One day after its best practice of the season, Upper Perkiomen's boys basketball team played powerhouse Pope John Paul II even through halftime in what Coach Michael DeCarolis described as his team's best half of the season.

            However, the Indians faded in the second half and ended up with a 69-40 loss in

Dan Carpenter, left, releases a shot over a Pope John Paul II defender.

the Pioneer Athletic Conference last week.

            The visiting Panthers scored 52 points in the second half against the Tribe on Thursday, Jan. 5. They finished with three players in double figures. Dom Demito, a junior guard, posted 14 of his game-high 21 points after halftime. DeCarolis said Pope John Paul is the class of the Frontier Division.

            "They are the gold standard," he said.

            Evan Bosler's 3-pointer staked the Indians to a 16-5 advantage midway through the first quarter. Sean Badea added a similar shot during the initial eight minutes.

            In the second quarter, the Tribe continued to execute offensively. Badea notched six of his nine points during the quarter. Brown dished out three of his eight assists during the second to help UP build a 28-27 halftime advantage.

            According to DeCarolis, his team played elite-level defense in the first half and said the unit delivered its best practice of the season following a loss, one day earlier.

            "The guys were prepared," the coach said. "I give them all the credit. You could tell they bought in 100 percent. They believed they could win."

            The Indians stayed in the game midway through the third quarter. Aidan Keyser's turnaround jumper forced a 34-34 tie. Braden Rieg pulled them within 39-37 on a 3-pointer a few minutes later.

            However, the Panthers pulled away in the quarter. They went on an 11-5 run to end the third. DeMito scored 12 points during the quarter.  "We went cold at the wrong time," Dan Carpenter said "And [PJP] continued to hit its shots."

            Leading 50-42, Pope John Paul opened the fourth quarter with a 17-3 run. Braden Reed, a sophomore guard, scored eight of his 13 points during the final eight minutes.  "We lost track of some of their shooters in the second half," DeCarolis said.

            Nine players scored for the Tribe. Owen Williams, Rieg and Keyser each finished with six points. Badea registered five points.  "When we have our full contingent of varsity-level players, we can hang with anybody," the coach said.

            On Tuesday, Matt Christian led Methacton to a 69-34 victory over the visiting Indians in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. Christian, a 6'3 senior, scored 18 of his game-high 33 points in the first quarter, when the host Warriors built a 28-14 advantage.

           Amari-Avant Brown notched a team-high 12 points for the Tribe. Carpenter added nine points.

            Though the Tribe (2-12 overall, 0-5 PAC) has been unable to shake a nine-game losing streak, the return of Carpenter earlier this month provided it with a shot of enthusiasm and enhanced the team's early offense.

            "I was looking forward to coming back," said Carpenter, a Pennsburg resident who missed six games with a foot injury. "It sucked to sit on the sideline."

            The 6'1 senior, who scored a season-high 21 points earlier this month in his return in a 55-47 loss to Pottsgrove, delivered a team-high 12 points against PJP. Half of them came on a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.

            "Dan is great," DeCarolis said. "I'm so happy he could come back and play in some games."