PAC champ Perkiomen Valley rolls Daniel Boone in opener

PHOENIXVILLE >>​ Perkiomen Valley boys’ basketball coach Michael Poysden knows his young team will face adversity this season, after losing three starters, including last year’s Mercury All-Area Player of the Year Justin Jaworski (Lafayette), from last season’s squad to graduation.

On Friday, however, the full potential of the 2017-2018 Vikings was on full display in the season opener at Phoenixville High School, as the defending Pioneer Athletic Conference champions took down Daniel Boone, 51-19.

A fair amount of that potential seems to be concentrated on the defensive side of the ball, where the Vikings spent the evening making life difficult for Daniel Boone’s guards. The Blazers attempted only two free throws in the contest, a testament to PV’s ability to keep the ball on the perimeter and allow no easy shots.

“We really want to hang our hat on defensive intensity and execution,” said Poysden. “Knowing we’re losing some of that scoring power we had – you’re going to have cold shooting nights, but you can always show up and excel defensively. I thought we did that tonight.”

Zach Krause came off the bench to lead the PV attack with 11 points, but balanced scoring was the name of the game for the Vikings. Seven players got onto the score sheet, with five of them tallying seven points or more – plenty when considering the prolific defensive performance.

The PV defense set the tone in the first quarter, creating nine Boone turnovers and turning several into easy baskets in transition. Point guard Kevin Bernabe led the charge with an early steal and converted two free throws on the ensuing possession. Krause and senior guard Andrew Light stretched the defense with early 3s, opening room for Carson Parke and Dante Graves to operate down low.

“I feel like by bringing the right energy on defense, I can motivate the other guys,” said Bernabe, a senior. “One of our strengths this year is our depth. That’ll be pivotal down the stretch, having different guys come up big for us all season.”

“Defense was our emphasis in the offseason,” said Poysden, “but I was really excited to see how much offensive execution carried over as well. We’re looking to move the ball, trust that it’ll come back around.

“Zach Krause, for example – tonight was his first varsity game, and he attacked the rim, hit a couple jumpers. That’s exciting to see.”

Boone’s only first-quarter tallies came on a pair of long-range threes from junior forward Jared Tranovich.

The second quarter was more of the same, with PV junior Tyler Strechay harassing Boone’s perimeter players into additional turnovers, and Parke keeping a couple possessions alive with offensive rebounds. By the half, the Vikings built a 19-point lead that would prove insurmountable for the Blazers. In the fourth quarter, the defense put an exclamation point on their season-opening performance, holding Boone scoreless for the entire stanza.

In his first season at the helm for Daniel Boone, coach Jim Sands faces the daunting task of replacing 10 players off last year’s squad. Playing in a division where his team will see defending 6A state champion Reading this season, plus perennial Berks County powers in Wilson and Governor Mifflin, Sands, an assistant with Perk Valley up until last year, was happy to get an early-season test against such a strong team in spite of the final score.

“We’ve got to punch up,” Sands summarized. “Scheduling tough teams is the only way we’re going to get better. We want to build ourselves like Perk Valley is built – the way they screen and read one another when they have the ball, and the way they just get after you relentlessly on the defensive side. The best way to become that way is to see it, up close and personal.

On Friday night, 15 of the Blazers’ points came from the duo of junior Tranovich (nine points) and 6-foot-4 sophomore center Dylan Walker, who made Boone’s rare forays into the paint count, hitting a couple of challenging turnarounds and converting another basket off a putback. Junior Matt Okuniewski and sophomore Moses McDonnell showed potential running the offense, McDonnell in particular converting a difficult, twisting jumper to open Boone’s scoring in the second half.

“I liked the way we came out with a burst of energy in the second half,” said coach Sands. “Obviously, some things weren’t going our way tonight. We worked hard, we got open shots, they just weren’t going in. And that’s how it’s going to be when you’re young, you’re not accustomed to playing together, and you’re up against an experienced team.

Sands took pride in the fact that the Blazers didn’t back down at any point, despite PV’s growing lead throughout the second half. “We didn’t shy away from anything – we were here for a fight,” he said. “We need to lay the ground stones for what a program is. That starts on the defensive end – nothing can be built without an intense, smart defense. It’s something we’re working very hard towards, it just didn’t come out tonight. That’s something where we all need to improve – me included.

“We have one senior, three sophomores and a bunch of juniors. A lot of these guys haven’t really played together. We’re at ground zero for this rebuild, and there’s tons of room for improvement. Everyone here has the potential, we just need to grow into it.”

The weekend round-robin continues Saturday afternoon, when Perkiomen Valley takes on Kennett. The Blazers will look to bounce back against Phoenixville.