Lower Merion edges Conestoga in storied basketball rivalry

Tredyffrin >> The names and faces might have changed, but the intensity in the Lower Merion–Conestoga boys’ basketball rivalry was alive and kicking Dec. 19 during the visiting Aces’ thrilling 46-43 come-from-behind win.
With a little over a minute remaining in regulation, Lower Merion’s Jaylen Shippen took a handoff pass from Sam Brown and, without hesitation, pulled up from the wing and knocked down a three-pointer to give thye Aces their first lead at 44-43. It was Lower Merion’s first lead since 15-14 midway through the second quarter.
“I practice that shot in practice,” said Shippen, who finished with five points and four rebounds. “I felt confident, caught the ball in a good position and hit the shot. I knew my team needed me.”
“Jayden continues to evolve as a player and I felt it was the shot of the game,” said Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer. “He was not happy with his foul shooting in the first half. He took that shot with confidence and it seemed like he wanted the ball.”
Conestoga coach Mike Troy said, “I thought tonight was a good basketball game. The rivalry is terrific. Unfortunately, we did not execute enough in the second half tonight and Lower Merion did, and they earned the ‘W’.
“Over the last 10 years Conestoga has been our biggest rival,” said Downer. “We have had a lot battles over the years. We have had good moments in this gym, and we have bad moments in this gym. They have beaten us probably more than any other team in the Central League, and we thought it could turn into a 15-round fight, and we were just hoping we could last until the final round. We were down by 10 in the third quarter and things did not look good. We just kept fighting.”
Midway through the third quarter, Conestoga took a 32-22 lead after junior Jeremiah Miller knocked down a pair of free throws and it looked as though the Pioneers might pick up their first Central League win of the year.
Lower Merion picked up the defensive pressure, forcing some key turnovers as well as limiting the Pioneers to one shot on offense while going on a 9-1 run to end the third quarter. During the 9-1 run, Shippen knocked down a pair of free throws to start the run before Peter Gribben capped the run converting the old-fashioned three-point play.
With Conestoga holding a 33-31 lead heading into the final quarter, Conestoga’s Connor Steele took a perfect feed from Deacon Mayock and converted a lay-up to push the lead to 35-31.
The final seven minutes was back-and-forth, including four lead changes and two ties.
With Lower Merion leading 46-43, Conestoga had a final chance but a three pointer from Jack Liedtka went off the side of the backboard and Lower Merion corralled the rebound as the final buzzer sounded.
“This is a big win heading into the holidays,” said Shippen. “This was a great environment and Conestoga is a very good, competitive team. We knew it was going to be tough and we were able to pull out the win.”
“We are improving,” said Conestoga senior co-captain Connor Steele, who finished with seven points and four rebounds. “This was our best game. We came together. We just need time. I told everyone to keep their heads up, keep improving and be ready for practice tomorrow.”
Troy echoed Steele’s sentiments: “Tonight was progress. I thought we executed on offense in the first half and I thought our perimeter defense was good in the second half. We need to work on some things and that will start in practice tomorrow.”
Pacing the way for Lower Merion was Demetrius Lilley with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Sam Brown chipped in with 10 points. Conestoga was led by Austin Fontaine with 12.
Lower Merion 46, Conestoga 43
Lower Merion 11 9 11 15 – 46
Conestoga 6 22 5 10 – 43
Lower Merion (46) – Chestnut 1 2-2 4, Brown 3 2-4 10, Shippen 1 2-7 5, Lilley 6 1-2 13,
Cook 2 2-2 6, Rothman 1 2-2 4, Gribben 1 2-3 4, Totals 15 13-22 46.
Conestoga (43) – Fox 1 0-0 2, Miller 2 2-4 6, Fontaine 5 1-3 12; Mackey 0 2-2 2, Liedtka 1 2-4 5, Smith 2 1-2 5, Cuthbert 1 0-0 2, Mayock 1 0-0 2, Steele 3 1-2 7, Totals 15 9-19 43.
3 point FGs: LM – Brown 2, Shippen; Conestoga – Fontaine, Liedtka,