Red-hot Boyertown jumps all over Methacton
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> Remember that Boyertown team that shot 1-for-24 from the 3-point line during a December loss to Methacton?
That was so last year.
The Bears have gone on quite a run since the turn of the new year, having now won 10 of their last 11 — the latest a 48-30 win over host Methacton on Thursday night.
Much in contrast to their last meeting with the Warriors (4-2 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty; 12-3 overall), Boyertown dominated the paint throughout. Senior wing Abby Kapp proved to be a matchup nightmare in favor of Boyertown (5-1; 11-3), scoring eight of her game-high 18 points inside the paint and grabbing 18 rebounds for her second straight double-double.
Too tall to match up against a guard and too elusive to be slowed down by a forward, the 6-0 Bucknell University commit was a fixture in the post throughout.
“Abby is tough to matchup against, especially for a smaller team like Methacton,” said Boyertown head coach Jason Bieber. “If they put a smaller defender on her, she can work her way inside and if they put a taller girl on her, she can usually beat (her defender) off the dribble to the basket. She’s playing really well for us right now.”
On the night, Kapp passed Wanda Moyer (Class of 1984) and moved to No. 2 on Boyertown’s all-time leading scorer’s list. With 1,385 career points, she currently sits just 35 behind the program’s all-time leader — Kaitlyn Eisenhard — who closed out her senior season in 2014 with 1,420 points.
“Our gameplan for this one was to get the ball into the post,” said Kapp, who also knocked down a 3-point attempt and finished 5-for-8 from the free throw line. “We knew we needed to get the ball down low and crash the boards.”
She also referenced Boyertown’s last meeting with Methacton — a 44-27 loss where the Bears were outscored 16-2 in the final quarter.
“We’re a completely different team than we were last time we played them,” she said. “That loss was important for us to grow together — we’ve definitely come a long way since then.”
Behind Kapp, Katie Armstrong added 13 points and nine boards while Alli Marcus finished with eight points and a clean 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Boyertown controlled the glass, holding a 34-17 rebounding advantage and scoring 24 points in the paint. Their aggression in driving to the hoop also paid off at the free throw line, where they finished 11-for-17.
Boyertown’s full-court press and half-court trap defense gave the Warriors fits throughout. The Bears were all over the Warriors from the start, jumping out to an 11-2 lead before Methacton could find any sort of rhythm.
“We got unraveled in the beginning of the game,” head coach Craig Kaminski said, “and things snowballed from there. We just lost our composure and showed a team that we haven’t been all season.”
Speedy point guard Ryan DeOrio led the way for Methacton with 11 points, sinking 3-pointers on consecutive possessions during the second quarter while Jackie Cerchio battled down low for seven points and six rebounds. Freshman guard Sydney Tornetta — who hit five 3-pointers during Methacton’s previous matchup with Boyertown — was held in check with just five points.
Although it was arguably their most forgettable game of the season, Kaminski says it could go a long way in renewing the focus inside the huddle.
“We’ve just got to leave this one in the locker room and move on,” added Kaminski. “Sometimes losing can be a good thing — it helps you to know where you stand. We’ll get back to a couple-days-in, first-week practices. I think that’ll refocus us for the rest of the season.”
Leader of the PAC
With the win, Boyertown moves to the top of the PAC’s Liberty Division. Methacton drops to a current three-way tie with Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford at the No. 2 slot.
Three’s A Crowd
The Bears had a much better showing from beyond the arc — 3-for-16 — as compared to the last time they faced Methacton.
“We used a lot of ball fakes and looked to drive to the basket and get the ball into our bigs,” said Bieber. “That worked a lot better for us.”
