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District 1 6A: Garnet Valley's surprise postseason continues on

02/24/2022, 12:30am EST
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

Three years ago was the best season in Garnet Valley girls’ basketball history. The Jaguars won 30 games, the Central League and District 1 6A titles, and made it all the way to the state championship game. 

This year’s group might not equal those feats — and certainly won’t equal the win total — but something almost equally special is happening. An unheralded squad with none of the expectations of its forerunner, with three freshmen and a sophomore in the top seven, is making plenty of noise, seemingly out of nowhere.

“This has been an improbable, unexpected season in many ways,” 19th-year head coach Joe Woods said.  “Three years ago, we were district champions, but it was kind of expected. We were (the) one-seed [...] we did great, we were 30-2. 

“But this is in many ways more satisfying.”


Ava Possenti (above) and Garnet Valley have won five straight postseason games this month. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Fresh off winning the 2022 Central League title as the fifth seed, Garnet Valley has kept its late-season success rolling right into district playoffs. The No. 14 seed stomped Hatboro-Horsham by 34 points in the opening round, then went up to third-seeded Methacton on Wednesday night and rolled out with an emotional, hard-fought 41-36 victory.

In taking down the Warriors (20-4) and advancing into the District 1 6A quarterfinals, the Jaguars (20-7) secured a berth in the state playoffs for the first time since that runner-up finish in 2019, after finishing one win shy in 2020 and missing out entirely on an abbreviated district field a year ago. 

“In the beginning of the season, I didn’t think we had it in us, because we were such a young team,” senior guard Ava Possenti said, “and going into the championship as a fifth seed against No. 1, we had nothing to lose.

“We’re just having fun now,” she added. “We’re just playing like it’s a game, it’s fun. We’re in it together.”

The Jaguars will get another Pioneer Athletic Conference opponent in PAC champions Spring-Ford in Saturday’s quarterfinal; the No. 11 seed Rams upset sixth-seeded West Chester Rustin, 48-46 on Wednesday. Like Garnet, Spring-Ford is young, featuring sophomores Anna Azzara, Katie Tiffin and Mac Pettinelli, but Mickey McDaniel has led his team to five straight league titles and is coming off a state runner-up finish of his own.

Methacton, which hadn’t played in 11 days since losing to Spring-Ford in the PAC semifinals, goes to the playback round, where it will host Rustin on Saturday in a do-or-die matchup where the winner qualifies for states (and at least two more seeding games) and the loser is done for the year. 

Possenti was a role player three years ago when Brianne Borcky (Drexel), Emily McAteer (Loyola) & Co.) formed the core of the top dogs of District 1 three years ago, getting a firsthand look at what it took to make a run deep into March.

Now she’s the tone-setter, a 5-6 guard who runs point but also draws the opponents’ top offensive option on the other end. In Wednesday’s case, that meant guarding Methacton star senior Nicole Timko, the Christopher Newport commit who regularly goes for 20-plus. 

Possenti (left) collected nine steals against Methacton; she poked the ball away from the Warriors' Nicole Timko immediately after this photo. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Possenti harassed Timko all night long, coming away with nine steals to go along with her 11 points and two assists. That included two steals alone in the final 30 seconds, with the game’s outcome still very much in question, despite the visitors having led for much of the fourth quarter. 

“My hands are always reaching,” she said. “I played in an intramural league with my uncles, and that set me up for steals, because I used to press a lot. I’ve got to stay on my feet, but that’s what set me up for the steals.”

Timko finished with 13 points but had to work hard for it; as a team, Methacton shot 11-of-37 (29.7%), including 5-of-20 (25%) from the 3-point arc. 

Garnet Valley came away with 17 steals as part of forcing 24 Methacton turnovers, a dozen in each half. That helped the Jaguars overcome a less-than-stellar night from the foul line (14-of-27), though they made enough down the stretch — while forcing quite a few turnovers — to hold onto the lead.

It took a while for the pressure to have an impact, however; the Warriors led by early on, knocking down four 3-pointers in the second quarter to go up double digits at one point before the Jaguars closed to within 24-17 at the break.

They were inspired by the GV boys’ squad, which only the day prior had overcome a big halftime deficit at Spring-Ford to pull off its own upset as the No. 24 squad in the boys’ tournament, cliniching its own state berth.

“They were down 18 at half, so our coach said seven was nothing for us,” Possenti said. “We knew it was possible.”

The girls might have given the boys their own inspiration: Mike Brown’s squad comes to top-seeded Methacton on Friday in a boys’ quarterfinal.

The Jags’ girls flipped the script Wednesday with a 13-2 third quarter, scoring the first 10 points of the second half to take the lead for the first time. Freshman Haylie Adamski (9 points, 4 rebounds), sophomore Emily Olsen (6 points, 6 rebounds), and seniors/co-captains Possenti, Carly DiSabatino (6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Katelyn Dugerty (9 points/10 rebounds) all scored a bucket during the stretch, the five starters accounting for all of GV’s scoring on the night.


Katelyn Dugery (above) had nine points and 10 rebounds in GV's win on Wednesday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Dugerty, who collected six of her 10 rebounds on the offensive end, was just as important for her interior defense as Possenti was on the perimeter, frustrating a Methacton attack that loves to work it inside and shoot the ‘3’ ball. 

“She’s not really a basketball player, she’s a softball player, but she’s a warrior in there for us,” Woods said of Dugerty. “She was motivated tonight, she was taking them to the basket early and often, which she never does. 

“These seniors are motivated, and they’re a great group of seniors, they’ve brought the young players along, the sophomore and the three freshmen who are getting major time for us. Very proud of them.”

By Quarter
Garnet Valley:  9   |   8   |  13  |  11  ||  41
Methacton:      10  |  14  |   2   |  10  ||  36

Shooting
Garnet Valley: 13-39 FG (1-9 3PT), 14-27 FT
Methacton: 11-37 FG (5-20 3PT), 9-12 FT

Scoring
Garnet Valley: Ava Possenti 11, Haylie Adamski 9, Katelyn Dugery 9, Carly DiSabatino 6, Emily Olsen 6

Methacton: Nicole Timko 13, Mairi Smith 11, Tori Bockrath 9, Kayla Kaufman 3

~~~

District 1 6A Second Round
1) Plymouth Whitemarsh def. 16) Great Valley, 53-9
9) Haverford def. 8) Downingtown East, 31-29
4) Pennsbury def. 13) Upper Dublin, 36-30
5) Abington def. 12) CB West, 62-47
2) Souderton def. 15) CB South, 43-39

7) Perk Valley def. 10) Neshaminy, 44-32
14) Garnet Valley def. 3) Methacton, 41-36
11) Spring-Ford def. 6) WC Rustin, 48-46

District 1 6A Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 26
1) Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. 9) Haverford (3:30 PM)
4) Pennsbury vs. 5) Abington (12 PM)
2) Souderton vs. 7) Perk Valley (2 PM)
11) Spring-Ford vs. 14) Garnet Valley (TBD)

District 1 6A Playbacks
Saturday, Feb. 26
8) Downingtown East vs. 16) Great Valley (Friday, 6 PM)
12) CB West vs. 13) Upper Dublin (TBD)
10) Neshaminy vs. 15) CB South (TBD)
3) Methacton vs. 6) WC Rustin (TBD)


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