Jack Krautzel signals a 3-point basket in the second half as Garnet Valley came from behind to defeat West Chester Henderson Tuesday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
In Mike Brown’s time at the helm of Garnet Valley boys basketball, he’s had teams with more college prospects. He’s had more depth, more shooting ability, maybe more talent man-for-man.
But none of those teams in this era of resurgence has played in a district final.
So what makes the 2023-24 Jaguars, who travel to Temple Saturday night to take on top-seeded Lower Merion for a District 1 Class 6A crown, different?
“I think what makes this team different is how much we all genuinely love each other and how much we play together,” senior guard Jack Krautzel said this week. “If you look at our stats (in the district semifinal), everyone basically had the same amount of points. I think we’re all meshing together, and everyone has the same purpose and same goal of winning, and that’s why we’re winning.”
The amazing balance and adaptiveness that the Jaguars have cultivated is why they’ve risen from the No. 14 seed to the Liacouras Center spotlight, for an all-Central League final against the Aces.
(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)