Back on track: Boyertown eases past Pope John Paul II

ROYERSFORD >> Heightened expectations this season for Boyertown included repeating as PAC-10 tournament champions.

Coming into the league’s post-season bash, the Bears — 11-2 in the conference and posting a No. 3 District One Class AAAA power ranking — weren’t on cruise control. More like damage control and red alert. They had lost twice in the past week — in overtime to New Oxford, and 44-39 to league rival Spring-Ford.

Saturday afternoon, the Bears shook all that off and transformed back into the take-it-to-‘em, toughened team everyone expects. They jumped on Pope John Paul II early and sustained the intensity, taking a 43-27 victory in the first game of the PAC-10 Franklin K. Manley Final Four at Spring-Ford High School.

The PAC-10 girls final on Wednesday at Spring-Ford (7 p.m.) will feature District One’s Nos. 2 and 3 teams according to the latest power rankings. Boyertown (18-5) will fittingly clash with Perkiomen Valley (No. 2 power ranking; 19-2). The Bears, who were a No. 2 seed in the final four as the regular-season runnerup in the Liberty to PV (12-1 in league play), won a home game against PV, 47-40, on Jan. 12. PV beat Pottsgrove in the other final four semi Saturday, 51-22.

“I feel like this last week we just haven’t been playing up to our potential,” said Boyertown junior star Abby Kapp, who led the way offensively with 21 points. “A big emphasis we put on in practice yesterday was having fun and playing for one another. We knew coming into this game it was really important that we play to our potential and go out with a bang, and make sure we get to Wednesday.”

Boyertown coach Jason Bieber said last year’s terrific team — most of that roster returned this season — set a very high bar and it was time for this group to raise the overall performance level, especially with the final four and then districts at hand.

“I think there was a lot of pressure on these girls all year,” Bieber said. “Last year we started off 27-0, basically the whole team is back, and we beefed up our schedule this year. They had a lot of pressure to win this championship and make a run in districts and states as well. And when we play the way we did today, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Bieber said the team defense was the best it’s been in a while. With guard Sarafina Valenti, 6-1 forward Maria Garofolo and guard Sam Brensinger leading the charge, the Bears focused on slowing down PJP point guard Rachel Yerger and guard/forward Gabby Troisi. Yerger didn’t score, and Troisi, an excellent driver, didn’t get a first-half field goal before finishing strong with 12 second-half points (14 total). By then, Boyertown had the game well under control.

The Bears took a 13-2 lead and set a strong tone of defense, transition offense and solid half-court offensive execution. PJP (13-11) would shoot just 3-for-20 from the field in the first half as Boyertown enjoyed a 23-11 lead at the break.

“We had to re-focus,” Bieber said, referring to the past week’s struggles. “We had a tough stretch of games, four in five days. We weren’t playing well. We could do one of two things: come out kind of angry and play the way we want to, or continue to play the way we are.

“I said before the game, ‘I don’t want any more what-ifs after the game. We lay it all on the line and if that team’s better, they got us.’ “

“Our goal was to keep the intensity throughout the entire game, especially in the first quarter, and we definitely accomplished that by jumping on them early,” Kapp said.

Two straight lane journeys for buckets by Troisi in the third quarter brought the Golden Panthers to within 26-17, but Kapp and Ali Bauman triggered an 11-0 surge to make the deficit 20. PJP kept battling, with Troisi and Stephanie Petery scoring the first eight of the fourth quarter, but the hill was too high to climb.

And Wednesday, Boyertown looks to ascend another level, trying to repeat as post-season league champs and against a very tough opponent. The Bears are in a much better place than they were earlier in the week.

“It takes a really strong group to bounce back from something like that,” Kapp said, “and we know we have the ability to overcome obstacles and face adversity. We’re ready for Wednesday.”