Lena Stein and PV win PIAA Championship

Lena Stein has known for a long time that Perkiomen Valley was capable of winning a state championship.  "I knew it since third grade...we were gonna be special," she told SV Sports' Paul Roberts.  The Vikings completed their journey of capturing gold on Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey.  They blew out WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair 58-27 in the PIAA-6A Final.  "I'm so proud of everyone. I'm gonna be on a high for two weeks. This is amazing," replied Stein.  The 5'9 West Chester commit had eleven points and seven rebounds.  Stein, who's known for her tenacious defense, made all three of her attempts from beyond the arc.  Perkiomen Valley got Quinn Boettinger involved early.  The 6'3 senior center scored six of her 16 points in the opening quarter.  "That's the game plan always. No one can guard Quinn. That's always easy buckets," emphasized Stein.  Boettinger, who's committed to Navy, shot 8-of-14 from the field with eight boards.  Grace Galbavy added 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists.  The Wake Forest commit was an efficient 7-for-13.  Galbavy, a 6' guard, is the all-time leading scorer in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.  Point guard Bella Bacani chipped in with seven points.  She's headed to Division II Jefferson.  "We have every piece. I couldn't be playing with better players. They're so talented," noted Stein.  The Vikings led 11-7 after the first period.  They poured it on in the middle quarters, outscoring the Panthers 39-to-12.  Stein and Bacani hit back-to-back triples to make it 50-19 with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter.  Perkiomen Valley shot 47% overall and only committed two turnovers.  Stein gave credit to head coach John Russo and his assistants.  "I'm so blessed. I thank God every day. They pushed me to my potential. I couldn't ask anything more from them," she said.  The Vikings won three consecutive PAC and District 1 titles.  They finished this season with 13 straight wins and a record of (30-3).  This was Perkiomen Valley's first appearance in the PIAA Championship Game.  "This is what we all dream about," stated Stein.