Garnet Valley’s Haylie Adamski, 14, wearing a crown, receives a hug as the Jaguars celebrate their 58-51 victory over North Penn in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals Friday night at Bensalem High School. (Mike Cabrey – MediaNews Group)
By Matt Smith
The members of the Garnet Valley girls basketball team are enjoying every moment of their run – many would call it an unlikely run – in the PIAA Class 6A tournament.
The Jaguars pulled off another shocker Friday night at Bensalem High. Their big three of Haylie Adamski, Kylie Mulholland and Emily Olsen combined for the lion’s share of offense in a 58-51 triumph over North Penn in the state quarterfinal round.
One player who didn’t score a single point but made the biggest impact was Savannah Saunders, the Jags’ defensive ace.
Saunders is always told ahead of time that her No. 1 job is to guard the opposing team’s best player. It’s a test she has passed many times over this season. She faced perhaps her toughest challenge Friday against Caleigh Sperling, North Penn’s dynamic senior guard who dropped 30 points in the District 1 playbacks against Haverford last month.
Saunders, a junior small forward/guard, delivered. She came away with three steals in the first quarter and made life difficult for the superstar Sperling, who managed only three made baskets and 11 points on the night. Thanks to Saunders, Garnet Valley’s biggest concern was a non-factor.
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