TOWAMENCIN – After taking an 8-6 lead four minutes into the game, North Penn wouldn’t look back and eventually extended their lead to 23 in their rout of Phoenixville, closing the game 57-40.
“The team came into the game not wanting it to be our last game this season and the game plan really worked tonight. Our goal at this point is to continue to earn one more game each time we step on the court,” senior point guard Cam Crowley said.
Both teams employed a full-court press to start the game, seeing as both sides have consistently played in high-scoring affairs, with Phoenixville scoring an average of 62 points in their last 9 wins.
The Knights distributed scoring across four of their starters in the first quarter, with sophomore Lily Brown and Crowley both putting up 5. North Penn ended the quarter with an 8-point lead, 17-9.
Both offenses were slow to get anything going early in the second quarter, but a Charlie Campbell steal into two made free throws for Kayden Baratta showed some sparks of a Phantoms comeback.
The Knights matched with Crowley and Leah Mikulski layups, and Lily McGee nailed two consecutive corner threes before Baratta nailed a deep three at the halftime buzzer to bring the score to 30-21, North Penn ahead.
Out of the half, the Knights went on a 10-2 run led by Mikulski and Brown, the latter who would go on to have 10 alone in the quarter, all on layups.
“My mentality and the team’s mentality has really been to play for the seniors and play our game, our way, to make it further for their last year,” Brown said.
North Penn continued to keep their foot on the gas throughout the fourth quarter, and even though Phoenixville outscored the Knights 9-8 in the quarter, the deficit proved to be too much as the game concluded 57-40.
On a team where only two of the starters are seniors, Crowley emphasized the importance of the younger classes.
“Last year we lost a lot of seniors and it opened up starting spots, this year we have a lot of younger players that have all stepped up big time and it has been a great year growing as a team,” Crowley said.
Coming up for North Penn is a big matchup on 2/18 at Garnett Valley as the Knights hope to continue to move forward in the district playoffs. After having lost to the Jaguars in last year’s state semifinal matchup, and the winner guaranteed a place in states, this game will prove to be pivotal.
“We go into every game with the same mentality that we can win. We had some games this year where everything clicked on both sides of the floor and that makes us a tough team to beat,” Crowley said on approaching the game.
“Being back in playoffs gets me really excited to see how far we can go as a team and it shows how much we really do want to win; it’s nice playing against tough teams and it brings out the best in us,” Brown, who played in last years loss to Garnett Valley, said.
North Penn (57): Brown 21; Crowley 10; Mikulski 10; McGee 6; Godhania 5; Smink 3; Hammond 2.
Phoenixville (40): Ulcay 13; Baratta; Gnias 7; Latimore-Beasly 5; Turner 2; Schneider 1.
