North Penn saw its memorable postseason run come to an end with a 58-51 loss to Garnet Valley in a PIAA 6A state quarterfinal game at Bensalem High School. Photos by Richard Owens and Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for a gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f913170668
PIAA 6A quarterfinal
#1-6 GARNET VALLEY 58, #1-4 NORTH PENN 51
Three years removed from a two-win COVID-shortened season and three nights after they’d rallied from nine down to eke out an overtime thriller, the Knights - who trailed by 14 early in the second quarter - appeared poised to work their magic yet again.
But on this night, to steal a phrase from coach Bri Cullen, the “cards didn’t fall” their way, and Garnett Valley escaped with the win in a classic battle between a pair of District 1 squads.
“They’re an excellent team,” Cullen said. “It’s tough when you don’t make shots in the first half. Then you turn around, and they’re making all their shots in the second half. The cards didn’t fall into place today.
“It’s hard because I hate to see this senior class go, but they got us here. This accomplishment is more than we could have asked for at the beginning of the year.”
There were plenty of tears when it was over, but there also was an unmistakable sense of pride.
“I just said in (the locker room) – three years ago, there’s no way any of us thought we’d be in this position,” Cullen said. “New coach, a first-time head coach coming in – they bought in, and they made it their own.
“They led us the last three years. They put us in this position, so it’s heartbreaking that it doesn’t end the way you want, but we made it this far, and that’s something to really accomplish.”
The team loses four seniors to graduation - Caleigh Sperling, Olivia Stone, Kelly Donnelly and Olivia Stevens.
Sperling, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark, was the Knights’ go-to player on offense, and she will be taking her talents to Thomas Jefferson University. Stone, the Knights’ undisputed defensive catalyst, is signed, sealed and all but delivered to the University of Cincinnati where she will continue her soccer career. Donnelly, the team’s
sharpshooter from beyond the arc, was missed as she was sidelined with an injury but will continue her basketball career at Widener University. Stevens is committed to continue her softball career at Thomas Jefferson University.
“I haven’t been on the court without them,” junior point guard Cameron Crowley said. “I love all of them. They’re literally our team – they make our culture. We’re going to miss them next year. They’re going to do great things in the future.”
Friday’s game didn’t start out on the most promising note for the Knights, who connected on just two field goals in the opening quarter and trailed 19-8 after one. The Jaguars upped their lead to 22-18 when junior Haylie Adamski buried a 3-pointer on the Jaguars opening possession of the second quarter.
The Knights trimmed that led to nine after a Stone 3 that marked the beginning of a wild 30-second span that saw the teams exchange four straight 3-pointers with Crowley also burying a shot from beyond the arc.
A three-point play by freshman Lily Brown made it a 33-25 game, but the Jaguars stretched their lead to 35-25 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Knights’ comeback began in earnest, and after back-to-back 3-pointers by Stone and Leah Mikulski, the Jaguars’ lead was trimmed to 39-35. A pair of free throws by Brown knotted the score 41-41. The Jaguars answered and led 43-41 heading into the final quarter.
“Our defense fuels our offense,” Crowley said. “Right after halftime, we just said, ‘We’ve got to step it up,’ and everyone got together. We got some turnovers that fueled our offense, and we came back.”
Just over a minute into the fourth quarter, a Mikulski 3 after a Garnet Valley turnover gave the Knights their first lead, but it was short-lived as Kylie Mulholland, who led all scorers with 21 points, scored on the Jags’ next possession.
A North Penn turnover set the stage for arguably the game’s biggest basket - a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc that gave the Jaguars a 48-44 lead.
“She’s a great player, a great player,” Cullen said of Adamski. “Once you battle and then to go back down because of a 3 – it’s a confidence killer.”
“That was a crazy shot,” Crowley said. “We knew they were going to hit some shots. They were hitting all their shots, but we knew we had to try to come back.”
A pair of Mulholland foul shots put the Jags on top by six, and the Knights would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
“They just don’t give up, they don’t give up,” Cullen said. “They never roll over, they never give up, they never think they’re out of a game.
“It’s tough when you come back and then you still lose it, but it’s how the game works. There’s never a point in a game where I think we’re not capable of winning. So,
even when we’re down – unfortunately, we got in a hole early.
“The other thing is – we don’t have a ton of depth, and at this point in the season, people are tired. You just run out of juice toward the end. Now you have to ask for the rest of the quarter to stay in it – they just ran out of juice.”
North Penn closed out its successful season in the elite eight with a 25-6 record, a far cry from their 2-9 record three short years ago. They came up short on the scoreboard in Friday night’s state quarterfinal, but that’s the only place this Knight squad came up short.
“My biggest goal for them was to make a district run, which we did,” Cullen said. “Their biggest goal was to make the state playoffs, which they did.
“You get to the quarterfinals, and everything else is a bonus, so, they accomplished everything on their check list. Obviously, a (state) championship is the ultimate goal for every team, but just the road they’ve been on after starting their careers – these seniors as not such a successful team to turn it around and get to this position – it just speaks to their commitment to the culture they’ve built.”
Crowley’s 14 points led a balanced Knight attack, and Sperling added 12. Brown finished with nine while Stone and Mikulski both had eight.
“Nobody thought we could make it this far,” Crowley said. “We’re so proud of the whole team – the seniors. We’re going to miss them.”
The Knights’ future would appear to be bright with a solid core of returning players.
“This senior class hands it over to them,” Cullen said. “This is a moment I hope they remember for the rest of their careers, this feeling – how they got here, what it takes to get here. I’m super proud of them in a moment like this – especially when you’re down to just never give up and keep battling.”
“A couple of years ago my goal was just to get people to buy into what I’m selling. So, they did it, and we’re accomplishing the things that we want to accomplish. We have a bright future ahead of us. We have a lot of returners. The senior class is one of those classes you don’t want to see go, but they laid a great foundation for our future players.”
North Penn 8-17-16-10 51
Garnet Valley 19-16-8-15 58
North Penn (51) – Cam Crowley 5 2-2 14; Caleigh Sperling 3 6-11 12; Lily Brown 3 3-3 9; Leah Mikulski 3 0-0 8; Olivia Stone 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 17 11-16 51.
Garnet Valley (58) – Emily Olsen 5 4-5 14; Kylie Mulholland 8 3-5 21; Haylie Adamski 6 0-0 15; Addison Adamski 1 0-0 2; Kylie Adamski 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 22 7-10 58.
3-point goals: NP – Cam Crowley 2, Leah Mikulski 2, Olivia Stone 2; GV – Haylie Adamski 3, Kylie Adamski 2, Kylie Mulholland 2.
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