NORRISTOWN — Garnet Valley suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball semifinals on Monday at Norristown High, marking the end of its underdog season.
Meanwhile, Spring-Ford achieved a heartwarming victory with a 62-43 win, earning a place in the state championship for the first time since 2021. Aaliyah Soliday, who scored 14 points, was among the seniors when the Rams last reached this stage. Rams coach Mickey McDaniel has vivid memories of the previous trip.
“Our last trip to Hershey ended in a loss to North Allegheny,” McDaniel recalled. “It was Lucy Olsen’s senior year.”
Olsen departed for Villanova with 1,699 points, the highest in the history of Spring-Ford High, for either girls or boys. The Rams (27-6) will have the opportunity to seek redemption against Cardinal O’Hara in the state title game on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Giant Center, following Cardinal O’Hara's 51-32 triumph over Parkland in the other semifinal.
“This is a significant victory for us,” Soliday expressed. “It’s a major achievement for us as a team, and we're fully prepared for it.”
The Rams sealed the game at the free throw line, with Solliday taking charge, making 6 of 8 attempts throughout the night.
Following some challenges in the first half, the Rams executed the game plan meticulously, with Anna Azzara scoring a game-high 19 points.
Haylie Adamski contributed 14 points, while Kylie Mulholland added 10 for the Jaguars (25-7), who had an extraordinary season.
“Nobody expected us to reach this point,” Jaguars senior Emily Olsen commented. “Simply making it here is a significant achievement that shouldn't be overlooked or regretted. I’m just glad to finish my high school career with a semifinal state tournament run. Our shots just didn’t go in. We struggled and couldn’t recover from that.”
Azzara opened the scoring for the Rams with a three-pointer, one of four made in the first quarter. The game was tied at 13 at the start of the second quarter.
Addison Adamski and her sister Kylie responded with a couple of three-pointers, and Olsen added one in the first half, giving the Jaguars a 19-18 lead. Olsen's shot was the last basket of the half for the Jaguars, as the Rams secured the last six points to lead 24-19 at halftime.
Azzara and Mac Pettinelli each contributed five points in the first half for the Rams, while Kylie and Addie Adamski each had six points for the Jaguars.
However, the Jaguars struggled in the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first two minutes of the second half, falling behind by 10 points with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter.
After Olsen’s three-pointer gave the Jaguars the lead in the second quarter, they only managed baskets from Savannah Saunders and Haylie Adamski, while Katie Tiffan scored seven points and Kareena Preuss added five, building a 37-23 advantage with 2:31 left in the quarter. The Rams outscored the Jaguars 17-8 in the frame.
The Jaguars fought on, with Addie Adamski making consecutive three-pointers to narrow the gap to 47-40, but the Rams responded effectively.
With McDaniel at the helm, the Rams made it to the final with an average winning margin of 19.0 points. They reached the Final Four in 2012, secured a state title in 2013, and experienced defeats in 2014 and 2021.
