The Methacton boys basketball team is well into its postseason, already moving on from the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship tournament to District 1 regional play. After losing to Conestoga on Feb. 18, the Warriors now enter a 6A division-specific playback where they will have an opportunity to qualify for the state tournament for a second straight year. They will now play the loser of Cheltenham and Central Bucks East in a win-or-go-homes situation.
The Warriors struggled towards the end of the season, going from the number-one seed in the PAC to the five seed. Losses to rivals Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley late in the season sent the Warriors to 16-6 at the end of the regular season.
Meethacton dropped non-league games to Plymouth-Whitemarsh and Lower Merion, both of which are top 5 in the district, early in the season, but found themselves with 11-straight wins after that.
In the midst of their streak, Coach Pat Lockard gave insight into the team’s success.
“When we are disciplined on the defensive end, and we are patient, taking great shots on offense, I think we are at our best version of ourselves, and we have been buying into that,” he said.
The Warriors built up a huge rivalry against Pope John Paul II this season, especially with the Panthers joining the liberty division of the PAC. The PAC quarterfinal matchup of the two was a four vs five-seed battle, the third time the two teams played. PJP took a huge step forward from last season (6-7), now with coach Wise in his first full season. In the two previous meetings, Methacton lost at home (54-49) in early December, but won on the road in late January (35-34).
Junior Wes Robinson was the hero at the buzzer for the Warriors causing a stir at the home of the Panthers. This time around, a neutral site, Perkiomen Valley High School, hosted as the two met for one final time. The Panthers won, 58-53.
Methacton was now 2-3 in their last five heading into districts. Following the final PAC league game, coach Lockard talked about what the team would have to do to make things right.
“We talked about getting ourselves back together to get this ship pointed in the right direction, so any win against any team is going to get you a bounce back a little bit. Just the spirits, you can feel the energy after the game, so we are hoping we can build on this momentum.”
The Warriors knocked off the number-19 seed Council Rock South in the first round, behind 29 points from Robinson who saw a major increase in points this season, which went hand in hand with his role moving from sixth man to starter. Robinson had 15 at half when the Warriors led 45-25, which slowly diminished through the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Robinson is up to 15 points per game this season, up from six last season. Lockard noted the Warriors had pretty much the best first half of the entire season on Friday night, though the second half was a much different story, with the Warriors senior guard, Sal Iemmell fouling out with five minutes to play.
The Warriors were able to hold the lead connecting on most of their foul shots down the line. Lockard said that it is normal of anyone to relax when up by 20.
Part of the team’s success this season came from surprise additions to the bench, starting with senior Jack Bradford who had not played a significant minute of high school varsity basketball prior to this season.
Bradford had been a leader on the junior varsity team as a junior after not making the squad in his sophomore season.
Lockard talked about Bradford and senior Pat Sweeney on the teams’ senior day against Norristown.
“They are two of the most upbeat people, supportive people, in our program, so they just make the team chemistry go through the roof. I think their effort and attitude was a big reason for that.”
Lockard added a bit more about Bradford.
“Bradford is probably the best shooter in the gym.”
Bradford talked about his time leading up to this season.
“Just wait your turn, stay ready. I am first-year varsity this year. I just waited my turn and when my number was called, I was ready to go.” He added that he worked hard and found the love for basketball again.
Iemmello talked about the bond he has formed with his teammates.
“I mean, you are here with your teammates every day, two hours every day after school. You become great friends, buddies, inside the court, outside the court. They are my brothers for life. Whether the season ended tonight or next week, this team will always have something to remember.”
What’s next? The Warriors face the loser of #11 Cheltenham or #6 CB South on the road. Methacton knocked off Cheltenham to finish the regular season 64-50 and have not yet played CB South. The comparable opponents are Perkiomen Valley, who beat them by eight to open up their season in late November, and Pope John Paul, who beat them by five in game two of their season.
Video game highlights with post-game interviews are linked here:
Methacton Boys Basketball v Norristown 1.30.25
Methacton Boys Basketball v PJP 1.27.25
Methacton Boys Basketball v Emmaus 1.4.25
Methacton Boys Basketball v North Penn 12.28.24
Methacton Boys Basketball v Wissahickon 12.27.24
![Izzy Ketter said she will miss “the pasta party before PACS the most” and that she is proud of “developing good leadership and teaching skills over the past four years [while] learning from other teammates and coaches.” Ketter committed to Shippensburg University for swimming and is planning to study business.](https://thewindyhill.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ketter-e1738783594149-1200x707.jpg)
