With only six players available, Perkiomen School's girls basketball team rolled to an opening-round victory Tuesday in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association League playoffs. The team posted a 63-29 victory over Cristo Ray of Philadelphia.

            Lauren Patnode scored a team-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers for the

Perkiomen School's Rachel Dunn prepares to take a shot amid three defenders.

host Panthers (15-6). Christina Sanchez and Rachel Dunn each contributed 15 points. Jade Marquez registered 12 points for Perkiomen School, which pulled away in the third quarter to advance to Thursday's title game at Morrisville High School.

      "The girls did a really good job," said head coach Kerrie Kosakowski, whose team will either take on New Foundations or Barrack Hebrew Academy in a bid for its first league title since 2018. "We ran really well. We did a good job keeping the tempo up. We hit a couple big shots against their zone defense."

Sanchez registered nine points in the second quarter to help her team build a 39-18 halftime advantage. In the third quarter, Dunn and Marquez each delivered six points to power a 19-point outburst.

            According to Kosakowski, the Panthers may be without junior forward Brigid Scanlon. She missed the playoff opener with a right ankle injury suffered in the regular-season finale.

            Last week, the Panthers ended their regular season with a dominant performance against the Delaware Valley Friends School. Eight players scored in a 65-17 non-league victory on Thursday, Feb. 17. Marquez finished with a team-high 21 points and 14 rebounds. Patnode delivered 15 points and 10 assists.

            Sanchez registered 12 points for Perkiomen School, which posted a season-high in points and led 41-12 at halftime. Dunn and Scanlon each notched six points.  The host Panthers used a trapping defense to take an early, commanding lead. Five of their initial six baskets came directly off a steal.

            Sanchez, a senior point guard from Copiague, N.Y., delivered four of them. She delivered consecutive baskets less than two minutes into the game to put the team ahead 12-0.

            Perkiomen School extended its lead to 26-6 at the end of the quarter. Patnode, a sophomore forward from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., scored 10 points during the initial eight minutes. Sanchez added eight points and Marquez, a sophomore from Penn Valley, posted seven.

"We scored a lot of transition," Kosakowski said after the regular season victory. "At our best, we are a really good defensive team. When we are able to force turnovers and push the ball down the floor, we are in our zone."

            On Friday, the Panthers will compete in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament on Friday. After receiving a first-round bye, they will open at fourth seed Germantown Academy. The coach expressed hope that Scanlon will be available for the rematch with the Patriots, who defeated Perkiomen School 54-44 on Feb. 8.

            A win would advance them to the semifinal round Saturday, likely against No. 1 seed Westtown School. The title game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, at LaSalle University.