City of Basketball Love

By Andrew Robinson
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2025-26 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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This isn’t the Perk Valley of the last few seasons.

Last season’s PIAA Class 6A champions have a very different look this year, which is expected when the greatest senior class in program history has moved on to college. A year ago, PV came in with a decided goal of state title or bust then went out and got it where this year’s group will be starting its own path.

While the new-look Vikings aren’t setting that lofty of a bar, they do plan on competing as they usher in the next era.

“For us, we know we have more time, but we want to get the work done now,” junior guard Katie Nemic said. “We want to do what we’re meant to do, we want to keep going on that track, take what the seniors left us and make it our own. That’s what the goal is.”

It only takes a few possessions watching the Vikings to register who’s not around anymore. After three years with essentially the same lineup, not seeing the core four of Quinn Boettinger (Navy), Grace Galbavy (Wake Forest), Bella Bacani (Jefferson) and Lena Stein (West Chester) or the supporting efforts of Grace Miley and Julia Smith does take some adjusting to.

There are a couple recognizable faces back in the fold, plus more ready to put their names out there this winter. Nemic and sophomore Hannah Evans got minutes in 30 games last season while junior Megan King played in 24 contests and they’ll likely step into the team’s lead roles this season.

This year’s group will enter the season with a lot less pressure, both internally and externally. That doesn’t mean the Vikings are writing off the season.

“It’s a committed group, it’s a smart group, it’s a group that can learn from the group that just graduated,” PV coach John Russo said. “We have 15 kids coming to open gyms and 15 kids coming to these scrimmages. It’s a joy to coach them, they really want to learn. They still obviously need to work on a lot of stuff, but we’re taking it one step at a time and it’s fun to be part of the rebuild.”

Evans, who played this summer for the Comets 15U GUAA team, is a prime candidate for a breakout season. The 5-foot-8 guard is an excellent shooter, with a quick release making her a threat on the perimeter but she’s also shown plenty of ability to drive to the rim and even knock down shots in the midrange consistently.

After sharing a gym with a group as talented as last year’s senior class, Evans went into her summer motivated to follow their lead. Even as a sophomore, she knows she’ll be one of the team’s leaders and is working to set a similar example to her less experienced teammates.

“The level of hard work they put in. We saw that and we can bring it to this team and push them,” Evans said. “It’s that underdog feeling, if they’re going to overlook us then we have to go out and represent who we are.”

Nemic missed the tail end of her summer with a knee injury, but the guard has been full go this fall. She’s a capable scorer as well and like Evans, echoed the impact of getting to practice and play with or against the 2025 class.

“I think it made us way better,” Nemic said. “Especially for me and Hannah, being pushed to that level that they were at, they’re all off in college so that was a great experience I really think is helping us now.”

King is one of a few Vikings who also plays for the Lady Runnin’ Rebels program, spending this past summer on the team Russo helps coach and building off a school season where she grew quite a bit behind the scenes. She’ll take the reins at point guard, a steady ball handler and passer who also has a solid shooting touch.

Junior Lauren Binkowski and sophomores Scarlet Lee, Bri Lindsay, Maggie Eperthener and Gabby Russo were also top JV players last season and freshman Phoebe Eddy has been with the team during its fall events. There are no seniors on this year’s team, so this group has at least two years together to see what it can grow into.

“They’re excited, they’re happy to get their opportunity but also nervous at times,” Russo said. “They’re willing to listen, to learn and to put their best foot forward. They know we’re not chasing a shadow, we’re trying to build our own unique identity.”

The Vikings of the last few years just wore down opponents. The 6-foot-3 Boettinger, who figures to see a lot of playing time as a freshman at Navy, was a force in the paint while the 6-foot-1 Galbavy was a matchup nightmare for defenders and even Stein and Miley were tough as 5-foot-10 and physical wings.

This year’s team doesn’t have that kind of size, with most of the roster listing around 5-foot-7 or 5-foot-8. Defense and especially rebounding will have to be more of a team effort while offensively, the Vikings figure to be much more of a perimeter-oriented team with plenty of perimeter shooters.

“Our coaches mentioned our threes and our shooting,” Nemic said. “That’s our main key, shooting, spacing and talking because we’re so much smaller than our team the last few years, so we have to constantly be talking to stay together.”

By the end of the season, Russo wants this team to have developed an identity and play to it on a consistent basis. He’s not thinking about chasing a fourth straight District 1 title or a fourth straight PAC crown, instead taking a developmental focus especially in the early part of the season.

If this group can develop continuity, then it can be competitive on a game-to-game basis and that’s the main thing their coach is looking for. While this isn’t the Perk Valley of the last few seasons, it could be the start of the Perk Valley of the next few seasons instead.

“I like this team a lot because we worked so hard to be ready to step into our spots,” Evans said. “This is our rebuilding year but I’m excited to see what happens and to see where we can go in the next few years.”