GRATERFORD >> Zeke Staz didn’t have a place on the floor in Downingtown West’s previous two runs to the PIAA Championships.
A year-long hamstring injury continued to conspire against the Whippets’ 6-8 junior forward, essentially costing him his first two high school seasons.
On Friday night with their season on the line at Perkiomen Valley in a District 1-6A playback game, Staz turned the tables and hamstrung the Vikings.
Staz’s momentum-shifting run punctuated by an and-one early in the fourth quarter shifted a tight battle in Downingtown West’s favor, giving the No. 15 seed Whippets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 53-48 victory over No. 10 Perkiomen Valley.
Downingtown West earned itself a third straight spot in the state tournament while Perk Valley’s season came to a close with a 20-7 record. It was the second time in three seasons the Whippets eliminated the Vikings, repeating the 77-68 result when West bested PV on Feb. 25, 2022 in a District 1 first-round playback game.
“It’s great. I’m happy we’re in the States now,” Staz said. “It’s crazy, it’s really my first time playing in the playoffs because I’ve been hurt for the past few years. So I’m super excited for the guys and for everyone on the team.”
Staz scored 13 points for balanced D-West, none more significant than his score-and-foul at the 7:02 mark of the fourth quarter after taking hard contact from PV’s Josh Tagert on his drive from the right wing. That bucket capped a one-man 9-2 run that turned a 36-33 deficit into a 40-38 lead.
“That’s the type of moment I live for. We’ve got to step up there and I did,” Staz said.
Staz was joined on the scoresheet by fellow junior Donovan Fromhartz (11 points) and sophomore Brady Moore (12) and senior Antonio Lewis chipped in eight.
It was a long road for Staz, who struggled with a persistent hamstring injury that was not helped by the growth spurt that has him listed at 6-8.
“It was a long time, almost a whole year, coming back after you keep re-injuring it. I just had to come back and keep working and eventually get to this point. So I’m just happy for that,” he said.
Perk Valley missed out on a repeat trip to the PIAA tournament despite the 23-point effort of senior Julian Sadler. Fellow senior Ryan Murphy added 11 and Tagert scored seven.
Turning point
Perk Valley led 27-21 at halftime after a nine-point second quarter from Sadler and dogged defensive pressure that unsettled D-West in the first 16 minutes.
The Whippets’ key stretch began while trailing 36-29. Moore began the comeback with a pair of free throws before Staz’s lead-taking run. Moore then extended the lead to 44-38 with a pretty spin and finish at the rim with 4:23 to play.
Perk Valley got within three in the final seconds but Tagert’s 3-point effort double-rimmed out and Lewis sealed it at the free-throw line.
No freebies
Perk Valley was plagued by a poor night at the free-throw line going 14-for-23. West was 17-for-24.
“I feel like we weren’t ourselves at the free-throw line tonight. We left a lot open and that’s how we have been able to keep teams at arm’s length,” said PV coach Mike Poysden.
“I don’t know that we got to our spots defensively to change how they were playing on offense.
At times we were a step slow, a step behind or a step out of place. And that’s a good team with really good players and a lot of size.”
Super seniors
Perk Valley will move on without the senior class of Sadler, Murphy, Tagert, Kyle Shawaluk and Sean Wagoner.
“I’m certainly sad to see the five seniors we had, Kyle and Sean and Ryan and Josh and Julian, and the impression they made,” Poysden said. “From where those five started and the basketball they walked into and then kind of what they’ve turned us into, their dedication this offseason was hands down second to none. Of all the years I’ve been here we were more active this year with ‘Can we come in the morning? Can we come after school?’ Whatever they thought we needed to do, they gave me everything they had in terms of commitment and dedication.”
Poysden was most pleased by the growth shown in their four years. Sadler finished his career as a 1,000-point scorer while Murphy and Tagert were breakout players of the 2023-24 season in the PAC.
“It was terrific to see Julian from where he was as a ninth grader. We challenged him every year to come back different and add a dimension to his scoring and the way he plays. And he certainly did. Ryan Murphy, last year barely getting in, turned into a really serviceable guard who can make some shots and take care of basketball. And then certainly what Josh Tagert did this year is unbelievable. That’s why I coach. That type of growth from barely seeing the floor last year to be an All-league player and just a steady influence for us over the year was great to see.”
“Every year we talk about trying to take things further. So hopefully they inspire the young guys to follow along.”
Living in the now
Lewis, West’s lone senior starter, was pleased for a return to the state tournament, but is focused on climbing as high as possible in District 1.
“We want to worry about districts right now because we can’t focus on states right now,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on one game at a time. We’ve got to finish out the districts. And then once we get to the states, hopefully we can make a good run, set a name for ourselves, make history.”
Downingtown West (16-10) visits No. 3 seed Spring-Ford in the next round on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Downingtown West 8 13 16 16 – 53
Perkiomen Valley 10 17 11 10 – 48
Downingtown West: Lewis 1 0 6-8 8, Barker 1 0 2-4 4, Staz 4 0 5-5 13, Fromhartz 3 1 2-5 11, Moore 5 0 2-2 12, Hicklen 0 0 0-0 0, Lasher 0 1 0-0 3, Weirshaar 0 0 0-0 0, Horesta 1 0 0-0 2. Totals 15 2 17-24 53.
Perkiomen Valley: Harken 1 0 1-4 3, Rodriguez 1 0 0-0 2, Sadler 7 0 9-13 23, Wagoner 0 0 0-0 0, Murphy 2 1 4-4 11, Shawaluk 1 0 0-0 2, Tagert 2 1 0-2 7. 14 2 14-23 48
