Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
When Schuylkill Valley’s boys basketball team last reached the District 3 semifinals, the players on this year’s team weren’t even born. “Yeah!” by Usher was the #1 song on the charts and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” won the Oscar for Best Picture. On Friday, the Panthers accomplished something that they hadn’t done since 2004. They won at Wyomissing 63-52 and advanced to the final four in Class 4A. “It’s big for us. We try to build each year. We’ve had a couple of misses in the playoffs the last couple years so it’s good to get one,” said head coach Taylor Grim. He’s in his 14th season at the helm in Leesport.
Schuylkill Valley lost both of its regular season meetings with the Spartans by eight and eleven points respectively. The difference this time around was simple. “We made shots early. We got the same kind of shots that we got in the other games. We made baskets and then we didn’t have to spend the whole rest of the game trying to chip out from a big hole,” explained Grim. Alex Aletras came off the bench and provided a spark in the opening quarter with all six of his points. The 5’11 junior hit a triple from the right wing to put the fifth-seeded Panthers on top 15-8. They held a 15-12 advantage after eight minutes. Dom Arguelles and sophomore Brady Eisenhower combined for 15 of Wyomissing’s 16 points in the second quarter. The fourth-seeded Spartans trailed 29-28 at halftime.
A bucket by Daniel Moyer put Wyomissing in front 38-36 with three minutes left in the third period. That would be the final lead of the night for the (14-10) Spartans. Schuylkill Valley scored the next seven points, including a 3-pointer by Ervin Ortiz. The (15-9) Panthers had a 44-40 edge entering the fourth quarter.
A fast break layup by Ortiz made it 53-44 with just under five minutes to go. The 5’8 junior then found Josiah Urbaez for a layup and a 55-46 lead midway through the quarter. Urbaez sank a pair of free throws to increase the margin to 57-48 with 2:23 on the clock. Another layup by Ortiz extended Schuylkill Valley’s cushion to 59-50 with two minutes left. Derek Grim, the coach’s son, went 2-for-2 at the foul line with 39 seconds to play. Wyomissing, which was down 61-52, committed a turnover on the ensuing possession. Grim, a senior guard, converted two more free throws to close it out. The Panthers finished 19-of-26 from the stripe, while the Spartans were 8-of-16. Wyomissing connected just twice from beyond the arc.
Four players ended up in double figures for Schuylkill Valley. “I’ve got easily seven guys that could be starters for us…That’s the strength of what we do. We’ve got guys that each night can put the ball in the basket. Somebody is not having a good night, somebody else steps up,” emphasized Taylor Grim. Ortiz and Urbaez provided 13 points apiece. Urbaez, a 6’ senior guard, came alive in the fourth quarter with eight points. “He’s been that for us all year. He gives us that punch coming off the bench. Defensively, he makes plays for us,” replied Grim. Seniors Tanner Staus and Derek Grim added eleven and ten points respectively. Arguelles, a senior point guard, had a game-high 18 points for the Spartans. Eisenhower chipped in with fourteen points and Moyer had eleven. Wyomissing was outscored 34-to-24 in the second half.
The Spartans have dropped four of their last five games. They host #8 seed Eastern York on Monday in an elimination game. The top five teams in the District 3-4A bracket qualify for the state tournament. Meanwhile, the Panthers have reached the District semifinals for just the second time in program history. They travel to top-seeded Berks Catholic on Tuesday. The (23-2) Saints defeated Schuylkill Valley 58-42 in the BCIAA quarterfinals on February 9th.