Great Valley falls to District 11 champ Parkland in 1st round of PIAA state tourney

The Great Valley High School girls basketball team lost to District 11 champion Parkland, 40-32, Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA 6A girls’ basketball state tournament.
The Patriots, who placed 10th in the PIAA District 1 6A tournament, finished the season with a 17-12 record.
Against Parkland (19-8), Great Valley was led by junior Laura Lum and senior Gracen Curley. Lum scored 11 points, including a trio of treys, and Curley tallied 10 points and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
At halftime, Parkland held a slender 14-11 lead.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” said Great Valley girls’ basketball head coach Alex Venarchik. “To be 3-5 in early January and then to end up in the first round of the state tournament, is a great accomplishment. And we beat Downingtown East for the first time ever this season.”
The Patriots’ first-ever victory against Downingtown East was in the District 1 6A tournament during the 9th-to-12th place playbacks. No. 16 seed Great Valley defeated the eighth-seeded Cougars, 38-25, Feb. 25, ending Downingtown East’s season.
Venarchik said, “To see this team’s growth and how they played together – it was a privilege for me to be a part of it.”