City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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COLLEGEVILLE — Julian Sadler ended Methacton’s Pioneer Athletic Conference dreams with a last-second shot in the first round of the league playoffs last season.

After an offseason of Sadler in their nightmares, the Warriors will likely have Perkiomen Valley’s senior guard haunting their dreams for another calendar year.

His and-one late was part of a 25-point outing that pushed the No. 5 Vikings past No. 4 Methacton, 47-44, in Wednesday’s PAC Final Six game, sending PV into Friday’s semifinal against No. 1 Spring-Ford.

“I made some big shots my sophomore year, but I think my junior year when I took that leadership role, that’s when I kind of got that torch passed to me,” Sadler said. “That’s when it was my team, my job to do.”

Sadler’s floater with 0.6 seconds left was the difference in last season’s PAC playoff game — a 44-42 PV win. The Warriors blitzed the Vikings 17-7 in the first quarter on Wednesday night, but after PV responded to go up 24-22 into halftime it was a one-possession game for most of the second half with the teams tied 33-33 entering the fourth.

After Methacton sophomore Christian Matos, who matched a team high with 14 points, tied the game with a three, Sadler free throws gave the Vikings the lead back with a little more than two minutes left. The Vikings got a stop with 1:40 to play and ran the clock, forcing Methacton to come out and guard. 

Sadler waited until the time was right, getting a step on his man and then finishing through the contact for the bucket. He hit the free throw to make it a two-possession game, 46-41 with 39.8 seconds to play.

“My teammates and coaches trust me to put me in the right situations to make those plays at the end of games,” Sadler said.

Methacton senior Alex Hermann, who also had 14 points for the Warriors, drilled a three to pull his team within two with 21.5 seconds left, but PV was able to run the clock down to 5.1 seconds to play before senior forward Josh Tagert split a pair at the line, making it a three-point game.Matos, who looks like the next lefthanded guard ready to terrorize the PAC when Sadler leaves PV, got off a contested look, but it couldn’t go.

 The Warriors are ranked No. 6 in the District 1-6A power rankings and will likely have to wait a little while until they take the floor next on their home floor in the second round of the district tournament — one win away from clinching a state playoff spot — as the top eight teams get a first-round bye.

Perk Valley will get its third shot against the rival Rams, seeking its first league title appearance since 2019. They dropped the first one at Spring-Ford, 53-52, on Jan. 11 before a 50-41 loss on their home floor Feb. 1 to close the regular season.

“We’re really going to have to have a good practice tomorrow, just play our game,” Sadler said.

By Quarter

Perk Valley:   7  | 17 |  9 |  14  || 47

Methacton:  17  |  5  | 11 | 11  || 44  

Scoring

 PV: Julian Sadler 25, Kyle Shawaluk 11, Jakob Harken 4, Josh Tagert 3, Sean Wagoner 2, Anthony Rodriguez 2.

M: Alex Hermann 14, Christian Matos 14, Sal Iemmello 7, Mason Conrad 4, Emmanuel Rodriguez 3, Wes Robinson 2.

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Pottstown runs away from Norristown

When Pottstown took down Norristown in last season’s PAC Final Six matchup, a three-headed monster in the Trojans’ backcourt guided them to victory.

It was a similar formula No. 3 Pottstown used to down No. 6 Norristown, 77-57, in a rematch to open the PAC postseason on Wednesday night. Senior Sadeeq Jackson went off for 34 points, his brother Abdul added 13 and instead of a big outing from the graduated Ty Elliot-Moore, senior Jurrell Young scored 17 to continue a breakout senior campaign.

“I knew I had to step up and take that role, take the shooter role and just filling in a spot because I knew we could be dangerous with three players on the floor that can score the ball,” Young said. 

“I’m just helping my teammates,” he added. “First of all, I have to put them first because they’re the ones who told me to just ball out, keep attacking the rim.”

The two teams were tied 14-14 after a quarter and after Pottstown got up by seven in the second, senior guard Jayden Byrd (23 points) helped Norristown creep within two, 33-31, at halftime. The Trojans were assessed a technical at the break for adding No. 21 Jahmir Jackson to the book. Despite giving up one point for a technical free throw, the decision was well worth it for coach Ken Ivory’s team.

Jahmir, the younger brother of Sadeeq and Abdul, entered late in the third quarter, sparking his team on a 5-0 run to grab a 59-51 lead after three. The Trojans scored the first five six points of the fourth quarter, using an 11-0 run to take a 65-51 lead with under five to play. The game felt out of reach when Young went up-and-under with 3:42 to play to make it a 15-point game.

“That was worth one point,” Ivory said. “We hadn’t had him in the books for a couple weeks, and we just went with it. It happens, the kids picked us up though.”

Abdul Jackson (18.6 ppg) and Sadeeq Jackson (15.6 ppg) have picked up right where they left off last season for the Trojans. Young averaged just six points per game last season, but he hit two big threes in the first round win over the Eagles and scored 14 in a double overtime semifinal loss to Spring-Ford.

He’s emerged as an all-league type player in his senior campaign, averaging 15.2 ppg and knocking down 42 threes on the season entering Wednesday night. Young and Sadeeq Jackson scored nine apiece in the third as Pottstown took control of the game.

“Last year, a testament to him, he sacrificed a lot, being a rebounding guy,” Ivory said. “We knew he was capable of hitting big shots like that. He’s probably our best shooter. … Those are shots he works on, those are shots we have confidence in him taking and we kind expect him to make them, we count on him to make them. We need him now a lot more.”

Phoenixville beat Pottstown on its own floor, 55-40, on Jan. 30 to clinch the division title over the Trojans. The Phantoms also won the first meeting, 64-55, on Jan. 5. They’ll face a third time Friday night with the winner set to break a lengthy PAC title game drought.

The Trojans haven’t reached the league championship since last winning the crown in 2008. Phoenixville’s last time in the PAC title game a season prior in 2007, when the Phantoms last won the championship.

“I’d rather lose to them twice in the regular season and beat them when it matters,” Abdul Jackson said. 

By Quarter

NT:  14 | 17 | 20 | 6 || 57 

PT:  14 | 19 | 26 | 18 || 77

Scoring

NT: Jayden Byrd 23, Myon Kirlew 17, Kevin Bonds 7, Rashon Giddens 6, Miles Daniels 4

PT: Sadeeq Jackson 34, Jurrell Young 17, Abdul Jackson 13, Nahzier Booker 5, Jahmir Jackson 4, DImark Lyons 2, Dillon Mayes 2.