Timko becomes Methacton’s career scoring leader in playback win over Neshaminy

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> It’s insured at least two more games, and a spot in the state playoffs.

But Methacton didn’t have to go very far, or look very hard, to find another source of excitement Wednesday. Nicole Timko provided it herself.

Timko made the night a memorable one for the girls basketball team, which hosted Neshaminy in a District 1 Class 6A playoff 9-12 playback game. The Warrior senior became the program’s all-time scoring leader in the course of its 56-27 romp over Neshaminy.

Coming into the game 10 points shy of the old record of 1,682, one set by Renee Womack more than a decade ago, Timko’s coronation was accomplished in the first half. After collecting nine in the first quarter, she buried a 3-point basket 2:15 before the end of the second quarter, touching off a raucous celebration by teammates and fans — among them Womack, a member of the Class of 2008 who went on to play collegiately for Penn State University.

“My goal at the beginning was to score 1,000 points,” Nicole said. “Once I did that, I improved on my skills and felt I could beat the record.”

.@MHS_GirlsBBall senior Nicole Timko surpasses Renee Womack as program’s all-time leading scorer with this first-half three. pic.twitter.com/9nVAkxSbwf

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) March 3, 2022

 

Getting the record didn’t signal the end of Timko’s night, though. She went on to score a game-high 22 points — part of an all-round game that saw her clear eight rebounds, dish off four assists and hold one of Neshaminy’s top scorers, Reese Zemitis, to five points — and set the scoring mark at 1,695.

With a 9-10 game Friday against 16th seed Great Valley on her home floor, and the first round of states next week, Timko stands to make the scoring mark even more of a challenge for future generations to overtake.

“I always felt she had a chance,” Methacton head coach Craig Kaminski said. “Having the short (COVID) season last year put it in perspective. She’s special … a player who comes around every so often.

“I’m glad, with the short season, she was able to accomplish it. Now she can relax.”

Womack, who was approached earlier in the week about Timko making a run at her record, took it in stride.

“It’s really exciting. Records are set to be broken,” Womack said. “The season’s gone well, and that’s all that matters. It takes a lot of hard work to have a great team.”

The third-seeded Warriors (22-4) did their part to add to the luster of Timko’s record-setting night. They scored the game’s first 10 points — Timko with four in the run — on the way to a 21-9 first-quarter lead that went to 33-12 at the half.

The lead hung at 20 or more for most of the third quarter, cut to 19 by a five-point Neshaminy run into the final minute. But the last of Timko’s four 3-pointers got the lead back up over 20 in the final half-minute, and it went to 30 (52-20) with a 10-point sprint fueled in part by “threes” from Abby Arnold and Ashley Fisher.

“We had a little bit of a rough patch, losing to Spring-Ford in PACs and in the playoffs,” Timko said. “But the game with (West Chester) Rustin (a 45-42 victory) brought back our intensity, and got us playing our game more.”

Some early misses notwithstanding, Timko didn’t feel any pressure to force shots.

“I knew I had time,” she said. “I wanted to play my best all-round game and let the points come to me.”

Cassidy Kropp finished the night with 13 points and four assists, forcing a three-way tie with Timko and Mairi Smith in that category. Taylor Gurysh was the Neshaminy’s leading scorer with six.

Timko shares a unique connection with her older brother, Erik. With her name on the school’s banner for girls’ 1,000-point scorers, Erik (Class of 2020) has a similar spot on the boys’ program banner commemorating his 1,092 point total.

“He taught me a lot,” Nicole said of her brother, an all-state second team pick his senior year and holder of Methacton’s single-season scoring mark. “This past summer, he told me about the drills he did at Jefferson University.”

NOTES >> Reminiscing about her time at Methacton, Womack recalled not knowing about setting the scoring record or any observance of the scale of Timko’s. “We were on such a high, winning games my senior year,” she said. “There was a picture of me with Craig holding a basketball.” … Nicole credited the influence of her father, Tim, who played the sport at Ursinus College, with further enhancing her basketball background, … Finishing as the district’s ninth-place team will put Methacton into a first-round state game against the champion of either District 2 or 4. Being the 10th-place team will set an opening game against the District 11 champ. The games will be next Tuesday, March 8.

Methacton 56, Neshaminy 27

Neshaminy: Irizarry 1 0-0 2, Stocknaus 1 2-5 4, Lall 1 0-0 2, Gurysh 3 0-0 6, Candy 0 0-0 0, Soska 0 0-2 0, Lewis 0 0-0 0, Leonhauser 2 0-0 5, Smith 1 0-0 3, Zemitis 2 1-1 5, Totals 11 3-8 27.

Methacton: Fisher 1 0-0 3, Kropp 5 0-0 13, Coupe 1 0-0 2, Arnold 2 0-0 5, Toaso 0 0-0 0, Torres 0 0-0 0, Kaufman 0 0-0 0, Cingiser 0 0-0 0, Timko 9 0-0 22, Bockrath 3 0-0 6, Woolbert 1 0-0 2, Smith 1 1-2 3, Totals 23 1-2 56.

Neshaminy 9 3 8 7-27
Methacton 21 12 9 14-56

3-point goals: N – Leonhauser, Smith; MT – Kropp 3, Timko 4, Fisher, Arnold.