No. 1 Perkiomen Valley girls basketball rallies past No. 17 Central Bucks East to earn state berth

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GRATERFORD >> Quinn Boettinger is one of five sophomores routinely in Perkiomen Valley’s starting lineup. But in the No. 1 seed Vikings’ first game of the District 1 Class 6A tournament against No. 17 Central Bucks East, the sophomore center was a game-time decision.

Boettinger — the leading scorer in the Pioneer Athletic Conference at 16.6 points per game — came down on her ankle awkwardly in a scrimmage on Saturday and didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday.

While senior Ella Stein slotted into the starting lineup, Boettinger, who was cleared to play at game-time, entered and played her usual big role and helped the Vikings overcome a shaky first quarter en route to a 49-42 second-round win.

Perkiomen Valley (24-1) clinched a berth to the state tournament and will host No. 8 Neshaminy on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Patriots (16-8) fall to playbacks.

“I do feel we came off with less energy than I wanted to. I felt the whole first half we were kind of playing down and not playing the basketball we played in the PAC ‘chip,” Boettinger said, noting her team’s win over Spring-Ford in the PAC title game. “I felt we started finally picking it up in the second half.”

Central Bucks East rolled out to a seven-point run to start the game with five points coming from senior guard/forward Kendall Gregor (7 points). The Patriots led 12-4 through the first eight minutes, Grace Galbavy with all four points for Perkiomen Valley in the frame.

“We did come out cold. I was watching and we did miss a lot of shots at the beginning. It’s hard to miss those and see it’s 9-2,” Boettinger said. “It was also different because Ella doesn’t normally run that position. I think she did a great job, but the team still wasn’t fully used to it.”

Central Bucks East’s Kendall Gregor drives to the basket past Perkiomen Valley’s Quinn Boettinger during a District 1-6A second round game on Feb. 22 at Perkiomen Valley. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

The Vikings unleashed a 12-point run in the second quarter to climb into the driver’s seat. Galbavy (17 points) ignited that swing with a 3-pointer before Lena Stein (12 points) followed it up with a pair of buckets on the following two possessions.

As the onslaught continued, Bella Bacani (12 points) tied the game, 14-14 with a 3-pointer before draining another from the corner on the next possession to give the Vikings the lead — which remained permanent — 17-14 with just over five minutes left in the frame.

“The team started making more shots, we kind of got more momentum and we just kept rolling,” Boettinger said.

Junior guard Anna Barry drilled a shot near the point to bring the Patriots within four, trailing Perkiomen Valley 23-19 at halftime.

Barry led Central Bucks East with 15 points. She accounted for three of the Patriots’ eight 3-pointers as the senior-laden squad’s heavy outside shooting kept them in contention, hovering within a few possessions throughout the third quarter, which ended in a 38-33 Perkiomen Valley advantage.

Eight of Central Bucks East’s 15 field goals came from beyond the arc.

“We’re an outside shooting team. I think we shoot a higher percentage from three than we do in the paint,” Patriots coach Liz Potash said. “It’s kind of been our thing, but we talked about how if we’re gonna pull this game off, we know they have some kids inside that don’t normally play outside. We said, ‘Shoot it with confidence, let it fly.’”

Central Bucks East’s Shane Leray passes out on a double-team from Perkiomen Valley’s Lena Stein (11) and Grace Galbavy during a District 1-6A second round game on Feb. 22 at Perkiomen Valley. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

While not as boisterous as the 12-point second-quarter swing, Perkiomen Valley kicked off the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run to pull away 43-33, that 10-point margin being the largest of the night.

The Vikings’ cushion was padded by strong offensive rebounding between Galbavy and Boettinger, setting up putbacks aplenty. Central Bucks East cut it as close as three points with 15 seconds left in the game, but free throws from Galbavy closed the deal on the round between the two.

“It’s always great to get those second opportunities for the extra two points if your teammate misses,” Boettinger said on the offensive boards. “It really is a dagger in the other team because they miss and you get the rebound, then it’s a quick two points and that’s a big momentum swing for the team regardless of the score.”

The Patriots dropped four of their last five contests to conclude the regular season, but having dealt enough damage prior this winter helped Suburban One League squad earn the initial round, a 56-51 win over West Chester Henderson.

And having taken the top-seeded team in the District 1-6A field to the stretch in its own house, the Central Bucks East enters the playbacks with a tad more confidence.

“It’s definitely one of those games where we say it’s happy but not satisfied,” Potash said. “We know that we’ve played with a lot of tough teams this year and we’ve been able to hang. We’re really proud of the girls. That’s the effort that we need heading into Saturday.”

Perkiomen Valley 49, Central Bucks East 42

Results

Team1234T
Central Bucks East12714942
Perkiomen Valley419151149

Central Bucks East: E. LeRay 2 2-2 7; Berndt 3 0-0 8; S. LeRay 2 0-0 5; Barry 5 2-2 15; Van Dongeren 0 0-0 0; Gregor 3 0-0 7; Lockwood 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 4-4 42
Perkiomen Valley: Bacani 5 0-0 12; Smith 0 0-0 0; E. Stein 0 0-0 0; L. Stein 5 1-2 12; Fowler 0 0-0 0; Boettinger 3 2-2 8; Galbavy 6 4-6 17. Totals: 19 7-10 49
3-point goals: E. LeRay, Berndt 2, S. LeRay, Barry 3, Gregor, Bacani 2, L. Stein, Galbavy

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Evan Wheaton

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