then restored her team’s double-digit lead by canning her only basket of the game, a step-back three, with 0.2 left on the clock to end the quarter.
“Today, we played how we started our season with that kind of energy, the passion, we were really after it,” Kaminski said. “That’s like her fourth end of the quarter shot this year, she had two in one game down in Wildwood, so that’s like her trademark. She needed that.”
Tornetta reached the 20-point mark when she hit the and-1 free throw following a drive with 4:59 left in the game. The junior, who has been a varsity player since her freshman year, scored at least six points in every quarter, shot 6-of-11 from the floor, had nine of her 15 rebounds on the offensive end and added two steals and a block to her line.
“As soon as anyone does something well, I feel like we build off that right away,” Tornetta said. “I really try to fight for the ball under the basket, especially when there are bigger girls behind me, so I think that helps. It’s the same with my teammates, they’re always trying to fight for the rebounds.”
The win was important to Methacton not only for ending the week on a good note, but keeping them on track for their postseason goals. While they’re third in the Liberty at the moment, the Warriors have the inside track for one of the two PAC playoff wildcard spots and they’re hoping to position themselves for a home district playoff game.
With just three seniors on the roster, the Warriors are also setting themselves up for the future as they eye this winter’s coming postseason.
“We get along well together, so I’m not surprised we’ve built something,” Timko said.
METHACTON 11 14 19 14 – 58
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 10 8 14 15 – 45
M: Sydney Tornetta 6 11-16 23, Sydney Hargrove 2 2-2 6, Nicole Timko 6 2-2 16, Abby Penjuke 1 0-1 3, Tori Bockrath 3 3-4 9, Allison Hazlett 0 1-2 2, Caroline Pellicano 0 0-2 0. Totals: 18 17-27 58
PV: Kylie Monaco 2 0-0 5, Katie Hurd 1 0-0 2, Sara Nijssen 1 3-4 5, Kelly Owens 3 0-0 8, Lily Sherman 3 0-0 8, Emma Miley 2 1-3 5, Gabby Marranacci 5 2-4 12. Nonscoring: Naiya Daisey, Jennifer Beattie, Hailey Quidos. Totals: 17 6-11 45
3-pointers: M – Timko 2, Penjuke; PV – Sherman 2, Owens 2, Monaco
