SPRING-FORD WINS STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Game highlights, including post-game medal ceremony (video by Darryl Grumling/edited by Frank Otto)

By Mercury Staff

sports@pottsmerc.com

Spring-Ford's girls basketball team is golden.

The Rams beat Cumberland Valley, Friday night, 60-45, for the PIAA Class AAAA championship.

It was the first basketball title for an area school since the Pottstown boys in 1993. It was the Rams' first ever trip to the title game.

For complete coverage by Don Seeley, Austin Hertzog and Darryl Grumling, click on the below links:

Spring-Ford wins first state championship

Dynamic defense lifts Rams to PIAA crown

Superb, selfless seniors carry Spring-Ford to PIAA title

Future looks bright for Rams

There is plenty of video here and on our YouTube page at youtube.com/pottsmercsports.

Don't miss Saturday's print edition of The Mercury, which includes a full photo page as part of five full pages of coverage.

Spring-Ford players receive their gold medals (video by Darryl Grumling)

Spring-Ford wins the PIAA Class AAAA Championship (Video by Darryl Grumling)

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Below is video from tonight's game as it happened, courtesy of Darryl Grumling (@MercSmokinD), Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) and Don Seeley (@DonSeeley1). Some clips are posted here, and all are available on our YouTube page at youtube.com/pottsmercsports.

After the jump you can find even more video.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford faces Cumberland Valley for PIAA-AAAA crown

Spring-Ford takes on Cumberland Valley in the PIAA-AAAA girls basketball championship game Friday night at 6 p.m. at Hershey's Giant Center.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

From the time a lot of them first met on the basketball court, as fifth-graders, they formed a bond that through the years would become tensile-strong.
Their sorority was based on success brought about by hard work, determination and drive.
Friday night, that magical journey that began way back at their school’s 7th Grade Center has reached its final destination for the five seniors on Spring-Ford’s girls basketball team.
The Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams (31-2) square off against District 3 No. 5 seed Cumberland Valley (26-6) at 6 p.m. at Hershey’s Giant Center with the PIAA Class AAAA championship on the line.
Spring-Ford, which has won 23 straight games and is ranked 22nd in the nation by USA Today, is attempting to bring home its first state crown in a team sport in its 48-year history.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford vs. Cumberland Valley breakdown

Brittany Moore (10), Sarah Payonk (54), Shelby Mueller (5), Courtney Hinnant (14) and the Spring-Ford girls basketball team overcame one of their toughest tests of the season Tuesday in a semifinal win over Cardinal O’Hara and are set to face District 3’s Cumberland Valley in the state championship game Friday night at Giant Center in Hershey. (John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

If you’re looking for someone to break down Friday’s PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball championship matchup between District 1 champion Spring-Ford and District 3 No. 5 seed Cumberland Valley, there’s likely no one more qualified than Mount St. Joseph Academy coach John Miller.
First off, Miller is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in the state.
Perhaps more importantly, Miller’s squad lost just four times in 30 games this season. Two of those defeats were to Spring-Ford. The other two were to Cumberland Valley.
One thing that won’t be hard to predict is that the game will feature a battle of contrasting styles.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford’s Stipa a star generations in the making

Spring-Ford's Sammy Stipa celebrates Tuesday's PIAA-AAAA semifinal win over Cardinal O'Hara. Stipa, Brittany Moore (10) and the Rams take on Cumberland Valley for the state championship Friday at 6 at Hershey's Giant Center.

By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com

ROYERSFORD – Bob Stipa made quite a name for himself as a three-sport standout at the former Spring City High School. Mark Stipa was a pretty darn good two-sport athlete at Spring-Ford. And the late Jerry Hefelfinger was indeed revered as an outstanding three-sport athlete at the former Collegeville-Trappe High School.
But the older fellas yield to the youngest, and only female among them … Sammy Stipa.
Sammy Stipa, of course, is the 5-foot-5 dynamo who has filled many roles and filled them superbly in the rambunctious Rams’ drive to Friday night’s PIAA-Class AAAA final against Cumberland Valley at the Giant Center in Hershey.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Coaching staff a big key to Spring-Ford’s success

Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury Spring-Ford head coach Jeff Rinehimer (center) and assistant coach Mickey McDaniel (in blue shirt at left) have the Rams one win away from a state championship. The Rams meet Cumberland Valley Friday night (6 p.m.) at the Giant Center in Hershey.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

