Quaker Valley’s first-round PIAA playoff game March 6 against Hickory became a tedious uphill climb for the Quakers almost from the opening tip.
QV didn’t score a point until the 4:33 mark of the first quarter as the visitors secured leads of 6-0, 11-2, 17-10 and finally 19-12 in the game’s first eight minutes.
Hickory ended up defeating the Quakers, 47-43, as the Hornets held QV to its second-lowest offensive output of the season. QV lost to Knoch, 45-38, in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game Feb. 26 at Petersen Events Center.
“I thought our guys battled on both ends of the floor in an evenly matched contest, which is very typical of state playoff games,” QV coach Mike Mastroianni said. “I’m so proud of this team and our growth throughout the season; it was such an outstanding group to coach.
“An undefeated section championship, a 20-win season and a WPIAL runner-up finish along with a state tournament playoff game rounded out a great season. We also had the opportunity to participate in the KSA Tournament in Orlando over the holidays, which helped springboard us into section play.”
QV never led against Hickory but was able to tie the score 22-22 with 45 seconds left in the first half. However, the Hornets went into the locker room leading by two.
It was more of the same after halftime for the Quakers who trailed by 26-25 and 28-27 scores in the third quarter before falling behind 39-34 after three.
Hickory gained a seven-point edge twice in the fourth period but QV fought back to make it 40-39 with 1:24 to go. The Quakers frustratingly fell short at the end.
Trevor Borowicz, a 6-foot-3 senior forward and 1,000-point career scorer for Hickory, finished with a game-high 23 points.
Borowicz was unstoppable in the first quarter as he racked up 14 points then and sparked the Hornets to their early nine-point advantage.
No one else reached double digits for the visiting team although 6-foot senior guard Ashton Boal netted all eight of his points in the fourth stanza.
QV was sparked by 6-2 senior guard and fourth-year varsity player Zach Washington with 21 points.
“Zach had a tremendous senior season to cap off his four-year career with QV boys basketball,” Mastroianni said. “I’m so proud and grateful for his commitment to our program. We will really miss his consistent play on both ends of the floor along with his leadership.”
Washington, QV’s leading scorer this season, netted 10 points in the first half against Hickory and 11 after halftime.
“It was tough to lose our last game at home,” he said, “as we had not lost a home game all season until that point. Even though it didn’t end the way we wanted, I was extremely proud of the season our team had.
“I’m very grateful for the time I’ve had in the program, the lessons I’ve learned and the relationships I’ve built with teammates and coaches.”
Washington, who has a 3.9 GPA and plans to attend New York University to major in real estate and development, enjoyed his time with the Quakers and shared some of his top experiences.
“Some of my favorite memories,” he said, “were winning the section my freshman year, hitting a game-winning free throw against Avonworth my sophomore year and playing in the WPIAL championship game this year.”
QV sophomore Harrison Kerley, a 5-8 guard, contributed three big 3-pointers in the game to finish with nine points, and 5-10 sophomore guard Nic Cohen chipped in with seven points.
After posting an 18-3 regular-season record with only one loss to a WPIAL opponent, the Quakers won twice and lost twice in the postseason to end up 20-5 overall.
Washington, Cohen and 6-3 junior guard Sam Chapman led QV in scoring this season, averaging around 18, 16 and 14 ppg, respectively.
Hickory, the third-place team in District 10, improved to 21-6 before losing March 10 to Deer Lakes (14-14), the WPIAL’s fourth-place team, by a score of 46-37 in the PIAA second round.
“I had a chance to see Hickory play, and they are a very good team. And we knew how good Quaker Valley is,” Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher said. “I expected a good game between those teams.
“The way this tournament works, you kind of have to get ready for the game at hand and also get a couple things rolling for the next possible opponents.”
QV, which had a week off between its last two playoff games, averaged 60.3 ppg this season while allowing 46 ppg.
The Quakers were held to 22 points under their offensive average by Hickory, who scored one point more than what QV had averaged defensively this season.