No. 3 Spring-Ford stampedes past No. 2 Phoenixville to return to PAC girls basketball championship

GRATERFORD >> No. 3 Spring-Ford guard Mac Pettinelli was fed the ball off the opening tip against No. 2 Phoenixville and she wasted no time scoring within seconds of it being put in her hands.

The 5-foot-10 junior set the tone with five straight points, igniting a 7-0 run to start for the Rams in the Pioneer Athletic Conference semifinals. And they never looked back, stampeding their way over the Phantoms in a 64-17 win at Perkiomen Valley.

With the win, Spring-Ford (21-3) will face top-seeded Perkiomen Valley in the latter’s own gym for the PAC title Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be a rematch of last year’s PAC championship, in which Spring-Ford won, 43-36.

“We knew they were here for a reason,” Azzara said on Phoenixville (12-9), the Frontier champion that earned a first-round bye in the tournament. “We couldn’t underestimate them, we had to do our best and do our own thing, not worry too much about them but play our game.”

FINAL — No. 3 Spring-Ford 64,
No. 2 Phoenixville 17

Rams went full steam ahead off the opening tip and never looked back.

Spring-Ford will face the winner between No. 1 Perkiomen Valley and No. 5 Methacton in the PAC championship.

Rams are pursuing their 6th straight PAC title pic.twitter.com/TB5FPLAwSR

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) February 12, 2023

Against Owen J. Roberts two days prior, Azzara had an off night of shooting and finished with seven points. But in the semifinal round, Azzara — who surpassed her 1,000th career point last week — reminded all why she’s the second-leading scorer in the PAC (15.9 ppg) and dialed in to match Pettinelli’s team-high 15 points.

Six of Azzara’s points came during the second quarter in the midst of a 15-0 run that ballooned an already daunting lead — 21-5 after eight minutes of play.

“Last time wasn’t the best shooting night for me, but it happens,” Azzara said. “Just gotta push through and keep working on my shot.”

Caroline Flick snapped Spring-Ford’s 15-point run with a basket in the final minute of the half to head into the locker room with the Rams up 41-13.

From there, Spring-Ford’s defense paved the way. The Phantoms were held to just one field goal and a pair of free throws through the remainder of the game as the clock continued to run.

“It’s difficult because they can drive. You gotta protect the layup, and they also have a 3-point shot,” Phoenixville coach Tracey Sterling said. “You go out into a zone, they’re gonna hit that outside shot. You go man, they’re getting that layup. It’s being aggressive and working on a scramble defense to make them turn the ball over.”

Senior center Megan Robbins had a strong night on the boards and found all 10 of her points in the first half for the Rams.

The closest the Phantoms cut it was 8-5 early in the first quarter when sophomore Ava Gnias drilled a 3-pointer. But Spring-Ford was able to get out in transition afterward, helping the squad pile points early.

“I think we were doing really good moving the ball. We were running up the court and had a lot of fastbreak points,” Azzara said. “That happens when you run the court and share the ball well.”

Azzara made a putback and drained a 3-pointer to kick off the third quarter. Pettinelli then capped an eight-point run with a 3-pointer to extend the Rams’ lead, 49-13 as they coasted to the finish line.

Q3, 5:10 — Anna Azzara opens with five straight, Spring-Ford leads 46-13. pic.twitter.com/KXrKIoIJS1

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) February 11, 2023

Spring-Ford holds a record 11 PAC titles and have won the last five straight conference championships. Making it six straight would entail finding a way to best Perkiomen Valley — the top-ranked team in District 1 Class 6A — after the two split their Liberty matchups this winter.

Meanwhile, Phoenixville, ranked No. 10 in the Class 5A field, is gearing up to send their ranks further into the postseason after missing districts last year.

It’ll be a new experience for several key underclassmen such as Riley Ford-Bey, Nevaeh Latimore-Beasley, Kayden Baratta and Gnias in getting their first stab at the district tournament.

Playing up to one of the top 6A programs in the state was a launching pad for the squad to build on with their PAC run in the rearview.

“It always helps when you play against better girls. Spring-Ford, credit to them, they’re a great team with a lot of weapons, so it helps us in knowing what we have to work on,” Sterling said. “Some sloppy turnovers, some sloppy play tonight, so working on that and getting ready for districts, playing high-pressure games is always good for the playoffs.”

Spring-Ford 64, Phoenixville 17