BY JEREMY GOODE

(Videos by Jeremy Goode for PSD)

FORT WASHINGTON, PA-- It’s the oldest prep school rivalry in the United States, going back to 1887.

Germantown Academy (GA) versus William Penn Charter (PC). William Penn Charter versus Germantown Academy...same motivation no matter how you say it.

For 139 years, Germantown Academy and Penn Charter have been going at it athletically through all of the matching sports the schools offer. It does not matter that the schools are separated by 11 miles; the relationship feels closer than that, especially when both fan bases merge during competition on GA/PC Day. 

Midway through their Inter-Ac schedules, both girls’ basketball teams found themselves with a few league losses heading into the first matchup between the schools.

Both schools shared the league title with Notre Dame just two years ago. On Thurs., Jan. 22, they were fighting to keep up with Notre Dame and Agnes Irwin. Without a playoff system in the Inter-Ac conference, it is a race to earn the top seed through the regular season league games. 

Germantown Academy came out on top of Penn Charter, rallying in the fourth quarter and outscoring the Quakers 21-2 in the final eight minutes to secure a 49-28 win against their longtime rival.

“We really stepped it up in the last couple of quarters,” Emma Seckinger said. “We really stepped it up on defense; started moving the ball. And we got the right shots and started looking to score more.”

Entering Thursday, Germantown Academy held a 3-2 record in the Inter-Ac. A surprising hiccup at Agnes Irwin put them in the hole early on, and then falling short at home to Notre Dame created more of a hole for GA to dig out of. Their second loss in five league games this season matched the number of their league game losses from last year.

And last year, Germantown Academy missed sharing the Inter-Ac title to Notre Dame by two games. Notre Dame finished undefeated at 12-0. Germantown Academy finished 10-2, both losses coming at the hands of Notre Dame – the only Inter-Ac team who beat them. 

So, for Germantown Academy to be entering their sixth league game this year at 3-2 was a bit of a surprise. While the team from Fort Washington is on the younger side overall, they are still another year older compared to last year’s team that finished second in the Inter-AC, and of course have the experience that came with that. 

Penn Charter, also playing desperation ball, lost three consecutive league games after winning their first game against Baldwin. A loss would set back Penn Charter at 1-4, making it nearly impossible to have a chance at the league title in light of how the rest of the Inter-Ac season has played out so far. 

With the game taking place at Germantown Academy, Penn Charter would have to overcome that disadvantage too. 

They looked like they were doing so in the first three quarters. Penn Charter was able to tie the game at halftime at 14, and trail only by 2 heading into the fourth quarter. They forced several Germantown Academy turnovers. Aubrei Smith and Molly Dougherty each had 11 points heading into the fourth quarter. 

“Some early turnovers; I think we were a little bit rushed on offense,” Seckinger said of Germantown Academy. “Just couldn’t get the right shots.”

That changed in the final eight minutes. Germantown Academy scored nearly as many points in the fourth quarter as they did in the first three quarters combined. They outscored Penn Charter 21-2, giving them an eventual comfortable win.

Chloe Armenakis got going early in the fourth, driving to score two baskets that established a two possession lead and gave Germantown Academy momentum that led them to go on a dominant run. The freshman scored all five of her points in the fourth, while maintaining strong, contested defense down low. 

“I really felt like the team needed someone to step up and take accountability and try to get us to move forward to get the win,” Armenakis said. 

Seckinger also rallied in the fourth, scoring six of her 10 points in the final eight minutes, including four free throws. Freshman point guard Sam Kollock drilled two three-pointers late to really put the game out of reach. 

The win keeps Germantown Academy in third place, a game behind Agnes Irwin and two games behind Notre Dame. They still have a game each against both teams. 

It is a particularly strong win for Germantown Academy not only because they stay alive in the league, but they did so shorthanded. All season Germantown Academy had been missing players here and there to injuries. Sylvie Harrington was unable to go against Penn Charter, while Claire McKee was hobbled throughout the game after a collision three minutes in. 

“It really shows our resilience,” Seckinger said. “We’re not going to give up. I know we’re young, but we really just stepped it up and knew what we needed to do. We’re definitely going to get back at it at practice and keep stacking wins with the weeks ahead.”