New Hampton fends off Hill School comeback, wins first Mercer championship in 11 years

POTTSTOWN >> Eleven years ago, New Hampton beat Hill School in the Mercer tournament championship to cap off a three-peat.

The Huskies had been absent from the early-season tournament in Pottstown since.

That is, until this past week. In New Hampton’s first appearance back at Gillison Gym in over a decade, the Huskies picked up right where they left off by reaching the title game and beating the Blues, 66-56, Sunday.

What fueled the history-repeating-itself narrative was the prowess of 6-foot-6 wing Mason Blackwood, who put up 24 points with 10 field goals and a 4-for-4 outing at the line.

His efficiency wasn’t a one-off on Sunday, as Blackwood put up 27 on Millbrook in the semifinals.

“He’s a load, man,” Hill School coach Seth Eilberg said on Blackwood. “He really gets to his spots because he’s a physical, strong kid and he knows his game, knows where he’s gonna be effective shooting from.”

H2, 1:31 — New Hampton is beginning to pull away, 56-51 after this layup from Mason Blackwood. pic.twitter.com/jljpoGxGDz

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) December 18, 2022

New Hampton (6-5) earned its last Mercer championship win against the Blues (6-5) as well, and since then, Hill won three straight from 2016-2018. Last year, the Blues fell to Blue Ridge School in the title game after leading by seven points with four minutes remaining.

This time around, Hill had to play from behind. After trailing by as much as 10 points in the second half, the Blues slowly chipped away, aided by strong shooting at the perimeter.

With just 3:48 to go, 2023 guard Justin Molen hit Penn pledge Augie Gerhart (eight points) with an inbound pass, took the ball right back and promptly drained a corner three, giving Hill the lead once again, 51-50.

“We’ve always preached about responding to runs and responding well. I think we responded well in that second half there,” Molen said. “Wish we kinda kept it going a little more near the end, but it was good to see our toughness. It’s a good sign for the year to come.”

H2, 3:48 — Justin Molen with the inbound pass, takes it back and drains a corner three to give Hill School the lead once more.

After being down as much as 10 points, the Blues now lead New Hampton Prep 51-50 in the Mercer Championship game. pic.twitter.com/pgo9iD3fxQ

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) December 18, 2022

Molen finished with a team-high 23 points for the Blues, including five from 3-point range. Trey O’Neil put up 11 points, both he and Molen hitting a pair of threes apiece in the second half to help climb back into contention down the stretch.

It wasn’t just Blackwood’s shooting that plagued Hill, though. Keyshaun Tillery, a 6-foot guard out of Albany, N.Y., also piled on 24 points, matching Blackwood for the game-high.

Hill’s own New York product, 6-foot-7 forward Josh Cameron, was glued to the hip of Blackwood, making him work and forcing him to take tough shots, albeit often being made by the latter.

Cameron provided seven points, four in the second half. He took a page from Hill’s semifinal against Canterbury, where the Blues trailed by 11 points at halftime before climbing out of that ditch to reach the Mercer championship.

“We knew we had it in us to come back from a 10-point deficit and win the game,” Cameron said. “We had that confidence from yesterday and we used that to push ourselves today and get back in the game.”

Jacob Meachem moved the ball well and got it in the hands of Hill’s primary scorers in Molen, O’Neil and Gerhart. He added six points with one from deep and 3-of-4 at the line. A Pottstown native who attended camps in the area and always had his eyes set on Hill, Meachem is starting at point guard this year for the first time.

During the Phelps tournament to kick off the season, Meachem scored 14 points in a semifinal loss. Having attended the Wyndcroft School in Pottstown, played JV for Hill and got minutes off the bench last year, Meachem is coming into his own for the Blues.

“It’s been a big role for me,” Meachem said on being in the starting lineup for Hill. “A big leadership role to take up, just making sure all the guys are doing the right thing, getting the guys in positions they want to be in to make the right shots.”

H1, 8:04 — Jacob Meachem drains a three to put Hill up 15-13. Timeout on the floor. pic.twitter.com/vFrg3w49th

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) December 18, 2022

Hill enters the winter break with two tournament semifinal losses and sit just above .500. As 2021-22 Mid Atlantic-Prep runner-ups and PAISAA semifinalists, they look to hit the floor running upon their return from the holiday season.

“We’ve definitely made some improvements from the beginning of the year, but we’re not where we want to be at the end of the year obviously,” Molen said. “We’re still working out some kinks and working on moving the ball quicker and getting everyone involved. But I think we’re improving, and that’s a good sign, but there’s still a ways to go.”

New Hampton: Blackwood 10 2-2 24; Dagostino 0 0-0 0; Toliver 1 0-0 2; Gueye 1 0-0 2; Tillery 8 4-4 24; Snagg 0 0-0 0; Moore 2 1-1 7; Edelman 2 4-4 9. Totals: 24 11-11 66
Hill School: Cameron 2 3-6 7; O’Neil 4 0-0 11; Gerhart 4 0-1 8; Meachem 1 3-4 6; Molen 8 2-5 23; Barney 0 0-0 0; Brndjar 0 0-0 0; Bashiru 0 1-2 1. Totals: 19 9-18 56
New Hampton 26 40-66
Hill School 28 38-56
3-point goals: Tillery 2, Moore, Winters 0 0-0 0; Edelman, O’Neil 3, Meachem, Molen 5