Methacton’s Byrne keeps hot hand in District 1-6A win over Council Rock South

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> Methacton sophomore Brett Byrne caught fire during the Warriors’ two games in the Pioneer Athletic Conference playoffs.

The young guard still had the hot hand Tuesday when top-seeded Methacton opened up District 1-6A postseason play against 16th-seeded Council Rock South.

While Erik Timko led Methacton with 24 points, Byrne, who finished with 13 of his own, knocked down three triples in the first four minutes, drawing “Feel the Byrne” chants from the Warriors’ student section and sparking a 66-41 win.

Methacton, which locked up a state playoff bid with Tuesday’s win, will face eighth-seeded Pennridge in the quarterfinals back at home on Friday, while Council Rock South hosts 24th-seeded North Penn in a district playback game.

“I feel like I kind of eased into the offense a lot more and because of that I have a lot more confidence in myself,” Byrne said of his recent play. “As we get further in the playoffs, teams scout us a lot more and they realize the talent we have on our team. They kind of leave me open to account for everyone else who is really talented on our team, so I get a lot more open looks that way.”

Byrne hadn’t recorded a double-digit scoring total before netting 13 points in Methacton’s PAC semifinal win over Phoenixville on Feb. 7, and he followed with a team-high 18 points in the PAC championship win over Pope John Paul II on Feb. 11.

After a seven-day break, Byrne knocked down the game’s first two shots Tuesday and had nine points before the four-minute mark in the first quarter to help the Warriors out to an 11-2 lead. He added four more points in the second quarter as the Warriors built a 35-21 halftime advantage.

“We wanted him to have to be the one to do it, and he did,” Council Rock South coach Chris Clark said of Byrne. “We said if he’s going to do it, they are going to win. And he did it, and they won. Hats off to them.”

Byrne didn’t score after the halftime break, but Timko had five-or-more points in each of the first three quarters, including eight in the third, and Owen Kropp added 13 points after a scoreless first quarter to help finish off the Warriors’ win.

“It gives us another threat and helps spread the floor for Jeff (Woodward) and allows everyone else to keep moving and get open,” Timko said of Byrnes’s recent emergence. “It just puts pressure on defenses … I’ve seen him grow a lot.”

Do it with Defense >> Council Rock South found some offensive rhythm at the end of the first quarter and went on a 16-4 run to start the fourth quarter. However, Methacton did a good job of limiting the Golden Hawks in between.

The Warriors held Council Rock South to nine points in the second quarter and then blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Hawks 19-0 during the frame to take a 54-21 lead into the fourth. Senior forward Jeff Woodward helped shut down the lane as Council Rock scored just five baskets within the 3-point line.

Jack Rebholz (14.2 ppg) and Michael Stewart (12.3 ppg) came into the contest as Council Rock South’s leading scorers and both netted a team-high 12 points. Luca Baratta added 11, eight of which came in the fourth quarter.

“We knew they had two really good players who were really ball dominant,” Byrne said. “We repped all practice to key in on them and not let them get the looks that they were getting that we were seeing on film. Throughout the game we were able to do that. A couple breakdowns here or there, but overall we did a good job.”

Home Sweet Home >> The Golden Hawks had never won a home district playoff game before last Friday night’s 62-41 win over traditional District 1 power Abington.

Council Rock South will be back at home this Friday as they start playbacks for one of the district’s final two spots in the PIAA tournament. The Golden Hawks will need a win over North Penn and another victory to earn their spot.

Since opening in 2002, Council Rock South has only been to the state tournament one time, losing to Liberty in the first round in 2008.

“This is kind of new to us,” Clark said. “We have to win two more games to get there…This group would love to do that. We’re hoping to be home, a second home playoff game. We won our first home playoff game in the history of the school last week, so hopefully we can get another one.”

Grudge Match >> Methacton has now made the state tournament and gone to the district quarterfinals in consecutive years for the first time in school history. The Warriors will face a familiar foe in Friday’s quarterfinal in Pennridge.

The two teams met in the state quarterfinals last season with Rams’ star Sean Yoder (now playing at the Naval Academy) draining a three at the buzzer to send Pennridge to the state semifinals and end Methacton’s season.

“It would be cool to see them again,” Timko said. “I think we’re all looking forward to that game and just coming out and playing our best, our hardest.”

On The Mark >> With his 24-point night Tuesday, Timko is now within 14 points for the 1,000-point milestone in his career. All of his varsity scoring has come over the past two seasons. He has 494 points this season after totaling 492 as a junior. Methacton’s career record for points in a season is 598, set by Brendan Casper in 2012-13.