Great Valley, Downingtown East set to battle it out for Ches-Mont crown
Great Valley head coach Alex Venarchik likens it to a championship prize fight. Downingtown East’s Tom Schurtz has a team he thinks can successfully defend its crown from a year ago.
It is the Ches-Mont Girls’ Basketball Championship Game, scheduled for Tuesday at West Chester’s Hollinger Field House (6 p.m. tipoff). The regular season American Division champs from Great Valley against the National titlists from East. The two went a combined 22-0 against division opponents in 2019-20, so the finalists are no surprise.
“Both teams have beaten the teams in their division. I feel that these are the two best teams (in the league),” Venarchik said.
“You are going to see the two teams that won their respective divisions, so we’re excited,” Schurtz added. “I like the idea of playing somebody different. (Great Valley) is having a great season, so we’re excited about the challenge.”
Despite playing in the same league, these two have just three common opponents this season: Avon Grove, West Chester East and West Chester Rustin. The Cougars (17-6 overall) won against those three by an average of 21 points per game; the Patriots (20-3 overall) by an average of eight.
“We played Avon Grove a long time ago, and we didn’t have all the pieces we have now,” Venarchik pointed out.
That is a reference to junior point guard Ashley Sullivan, who missed the first month of the season rehabbing a knee injury. She is now healthy, and has a knack for getting the basketball to senior forward Tessa Liberatoscioli, who leads Great Valley in scoring and rebounding.
“Go back to November, we had so many question marks because of our youth,” Venarchik said. “We set a goal of reaching 16 wins, which is what we did a year ago. It was certainly not to the extent these girls have accomplished so far.
“This group seems to enjoy playing together and competing. It is very cliché, but you don’t see this type of chemistry every single season. That’s why when it comes along, I am thrilled to be a part of it. This season has been a blast.”
The Patriots have won 12 of the last 13 outings, and will be seeded third in the upcoming District 1 5A Tournament.
“(Great Valley is) a well-coached team, they are patient, they can score from multiple positions and they have good senior leadership,” Schurtz said.
“They have balance and they run a number of nice sets that provide each player to get shots. So one thing we are looking to do is to get them out of shots they want to take.”
Downingtown East’s won five in a row, will be the ninth seed in the District 1 6A Tournament, and is playing its best basketball of the season.
“We always want to peak at the right time,” said Schurtz, who is in year five at East and his 21st overall as a head coach. “Right now this team is playing as balanced and as solid as any team I’ve ever had.
“I don’t know what that means moving forward. It’s just that right now we are in a good place both mentally and physically.”
The Cougars have reigning All-Area Player of the Year in senior center Bella Smuda, who is a threat to record a triple-double in every outing. But like the Pats, East has developed more balance with sophomore star-to-be Lauren Kent, along with junior point guard Mary McFillin and junior defensive specialist Caroline Brennan.
“(Downtown East is) aggressive and playing well,” Venarchik said. “Defensively they apply a lot of pressure and force you out of your rhythm.
“They are also a very good team. Bella has developed into a solid player, but you can’t just focus on her and say ‘let’s let someone else beat us,’ because now those other girls can beat you.”
Both sides agree that the Cougars’ pressure defense is going to be a determining factor. For Schurtz, it’s all about dictating tempo.
“Our guards have done a really good job creating a tempo we are comfortable with,” he explained.
“I will look at our turnovers and at (East’s) offensive rebounding,” Venarchik said when asked for his key statistics. “If we can hold (East) to one shot, that will give us a fighting chance.”
These two programs have not played each other in several years, which ramps up the intrigue.
“This is like two heavyweight fighters just slugging it out,” said Venarchik, who is in his 10th season at the helm. “We’ve both been in close games and you can’t win those games with teams that don’t fight until the end. Both of these teams do that.”
