Pottsgrove ends playoff drought, downs Upper Moreland in District 1-5A play

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> The Pottsgrove girls basketball team had been here before, which wasn’t entirely a good thing.

After the last two seasons of first round exits from the current roster and a span approaching 15 years since the program’s last District 1 playoff win, if the Falcons had some serious nerves throughout a District 1 Class 5A first round game Tuesday it would have been warranted.

That background made what played out in front of veteran coach Mike Brendlinger in Tuesday night’s 31-26 win over Upper Moreland all the more pleasing.

“I thought we really kept our poise,” Brendlinger said. “It was a very physical game, both teams were banging, and our girls a lot of times don’t like that type of play. But I thought they really kept their poise and were able to fight through.”

Final: Pottsgrove 31, Upper Moreland 26, District 1-5A girls basketball. Falcons take care of business late to advance in first district win in many years pic.twitter.com/YiSLqdwhrC

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) February 19, 2020

In a grinding game from start to finish, No. 8 Pottsgrove stayed cool, calm and delivered when it mattered most to defeat No. 9 Upper Moreland.

Pottsgrove (18-6), which advanced to take on No. 1 seed Springfield-Delco in the quarterfinals on Friday, ended its run of early exits that dated back to early in Brendlinger’s 18-year tenure and elevated the junior-led Falcons after first-round defeats in the core group’s first two seasons.

“This was a big opportunity. We all have goals we write down at the beginning of the season, and this was one of our main goals,” Rachel Ludwig said. “We lost last year and the year before we lost too, so we tried to make this year a year that is special to us and our seniors. We’re very proud of that.”

Junior guard Riley Simon and junior forward Ludwig led offensively for Pottsgrove, equally giving a spark in the second half. Simon scored nine of her 12 points in the final two quarters while Ludwig scored eight of her 10 after the break.

Upper Moreland’s effort was dominated by senior forward Bean Hughes, who scored 21 of the team’s 26 points, and was a force in the paint with upwards of five blocks. The Bears’ season ends with a 12-11 record after finishing fourth in the Suburban One League American Division.

Brendlinger has spoken to his team about ‘jumping levels’ in recent weeks, something the Falcons accomplished by advancing. The postseason success serves as validation after the empty feeling of the 2018-19 season that had a number of regular-season highlights, but none in the postseason.

The victory guaranteed Pottsgrove at least two more games with six District 1 teams qualifying for the PIAA tournament from Class 5A.

“Absolutely. We’re at least guaranteed two more games, which is the best feeling,” Simon said. “We’re not going home and that’s the most important thing. We’re all going home happy and we get to come back and practice tomorrow. Having at least two more games is going to be great.”

Frontrunners >> Though Upper Moreland was within a basket the majority of the game, Pottsgrove never trailed in a game that featured tight defense and long possessions. The Falcons led by as much as 13-6 after a Ludwig drive with 5:53 left in the second quarter. But the Bears closed the half 6-0 after Emma Meakim set up a couple Hughes layups to make it 13-12 at the break.

After going scoreless in the final six minutes of the second, Ludwig sparked the Pottsgrove offense to open the third.

“She loves that shot there right around the foul line, and she had some really big shots,” Brendlinger said of the 5-10 junior. “She got frustrated in the first half and had a few of her shots blocked, but she came back second half and played a really good game.”

But the Bears were within a basket most of the quarter and into the fourth until Pottsgrove got its lead up to 27-21 on a Simon free throw with 2:56 left.

Hughes responded with a 3-pointer to close within 27-24, a basket that would have been the turning point had the game gone UM’s way.

Killing time >> After Simon and Hughes traded baskets, Pottsgrove played keep-away, forcing UM to foul four times just to put the Falcons in the bonus. Pottsgrove killed nearly all of the last 1:36, Upper Moreland only getting the ball back with 7.7 left. Simon hit a couple free throws and had a big offensive rebound on her own miss down the stretch to make it a two-possession game and deny the Bears the chance to answer.

First class >> Upper Moreland says goodbye to its four seniors – Hughes, Meakim, AbbyEllen Wood and Hannah Finn – who qualified for districts in the past three seasons.

“We have a group of four seniors that our coaching staff came in at the same time with. Our first year we went 0-22. Three years later it’s our third-straight playoff game,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Obviously we would have liked to have won one of those games but what they have set up for the future of our program … when we win this game in future years it will be because of them.”

Hughes shoes to fill >> Hughes was more than a handful of both ends, drawing double-teams in the second half and forcing the Falcons off their game.

Pretty impressive for a softball player who will continue her career at Kutztown University next year.

“She’s earned everything. She shows up two hours before, this week she’s spent and hour before and after practice shooting. You’re almost spoiled having her as your first player,” Carroll said. “The girls have really, really large shoes to fill trying to replace her. And it’s a girl who knew she wasn’t playing basketball past March of her senior year. She’s absolutely worked her butt off for four years. She got all-league the last two years and is really awesome.”