Midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday, Upper Perkiomen girls basketball team pulled within six points of visiting Pottstown. Head coach Matthew Bowe called it his team's most complete performance of the season.

            Despite a 50-38 Pioneer Athletic Conference loss, the Indians moved one step

Abby Pfander, right, loses possession to a Pottstown defender Tuesday.

closer their first win of the season. According to Bowe, the players needed to experience the sensation of keeping the score close deep into the fourth quarter,

            "We played well," junior Olivia Rogers said. "We're feeling good about ourselves."

            Kelsey Bernhart's basket pulled the Tribe within 43-37 with 4:25 remaining in the game. The jumper, off an assist from Ayden Pigeon, capped a 10-3 run to open the final quarter.

            However, Pottstown scored seven of the final eight points to secure its victory. Calista Daye's steal and layup sparked the decisive flurry. Her basket capped the scoring. In between, Trinell Watson contributed three foul shots.

            Watson and Calista Daye finished with a game-high 15 points for the Trojans. Tamayla Jarrett registered nine points.

            Jenna Haines, a freshman, scored a team-high 13 points for Upper Perkiomen. Rogers posted eight points.

            "I was thrilled to be in the game as long as we were," Bowe said. "The girls played until the final buzzer. They never quit."

            Unlike a holiday tournament loss against Daniel Boone, in which they collapsed in the fourth quarter and quickly watched a two-point deficit turn into a 14-point loss, the Indians (0-5 PAC, 0-11 overall) remained competitive down the stretch against Pottstown. Down 40-27, they reeled off six straight points. Haines posted two of the baskets.

            In her first varsity start, Haines contributed eight rebounds berfore fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Bowe called the insertion of a ninth grader in the starting lineup a marker for his program. The coach said she did a good job guarding Watson, who came in averaging a team-high 25 points per game.

            According to Bowe, Haines emerged as varsity player during the week after practice. He said her playing time has increased gradually. Rogers said she isn't surprised by the emergence of the 5-foot-7 guard and sophomore Hannah Keeney, who joined them in the starting lineup.

            "They both deserve it," Rogers said. "They've done good job. We've all bonded on the floor. Everyone is working together well. I played a lot of with Jenna over the summer, and she's very talented."

            Down 29-20 at halftime, the Tribe struggled from the floor in the third quarter. It missed 19 shots and scored just seven points.  "We missed a lot of shots," Bowe said.

            According to Rogers, some of the team's missed from the field were rushed. She said others were quality chances that did not fall.

            The Trojans opened the third with eight consecutive points. A jumper by Janese Flagg staked them to a 37-20 advantage early in the quarter.

            Five days earlier, the visiting Indians lost 69-17 to Phoenixville. Abby Pfander, a 5-foot-7 freshman swing player, scored a team-high six points. Ayden Pigeon, a senior guard, contributed six points.

            The host Phantoms, who had three players reach double figures, led 17-2 after one quarter and 37-9 at halftime during the conference game on Thursday, Jan. 2. Aubrie Breisblatt finished with a game-high 20 points, while Nailah Green scored 18.