PHILADELPHIA — In the early stages of Saturday’s District 1-Class 6A girls basketball championship game, Anna Stein injected critically opportune energy into a surprisingly lethargic Perkiomen Valley start.
Then, Grace Galbavy shook off the cobwebs and saved her best for last.
Stein scored seven of her 11 points in the second quarter to help the Vikings rally from an early eight-point deficit, while Galbavy scored 12 of her 14 points after halftime, including clutch and-1s at the end of regulation and start of overtime, to lead Perk Valley to a thrilling 62-55 win over Pioneer Athletic Conference rival Spring-Ford at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. The victory marked the second straight district title for Perk Valley, as well as its fourth win over Spring-Ford in four tries this season and seventh consecutive triumph over the Rams overall.
It was anything but easy, as Perk Valley had to claw its way back into the game on two separate occasions and also had to survive a chaotic, final defensive stand in regulation that lasted 56.6 seconds just to get to the extra session.
“In our locker room we feel like we’re the best team, but we didn’t play like the best team early — they did,” Vikings head coach John Russo said. “They played with more energy and intensity at the beginning of the game. Once it went to overtime, we knew we were going to win. They had 56 seconds and didn’t get a shot off. To us, that was the game. It was such a battle, and I take immense pride in beating them because of how good they are. I’m glad it went our way today.”
Spring-Ford scored the first five points of the game and led 12-8 after one. A pair of Anna Azzara free throws and a Mac Pettinelli bucket lengthened the Rams’ lead to 16-8 early in the second, and the sixth-seeded challengers had the No. 1 powerhouse on their heels early.
Enter Stein.
Perk Valley’s lone senior, who essentially missed the last two full seasons with knee injuries, got healthy in time for this now 27-1 storybook campaign and has become a dynamic spark plug as the first one off the team’s bench. With her team down eight, Stein buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key on her first shot of the game before scoring on a driving layup on the next possession. Before long, the Vikings were back in front, and Stein’s basket off a dish from younger sister Lena to beat the second-quarter buzzer gave her squad a 28-23 halftime advantage.
“Fresher legs and energy coming off the bench always helps,” she said. “When I’m on the bench and can see what’s going on on the floor, I know what to do when I come in. When you’re down like that and things aren’t going your way, something needed to change. I saw an opportunity, and I think that energy I bring throws other teams off. Someone off the bench who can change the tempo is what makes us different from other teams.”
“When she came in, the game changed,” Russo added of Stein. “She didn’t want to let this one slip away.”
Perk Valley went on a 22-7 run midway through the second quarter into the third to go up by seven, and for a moment it felt like the Vikings would pull away with momentum at their backs. But the Rams kept coming, refusing to quit. Their accomplished senior class, which entered the game with a career 13-2 record in district contests, willed them back into the fight. Azzara hit big shot after big shot, scoring a game-high 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, and a Pettinelli 3 late in the third quarter put the Rams back on top 37-36.
The archrivals continued to trade punches into the fourth, with Spring-Ford twice taking four-point leads. Galbavy tied the game at 46 with 2:20 remaining before Pettinelli and Christina Tiffan each went 1-for-2 from the line to put the Rams back up by two. Galbavy tied it again at 48 with her first and-1 on a driving layup with under a minute to play but missed the free throw, forcing the Vikings to chase Spring-Ford all over the court during a frenetic final sequence that ended with Grace Miley disrupting a Karenna Preuss layup attempt in traffic.
“To be two-time district champs, you have to be good on offense and defense,” Galbavy said. “We locked in.”
Galbavy was fully locked in herself at that point, and her second and-1 to open overtime gave the Vikings a 51-48 advantage they would not relinquish. Galbavy found Lena Stein for a layup with 1:38 left to go up five, and a Bella Bacani steal and fast-break layup made it 55-48 with a minute to go. Across the fourth quarter and overtime, Perk Valley shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.
“My energy wasn’t there in the first half,” Galbavy said. “But when the game’s on the line, I’m always going to be confident in myself to find that extra gear to keep going.”
Quinn Boettinger led the Vikings with 18 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Lena Stein mixed in eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
For Spring-Ford (23-6), it was the second time they took the Vikings to overtime this season with nothing to show for it. Azzara emptied the tank in her final district title game but also lamented her team’s final possession of regulation.
“We wanted to get the last shot and not let them get another chance, but I think we could have gotten a better look,” she said. “Them getting the first buckets of overtime definitely killed us, but we still fought and gave it all we had.”
Pettinelli also reached double digits for Spring-Ford with 10 points, while Katie Tiffan (nine points) and Aaliyah Solliday (eight) also had strong contributions.
“They made some plays and we didn’t,” said an emotional Spring-Ford head coach Mickey McDaniel after a long pause while fighting back tears. “That’s not due to any lack of effort on our part. Our kids gave everything they had and left everything on the floor. It just didn’t go our way.”
Both teams will now briefly pause to recollect themselves before the upcoming PIAA Tournament, with the first round set to begin on Friday, March 8. Perk Valley will host Manheim Township, the sixth seed from District 3, while Spring-Ford will host No. 5 Northeastern, also from District 3.
“There’s definitely good things we did in the game,” Azzara said. “We have to take the bad things, learn from them and move forward. We can’t dwell on it now.”
Meanwhile, Perk Valley’s players have spoken openly about their desire to claim this season’s triple crown — PAC title, district title, state title. They’re officially two-thirds of the way there, and five more wins stand between the Vikings and destiny.
“We just have to remain humble,” Galbavy said. “Last year, we were on top of the world after somehow winning the district. Now, it’s state championship or bust for us. We’re not going to take our foot off the gas. There’s no point in letting up now.”
Perkiomen Valley 62, Spring-Ford 55 (OT)
Spring-Ford 12 11 16 9 7 – 55
Perk Valley 8 20 10 10 14 – 62
Spring-Ford: Preuss 0 1 0-0 3, Solliday 1 2 0-0 8, Azzara 9 1 3-3 24, K. Tiffan 3 0 3-3 9, Pettinelli 3 1 1-2 10, C. Tiffan 0 0 1-2 1, Miller 0 0 0-0 0, Allocca 0 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5 8-10 55
Perk Valley: Bacani 2 0 0-2 4, L. Stein 4 0 0-1 8, Miley 1 0 2-2 4, Boettinger 6 0 6-9 18, Galbavy 5 0 4-6 14, A. Stein 2 1 4-6 11, Smith 0 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 2 16-26 62
