Julian Sadler late game heroics, Mason Thear lift Perkiomen Valley boys basketball over Pottstown in overtime

COLLEGEVILLE >> Julian Sadler is used to big moments.

The 6-foot-2 guard has played in enough of them over the years for Perkiomen Valley and has closed out his fair share of games. In a Pioneer Athletic Conference crossover against Pottstown, he did so once again.

Other teammates had the hot hand all night, but when the Trojans pushed the Vikings to overtime, right off the tip, the junior and PAC leading scorer dialed it up.

With eight of his 22 points laid on in the extra period, Sadler helped elevate Perkiomen Valley to a 73-69 win over Pottstown.

“We just had to execute,” Sadler said. “Trust our defense, play solid defense, get our rotations right and talk. Just play as a team on defense. Then we trusted each other on offense and everything worked out from there.”

Julian Sadler with four straight points in overtime, Perk up 68-64 with 1:23 to go. pic.twitter.com/AWwVKQYcgV

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 20, 2023

Having traded blows and leads all night, both teams entered overtime deadlocked at 64-64 after PV’s Kyle Shawaluk (12 points) took the ball from midcourt with three seconds remaining and hit a mid-range jumper to force overtime.

🚨 OVERTIME 🚨

Kyle Shawaluk ties it 64-64 just before the buzzer.

This game has been an absolute THRILL ride. pic.twitter.com/zfV2BeBRTD

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 20, 2023

Sadler dealt the first six points in overtime, creating what became a permanent lead for the Vikings (11-6, 1-5).

Before then, it was the Mason Thear show all night. The sophomore guard drained four shots from 3-point range and finished with 21 points. Perkiomen Valley also received double-figure scoring from Shawaluk (12 points) and Luke Hansen (10).

“Mason has taken a big step up these past couple games, having a lot of points and scoring a lot more,” Sadler said on Thear’s breakout. “I definitely think it helps.”

Abdul Jackson paved the way for the Trojans (10-6, 4-2) with a game-high 24 points. The junior guard went coast-to-coast on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter.

“They’re tough kids. I think there are mental errors here and there, fundamental stuff like boxing out and rebounding, sometimes getting on the floor, things like that,” Trojans coach Ken Ivory said. “But I can’t fault their effort. I’ll never fault their effort.”

The game was Pottstown’s second overtime this week, having dropped a PAC Frontier matchup at home against Upper Merion Tuesday.

Ty Elliot-Moore finished with 17 points for the Trojans and Elijah Palmore added 13. Like Thear, Elliot-Moore was locked in from deep, finishing with three 3-pointers.

“Pottstown, they have a lot of good kids. Elliot-Moore had a really good game, he’s a really good player,” Sadler said. “We just had to play team-defense, play good defense and talk.”

The slugfest between both squads was no coincidence. Sadler is the PAC’s leading scorer at 22.3 points per game and Thear has been heating up. On the other side of the coin, Pottstown’s offense is averaging 63.3 ppg — also a PAC-high.

Through regulation, neither team led by more than five points, both dancing with one another on their respective offensive ends of the floor.

“When it’s that kind of game, we do well there,” Ivory said. “Especially (Jackson), he can get down on anybody. But we didn’t get stops. We got beat backdoor about five or six times. The layups, that was the difference. Especially in the second half, in crunch time.”

ABDUL JACKSON!

He makes the layup and draws the foul, Pottstown takes the lead 63-62 with 10 seconds left!

Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! pic.twitter.com/Dw1HdYHgRK

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 20, 2023

Ranked No. 10 among District 1 Class 6A schools, Perkiomen Valley has had a rough go in the PAC race with just one Liberty division win. But against the No. 6 team in District 1-5A, the Vikings’ had a night to test their mettle.

“That Pottstown team is dangerous. They score in different ways and I felt we struggled at times to get stops,” 11th-year Perkiomen Valley coach Michael Poysden said. “We’re gonna need to make free throws. If you want to win games, you’re gonna have to make free throws, and I felt we left a lot off.”

Perkiomen Valley collectively shot 12-of-20 at the free-throw line. Pottstown struggled as well, shooting 7-of-17.

Both teams found ways to make up for the missing points by finding them on offense. And while the Vikings have relied on Sadler’s star power, Perkiomen Valley pulled out a close one when the pieces around him ate.

“That’s the thing we’ve been working on. We’re gonna be at our best when we get contributions from lots of guys,” Poysden said. “And in order to make that happen, you have to first develop that trust between them. Pass the ball and it’ll come back around to you.”

Perkiomen Valley 73, Pottstown 69 (OT)