The Pioneer Athletic Conference tournament can sometimes present fresh matchups and teams entering the postseason facing the unknown.
This year’s PAC boys’ matchups did not get the memo.
The opening round of the PAC Final Six tournament that begins Wednesday, Feb. 7 with all games to be held at Perkiomen Valley features familiar opponents squaring off again.
In the opening game of the first-round doubleheader, it’s an All-Liberty Division battle between No. 4 seed Methacton and No. 5 seed Perkiomen Valley who have met twice this season. In the nightcap, No. 3 seed Pottstown and No. 6 Norristown take the court, cross-division opponents who challenged each other five days ago in their regular season finales.
The winners will advance to take on No. 1 Spring-Ford or No. 2 Phoenixville, the respective division champions in the Liberty and Frontier who earned first-round bye. The semifinals will be a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 9 and the championship on Tuesday, Feb. 13, all at Perk Valley.
A look at the matchups:
No. 4 seed Methacton vs. No. 5 seed Perkiomen Valley
Records: Methacton: 8-2 PAC Liberty, 10-3 PAC, 16-6 overall, No. 6 in District 1-6A power rankings … Perkiomen Valley: 7-3 Liberty, 10-3 PAC, 18-4 overall, No. 10 in District 1-6A power rankings
Head-to-head: The Warriors and Vikings split in the regular season. Methacton struck first in a 59-47 home win on Dec. 15, 2023. Perk Valley answered with a 67-53 victory on Jan. 17.
PAC playoff history: Methacton is a six-time PAC champion, most recently in 2021-22. The Warriors have won the tournament four of the last five times it has been staged, dating back to 2017-18. … Perk Valley has won three PAC titles (2001-02, 2012-13, 2016-17). PV’s most recent finals appearance was in 2018-19 when it fell to the Warriors in the second year of a threepeat.
Warriors at a glance: Methacton feels resurgent in 2023-24 thanks to a balanced squad that ranges in age and has an inside-outside presence and among the best 3-point shooting in the PAC. Senior 6-3 forward Alex Hermann (12.0 points per game) is the Warriors’ main carryover from last year. Leading the scoring is sophomore Christian Matos, who would be the frontrunner for PAC Breakout Player of the Year if such an award existed. At 16.6 ppg, Matos is sixth in the PAC in scoring. They are joined by senior guard Anthony Daddazio (8.2 ppg, 37 3s) and junior guard Sal Iemmello (11.2 ppg). Frontline help comes from senior forward Emmanuel Rodriguez while sophomore Mason Conrad and Wesley Robinson are in head coach Pat Lockard’s rotation.
Perkiomen Valley at a glance: It’s last dance time for the senior-heavy Vikings roster. Leading the way is senior guard Julian Sadler, the PAC’s second-leading scorer at 22.7 points per game (50 3-pointers) in the regular season. Fellow senior Kyle Shawaluk is PV’s only other double-figure scorer (12.3 ppg) though forward Josh Tagert (9.2 ppg) has shown the ability to put up big games this winter. Also figuring into coach Mike Poysden’s rotation are seniors Sean Wagoner and Ryan Murphy, and juniors Jacob Harken and Anthony Rodriguez.
Matchup and prediction: One year ago, PV and Methacton met in the PAC tournament first round. Sadler was the hero in a 44-42 win to advance the Vikings. With the stakes of the postseason, there’s reason to believe Wednesday is more of a one-score game than the double-digit wins of this regular season. Though PV’s Sadler is the standout of the matchup, Methacton has a deeper set of options, and therefore has more ways to win. It’s why the Warriors come out on top and advance to face another team they split with, No. 1 Spring-Ford … Methacton 55, Perkiomen Valley 51
No. 3 Pottstown vs. No. 6 Norristown
Records: Pottstown: 8-2 PAC Frontier, 10-3 PAC, 15-6 overall, No. 5 in District 1-5A rankings … Norristown: 4-6 Liberty, 7-6 PAC, 12-10 overall, No. 25 in District 1-6A rankings
Head-to-head: A non-league meeting between Pottstown and Norristown in their respective season finales on Feb. 2 went the Trojans’ way, 72-69. … The two teams met in last year’s PAC first round, a 65-61 Pottstown win on Feb. 8, 2023.
PAC playoff history: Pottstown has won the PAC crown on 10 occasions, but not since the 2007-08 season. The Trojans last season were semifinalists, taking eventual champion Spring-Ford to double overtime … Norristown has consistently been a PAC playoff entrant but has not previously advanced to the final since joining the conference in 2016-17.
Pottstown at a glance: The time is now for the senior-led Trojans, who just missed out on reaching out on the PAC title game a year ago, losing in 2OT to Spring-Ford. Pottstown, under coach Ken Ivory, boasts something no other team can claim: three players scoring in the top 10 of the PAC. Senior guard Abdul Jackson is third in the league at 18.6 points per game and has elevated his play this winter. He’s joined in the top 10 by twin brother Sadeeq Jackson (15.6) and fellow senior Jurrell Young (15.2). They’re the clear leading trio for a Pottstown team that also looks to senior Dillon Mayes. DiMark Lyons and Nazhier Booker also figure into the rotation, which does not go as deep as some of the PAC’s other contenders.
Norristown at a glance: Norristown showed a knack for keeping games close down the stretch – win or lose – in the second half of the season, ultimately going 12-10 (Norristown recently received a forfeit victory from Dobbins for their Jan. 13 contest that featured an ineligible player). Head coach Chris Podsobinski’s lineup has a group of players capable of lighting it up, most notably senior forward Myon Kirlew (17.2 ppg, 6th in PAC) and senior guard Jayden Byrd (16.6 ppg, 8th in PAC). Kevin Bonds (9.3 ppg) has put up strong performances of late and seniors Miles Daniels and Rashon Giddens have been consistent complementary pieces.
Matchup and prediction: There’s no need to dig deep into the records to evaluate a matchup between the Trojans and Eagles. Having met just five days ago, a 72-69 Pottstown win that was keyed by Jurrell Young’s shooting and Abdul Jackson’s late free throws, tells a tale of two evenly-matched teams that can go shot-for-shot with each other. Couple that with this being a repeat of last year’s PAC first round, another tightly-contested duel, and this one figures to be close. It’s a true tossup, but the quest for redemption after coming so close to the PAC final a year ago will carry the Trojans through. … Pottstown 61, Norristown 57.
