Kendra honored as all-time high scorer.

            After Upper Perk's 70-53 Senior Night win over Pope John Paul on Tuesday,

coach Jared Krupp reflected on the long journey he and his seven seniors have taken together.

            Krupp, who taught Ryan Kendra in third grade and has coached this group since seventh grade, was happy to see his team put together its "most sound game" of the season in front of a raucous home crowd and many UP basketball alums. The win clinched the Frontier Division   title.

            "It's really cool that we can honor them, and they can have a really good game, put up a good number like this," Krupp observed. "They played together for so long. They've been through our tough seasons where we haven't produced many wins.

           "They've been through it all, so it's great that they can have a big night like this, and also come out and really play well."

            The night was even sweeter for Kendra, who was honored for taking over the top spot as Upper Perk's all-time scorer. On January 22, against Pottstown, Kendra eclipsed the boys' record – 1,232 points – previously held by Carl Clevenstine (Class of 1986). The following night, Kendra passed 1988 graduate Sue Moser's school record of 1,263 points.

            Both Clevenstine and Moser were on hand for the pre-game ceremony.

            Once the game began, the Tribe (7-2 Frontier, 13-6) methodically built a big lead in the first half only to have the Panthers claw their way back into the game with a second-quarter run.

            Kendra (26), Liam Boyle (11) and Jon Brown (10) each put up six points in a balanced, fast-paced Tribe attack that resulted in a 23-13 lead at the end of the first period.

            Kendra's lay-up with 5:53 left in the second quarter gave Upper Perk a 30-15 advantage, but Luke Roth's 3-pointer keyed a 12-2 Panther burst as the Tribe went 3:31 without a field goal

             Julien Andrews' 3-pointer closed the gap to 32-29 before Kendra broke the spell with a bucket with 2:15 left until halftime. Then, two baskets by Will Walker (13) pushed the Tribe to a 38-31 intermission lead.

            In the third, the Tribe extended the advantage to 54-40 with a 12-2 run of their own fueled by five points from Kendra and a 3-pointer by Boyle.

            Pope John Paul (4-5, 6-13) made its final run of the night with seven straight points, most scored by Vincent Viney (14), to cut the lead to 56-47 with 5:34 remaining. But Kendra, Tyler Whary and Brown put together an 8-0 run to salt the game away.

            "It wasn't just Ryan scoring in bunches or Liam scoring in bunches, everybody participated, everybody was able to be part of the night," Krupp noted.

            Upper Perkiomen's boys' team will appear in the Pioneer Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time in school history.

            Following a first-round bye, the team will begin play in the six-team tournament at Pottstown High School on Friday, February 9.

            A berth in the District 1 Class 5A playoffs also seems likely. The Indians entered play Tuesday as the No. 6 team in the district's power rankings.

            "We're in the right position where we'd like to be," Krupp said. "Can we get better, too? We know we can get better, too."

            In addition to the basketball team, nine senior cheerleaders were recognized before the game. The team just returned from Dallas where it placed fourth in a national competition.

            The "whiteout" student section brought its A-game also, including a pair of distracting E-A-G-L-E-S chants during PJP free throws.

            Last Friday evening, the Tribe wiped out a 13-point halftime deficit to stun Pottsgrove, 74-68. Kendra led the Tribe with 31. Boyle (15), Walker (13), Brown (13) hit double figures also.

            Jason Hein had 21 for the Falcons (4-4, 7-10).