PAC Boys Basketball Notebook: Upper Perk hopes to build off big win

RED HILL >> Upper Perkiomen boys basketball coach Michael DeCarolis promised his senior class before the season he would deliver them some special memories.

Last Tuesday, DeCarolis and his players certainly made one and sent some shockwaves through the Pioneer Athletic Conference in the process.

After 726 days without a league win, Upper Perkiomen defeated Phoenixville 50-48 — a victory DeCoralis and his players said meant much more than a tally in the win column.

“I remember there was a point going into the last possession where we were playing on defense, and I looked them in the eyes and said, ‘This could be a win that could change our program here,’” DeCarolis said.

“They lost to Phoenixville by 43 and I think 32 last year in both the games. I know the type of team Phoenixville is and what their aspirations are  in the league, and I just thought if that’s a game that we can win, that’s going to show our guys that we can go against anybody.”

Pioneer Athletic Conference Boys Basketball Scoring leaders 2021-22

The Indians haven’t had much to celebrate since winning the Frontier Division during a 14-win season in 2017-18.

They combined for six total wins (three PAC) in 2018-19 and 2019-20 before going 0-15 (0-10 PAC) in last year’s COVID 19-impacted season, which saw them constantly affected by the virus and availability.

“It was really rough,” senior Adam Shaak said. “Injuries and COVID definitely knocked us out. I don’t think we played a single game with our full starting team. It was really tough.”

2021-22 Pioneer Athletic Conference Boys Basketball Standings

Things started off similarly in 2021 when senior Nick Aron went down with an injury two games into the season, and Upper Perk got out to an 0-7 start.

Despite close losses to Pottstown (50-44), Quakertown (42-38) and Brandywine Heights (45-44), the Indians maintained the outlook that things were different this season.

A day after the one-point loss to Brandywine Heights, they took down Pequea Valley, 40-36, on Dec. 29 for the program’s first win in 695 days.

“It was tough, but we didn’t stop,” senior Kyle Clancy said. “We came in the next day and we practiced and then we went back and won. … It felt great. The locker room intensity was nasty after the game.”

Seniors Clancy (10.4 ppg), Shaak (10 ppg) and point guard Marco Montero are among those leading the group, in addition to the emergence of junior Dan Carpenter (9.1 ppg)

The victory against Phoenixville was another step in the materialization of the belief and confidence DeCoralis is trying to instill in his players this season.

“It’s definitely a big, big humongous confidence booster for us,” Shaak said. “It makes us feel like we can play with anyone.”

“It was massive,” Clancy said. “It felt amazing.”

A 60-42 follow-up loss to Oley Valley on Saturday was a reminder of just how tough it is to win games, but the outlook for Upper Perk remains positive.

“It takes a lot to learn how to win, and as the season goes on, we’re kind of figuring it out,” DeCarolis said. “It’s exciting to see where we started in the first open gym to where we are now. I feel like we’ve taken some huge strides, and I do feel like we have another level we can go to.”

The Indians made it one of their goals this season to reach the postseason, whether that be in the league or District 1 playoffs.

It certainly won’t be easy, but the opportunities are there for the Indians with 11 games left on their schedule.

What will it take to do that?

“That never give up, just keep practicing, keep working hard,” Clancy said. “It’s going to come, the wins are going to fall, the shots are going to fall.”

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The Methacton basketball program’s dominance of the Pioneer Athletic Conference was supposed to have ended last season when the Warriors’ 30-game league win streak was snapped. Ten games into the 2021-22 campaign, the Warriors appear to be back to their old ways.

The Warriors (10-0) started their league slate last Tuesday with a 73-48 win over Upper Merion then played their closest game to date Thursday in a 51-44 win over Boyertown, which saw the Warriors trailing by four heading into the fourth. Coach Pat Lockard’s team followed the close contest — the first of three games in three days — with dominant wins over Owen J. Roberts (64-33) and Norristown (69-44) to start 4-0 in league play.

The Warriors are averaging 58.3 points per game, while holding opponents to a league low 40.4. Returning all-league and all-are players Cole Hargrove (15.4 ppg) and Brett Byrne (15.3 ppg) continue to lead the way, but junior guard Cam Chilson (18 points against Norristown) and senior forward Colin Meyer have added depth, while junior sharpshooter Matt Christian (8.6 ppg, 16 3s) appears to have found his shooting stroke as of late.

Perkiomen Valley (7-4, 4-0 PAC) is the only other undefeated PAC team early into league play.

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Pottsgrove is one of the surprises in the league early in the season, sporting a 6-4 record heading into this week after combining for four total wins in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Sophomore Gabe Rinda (11.7 ppg) has broken out for some big nights, including a 23-point effort last Thursday to help take down rival Pottstown, 56-54, for the first time in two years. He’s shooting a league best 88 percent from the foul line nine games into the season.

Manny Allen (8.8 ppg), J.R. McMenamin (8.2 ppg), Marlon Glaze (7.6 ppg) and Jeremey Thompson (6.8 ppg) are other key players for a Falcons team hoping to return to the league and District 1 playoffs for the first time since a run to district semifinals in 2019.

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Pope John Paul II senior guard J.P. Baron, the PAC’s leading scorer, continued to separate himself from the league’s other top-scoring threats with a school-record 34-point night in a win over Upper Merion last Thursday.

Heading into Monday night’s games, Baron is averaging 19.9 points per game, up from 10.9  a season ago, and currently is second in the league with 21 3-points shots made (one behind Perkiomen Valley’s Josh Pelzer).

Phoenixville’s Zavier Mayo is second behind Baron in scoring, coming into the week at 15.9 points per game. He dropped 26 to help the Phantoms knock off PJP, 53-51, on Monday, which marked Phoenixiville’s first win over the Golden Panthers since December 2018.

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The COVID-19 virus has severely impacted schedules for league squads over the past two to three weeks.

Phoenixville went 10 days without games in late December as it dealt with COVID-19 issues within program. After a loss to Emmaus on Dec. 18, Owen J. Roberts didn’t return to action until the game against Methacton on Jan. 7 — as stretch of 19 days without games. 

Spring-Ford is the latest boys program to press pause, postponing games against Norristown, Wilson and Methacton with the next scheduled game against Pope John Paul II on Thursday.