In most cases, a seventh meeting in two seasons would seem like a scheduling glitch.
But in the case of the Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford girls’ basketball teams it’s purely a testament to the excellence of the programs.
Thursday’s Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game (7 p.m. at Spring-Ford) – rescheduled from Wednesday due to school cancellations on Tuesday – marks the third postseason meeting between the Viking and Rams in a two-year span. It’s also the third straight PAC final between the two teams, for good measure.
Perk Valley, the reigning PAC and District 1-6A champion, has had the better of the matchups, going 5-1 in the span.
Their most recent meeting, on Feb. 2, was an overtime battle the VIkings ultimately won, 56-48. The down-to-the-wire game on Spring-Ford’s home floor adds to the anticipation of what could be produced in the PAC’s main event.
A closer look at the PAC finals matchup:
No. 1 seed Perkiomen Valley vs. No. 3 Spring-Ford
Records: Perkiomen Valley: 10-0 PAC Liberty, 13-0 PAC, 22-1 overall, No. 1 in District 1-6A tournament … Spring-Ford: Spring-Ford: 8-2 PAC Liberty, 11-2 PAC, 19-4 overall, No. 6 in District 1-6A tournament
Head-to-head: Perk Valley prevailed in both regular-season games, 61-48 at home on Jan. 12, then 56-48 in overtime on Feb. 2.
Path to the championship: Perk Valley earned a first-round bye by winning the Liberty Division championship, then routed Pope John Paul II 73-22 in the semifinals … Spring-Ford cruised through its two playoff rounds, downing Norristown 68-18 in the quarterfinals, then putting up a eason-high 86 points in a 86-56 win over Frontier Division winner Phoenixville in the semifinals.
PAC playoff history: Perkiomen Valley is the reigning PAC champion and has won the title twice (2016, 2023). It was runner-up in 2018 and 2022. … Spring-Ford is 11-time PAC champion (seven more than second-place Boyertown) and has played in the final on six straight occasions. The Rams have played in the final on six consecutive occasions dating back to 2017.
Vikings at a glance: Perk Valley, under coach John Russo, has met the rampant expectations of last season’s success that featured PAC and District 1 titles and a run to the PIAA round of 16 head on. A 21-1 regular season and undefeated run in the PAC lend credence to another postseason of similar heights. Step one is now for the junior-heavy VIkings. Grace Galbavy, last year’s Mercury All-Area Player of the Year, and Navy commit Quinn Boettinger, already two-time All-Area first team, are constant difference makers. Galbavy averages 16.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while Boettinger comes in averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds each outing. Junior point guard Bella Bacani (10.8 ppg) can catch fire while junior guard Lena Stein (5.3 ppg) is a feared defender and their leading assist creator (4.1 apg). Junior Julia Smith rounds out the starting lineup while junior Grace Miley (8.5 ppg) and lone senior Anna Stein (4.4 ppg) have returned from ACL injuries and established arguably the best first seven in Pennsylvania.
Rams at a glance: Spring-Ford, led by coach Mickey McDaniel, is pursuing a return to the top of the PAC after being dethroned by Perkiomen Valley a year ago, ending a run of five straight conference crowns. It’s the home stretch for a senior class that has been the focal point for three seasons. The group is led by four-year starting point guard Anna Azzara, the Wright State (Ohio) commit who is averaging 16.2 points per game. Fellow senior Mac Pettinelli (6.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.2 apg), bound for St. Bonaventure, brings an all-around game that has allowed her to become S-F all-time assists leader (443). Senior guard Aaliyah Solliday, back from an ACL injury that forced her to miss her junior year, is averaging 10.8 ppg, and senior wing Katie Tiffan comes in at 9.0 ppg. Junior Kareena Preuss (6.5 ppg) has emerged this fall and, alongside Solliday, provides the Rams with an enhanced array of options from a year ago. Senior Siena Miller and junior Christina Tiffan also figure into the Rams’ rotation.
Matchup and prediction: Last season’s PAC championship game was a seminal moment atop the PAC girls’ basketball landscape. By blowing out five-time reigning champion Spring-Ford 51-26 on its home floor, Perk Valley grabbed the torch and hasn’t looked back since. The five-straight wins in the rivalry are eye-catching, evidence of how multi-dimensional the Vikings are, capable of scoring in all fashions with length and athleticism on defense. Spring-Ford doesn’t have the size to match the 6-foot presence of Galbavy and Boettinger but the Rams are a highly-skilled squad, as evidenced by their 86-point output against Phoenixville. They’ll also feel encouraged by being in position to win the last meeting if not for Galbavy’s clutch 3-pointer with 16.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Conversely, one could wonder if 13 days ago was the best shot Spring-Ford was going to have at toppling PV. There won’t be a repeat of last year’s blowout. But there will be a repeat of which team is raising the PAC plaque at night’s end. … Perkiomen Valley 62, Spring-Ford 55
