Perkiomen School back in PAISAA semis after handling Mercersburg

PENNSBURG >> The Perkiomen School boys basketball team had enough of the dramatics Friday night.

After surviving Germantown Academy in overtime in the first round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament the night before, the Panthers came out ready to play Saturday afternoon against Mercersburg Academy in the quarterfinals.

With some stalwart defense and timely shooting, fourth-seeded Perkiomen School built a 19-point halftime lead before cruising to a 66-35 win over fifth-seeded Mercersburg.

Honor Huff led Perkiomen School with 23 points off the bench, knocking down six threes. He was followed by 11 points from Phil Byriel, who added three triples, and nine from Steve Payne, while Mercersburg’s Kaylen led his team with 10 points.

The Panthers (21-6) will face Westtown School or Academy of the New Church in the PAISAA semifinals next Friday at 6 p.m. at Montgomery County Community College.

“After yesterday, we took a deep breath, and we came together,” Huff said. “We were like, ‘We can’t play like that tomorrow.’ … We just had our eyes on the next round, and that’s where we’re trying to get.”

“This game, we showed exactly who we are from the beginning to the end,” he added.

No Time for nerves >> The Panthers didn’t have much time to catch their breath after Friday’s 70-60 overtime victory over Germantown Academy, in which they had to erase a 15-point deficit. Saturday’s game against Mercersburg tipped off at 1 p.m.

Perkiomen School fourth-year head coach Tom Baudinet said that might have been a good thing for his team after they showed some nerves in the opener against GA.

“Yesterday it was a lot of nerves,” Baudinet said. “When you’re the higher seed, there’s a lot of pressure on you. We’re expecting to win a state title, the other team comes in with no pressure at all. … We kind of got in desperation mode late in the game and made a huge comeback to win. I thought that by winning that game, that helped relieve some of the pressure on us.

“Also, not having time to think today. If you play at 7 o’clock tonight, you’ve got all day to think about it. When you play a game last night and then you’ve gotta prepare on your opponent, watch film, wake up and play, there’s no time to be nervous. You’ve just gotta play.”

Shooters Shoot >> Huff entered this year hoping to become more polished as a true point guard. With Payne, a post-grad from Lower Merion, running the point for the Panthers, it became pretty apparent early on Huff was a more natural fit playing more off the ball in a scoring role for this squad.

The former standout at Louis E. Dieruff High School (Allentown) has thrived in his role off the Panthers’ bench, providing instant offense when he steps into the game.

After netting a team-high 22 points Friday against GA, Huff scored eight straight points for Perkiomen, including a pair of threes, as part of a 13-0 run to start the second quarter Saturday, helping give the Panthers a 30-11 halftime lead. They didn’t let their lead slip below 13 points for the rest of the game.

“(Baudinet) wanted me to become a true point guard, but we realized my knack to score is really permanent,” Huff said. “We let Steve take the point guard role, and then basically when I come into the game it’s just go score, get a bucket. I’ve been able to embrace it very well I think.”

Lock it Down >> While his team’s offense came and went during its first two PAISAA tournament games, Baudinet praised the play of his squad’s defense on Friday and Saturday.

Perkiomen held Mercersburg scoreless for the first six minutes of the second quarter as it built up its lead. Even with the Panthers’ offense going ice cold to start the second half, not scoring for the first three minutes of the third quarter, Perk’s defense kept Mercersburg from making a run to work itself back into the game.

The Panthers found their offensive groove later in the third quarter and ended up going into the fourth with a 46-24 advantage.

“When we go into a break for a halftime or quarter end, coach says get three stops in a row every time,” Huff said. “It’s our goal to get three stops in a row and make sure they don’t score.”

“(Mercersburg) obviously didn’t play great,” Baudinet said. “They missed some easy shots that things might have gone a little different had they made some of those layups and stuff. But I thought our intensity and focus on that end was really good for the whole game.”

Signs of Change >> Panthers’ post-grad Sam Corrao, who had six points Saturday, has been at Perkiomen School for five years, arriving at the school a season before Baudinet.  He has seen the program take a humongous step forward since his arrival.

Perkiomen made the PAISAA quarterfinals in 2014 but did not compete in 2015 and 2016. After a quarterfinal trip in 2017, the Panthers broke through to the semifinal round for the first time in 2018 and now have a second appearance in three years.

“It’s been great just getting to see it build from a weaker program to a very strong program now,” Corrao said. “To be a part of it has been great…I’m really happy for it. I really like the direction the program is going. It’s awesome. Coach Baudinet has done a great job with it.”