Reality has a way of impeding the path of progress, and in the case of the Unionville basketball program, as it is at every other high school athletic team, that reality is in the form of graduation.

Nearly one year ago – on Feb. 29, 2024 -- Chris Cowles’ team held the PIAA District One 5A championship trophy aloft on the floor of West Chester University’s Hollinger Field House after defeating Upper Dublin, 63-36. Entering the 2024-25 campaign, however, the program was absent many of the graduating players that had led the previous team to a 22-4 record, but by virtue of heart and resilience, the Longhorns clawed their way to a 10-12 overall record this season. 

That season came to an end on Feb. 14, as the Longhorns fell to Springfield, 37-28 in the first round of the PIAA District One 5A playoffs at the Cougars’ home court. 

Entering the game as the 11th seed, Unionville began the game in a defensive posture that can best be described as “reckless abandon,” and after two early buckets by TJ Valleti and Peter Altes gave the Cougars a 5-0 start, Cowles’ team virtually shut down the 6th-seeded Springfield’s offense while James Brenner’s two three-pointers helped give the Longhorns a slim 8-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Outmatched in height and skill, Unionville nonetheless continued to thwart Springfield’s offense in the second quarter by closing lanes and trapping and double-teaming their opponents. On the other side of the ball, three-pointers by Leo Lockwood and Zach Dolce staked Unionville to a comfortable lead, but shots by Valleti, Logan Kobb and Chis Dolan gave the Cougars a slim 15-14 lead heading into halftime.

After a three-point shot by Tom Toomey gave Springfield an early 18-15 lead in the third quarter, Lockwood came back with a three-pointer of his own to tie the game at 19 with 4 minutes remaining in a quarter that continued to see Unionville’s defense shut down a Cougar offense that had tallied point levels as high as 70 during their regular season.

As the fourth quarter began with the game deadlocked at 22, however, the virtual cream of what led Springfield to a 15-7 regular season record rose to the top. After Lockwood’s drive gave Unionville a two-point lead, Altes scored on a layup with 5:05 left in the game, that was quickly followed by two free throws by Valleti, and a stolen pass by Valleti that extended his team’s lead to 28-24 with 4:18 left in the game. With time slowly working against them, Cowles called a time out with 2:20 remaining and his team trailing 28-25, but after the regroup, Mason Ellis sank the last two of his four free throws in the quarter, Altes converted two more free throws, and Toomey sank two more from the line to seal the victory.

With the victory, Springfield will visit third-seeded Pottsgrove (19-3 overall) on Feb. 19 for a second-round playoff game on the Falcons’ home court. 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].