ROYERSFORD — The fact that the Spring-Ford girls basketball team has reached the PIAA Class AAAA final is a tribute to the Rams’ roster of ultra-talented and ultra-unselfish players.
It is also a tribute to the Rams’ ultra-prepared coaching staff.
When Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champon Spring-Ford (31-2) takes on District 3 No. 5 seed Cumberland Valley (26-6) for the state championship Friday night at 6 p.m. at Hershey’s Giant Center, it will no doubt be the high point for the 14 girls who suit up for the Rams varsity.
It will also mark the apex in the 19-year tenure of Spring-Ford coach Jeff Rinehimer, as well as his first-rate group of assistants.
Rinehimer, right-hand man Mickey McDaniel (the school’s athletic director who is a volunteer assistant), assistant coach Jeff Mast, JV head coach Geoff Kahler and volunteer assistant Stacey Huntington will all be on the Rams bench attempting to come up with a winning scheme.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford ticket information

The Spring-Ford girls basketball team will play Cumberland Valley in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game 6 p.m. Friday, March 22, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Advance tickets are on sale in the high school athletic office 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, at a cost of $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for students; all tickets at the gate will be $8.00.
There will be a fan bus leaving from Spring-Ford High School Auditorium/Gymnasium 3:30 p.m. Friday. You must have a bus ticket that is available at the athletic department.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: SPRING-FORD GOING TO STATE FINAL

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com


As you can see above, the Spring-Ford girls basketball team is headed for the state final after a 53-49 win over Cardinal O'Hara in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals.

The Rams will play Cumberland Valley on Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey at 6 p.m.

We have three stories from the game, all linked below, as well as some video posted below and more video on our YouTube channel from the game.

Keep it here all week as we get you set for the Rams' date with Cumberland Valley, as they try to become the first area basketball team in 20 years to win a state championship (Pottstown boys, 1995).

Wednesday's Stories

• Spring-Ford heading for Hershey after Stipa's clutch free throws seal victory (by Don Seeley)
• Hungry Rams get over semifinal hump (column by Darryl Grumling)
• Finally faced with pressure, Rams pass their biggest test (by Austin Hertzog)

Follow us on Twitter @PottsMercSports, as well as writers Darryl Grumling (@MercSmokinD), Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog), Don Seeley (@DonSeeley1) for the very latest.

Below is ticket information we received from Spring-Ford late Tuesday night:

Advance reserved-seat tickets for the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball championship game between Spring-Ford and Cumberland Valley will go on sale in the high-school athletic office 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and again 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday while supplies last. Tickets are priced at $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for students.

Fan-bus information will be released by the school Thursday

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford faces Cardinal O’Hara in PIAA semifinal

Last season ended in disappointment for Sammy Stipa and the Spring-Ford girls basketball team in the semifinals of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament, a loss to Archbishop Carroll. The Rams return to that same stage tonight when they meet Cardinal O’Hara in a PIAA semifinal at William Tennent High School (7:30 p.m.). (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

Spring-Ford girls basketball seniors Sarah Payonk, Brittany Moore, Courtney Hinnant, Sammi Haas and their teammates have waited a year for this.
Since suffering a season-ending loss to powerful Archbishop Carroll in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinal 364 days ago, the returning Rams made it their mission to at least get back to that point.
And like General Douglas MacArthur, the Rams have indeed returned.
Tonight, Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1-AAAA champion Spring-Ford (30-2) squares off against District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara (24-5) in a state semifinal at 7:30 p.m. at William Tennent High School in Warminster.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Payonk paying off in big way for Spring-Ford

Spring-Ford’s Sarah Payonk goes to the hoop as Dover’s Kara Funk defends during their PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal Friday night at Garden Spot High School. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

NEW HOLLAND — Off the basketball court, Sarah Payonk is one of Spring-Ford’s brightest students.
On the court, she is one of the Rams’ most dangerous weapons.
Dover found that out in Friday night’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal, as Payonk’s powerful performance helped Spring-Ford come away with a 67-45 victory at Garden Spot High School.
Payonk, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, scored 15 points to share team-high honors with Sammy Stipa and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and blocked four shots for the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams (30-2), who won their 22nd straight game.
“Sarah’s a really big asset to our team,” said fellow senior starter Sammi Haas. “She’s a good leader, she knows the game and she’s very smart. She’s not as loud on the court as me or (senior) Courtney (Hinnant); she’s more likely to give a pep talk in the locker room and tell us what needs to be done. She talks when she needs to talk.”

