Garnet Valley scores early and often en route to first district title

PHILADELPHIA — Garnet Valley coach Joe Woods likes to remind his players that fast starts are very important.

The cliche is you can’t win a game in the first quarter, but you sure can lose it.

“Our only loss this year, to Villa Maria, was a Saturday afternoon after a Friday night game and we weren’t ready to play. We got down 11-0 and we lost by 11,” Woods said Saturday. “So, I’ve been preaching all year: you lose games in the first quarter, are you going to let it happen? Good teams are going to jump you. We want to jump teams.”

The Jaguars won the program’s first District 1 championship Saturday at Temple University’s Liacouras Center, 63-53, over Neshaminy. Twenty of the first 23 points were scored by Garnet Valley.

That’s how you start a game.

“It’s what we’ve been looking for all season, and pretty much the whole four years here,” senior forward Emily McAteer said.

Senior guard Jill Nagy said there’s more to come. They aren’t satisfied with a Class 6A district title. They have their sights set on states.

“It’s unreal,” she said. “But we’re not done yet.”

This game had the makings of a blowout. A laugher. A real snoozefest.

Top-seeded Garnet Valley led the entire way and dominated most of the time, especially at the beginning. How about nine straight points to begin the night? How about an 8-for-12 shooting performance in the first quarter? And how about McAteer getting seven points and senior Brianne Borcky dishing three assists in the opening eight minutes?

For almost two quarters, the opponent, No. 2 Neshaminy, resembled a wandering extra from an episode of the Walking Dead. The Indians shot a woeful 1-for-15 from the field before Olivia Scotti made a layup with 4:55 left in the second period to cut GV’s lead to 20-5.

To Neshaminy’s credit, it would eventually kick off the dust and make things semi-interesting. Because – cliche alert – basketball is a game of runs.

“And now it’s a game of momentum and things happen,” Woods said. “I know they were going to come back, I was expecting it. They’re a great team with great shooters.”

But overcoming such a large deficit to a team with as much talent and experience as Garnet Valley (26-1) was a steep hill to climb.

The Jags came out ready to roll and were on top of their game.

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Garnet Valley players celebrate after clinching the District 1 Class 6 championship by defeating Neshaminy Saturday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)