PAC Boys Basketball Championship Preview: Methacton-Pope John Paul II

The Pioneer Athletic Conference boys basketball championship will take place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Spring-Ford High School as the league’s two division winners, Methacton (Liberty) and Pope John Paul II (Frontier), face off.

Methacton defeated Phoenixville, 69-41, while Pope John Paul II cruised past Spring-Ford, 61-31, in the semifinal round on Friday.

Here is a look at Tuesday’s championship game:

Methacton (1) vs. Pope John Paul II (2), 7 p.m.

Records >> Methacton – 10-0 PAC Liberty, 16-0 PAC, 21-2 overall, No. 1 seed in District 1-6A playoffs; Pope John Paul II – 9-1 PAC Frontier, 13-3 PAC, 18-5 overall, No. 1 seed in District 1-4A playoffs.

Head-to-head >> Erik Timko scored a season-high 31 points in Methacton’s 71-56 win over PJP on Dec. 21. The Warriors led 24-22 at halftime before breaking away with a 23-6 third quarter.

Playoff history >> Methacton is hoping to secure the PAC’s first three-peat on the boys’ side since Pottstown won eight consecutive league titles from 1988-96. The Warriors have won the league four times since 2012 … This is PJP’s first trip to the league title game since winning the PAC in its inaugural season in 2010-11. The Golden Panthers lost to the Warriors, 77-49, in last year’s PAC semifinal.

On Methacton >> The Warriors have rolled through the league this season, winning all but two PAC games by double digits. While not at its sharpest Friday night, Methacton still found a way to put together a dominant outing against Phoenixville. Seniors Jeff Woodward (13.4 points per game) and Brett Eberly (8.2 ppg) have been starters for all three league title games, while seniors Erik Timko (19.7 ppg) and Owen Kropp (10.7 ppg) were significant pieces on last year’s championship team. The veteran group’s chemistry is apparent on the floor. Timko, who scored 19 against Phoenixville, has been on a tear as of late, averaging more than 22 points per game in the team’s last seven contests. While Woodward wasn’t dominant on the offensive end Friday night (5-for-11, 10 points), he locked down the paint on defense with eight blocks. Eberly knocked down four threes Friday, and sophomore Brett Byrne (4.6 ppg) chipped in with 12 points, his first time reaching double figures this season. Forwards Cole Hargrove (4 ppg) and Stephen Baldwin (3.2 ppg) round out the Warriors’ rotation.

On Pope John Paul II >> The Golden Panthers tied a program record with their 18th win Friday night, matching the mark set by the 2010-11 PAC championship team. PJP has a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging eight or more points per game in senior Drew McKeon (13.4 ppg), juniors Justin Green (12.4 ppg) and Luke McCarthy (9.7 ppg), and sophomores Kevin Green (8.4 ppg) and Jaden Workman (8 ppg). Though PJP’s offense was not clicking on all cylinders against Spring-Ford on Friday (5-for-20 from 3-point range) the Golden Panthers’ defense was impressive, holding the Rams to just one made 3-pointer. Justin Green and Kevin Green led PJP with 13 points in the semifinal win, followed by 12 apiece from McKeon, the league’s leading 3-point shooter, and sixth man Jaden Workman. Green (6-5) and McKeon (6-3) give PJP a little bit of size, but the Golden Panthers play with four guards quite frequently with Workman replacing senior David Smrek (4.2 ppg) in the lineup. JP Baron (3 ppg), Liam Haffey and Evan Yasneski are the first to come off the bench for PJP.

Matchup >> Green will have his hands full with Woodward inside. Phoenixville packed in its defense to limit the 6-foot-9 Colgate commit on Friday, but as a result the Phantoms were hurt by nine Methacton threes. Due to his team’s lack of size, it will be interesting to see how PJP second-year coach Brendan Stanton deploys his team defensively to combat the Methacton big man. The Golden Panthers led the PAC with 162 threes during the regular season and will have to knock them down at a high rate Tuesday night to keep things tight against a Warriors team that can also get hot from deep (148 threes during the regular season).

Prediction >> Methacton’s senior quartet gives the Warriors an advantage in experience, having won two PAC titles and playing deep into the state playoffs a year ago. That should come in handy should Methacton face any type of adversity on Tuesday … Methacton 73, Pope John Paul II 64