Methacton cruises by Coatesville 58-38 as unbeaten Haverford awaits

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> It’s been a long and fruitful scholastic run for the Methacton girls basketball team’s current seniors, especially on its home floor.

In what was likely to be their final home game, Warriors seniors Mairi Smith and Cassidy Kropp made sure that probable finale was a winning one.

The duo combined for 36 points as No. 15 Methacton overcame a slow start and cruised to a 58-38 win over No. 18 Coatesville in the opening round of District 1 Class 6A tournament Friday night.

Kropp led the Warriors with 19 points, controlling the game by getting to the rim at will.

When she wasn’t scoring, she contributed several assists on layups in transition or on feeds to Smith (17 points), who dominated in the post.
While the Warriors ultimately built a 30-point lead to start the running clock late in the third quarter, it wasn’t nearly as easy early, as Coatesville jumped to a quick 7-0 lead.

“Coach (Craig) Kaminski gave us a quick wake-up call,” Kropp said. “Obviously, we knew we had to pick it up.”

Methacton built a 14-point lead at the break on the strength of a pair of 9-0 first-half runs.

Coatesville junior guard Alexis Fields started the game with all seven points in the Red Raiders’ hot start. Fields performed admirably in the season-ending defeat, leading all scorers with 26 points.

But the Warriors responded that run with a Smith three-point play followed by three consecutive baskets from Kropp, allowing them to erase the deficit and build a 12-10 lead through the first quarter.

The Warriors opened their advantage to double digits in the second stanza on the back of strong free throw shooting (10-of-12 in the quarter, 13-of-18 on the night).

Smith offered the highlight of the first 16 minutes, pressuring Coatesville off a defensive rebound before intercepting a pass and hitting a turnaround jumper to beat the buzzer just before halftime.

The play put two Warriors players – Kropp and Smith – in double figures for the first half.

“I think we’ve really grown into our roles,” Smith said. “I didn’t play too much my freshman year, but as previous classes have graduated, playing time increased and my role expanded.

“We’ve played together for years now, and it’s paying off as we’re getting better running the court together.”

“We lost a lot of seniors from last year, so we’ve been working to grow this team all year,” added Kropp. “We know we’ve got a talented team, a lot of potential.”

The Warriors’ lead grew to as much as 31 points in the third quarter, powered by continued strong free-throw shooting and Kropp’s ability to turn defense into offense, with the Warriors going on yet another run after Fields hit a pair of threes to draw Coatesville within 10.

Coatesville’s season came to an end at a record of 14-9.

The Red Raiders battled through a tough Ches-Mont League to equal their win total from a year ago. But the team played Friday without three seniors, ineligible for District 1 playoffs due to the PIAA’s rules regarding transfer students.

Sophomore Abby Arnold added 14 points for Methacton, which moves on to the second round for the first time in three years. They Warriors will visit No. 2 seed Haverford, the Central League champions sporting a 24-0 record.

Methacton, however, is no stranger to playing top teams after battling No. 1 Perkiomen Valley and No. 5 Spring-Ford in the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division this year.

“We know they’re 24-0, but we play talented teams in the PAC, and that helps prepare us for the same types of games in Districts,” Kropp said. “If we get everyone scoring, doing their part, we will win most games.”

“We have nothing to lose at this point, and that’s exciting,” Smith added. “We want to go as far as we can, end our senior years on a good note.”

NOTES: Kropp received pregame recognition for becoming the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points for Methacton.
Kropp achieved the feat on Jan. 31 against Spring-Ford, and currently stands in seventh place in program history with 1,082 points.

Methacton 58, Coatesville 38

Coatesville: Fields 10 3-4 26, Reese 0 0-0 0, Shumate 0 2-2 2, Love 0 0-0 0, DiMatteo 0 1-2 1, Wah 2 3-4 7, Ward 0 2-2 2. Totals: 12 11-14 38.
Methacton: Fisher 0 0-0 0, Kropp 6 7-7 19, Coupe 2 0-0 4, Arnold 6 1-5 14, Torres 1 2-3 4, Cingiser 0 0-0 0, Hockenbrock 0 0-0 0, Freese 0 0-0 0, Smith 7 3-3 17. Totals: 22 13-18 58.
Three-point goals: Fields 3, Arnold.