Though its offensive struggles continue, Upper Perkiomen's defense displayed the enthusiasm head coach Shelli Petsch has been looking for in a 45-19 loss to Phoenixville.

            The perimeter defenders battled the visiting Phantoms during a Pioneer Athletic

Tribe guard, Natalie Kearney, looks to take a shot  as a Phantoms player attempts to block the shot in  the Dec. 16 game.

Conference season opener Friday, Dec. 16.

            "The defense was really great," Petsch said. "They gave me the effort I was looking for. They played with the right attitude."

            According to the coach, the Tribe's defense has displayed a similar level of intensity in practice. The unit forced 20 turnovers against Phoenixville. Petsch singled out the efforts of guards Natalie Kearney, Jo Berensky and Makayla Marshall.

            Kearney, a junior listed at 5-foot-2, finished with four steals and a block. Berensky, a senior transfer from Pope John Paul II, recorded two steals in the first half. Marshall, a ninth grader, added three steals.  "Our guards are very feisty," the coach said.

            However, the continuing offensive issues helped cost the Indians a chance to win against the Phantoms. Playing without their top player Erin States, who was held out due to an injury, they did not score until midway through the second quarter.

            Before Berensky converted the second of two free throws with 4:53 left in the quarter, Phoenixville had built a 15-0 lead. Marshall delivered the Tribe's first field goal late in the second quarter on a 3-pointer from the right corner.

            Early on, the Indians (0-1 PAC, 1-6 overall) struggled with Phoenixville's trapping defense. They committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter. Petsch compared the alignment to what they faced against Quakertown.

            "We need to do a better job executing against that," said the coach, who added that the team will continue to see similar pressure until it figures out how to beat it.

            Abby Pfander and Marshall each scored a team-high five points for the Tribe. Kearney added four points, and Benensky added three.

            Petsch – who pointed out that her team missed a lot of open shots, including at least four wide open layups – described the team's offensive issues as a matter of chemistry.

            "We all knew this would be a building year," she said. There are so many new players."

            The Indians ran their offensive sets with more crispness in the second half. Kearney's driving layup and Pfander's three-point play brought them within 22-11 early in the third quarter.

            On Monday, States returned to the lineup. However, she couldn't prevent a 56-15 non-league loss to Pennridge.

            States scored a team-high eight points for the visiting Tribe, which trailed 25-4 after one quarter. Carly Heiser, Berensky and Elena Fabian each added two points.

             On Tuesday, the visiting Tribe lost 26-16 to Upper Merion. Pfander finished with a team-high six points on two third-quarter 3-point goals.

            Kearney delivered five points for the Tribe, which led 8-6 after one quarter and were tied 8-8 at halftime. States registered four points.

            The host Vikings scored 11 points in the third quarter to go ahead 19-14. They added seven points during the final eight minutes.

            Upper Perkiomen's players have not shown any signs of frustration, according to Petsch. She said after the Pottsgrove defeat that the coaching staff encouraged them to maintain positive thoughts.

            "We tell the girls that the mind is capable of one thought at a time, and that they need to make it a positive one," said the coach, whose team will take on the host Bullets in the opening round of the Brandywine Heights Holiday Tournament on Tuesday.

            "We still believe we can make a dent in the Frontier Division. If we continue to come together, I think January can be better."