PAC Girls Basketball Semifinal Preview: Perkiomen Valley, Spring-Ford pushing for finals rematch

A potential Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game rematch between Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford could be in the offing. To bring about a repeat of the 2021-22 title game, the No. 1 seed Vikings and No. 3 Rams will have to navigate their semifinal matchups Saturday evening at Perkiomen Valley.

Five-time reigning champion Spring-Ford faces Frontier Division champion Phoenixville in the 6 p.m. game, followed by District 1 and PAC playoff No. 1 Perkiomen Valley hosting No. 5 seed Methacton at 7:45 p.m.

The winners will meet on Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Perkiomen Valley in the championship.

A look at the semifinal matchups:

 No. 3 Spring-Ford vs. No. 2 Phoenixville 

Records >> Spring-Ford: 8-2 PAC Liberty, 11-2 PAC, 20-3 overall, No. 5 in District 1-6A rankings … Phoenixville: 8-2 PAC Frontier, 9-4 PAC, 12-8 overall, No. 10 in District 1-5A rankings

Head to head >> The Rams and Phantoms have not met this season. Their most recent meeting was Jan. 4, 2022, a 51-16 Spring-Ford win.

PAC playoff history >> Spring-Ford has won the PAC a league-best 11 times, including five straight dating back to 2017-18. The Rams defeated Perkiomen Valley 43-36 in last year’s final … Phoenixville has qualified for the PAC playoffs for the first time since 2018-19. The Phantoms have never reached the final (beginning 2005-06). Phoenixville has twice won the PAC, in the league’s second and third years of existence, 1987-88 and 88-89.

Spring-Ford at a glance >> Spring-Ford’s quest for a sixth straight PAC title began Thursday with a 47-27 victory over No.6 Owen J. Roberts. The win gives the Rams yet another 20-win season with the postseason just beginning. Last season’s District 1 finalist and PIAA quarterfinalist has added December tournament wins in Arizona at the Nike Tournament of Champions and Delaware at the Viking Invitational to its resume.

Junior guard Anna Azzara, who last week surpassed 1,000 career points, is the second-leading scorer in the PAC at 15.9 points per game. She’s the ball-handling offensive engine of the Rams and is complemented by fellow juniors Mac Pettinelli (9.2 ppg), Katie Tiffan (8.7 ppg) and Siena Miller with senior Meg Robbins patrolling the paint (7.0 ppg). Lilly Brescia and Haley Prophet are capable of providing a spark in reserve for the Rams.

Phoenixville at a glance >> The Phantoms separated themselves in the Frontier Division this year, locking up the division – and the first-round bye that comes with it – with a game to spare. The squad is a good balance with an array of upperclassmen who have been boosted this season by some new additions. Phoenixville has good size on the frontline with 6-0 junior Mali Warren and 5-11 freshman Riley Ford-Bey. Its scoring is remarkably balanced with five players averaging better than five points per game: Ford Bey (7.7 ppg), senior 3-point threat Caroline Flick (7.3 ppg), Warren (6.9 ppg), sophomore Nevaeh Latimore-Beasley (6.6) and freshman guard Kayden Baratta (5.4 ppg). Coach Tracey Sterling’s long rotation also features senior multi-year starter Jaime Michaud, sophomore Ava Gnias, and seniors Lucy Mauerman and Kristen Ray.

Matchup and prediction >> A winning season and qualification to the District 1 tournament are all great signs of growth for the Phoenixville program. That doesn’t equal being on the level of a Spring-Ford team that brought back four starters from last year’s District 1 runner-up and is built for this time of year. Too much defensive pressure and skill and shotmaking on the offensive end from Spring-Ford for anything but a Rams rout … Spring-Ford 56, Phoenixville 23

No. 1 Perkiomen Valley vs. No. 5 Methacton 

Records >> Perkiomen Valley: 9-1 PAC Liberty, 12-1 PAC, 21-1 overall, No. 1 in District 1-6A rankings  … Methacton: 7-3 PAC LIberty, 10-3 PAC, 15-7 overall, No. 17 in District 1-6A rankings

Head-to-head >> PV swept the regular season series, 36-28 on Dec. 16, 2022, and 70-44 on Jan. 17.

PAC playoff history >> Perkiomen Valley reached the final last season, the program’s fifth time reaching the title game (2007-08, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2021-22). Its lone championship came in 2015-16. … Methacton is a seven-time runner-up at PACs, most recently in 2019-20. The Warriors fell to Spring-Ford in the semifinals last year, 49-33.

Perkiomen Valley at a glance >> Whoever coined the term ‘sophomore slump’ didn’t anticipate this year’s Perk Valley team. It’s been the opposite of a slump for coach John Russo’s sophomore-filled squad. PV parlayed last year’s surprising run to the PIAA quarterfinals into a 21-1 mark this year and the No. 1 seed for the District 1 tournament that begins Feb. 17.

Sophomore center Quinn Boettinger leads the PAC in scoring at 16.7 ppg. She’s joined in double figures with fellow sophomores Grace Galbavy (13.6 ppg) and point guard Bella Bacani (10.3). Galbavy, a transfer from Upper Perkiomen who was All-Area first team a year ago, is growing into her role in recent games and was the difference maker in PV’s win over Spring-Ford for the Liberty Division title last week. The starting lineup also features swarming defender Lena Stein and 3-point threat Julia Smith. Ella Stein is first off the bench, along with Anna Stein, Allie Matasich and Amiya Fowler also in reserve.

Methacton at a glance >> The Warriors, led by longtime coach Craig Kaminski, have impressed this winter by maintaining the program’s standard despite the graduation of the PAC’s No. 2 all-time scorer Nicole TImko (Christopher Newport). Senior guard Cassidy Kropp and senior forward Mairi Smith have capably upped their contributions to lead the way. Kropp and Smith are third and fifth in the PAC in scoring, respectively. Kropp became a 1,000-point scorer on Jan. 31 and averages 15.9 ppg and Smith comes in at 13.0 ppg. Sophomore wing Abby Arnold has come back from a concussion and is a capable third scorer at 8.9 ppg while senior Reana Torres (8.8 ppg) is a quality 3-point threat with a PAC-high 41. Guard Ashley Fisher rounds out the starting lineup and is followed off the bench by Morgan Coupe, Ava Cingiser and Courtney Freese.

Matchup and prediction >> Perk Valley has become quite the thorn in the side of Methacton. The Vikings have won four straight in the matchup, including last year’s all-PAC state second round game that ended the Warriors’ season. The 70-44 result from Jan. 17 should be taken with a grain of salt with Methacton below full strength (Smith out with illness, Arnold injured in first half). Saturday’s semifinal will be considerably closer, but over 32 minutes Perk Valley simply has more – more ability to generate stops on defense, more ways to consistently get buckets. … Perkiomen Valley 54, Methacton 42