Garnet Valley’s Savannah Saunders, right, takes a charge against Spring-Ford’s Mac Pettinelli during a PIAA Class 6A girls’ basketball semifinal at Norristown Area High School Monday night. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)
By Bob Grotz
It was a heartbreaking loss for Garnet Valley, its underdog season coming to a teary end in the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball semifinals Monday at Norristown High.
At the same time, it was a heart-warming victory for Spring-Ford, which scored a 62-43 win to return to the state championship for the first time since 2021, when such seniors as Aaliyah Soliday, who scored 14 points, were freshmen. Rams coach Mickey McDaniel remembers the last dance quite well.
“We lost to North Allegheny,” McDaniel said of the last trip to Hershey. “Lucy Olsen’s senior year.”
Olsen left for Villanova with 1,699 points, more than any girl or boy in the history of Spring-Ford High. The Rams (27-6) will get a chance to avenge that outcome against Cardinal O’Hara, which cruised to a 51-32 triumph over Parkland in the other semifinal. The state title game is Friday at 6 p.m. at the Giant Center.
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