Since a pair of disappointing losses in December, Perkiomen School's girls basketball team appears to be on a glide path towards success. The team has won

Chardae Stone drives down the lane for Perkiomen Sch- ool on Jan. 9.  Stone scored a game-high 3 points to lead the team to a victory over Old Fields.

consecutive games and is running the floor aggressively.

           "We're finally starting to play up to expectations." head coach Jessica Walton said.

            The Panthers started the stretch with a pair of home victories. They defeated Old Fields (MD) 47-43 in overtime on Thursday, Dec. 9. Chardae Stone led all scorers with 23 points. Janayshia Brown contributed 10 points.

            The following day, the team posted a 65-16 victory over Delaware Valley Friends School in the Tri-County Independent School League. Stone and Brown each outscored the visiting Dragons. Stone posted a game-high 19 points. Brown delivered 17 points, and Akasha Santos contributed 14 points.

            On Monday the Panthers suffered a 46-31 road loss to the Barrack Hebrew Academy in the Tri-County Independent School League. Stone scored a team-high 12 points.

            Perkiomen School (3-2 league, 5-4 overall) could not avenge a Dec. 12 loss to Cougars. According to Walton, her team struggled similarly in a Dec. 17 loss to Lawrenceville School.

            "The players really beat themselves up over both of them," the coach said.

             According to Stone, the team made a lot of silly mistakes, such as not hustling to get back on defense. She said the players felt like they didn't do what they needed to do to succeed.

            With six new players, including several who were new to the sport, Perkiomen School needed some time to gel, according to the coach. Stone said the five returners helped make sure the transition was smooth.

            Against the Delaware Valley Friends School, the Panthers raced to a 27-0 lead deep into the first quarter. Brown, a transfer swing player from Peddie School, scored 11 points in the quarter. Stone delivered 10 points, registered two steals and dished out two assists. Most of their points came in transition.

            "That's where we are at our best," said Walton, who played collegiately at LaSalle University and the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y.

            According to the coach, Perkiomen School's offense runs through the low post, which includes Brown – who has committed verbally to continue her career at Xavier University – and Santos, an eighth grader from Bethlehem.

            Against the Dragons, Brown displayed her shooting touch converting five 3-pointers to help the Panthers build a 52-4 halftime advantage. She finished with seven rebounds. Santos, who delivered 11 points in the second quarter, finished with eight rebounds.

            "We knew Akasha could play," Walton said of Santos, an eighth grader from Bethlehem. "She's very talented, especially on offense. We need to get her to improve on defense."

            Perkiomen School ended the third quarter ahead 63-10. Brown scored six points during the quarter.

            The Panthers, following a Dec. 15 game against the Kimberton Waldorf School, are scheduled to take on Pope John Paul II on Thursday, Dec. 16.