Upper Merion holds off Pope John Paul II, punches ticket to PAC playoffs

UPPER PROVIDENCE >> When Upper Merion lost to Phoenixville three weeks ago, its playoff hopes were slim.

The Vikings were sitting at 4-7 with a brutal schedule filled with Pioneer Athletic Conference crossover games on the horizon. 

Over that stretch, however, they won five of six games, including wins over Norristown, Perk Valley and Spring-Ford. 

They added another Thursday night. 

Upper Merion picked up a PAC Frontier Division win over Pope John Paul II, 52-41, at Pope John Paul II High School to clinch a spot in the PAC playoffs.

“(The playoffs) were absolutely a goal for us but not this way,” UM coach Jason Quenzer said. “After the start we had, it’s any way possible. To be honest, the guys even said after we lost to Phoenixville for the second time, they were like, ‘Well we can’t make PACs anymore.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry about that. Let’s just go play games.’ In the past we’ve had a difficult time in crossover games. We looked at the schedule and thought it was going to be pretty tough. You never know. Here we are.

“It’s just a different team from the one you saw (against Phoenixville) to what we are now. We’ve won some really great games. It has everything to do with their desire to win as a group. They just play hard and they started hitting shots when it counts, whereas before we might miss that shot.”

It was Colin Bowman who hit the big shot this time.

UM guard Ty Jones hit a three to give the visitors a 42-36 lead halfway through the fourth. PJP’s Justin Green responded with a steal and layup and another basket to make it a two-point game, 42-40, with less than two-and-a-half minutes remaining.

The Vikings (10-8, 5-4 PAC Frontier) played keep away, eventually ending when Lukas Kim drove into the lane and kicked out to Bowman. Bowman delivered with a three-pointer, starting a 10-1 run to the final whistle and a 52-41 win.

“In the moment I’m just ready to shoot,” Bowman said. “I’m spotting up. Everyone is like, ‘Is there a lot going through your mind?’ In the moment I’m just spotting up, getting ready for the shot, going through my follow through, my steps. I got the ball, hit the shot. It was a huge shot and we won the game.”

Last week, Bowman hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Spring-Ford.

“I love it,” Bowman said of the pressure. “In clutch situations people think it’s hard. For me, it’s just a natural feeling. I love being in clutch situations. I feel like I’m meant for that moment. I love situations like that.”

“We know Colin can shoot it,” Quenzer said. “He’s not mentally fazed by that moment. It’s just any other shot to him. He’s a good guy to be able to take that. You’re trying to use a little clock, but then it gets to a two-point game and you’re like, ‘Take that shot.’ He did without hesitating and let it fly.”

The Golden Panthers (16-4, 8-1 PAC Frontier), who entered the game winners of 11 straight, went 1-for-3 on free throws over the following 15 seconds after Bowman’s three to get within 45-41, but couldn’t get on the board after that. They were forced to double-team, triple-team and foul down the stretch, and Upper Merion’s Nick Shepperd scored four straight points and Jones converted an and-one to seal the deal.

“On this run we’ve responded to adversity very well,” PJP coach Brendan Stanton said. “We’ve been down in a lot of different games and we’ve found a way to come back. Tonight, it seemed like we had the magic there again. Then they make a three and then we miss a shot and then I don’t know. It wasn’t there for us tonight.”

The PAC Frontier rivals played a very close first half. Upper Merion jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Pope John Paul II responded with five of its own. After eight minutes, the game was tied, 8-8.

It was more back-and-forth in the second quarter. Shepperd finished the frame with six points, converting a pair of pick-and-rolls with Kim and Brad Zielinski, to lead the Vikings to a 20-16 halftime lead.

The Upper Merion advantage grew to nine twice in the third quarter, 33-24 and 35-26. Pope John Paul’s JP Baron converted a four-point play in the final minute of the third to send it to the fourth, 35-30.

Shepperd and Bowman led the Vikings with 12 points apiece and Jones and Kim each added 10.

Justin Green led the Golden Panthers with 11 points, Kevin Green added eight and Drew McKeon had seven.

Despite clinching a PAC playoff berth with their win and Norristown’s loss to Boyertown, Upper Merion still has motivation for Friday night’s game at Pottstown at 5:30 p.m. The Vikings entered Thursday No. 16 in District 1-5A, where the top 16 teams qualify for playoffs. They could also finish as the fifth or sixth seed in the PAC.

Pope John Paul II is playing for a PAC Frontier Division championship and first-round bye in the PAC playoffs. The Golden Panthers host Phoenixville Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve played well enough that we still put ourselves in a good position where we have a chance to play for a division championship and get in postseason play,” Stanton said. “If you asked me in August if I would take that, I definitely would have taken it.”