Boys Basketball: Downingtown West downs Perkiomen Valley, advances to states

DOWNINGTOWN >> With its season on the line Friday night at Wagner Gymnasium, the Downingtown West boys basketball team came out on fire in the third period against Perkiomen Valley, leading to a 77-68 victory.
The win puts the Whippets into the PIAA 6A state tournament, while the Vikings’ season ends.
Downingtown West (18-7) trailed the hot-shooting Vikings (17-9) 32-29 at halftime as the visitors shot a torrid 10-for-16 from the field in the first half.
But, the Whippets outscored Perkiomen Valley 27-9 in the third period. D-West got a huge game from junior Dylan Blair, who led all scorers with 25 points, including four 3-balls, while Cooper Hardin added 16 points to help the Whippets cause.
“We really knew our season could end tonight and for the seniors it would be their last game,” Hardin said. “We really came out with a lot of energy in the second half because of that and we played with a real sense of urgency. [Perkiomen] made a lot of shots in the first half but we turned the defense up, and that bothered them. I think they got a little frustrated and their shots suddenly stopped falling.”
The Whippets’ rally started when Hardin drained a three-ball from the corner to tie the game at 32-32. After A Vikings miss, Blair drove the lane for a bucket to give the Whippets a lead they would never lose. Another Vikings miss led to an Aidan Primanti three-ball and then Jake Warren scored on a runner, as the Whippets forged a 39-32 lead three minutes into the second half.
“We talked before the game and at halftime about playing with early energy,” Downingtown West coach Stu Ross said. “We needed that burst of energy in the third period and we played tighter defense too. You always want your kids to play with a sense of urgency for the whole 32 minutes and we needed that tonight. The kids did a real good job; now it is on to States.”
One Whippet who was instrumental in the teams success Friday night was junior Kelly Bell, who was making his first start of the season. Bell played tough defense and chipped in with 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Bell provided the Whippets with a ton of energy.
“We really came together in the third period,” Bell said. “In the third period, I felt we played like the way we played the first 14 games of the season. We had a lot of energy and things seemed to come together and we needed that because we have struggled a little late in the season.”
After outscoring Perkiomen Valley 27-9 in the third period to take a 56-41 lead after three periods, the Whippets, who shot 9-for-12 from the field in the third period, kept up the intensity in the fourth period.
Drew Shelton started things in the fourth period by scoring on a put back and after a mini Vikings run, Blair drove the lane to score to make it a 63-50 Downingtown West lead with just over four minutes left.
Perkiomen Valley, who was red hot from the field in the first half, managed to shoot just 8-for-21 from the field in the second half as the Whippets clamped down on the Vikings shooters. Downingtown West moves on to the state tournament for the first time since 2017.
“They really shoot the ball well in the third period,” Perkiomen Valley coach Michael Poysden said. “And Dylan Blair is one of the premier guards in the district. He can score the ball and he gets all his guys involved. He is a heck of a basketball player. Our kids battled tonight but we could not stream a couple of baskets together in the second half to make a comeback.”
Downingtown West 77, Perkiomen Valley 68
PERKIOMEN VALLEY (68) Martinez 1 2-2 4, Debede 4 6-7 14, Kohler 1 2-2 4, McKinney 1 3-5 5, Nelson 1 1-1 3, Pelzer 3 3-4 11, j.Sadler 2 2-4 6, V. Sadler 7 5-8 21. Totals 20 24-30 68.
DOWNINGTOWN WEST (77) Blair 9 3-4 25, Bell 5 0-0 10, Hardin 5 4-6 16, Warren 5 2-2 13, Shelton 2 0-1 4, Primanti 2 0-0 6, Suarez 1 0-0 3, Fromhartz 0 0-0 0, Poluch 0 0-0 0, Zincone 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 9-13 77.
Perkiomen Valley 13 19 9 27-68
Downingtown West 15 14 27 21-77
3-point goals: Pelzer 2, V.Sadler 2, Blair 4, Hardin 2, Warren, Primate 2, Suarez.