Patnode, Perkiomen School putting it together, handles Hill School 64-45
PENNSBURG >> A Perkiomen School basketball program garnering itself increased attention isn’t a new concept.
The boys’ program has become a burgeoning powerhouse at the prep level in recent years, recently winning its inaugural home tournament and running out to a 9-1 record this year.
The girls’ program is getting in the act now, too.
Thursday night served as further evidence when Perkiomen put the hammer down on local rival Hill School in the third quarter on the way to a 64-45 home victory.
Versatile junior Lauren Patnode starred with a 23-point outing, including seven in the pivotal third quarter when her early 3-pointer ignited a 14-2 run that transformed the lead from manageable (26-19 at halftime) to out of sight upon growing the margin to 40-21 five minutes in.
Perkiomen’s balance was on display with three others reaching double figures – sophomore guard Jaycee Merizalde (17) and juniors Ava Darvassy (10) and Mia Stock (10) – as the Panthers improved to 6-3.
“The biggest thing is communication,” Merizalde said. “We have each other’s backs. If we’re going to double (on defense), I’ve got your back, you’ve got the steal. It’s all the little things that help us.”
Final: @PerkAthletics 64, @HillGBasketball 45, girls basketball
Panthers pull away in 2nd half in a comprehensive peformance pic.twitter.com/wV8BXf3wcl
— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) January 13, 2023
Hill School (7-8) got 13 points from Courtney Bodolus and 11 from Kayleigh Ludwig, both knocking down three 3s.
“It’s definitely a big rivalry and a big game,” Bodolus said. “It was a good battle. It didn’t go as planned, but we played hard.”
It was Perk’s second win over Hill this season. The Panthers won the Hill Tournament 58-42 over the hosts on Dec. 3.
“I think we played more as a team, especially compared to the last time we played them. We stuck together,” Patnode said. “Definitely at halftime we got our stuff together more and really produced after halftime.”
The rise of the Perkiomen programs has been aided by the Patnode family.
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is home but Lauren Patnode grew to love the Pennsburg campus when brother Andrew, a 2020 graduate and current junior forward at Boston University, attended.
“I always came here to watch my brother’s games,” she said. “I always loved it, but I didn’t have a reason to come to a prep school. But once COVID hit, I lost two years of education, two years of basketball so it made sense to reclassify, especially for recruiting for college. With most colleges getting the extra COVID year, it made the most sense.”
She was Mercury All-Area second team as a sophomore and has refined her game further in the year since. Her day included an 8-for-8 foray at the free-throw line, knocking down six off of Hill School technical fouls in the second half.
“I enjoy shooting technical free throws,” Patnode said. “I appreciate being chosen out of the five on court to shoot them. My coaches and team trust me. I’m very glad I made all of them. That’s what we practice for 30 minutes every day so I’m glad it’s working.”
She’s quickly become a veteran for the Panthers, one of only two returning players to coach Kerrie Kosakowski’s squad along with Brigid Scanlon.
“Lauren and Brigid are the only returners, but it feels like we’ve been playing on the team together for a year or two already,” said Merizalde, of Monroe, Conn.
“Coming to a boarding school, it’s like a college experience. The transition has definitely been different. It’s almost like being smacked in the face with the college experience as a sophomore but I feel like coming here with Coach Kerrie and Coach (Jordan Barth) and the returners have definitely helped a lot.”
The Panthers never trailed, but Hill kept the game within reach throughout the first half with seven being the largest margin.
That quickly changed in the third quarter as Perkiomen grew the lead to 19 after a Merizalde free throw at the 3:52 mark of the third.
A Rams rally began with a trey from Bodolus, the youngest of four children of Dave and Diane Bodolus. The Bodolus family is one of the area’s most notable football names with dad Dave having past coaching success at St. Pius X and Daniel Boone and brothers Tommy and Ryan being awarded Mercury All-Area football player of the year in 2011 and 2018, respectively.
“Definitely big shoes to fill. There’s some pressure here and there,” Courtney Bodolus said. “They’ve pushed me to become who I am today. I play so hard because I’ve grown up with them.”
Hill cut it to 10 (42-32) when Karly Cabot founding a cutting Annabella Schafer for a score with 7:11 remaining but it would get no closer.
Hill School’s attention shifts back to Mid-Atlantic Prep League play. They opened the league season with a rout of Peddie School on Jan. 7 and await a visit from Blair Academy on Saturday (3:30 p.m.).
“We’ve been getting better, especially coming after break,” said Bodolus. “There’s a clear difference. Everyone works hard. Our overall goal is to win the MAPL tournament so that’s what we’re working toward.”
Perk School opted out of Penn-Jersey League play this winter with the intent on building a more challenging schedule that will keep building the program.
“We’re playing more competitive games this year which I think is really good for us,” Patnode said. “We’re putting stuff together and learning to trust each other, which is good.”
“We’re a pretty young team so we just want to see what we can do,” said Merizalde. “Except for Brigid, we’re all coming back next. We’re trying to set a high baseline and reach even higher next year.”
Perkiomen School 64, Hill School 45
Hill School: Cabot 1 0-0 2, Faella 1 4-6 6, Bodolus 3 4-6 13, Krafczek 2 0-2 4, Jacobs 0 0-0 0, Eilberg 0 0-0 0, Schafer 4 1-6 9, Ludwig 4 0-1 11. Totals 15 9-21 45
Perkiomen School: Bixler 0 0-0 0, Merizalde 5 4-6 17, Darvassy 5 0-3 10, Scanlon 1 0-0 2, Stock 3 4-5 10, Verdasco 1 0-4 2, Cox 0 0-0 0, Patnode 7 8-8 23. Totals 22 16-26 64.
Hill School 9 10 10 16 – 45
Perkiomen School 16 10 16 22 – 64
3-pointers: Bodolus 3, Ludwig 3; Merizalde 3, Patnode 1.