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford stops Dover to return to PIAA semifinals

Spring-Ford's Sammy Stipa comes up with the ball ahead of Dover's Alayah Hall and Megan Lokhaiser on a loose ball during the first half of their PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal Friday night at Garden Spot High School. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

NEW HOLLAND — All season long, the Spring-Ford girls have been on a mission to make it further than they did last year. And after 32 games, that goal is finally right at their fingertips after they advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA Final Four for the second straight season on Friday night with a 67-45 win over Dover at Garden Spot High School.
One Ram or another seemed to have a hot hand the entire night as five players scored at least nine points, including 15 apiece by Sammy Stipa and Sarah Payonk. Alayah Hall scored 20 for Dover. Spring-Ford (30-2) will face Cardinal O’Hara, a 60-24 winner over Central Dauphin, in a Tuesday semifinal at a time and place to be determined.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford, Dover square off in PIAA quarterfinal

Sammy Stipa, left, and Sarah Payonk, right, lead Spring-Ford into tonight’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal against District 3 No. 4 seed Dover at Garden Spot High School. (File photo by John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

There are many factors that make Spring-Ford the most feared girls basketball team in the state.
The Rams’ superior skill level. Their bountiful blend of size, experience and depth. Their top-notch coaching staff.
But the No. 1 reason for the squad’s dominant run over the past two seasons remains its determined attention to defensive detail.
Whether it be their furious fullcourt trap or dogged halfcourt man-to-man set, the Rams ‘D’ has been nothing short of Grade A.
Spring-Ford hopes to continue that trend Friday, when the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams (29-2) — ranked 24th in the latest USA Today Super 25 national ratings — take on District 3 No. 4 seed Dover (27-3) in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal at 6 p.m. at Garden Spot High.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford ticket information

Advance tickets for Spring-Ford's PIAA-AAAA girls basketball quarterfinal Friday night at 6 p.m. at Garden Spot High against Dover will be on sale in the Spring-Ford athletic office Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adults: $6. Students: $3. All tickets at door: $6.

A fan bus ($3, tickets must be purchased from the athletic office during the above times) will depart the high school gymnasium/auditorium entrance at 4 p.m. Friday.

ALL PAC-10 TEAMS

ALL-PIONEER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
BOYS BASKETBALL
First Team
Brendan Casper, Methacton, Sr.; Matt Crider, Owen J. Roberts, Jr.; Marcus Howell, Phoenixville, Sr.; Brent Mahoney, Pope John Paul II, Sr.; Zameer McDowell, Spring-Ford, Sr.; Purnell Wilson, Perkiomen Valley, Jr.
Second Team
Matt Forrest, Methacton, Sr.; Denzel Harvey, Pottstown, Jr.; Steve Leonard, Perkiomen Valley, Sr.; Mike Mansur, Boyertown, Sr.; Jamel Stinson, Pope John Paul II, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Ryan Corcoran, Boyertown, Soph.; Deandre’ Gadsden, Phoenixville, Soph.; Chandler Junk, Upper Perkiomen, Jr.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Moore helps Spring-Ford reach PIAA quarterfinals

Photo by Barry Taglieber Spring-Ford’s Brittany Moore tries to go around Wallenpaupack’s Nickole Mann on Tuesday night.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

BETHLEHEM TWP. — Brittany Moore’s senior girls basketball season didn’t exactly begin the way she envisioned it -- with a high ankle sprain.
But the Spring-Ford guard certainly appears to be finishing her final campaign with a flourish.
Tuesday night at Freedom High, Moore was at the forefront as the Rams gutted out a 58-44 victory over a dead-game Wallenpaupack squad in a PIAA-AAAA Tournament second-round game.
Senior forward Courtney Hinnant and junior guard Sammy Stipa scored 10 points each for the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1-AAAA champion Rams (29-2), who won their 21st straight game and advanced to Friday’s state quarterfinal against District 3 No. 4 seed Dover (27-3), a 42-38 winner over Nazareth.

(For complete story, click here ...)

GIRLS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Eisenhard, Watson close out standout careers

By Darryl Grumling

Boyertown's Kaitlyn Eisenhard

dgrumling@pottsmerc.com; @MercSmokinD

Methacton's Kelsey Watson

For the past two years, Methacton and Boyertown have been somewhat obscured by the giant shadow Spring-Ford’s girls basketball team has cast over the Pioneer Athletic Conference.

