Boys basketball District 1-6A playbacks: Perkiomen Valley rebounds, earns state berth in win over Neshaminy

GRATERFORD >> Mike Poysden didn’t know the answer, but he was awfully happy to hear the question.

“If you know the answer, there are a lot of coaches who’d pay good money for it,” said the PV coach, when asked for some keys to his Vikings’ perfect night of foul shooting in a 63-60 win over Neshaminy in a District 1 Class 6A playback game.

The 23-for-23 performance was the deciding factor in placing PV in another envious position — firmly into 6A states, which begin in two weeks, as one of District 1’s top-12 teams.

“This time of year, games are gonna be tight,” Poysden said. “That’s where we hope to find a good deal of our success – at the foul line.”

Julian Sadler’s 26 points led Perk Valley in the victory, highlighted by a perfect 14-of-14 performance from the line.

“Free throws can win you some games, and they can lose you games as well,” Sadler said. “So that’s always a big emphasis for our team. We work on free throws every day, and tonight we saw the results.”

Those results were magnified as visiting Neshaminy made only 10 trips to the foul line, converting just three.

The victory pushed the No. 7 seed Vikings (17-9) into 6A states for the first time since 2019, making it the first such journey for anyone on the current roster.

“We don’t set a lot of long-term goals, but it’s always good to qualify for states,” Sadler said. “That’s meaningful basketball, and a lot of kids won’t get that chance.”

“They’re in rare air now – only a handful of PV teams have had the opportunity (to play in states),” added Poysden.

The game was keyed by a pair of high scorers – Sadler for PV and Nate Townsend for Neshaminy – both perimeter players getting to the rim, and in Sadler’s case the foul line, at will.

They were ably accompanied by their respective post players, PV’s Morgan McKinney and Neshaminy’s Joey Zack, making a living on putbacks and offensive rebounds.

Part of the difference for PV was the versatility of junior Kyle Shawaluk. The 6-foot-4 forward put up 12 points, including a pair of threes, but perhaps more importantly contributed defense, rebounding, playmaking – always at the perfect time when PV needed it.

Early on, Neshaminy’s Townsend got to the rim at will, racking up 11 first-quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting. Yet the Vikings led by a bucket after Mason Thear beat the buzzer with a short jumper.

Sadler heated up in the second stanza, stroking a pair of 3-pointers to highlight his 10-point frame.

But PV seemed to find a temporary answer for Townsend, limiting him to one basket over the eight-minute stretch.

That answer came in the form of Shawaluk, whose length and quickness frustrated Townsend at times. “In the second quarter, I played off him a little more,” Shawaluk said. “I was hoping he’d force some shots as a result, but he’s too good for that. He kept attacking, so I just needed to stay tough.”

Townsend led Neshaminy with 19 points, but didn’t score in the game’s final six minutes thanks in large part to Shawaluk’s work on defense. Emeer Coombs hit five threes on the evening en route to an 18-point outing, but Neshaminy simply couldn’t overcome PV’s marksmanship from the stripe.

Shane Nelson was a perfect 4-for-4 in the dying minutes and added a crucial layup to grow the PV lead to seven and put Neshaminy in desperation mode. Coombs’ outside proficiency kept the visitors close, but PV went 15-for-15 from the line in the final quarter, allowing it to hold the lead despite making only two field goals.

No. 18 Neshaminy’s season came to an end at a mark of 15-10.

“These five seniors are going to go on to big things in college, and for the guys coming back next year, the sky’s the limit,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “We have the same aspirations every year – compete in the league, the District, and hopefully states. We came up short on one of those, but our aspirations always remain high.”

For the Vikings, playbacks will continue at home against No. 11 Coatesville on Tuesday, as the team grapples for seeding in the upcoming PIAA tournament.

“You’re fighting this time of year,” Poysden said. “Everyone you play is going to be a good team, well coached – and there are some monsters out there. So all these games matter when fighting for position.”

Perkiomen Valley 63, Neshaminy 60

Neshaminy: Zack 5 0-4 10, Lovelace 1 0-0 2, Coombs 6 1-3 18, Horton 1 0-0 2, Curley
4 1-2 9, Townsend 9 1-1 19, Totals 26 3-10 60
Perkiomen Valley: Thear 3 2-2 9, Hansen 0 2-2 2, Sadler 5 14-14 26, Wagoner 0 0-0
0, Murphy 0 0-0 0, Shawaluk 5 1-1 12, Nelson 1 4-4 6, McKinney 4 0-0 8, Totals 18 23-23 63
3-point goals: Coombs 5, Sadler 2, Shawaluk, Thear.