Haverford’s Caroline Dotsey goes to the basket against Pennsbury in the District 1 Class 6A semifinals. Dotsey will lead the team against Lebanon in the opening round of the PIAA Tournament Friday night. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group).
By Matt Smith
As it embarks on a state playoff run, the Haverford girls basketball team finds itself in uncharted territory.
The Fords will host a PIAA Class 6A tournament first-round game Friday at 7. The opponent is Lebanon, which is the fifth-place squad from District 3, marking the only time Haverford will play a game following a loss.
Spirits were understandably low after the Fords fell to Perkiomen Valley, 48-44, for the District 1 Class 6A championship at Temple’s Liacouras Center last Saturday. Haverford (27-1) had won 26 straight games before running into Perk Valley, an incredibly talented sophomore-laden team that is built for the long haul.
If Perk Valley is the barometer going into the state tournament, Haverford can take solace in the fact that it competed with maybe the best team in PIAA’s highest classification. The Vikings made two runs in the second and third quarters to separate themselves from the Fords, who were in another unique situation by playing from behind most of the game.