Conestoga falls in PIAA Class AAAA state tourney opener

The Conestoga High School boys’ basketball team, the No. 8 seed out of District One, making its second consecutive PIAA Class AAAA state tournament appearance March 7, drew a tough task in the state opener with Parkland, the No. 1 seed from District 11 and a top 10 team in the state for most of the season.

After digging an early deficit, the Pioneers fought back and climbed to within 11-8 after one quarter. Conestoga continued to battle throughout the contest, but each time they drew close, Parkland’s Devante Cross or Sam Iorio had an answer for the Trojans.

After a pair of Andrew Diehl free throws sliced the deficit to 42-37, Kenny Yeboah and Iorio hit back-to-back field goals to push the lead back to 10 at 47-37. Tried as they might, Conestoga was unable to pull closer than seven points before eventually falling 53-42.