Spring-Ford’s battle-tested seniors push past Downingtown East to reach district quarterfinals

ROYERSFORD — Anna Azzara, Katie Tiffan and the rest of the Spring-Ford girls’ basketball team had nearly a week to sit with the sting of their loss to Perkiomen Valley in the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game, but they needed decidedly less time than that to move past it.

That’s one of the positives of being an experienced, battle-tested team full of upperclassmen who have played in a lot of big games. No dwelling or stewing; just take what you can learn from any failures and quickly move on to the next challenge.

That mentality led to a much better outcome for the Rams in Wednesday night’s District 1 Class 6A second-round game against 11th-seeded Downingtown West, a 53-41 victory that marked a fourth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals for Azzara and Tiffan’s senior class.

Downingtown East’s Jordyn Daniel (4) tips the ball away from Spring-Ford’s Anna Azzara during a District 1-6A playoff game on Feb. 21 at Spring-Ford. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

The win also guaranteed the sixth-seeded Rams a spot in the PIAA tournament, which in turn guarantees this group at least one additional game together after districts are done. Next up is a quarterfinals battle at No. 3 Upper Dublin on Saturday afternoon (2:30 p.m.), while Downingtown East will take on Penncrest in a play-back game in hopes of keeping their season alive.

“We talked about what we did wrong in our PAC championship game, but after that we put it behind us,” said Azzara, who scored a team-high 15 points in the win. “It’s in our favor that we have a lot of experience. We’ve been playing together for awhile now, so we know how to work together on and off the court. That helps going forward in these bigger games; we’ve been here before, so we should know what we’re doing.”

Spring-Ford’s starting lineup features four seniors and one junior, with two more seniors and another junior coming off the bench. That experience certainly helped against Downingtown East, a team that won its first-round district game over Downingtown West, but also one that started four underclassmen on Wednesday.

So, when the Rams led this upstart opponent by just two points at halftime, there was no sense of panic of what might go wrong in the second half. Rather, it just inspired the team to play with more imperativeness for what’s at stake. Azzara and Tiffan scored eight of the team’s 12 third-quarter points, including the final four of the period from Azzara that increased Spring-Ford’s lead to 38-30.

The Cougars never crept closer than five in the fourth quarter, and the Rams (21-5) closed out the win by connecting on 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch.

“In the second half we lifted each other back up with a positive attitude and higher energy,” said Tiffan, who added 12 points. “There was more of a sense of urgency on the floor and a willingness to get to the basket if our shots weren’t falling. Our coaches tell us all the time to go to the basket, and that seemed to work for us.”

The Rams shoot close to 40 percent as a team from the three-point line, but they’re also a smart group that knows not to force things if the looks aren’t there. They shot just 2 for 8 from deep on Wednesday, but did their damage by attacking, going 17 of 35 from inside the arc (Tiffan was 5 for 7 from closer range) and converting 13 of 21 shots from the foul line.

Downingtown East’s Kendall Chiavelli (20) drives to the hoop as Spring-Ford’s Anna Azzara defends during a District 1-6A playoff game on Feb. 21 at Spring-Ford. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

“We know we have to drive to the rim and not live outside with the three,” Azzara said. “People are going to scout us, watch film and take that away from us. So, when those shots aren’t falling, we have to get to the rim and get on the foul line. That’s something we practice and know we have to do.”

There were no ear-to-ear smiles or frenzied jubilation from Azzara, Tiffan and the rest of the Rams after the game; not because they weren’t happy with the win — more so that this is well-traveled territory for a group that has bigger goals in mind. After getting to the district semifinals last year and to the championship game in both 2022 and 2021 (winning the title in ‘21), they know full well what is on the line and what it will take — or not take — to win it all.

“With the experience of our returning players, they knew what was at stake tonight,” Spring-Ford head coach Mickey McDaniel said. “There’s no doubt that we have a lot to work on, and we know that now is the most critical time of our season. We’re a good team, and good teams know how to overcome adversity.”

For Downingtown East, it was a spirited effort against one of the more experienced squads in the district, one that ultimately fell just short. Charlotte Aldridge led the way with a game-high 16 points, while Chloe Hunold added eight points and Kendall Chiavelli and Grace Hodges chipped in six each.

Downingtown East’s Charlotte Aldridge (2) dribbles in transition as Spring-Ford’s Kareena Preuss gives chase during a District 1-6A playoff game on Feb. 21 at Spring-Ford. Aldridge led the Cougars with 16 points. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

The game was tied at 28 midway into the third quarter before the Rams started pulling away, and it’s a credit to the Cougars (18-6) for making it this far by using a rotation featuring one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen. And while a loss in their next game would end Downingtown East’s season, a win would not only keep the district run going, but also guarantee the team a spot in the state tourney.

“This was not the result we wanted, but I’m extremely proud of this group,” Cougars head coach Darren Domsohn said. “It was a great learning experience against a battle-tested team, and we’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

Aside from Azzara (who also was a menace on defense with a handful of steals) and Tiffan, junior Kareena Preuss scored 10 points, and seniors Aaliyah Solliday (eight points) and Mac Pettinelli (six) also had clutch moments.

“We have an experienced and well-rounded lineup,” McDaniel said. “Tonight Katie and Anna stepped up. In the next game it could be Mac, Kareena or Aaliyah. Being a team, there’s always someone there to pick you up, so you can’t get frustrated at what may be going on. A strength of ours is our depth in both scoring and defending.”

Azzara and Tiffan are excited for the challenge that Upper Dublin presents, as well as any team they may be matched up against after Saturday’s contest, be it in the district semis or in the first round of states. As two of the team’s six seniors, they know their playing days together are numbered, which makes already important games feel even more significant.

“We want to go a lot farther,” Azzara said. “Celebrating tonight is not going to get the job done in the future. Showing up for practice tomorrow and getting it done is what’s going to help us. Being seniors, our main goal is to play as many games as we can, getting as far as possible and giving it our all.”

“We’re staying focused while obviously cherishing these last moments we have together,” Tiffan added. “We’ve been playing together since we were really young, so we all trust each other and have each other’s backs.”

Spring-Ford 53, Downingtown East 41

D’town East 10 12 10 9 – 41

Spring-Ford 10 14 12 15 – 53

Downingtown East: Aldridge 6 0 4-11 16, Daniel 0 1 0-0 3, Hunold 1 2 0-2 8, Chiavelli 1 0 4-4 6, Hodges 0 2 0-0 6, Boyd 0 0 0-0 0, Haag 1 0 0-0 2. Totals 9 5 8-17 41

Spring-Ford: Preuss 3 0 4-8 10, Solliday 2 1 1-2 8, Azzara 4 1 4-4 15, K. Tiffan 5 0 2-5 12, Pettinelli 3 0 0-0 6, Miller 0 0 0-0 0, C. Tiffan 0 0 2-2 2, Allocca 0 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 2 13-21 53