District 1 girls’ catch-up: Perk Valley still dominating, Downingtown East on the rise

The area high school girls’ basketball regular season has a few weeks remaining, and there’s plenty of excitement brewing in leagues

On Wednesday, we checked up on the boys’ side, now let’s take a look at some of the more intriguing girls’ races.

The small-school league is down to two unbeaten programs: Renaissance Charter (9-4, 6-0) and Faith Christian (9-5, 5-0 BAL), with Jenkintown (6-7, 5-1) and MaST Charter (5-6, 5-1) right behind. Renaissance and Faith don’t play each other until Jan. 25; Faith has to play at MaST three days prior to that in a difficult 1-2 combo, with a home game against Jenkintown still to come on Feb. 2. Jenkintown and MaST meet up on Thursday in a key game for the both of them. The BAL playoffs are inclusive, so all of these teams will be in the postseason; it’s just a matter of seeding and potential home-court advantage at stake.

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Nine games into the Central League’s 16-game slate, it’s Conestoga’s title to lose. AJ Thompson’s Pioneers are 14-0 (9-0 Central), two games clear of the field, led by Scranton-bound senior point guard Marisa Francione and sophomore Ryann Jennings, a Division I recruit. Thompson has also been getting great effort from senior twins Katrina and Isabella Valencia, as well as junior forward Janie Preston.

The Pioneers’ two biggest threats in the league are two other 6A programs, Haverford (11-3, 7-2) and Garnet Valley (10-2, 6-2), both of which Conestoga dispatched back in December. Both teams have a Division I prospect — the Fords in 6-foot-2 junior wing Rian Dotsey, the Jaguars in 6-0 junior guard Haylie Adamski — and experience around them. Those two play each other on Feb. 1 at Haverford, which won the earlier matchup.

Conestoga plays at Haverford on next Thursday and at home against Garnet Valley in the season finale on Feb. 6.

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Both the American and National divisions of the Ches-Mont are still up for grabs, with all teams involved just about midway through their 10-game league slates. There’s no clear favorite for the overall league crown, either.

Unionville (11-3, 4-1 Ches-Mont) and West Chester Rustin (10-3, 3-1) technically sit tied atop the American division, though Unionville’s 23-point win over Rustin back in December means the Longhorns have the upper hand. The return game will be Tuesday at Rustin. Great Valley (7-7, 3-2) and Kennett (6-6, 3-2) are waiting right there in the wings, potentially one upset away from qualifying for the four-team Ches-Mont playoffs.

The National division has West Chester East (10-3, 5-1) alone at the top, with Coatesville (8-5, 4-2) and Downingtown East (13-2, 3-2) right behind. The Vikings already picked up road wins in December at Henderson and Downingtown East, which puts them in good position to win the division title if they can defend their home court. A trip to Coatesville on Tuesday is the most difficult division road game they have left.

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Keep an eye out on the young, but talented Downingtown East squad, with a key home game next Thursday against Coatesville a potential set-up to make the Feb. 3 game at West Chester East one for the division crown.

The PAC’s two division races are still competitive, but one team in the PAC has really put a target on its back with its play over the last couple of seasons. Perkiomen Valley (13-1, 5-0 PAC) is the defending league and District 1 Class 6A champion, with its entire rotation back from a year ago — including a starting lineup full of juniors. Navy commit Quinn Boettinger, a 6-3 post, draws the most attention, but classmates Grace Galbavy, Grace Miley, Lena Stein, Julia Smith, and Bella Bacani all play a big role, as does Lena’s older sister, Kutztown commit Anna Stein.

The only squad that can compete with Perk Valley from a talent perspective is arch-rival Spring-Ford (13-3, 4-1), which features a couple of Division I signees in Anna Azzara (Wright State) and Mackenzie Pettinelli (St. Bonaventure), who just passed Villanova star Lucy Olsen as the program’s all-time assist leader. Perk Valley took the first matchup between the two, 61-48, at home on Jan. 12. The rematch is Feb. 2 at Spring-Ford. The two are expected to meet again in the league title game.

In the smaller-school Frontier division, Phoenixville (9-5, 5-0) leads at the midway point, followed by Pope John Paul II (8-6, 5-1). The Phantoms beat the Golden Panthers, 61-48, at PJP back in December, and have a deep group led by sophomore guard Kayden Baratta, junior Emine Ulcay, sophomore forward Riley Ford-Bey, and senior forward Maliyah Warren. Phoenixville will be one of the favorites in the District 1 5A bracket, but a 28-point loss to Spring-Ford earlier this season shows the gap between the top two and everybody else in the league.

For the uninitiated, the SOL actually consists of four divisions, each of which celebrates its own league title in the Colonial, Freedom, Liberty, and Patriot leagues. About a decade ago, the SOL started holding an eight-team tournament to decide a unified title.

The current overall front-runner has to be Upper Dublin (14-1, 9-0 Liberty), with sisters Amy and Megan Ngo and twins Nora and Brighid Brady all returning starters from a year ago. Aside from a nine-point win over Abington (11-2, 7-1) back in December, UD has won every game against an SOL opponent by more than 18 points. The Cardinals’ biggest tests will come on Jan. 30 at Abington and Feb. 1 at Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3, 6-2).

The Patriot race is tight between Neshaminy (10-3, 8-1 Patriot), Pennsbury (7-4, 5-3), and Council Rock South (7-4, 5-3). Neshaminy won the first matchup with Pennsbury, 36-33, at Neshaminy back on Dec. 5. The teams face off at Pennsbury on Tuesday, one of four straight road games for Neshaminy.

North Penn (11-2, 8-1 Colonial) is locked in a close race atop the Colonial with Central Bucks East (11-2, 7-2), the two both ranked in the top five of the current District 1 6A formula rankings (Upper Dublin is fourth). CB East won the first meeting with North Penn, 65-56, at East on Dec. 19. They won’t meet again until the season finale, Feb. 6 at North Penn.

Finally, in the Freedom, Lower Moreland (8-4, 6-2 Freedom) has the edge on Upper Moreland (10-5, 6-3) with one less game played, but has a difficult schedule ahead, including a visit to Upper Dublin and a home game against UM on Tuesday.

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.