Upper Merion uses defense to edge Perkiomen Valley in 2OT win

KING OF PRUSSIA >> Upper Merion had chances to clinch Saturday’s game against Perkiomen Valley at the end of regulation and the first overtime.

Upper Merion’s offense couldn’t come through in either situation.

In the second overtime period, Upper Merion relied on its defense to secure the victory, making three stops in the final 10 seconds to finish off a 56-53 double overtime win over Perkiomen Valley.

Sophomore Madison Tatom and junior Collin Bowman led Upper Merion with 15 points apiece in the Pioneer Athletic Conference crossover win. Perkiomen Valley Dominic Miceli led all scorers with 26 points, while senior Tyler Lapetina followed with 14.

“It all starts on the defensive end, being able to rebound, box out, do all the little things,” said UM junior Kalil Lawson, who was in defense on the final PV shot and grabbed a late rebound. “The offense will come. Defense is No. 1.”

.@VikingBoysBball junior Kalil Lawson came off the bench to make a number of winning plays in a 2OT win over Perk Valley on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/WCpZ9t0xQK

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) February 7, 2021

The contest was a one-possession game for the entirety of the second half and first overtime. Free throws by Brayden Basile pushed PV’s lead to 47-44 with 2:17 left in OT1 — the largest advantage for either team since a four-point lead for Perk Valley (3-3, 3-1 Liberty) late in the second quarter.

Lawson evened the score 47-47 with a driving bucket and later a free throw with 42.7 seconds left in the first overtime before both teams missed chances at game winners.

He gave Upper Merion (3-3, 1-3 Frontier) a 49-48 lead two minutes into the second overtime on a similar drive and his team didn’t give it back after that.

The junior forward didn’t have a point for the first three quarters, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth and both overtime periods.

“It was a lot of fun just going out there and battling with my team,” Lawson said. “We preach family and staying in the game. Playing as a unit, that’s all it is.”

“I was just playing through my team, getting my buckets and not forcing anything,” he added. “When they came, they came and when they did they were falling.”

Perk Valley came into Saturday’s contest winners of three straight. PV picked up wins over Methacton (breaking the Warriors’ 30-game PAC win streak ) and Boyertown earlier this week, but couldn’t finish off their third win in four days.

Ethan Kohler took a charge on a driving Tatom with 3.6 seconds to go in the first overtime to prevent an Upper Merion game-winer and give PV a chance at a halfcourt heave for the win that was no good.

Perk Valley fell behind 52-48 with 47.6 seconds to go in the second overtime and cut the deficit down to as little as one. A contested game tying look by Lapetina with about eight seconds left rattled off the rim.

PV once again had a chance to tie after Lawson missed a pair of free throws with 4.4 seconds to go, but another full court play was unsuccessful as Lawson blocked a Miceli shot near half court as the final buzzer sounded.

“I thought we got hurt on some cuts where we were just half a step slow and playing three games in four days will do that,” PV coach Mike Poysden said. “But that can’t be an excuse because other teams are doing it too. I think we really caught a rhythm of our rotation (this week). I think we really caught a rhythm of how to play and finish games.

“This week isn’t defined by a loss to Upper Merion. We’re getting into our rhythm and we’re finding ourselves, and we’re building our confidence and hopefully we can roll it into next week.”

Heating Up >> Upper Merion started slow last season before catching fire down the stretch and winning seven of its final eight PAC games, including a 4-0 mark in the division during that stretch.

The Vikings dropped their first two contests of 2021, falling to Frontier rivals Phoenixville and Pottstown. They’ve since won three of four with the lone loss coming to the PAC’s last remaining undefeated team Pope John Paul II.

Saturday’s victory was the team’s second in a row after Friday’s 49-34 victory over Upper Perk, and Upper Merion is hoping it’s a sign things are turning around again this season.

“I don’t know, we always start slow,” said Bowman, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul in the second overtime. “I’m not gonna lie, when we lost to Pottstown (Jan. 22) we ran all practice. I guess it motivates us. I guess we just go on a streak and once we get confidence it’s all up from there.”

Maturing Miceli >> Miceli combined for nine points in PV’s two losses to PJP and Spring-Ford to open its 2021 season. He has since reached double figures in three of his team’s last four games.

His seven second-quarter points Saturday were part of a 9-0 run that helped PV get ahead 26-24 at halftime.

Lapetina and senior Kameron Parks, who had eight points Saturday, were the only two reliable scorers for PV last season.

The emergence of Miceli as well as a handful of other individuals growing into their respective roles seems to have given PV a boost.

“He’s certainly opened things up and found different ways to score the ball, which is cool to watch,” Poysden said. “He’s not just a spot up shooter. I think he takes some of the load off Tyler and Kam at times and gives us some space. That’s a player who we had marked as a player where now it’s time to step in and step up, and that’s exciting to see.

“I thought the things that Ethan and Dawson (Debebe) are doing and Brayden’s guarding, those are all really important pieces to our success. So it’s good to see guys step up and kind of walk the walk with confidence.”

Give Me Liberty >> Upper Merion has made a habit of knocking off Liberty Division foes, going 6-2 in their last eight regular season crossover contests against the PAC’s bigger schools.

UM went 4-2 in PAC Crossover games last season and has victories over OJR and PV already in 2021.

“We go into any game thinking that we work hard,” Bowman said. “Perk beat Boyertown, they beat Methacton, and we knew that, but we wanted this game more than any one of them. … We played hard and we played good defense.”

NOTES >> A total of 15 different players scored in the game. PV’s Debebe and UM’s Kim both had six points. … Frank Herman scored two important baskets in the fourth quarter for Upper Merion. … In limited action, Alex Martinez scored four points for PV, tying the game at the end of the third quarter with a baskets and knocking down a pair of free throws in overtime. … UM went 17-of-31 at the foul line, missing a pair of potential game tying free throws with one second left in regualtion. PV made 16-of-21 foul shots.

Upper Merion 56

Perkiomen Valley 53

PERKIOMEN VALLEY: Quinn 0 0-0 0, Basile 0 3-4 3, Parks 3 2-2 8, Kohler 1 0-0 2, Debebe 2 1-2 6, Lapetina 5 3-3 14, Miceli 5 5-7 16, Al. Martinez 1 2-3 4, Sadler 0 0-0 0, Beattie 0 0-0 0, Pelzer 0 0-0 0, An. Martinez 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 16-21 53.

UPPER MERION: T. Jones 2 0-2 4, Kim 2 1-2 6, Perry 0 0-0 0, Tatom 4 7-11 15, Bowman 4 5-5 15, Lawson 3 2-6 8, Smith 0 2-4 2, Herman 2 0-0 4, Eyer 1 0-1 2, Abdussamed 0 0-0 0, Totals 18 17-31 56.

Perk Valley 12 14 9 9 3 6-53
U. Merion 16 8 11 9 3 9-56

3-point goals: Lapetina, Debebe, Micelli, Bowman 2, Kim.