Phoenixville stops Pottsgrove again to stay unbeaten in PAC Frontier

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> The hunter has become the hunted and the Phoenixville girls basketball team is loving its new role.

“It feels good to have a target on your back to be honest,” said senior forward Nailah Green. “I love it.”

“It makes us play harder,” said senior guard Aubrie Breisblatt. “Everyone wants to come and beat us and we’re saying ‘No.’”

The Phantoms got big efforts from their senior leaders and backed up their standing atop the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division Friday night by beating reigning division champion Pottsgrove 42-36.

“Another big win,” Breisblatt said. “Especially coming on their home court, their turf because they play very well here.”

“And they had their fans here,” Green said. “It’s exhilarating. It feels so good.”

Final: Phoenixville 42, Pottsgrove 36, PAC girls basketball. Phantoms back of their first place standing to go to 6-0 PAC Frontier led by seniors Breisblatt and Green pic.twitter.com/sFik3fX5AM

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) February 6, 2021

Green was a force down low and scored a game-high 13 points, while Breisblatt scored an efficient 11 points. Junior forward Dylan McAleer added six and was a presence with Green in the Phantoms’ owning the rebounding battle.

Pottsgrove was playing its first game since a COVID-related shutdown that had the Falcons off for 10 days. It had only two days practice due to the snowstorm early in the week ahead of Friday’s contest.

The unbeaten PAC Frontier champion of a year ago returned seven of eight members of its rotation but this winter has not gone to plan for Pottsgrove (1-3, 1-4).

Sydney Mowery and Jaimi Makins had seven points apiece to lead the Falcons.

Phoenixville completed the season sweep of Pottsgrove in similar fashion to their Jan. 20 game that was a 43-37 Phantoms’ victory.

“This game was pretty much a replay of the first game. The score was almost identical,” said Pottsgrove coach Mike Brendlinger.

“They outworked us and hurt us bad on the boards and they hustled and scrapped. Things weren’t falling for us and Phoenixville made some really tough shots there at the end. When they needed a play, they made it. Give them credit.”

The 10-day COVID-related shutdown and quick return did no favors for Brendlinger’s bunch.

“Being off that amount of time, it’s really difficult,” Brendlinger said. “We’re off that long and we have two practices and then we’re in a game. How hard can we work the team? You question, did I work them hard enough? Did I work them too hard? We tried to get them enough running to have their legs back.”

Phoenixville was playing a game for the third straight day: it blew out Upper Merion 46-4 Wednesday and was overmatched by three-time defending PAC champion Spring-Ford 64-29 on Thursday.

Its first-place position in the Frontier Division, a spot Green and Breisblatt had not experienced in their high school careers, has the Phantoms hungry.

“Coming in, we’re thinking highly of ourselves and thought we can’t let them beat us,” Breisblatt. “We’re on our high horse right now, top in our division, and we’re not taking this for granted.”

It showed throughout Friday’s win over Pottsgrove, with the Phantoms showing greater urgency and poise that put them on the right end of the rebounding battle and hustle plays.

“It came from the talks we had before each quarter,” Green said. “Coach (Brian Grashof) pumped us up and it put a spark in our blood that we want and need this game.”

Grashof is sporting a unique accessory these days: a scooter. The second-year head coach tore his Achilles during a practice ahead of the team’s game with Pope John Paul II on Jan. 22.

Pottsgrove led 11-9 after a quarter following a Sierra Potts (6 points) buzzer-beating 3-pointer and maintained the lead into halftime (17-15).

Phoenixville tightened up defensively in the third and took the lead 19-17 when Breisblatt hit a cutting Green for a layup two minutes in the frame. The Phantoms never lost the lead again.

Phoenixville built its biggest lead at 40-30 following a circus-shot skyhook and-one from Green and a pair of free throws from Breisblatt with 1:32 to play.

Pottsgrove narrowed the gap after getting into a foul game and got as close a 40-36 down with 38.9 to play, but McAleer rebounded a Green free throw miss to end the threat.

After maintaining their unbeaten Frontier record it was cause for celebration for the Phantoms’ leaders, which in 2021 means a dance video with friends/teammates for their social media.

“(In previous years) usually we would make one before the game in the locker room but we can’t do that this year obviously with COVID,” Breisblatt said. “After games we usually do it…”

“For memories,” Green chimed in. “It gets us pumped up for the next game too to be honest.”

Wanting to hold onto the memories of the Phantoms’ current run makes plenty of sense.