That didn’t stop either the Warriors or Bears from enjoying rewarding campaigns this winter, nor did it stop Kelsey Watson and Kaitlyn Eisenhard from making their presence felt in their final scholastic seasons.

The end of the road for each standout player came Friday night, when Watson and Methacton fell to Cardinal O’Hara, 46-34, and Eisenhard and Boyertown were defeated 57-37 by Central Dauphin in a pair of PIAA-AAAA Tournament openers.

By the time the final horn had sounded in both games, though, Watson and Eisenhard had already cemented their legacies as two of the best in their respective schools’ histories.

( To read the complete story, click here )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II falls to Archbishop Wood

 By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

RADNOR — Just when one wave began to recede, the Pope John Paul II girls were hit by another one in Saturday afternoon’s PIAA-AAA opening round basketball contest. And that’s the way it went the whole time as three-time defending state champion Archbishop Wood brought in five fresh players at a time every three or four minutes and suffered no decrease in effectiveness while washing the Golden Panthers away into the off-season, 60-39 at Archbishop John Carroll High School.
Madison Tamburini scored 13 points for the Vikings (18-9), eight of them during a 22-0 first quarter and the rest in the second. Senior Haley Mesaros topped PJP (18-7) – making its first state appearance in the school’s three-year history - with 13 points, classmate Taylor Bearden followed with eight, and junior Kelly Moore and freshman Gabby Troisi each added five.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hinnant helps balanced Spring-Ford past Hershey in state opener

Spring-Ford's Courtney Hinnant scores a layup late in the second quarter against Hershey during their PIAA Class AAAA Tournament first round game Friday night at Norristown High School. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

NORRISTOWN — Were she on any other team — in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, District 1 or the entire state — Courtney Hinnant would likely be a starter.
Problem is, the squad that Hinnant suits up for, Spring-Ford, has a starting lineup that is simply stacked.
With the sudden offseason emergence of players such as Shelby Mueller and Sammi Haas, Rams coach Jeff Rinehimer made the tough decision to bring Hinnant (who started most of last year) off the bench this season.
Rather than rebel, however, the 5-foot-10 senior forward has embraced the move — which has in turn strengthened Spring-Ford’s already formidable rotation.
Friday night at Norristown High, Hinnant showed what she is capable of in helping the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams down District 3 No. 7 seed Hershey 59-41 in a PIAA Class AAAA Tournament opener.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Cardinal O’Hara overwhelms Methacton

Methacton’s Kelsey Watson (22) scored 13 points in the Warriors’ season-ending loss to Cardinal O’Hara Friday night in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament. (File photo by Mark C Psoras\JRC)

By Denny Dyroff
sports@pottsmerc.com

UPPER DARBY — The first half of Friday night’s game between Methacton and Cardinal O’Hara had a bit of an undertaker vibe.
The O’Hara girls were burying threes with amazing ease in the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball opening round game at Bonner-Prendergast High’s gym. Methacton, on the other hand, was digging a hole for itself that was almost too deep to allow escape.
The second half was a different game. O’Hara didn’t make a three-point basket the entire half and the Warriors outplayed the team from Delaware County for long stretches in both the third and fourth quarters.
Methacton closed to within six in the final half of the fourth quarter. But the experienced Lions, who are ranked third in the state, withstood the surge and held on for a hard-fought 46-34 victory.

(For complete story, click here ...)

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Central Dauphin catches fire, eliminates Boyertown, 57-39

Kaitlyn Eisenhard, right, and the Boyertown girls basketball team saw their season come to an end Friday night in a PIAA Class AAAA Tournament opening round loss to Central Dauphin. (Mercury file photo)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

DERRY — Despite getting off to a typical slow start, the Boyertown girls were happy with where they were at halftime after rallying for a three-point lead in Friday night’s opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA Basketball Tournament.
But the Bears trailed again after turning the ball over too many times in the third quarter and then fell victim to nearly perfect shooting in the final quarter by Central Dauphin in a season-ending 57-39 loss at Milton Hershey School’s Spartan Center.

(For complete story, click here ...)

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford opens state tourney action

Darryl Grumling was at Norristown High tonight, where the top-seeded Spring-Ford girls basketball team opened state tournament play with a 59-41 win over Hershey, the No. 7 seed out of District 3.

The Rams will play Wallenpaupack Area on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.

Darryl provided some video from Norristown, which is posted below. Check back later for a complete story from the game, as well as other area games Friday night.

Hinnant follow-up basket:

Hinnant foul shots: