Upper Merion uses second-half run to beat Pottstown

UPPER MERION >> Upper Merion trailed by two points at halftime and their deficit grew to eight early in the third quarter of their Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division opener against Pottstown Tuesday night.

The Vikings responded with eight straight points to tie the game and made it 10 straight to take the lead. They kept the run going through the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, rattling off 23 straight before cruising to a 68-44 win at Upper Merion Area High School.

Upper Merion (2-2, 1-0 PAC Frontier) was down 26-24 at halftime and 34-26 early in the second half. Zayd Etheridge scored six points in the game-changing third quarter while Madison Tatom and Qynne Seals each added five.

Tatom, who finished with a game-high 20 points, credited Seals for the 23-0 run.

“Qynne Seals,” Tatom said. “My man. He started out great and I really appreciate him. He brought energy for us.”

“They feel (Seals’) energy,” Upper Merion coach Jason Quenzer added. “He’s just a good kid. He’s really competitive, fiery. If he’s going to come in and make a couple plays, guys on the floor are going to respond.”

Ty Jones, who put Upper Merion ahead 36-34 in the third quarter, had a strong fourth quarter to help build a 20-plus point lead and put the game out of reach. Jones finish through contact twice in the fourth and completed both three-point plays. He finished with 11 points.

Upper Merion led 13-8 after the first quarter. Tatom scored Upper Merion’s first nine points of the game and had 10 points through eight minutes of play.

“We haven’t come out too strong (this season),” Tatom said. “I thought I had to look at myself and just go. I knew if I flipped it the team would just follow right after me. It’s what it takes to be a good leader.”

“Once he sees a few shots go in early,” Quenzer said. “he’s a lot more willing. The first game he got hurt in the third quarter and he seemed kind of not really there in the beginning. So it was nice to see him come out, take a few shots, make them, go to the rack, not be timid. He just attacked and he played the way we want him to play.”

Gage Sibley scored seven of his nine points for Pottstown (2-2, 1-1 PAC Frontier) in the second quarter as the Trojans rallied from a six-point deficit to take a 26-24 lead into the locker room.

Both sides were sloppy with the ball in the first half. Pottstown had 14 turnovers in the first 16 minutes while Upper Merion had 13. In the second half, Pottstown lost the ball another 16 times while Upper Merion only gave it away six times.

“We really need to lock it in and tighten up,” Quenzer said. “Just really focus up and make that little change in effort and focus. We finally stopped turning the ball over.”

“The trap was working well for us,” Tatom said. “We got on our rotations. We just jumped the passes.”

Rashean Bostic led the Trojans with 14 points.

Upper Merion 68, Pottstown 44

Pottstown 8 18 8 10 – 44

Upper Merion 13 11 23 21 – 68

PT: Elliot-Moore 1 2-2 4, Jackson 2 0-2 4, Sibley 4 1-1 9, Washington 0 4-4 4, Phillips 0 0-0 0, Bostic 6 0-2 14, Augusto 1 0-0 2, Tinson 1 0-0 2, Palmore 1 0-0 2, Schravger 1 0-0 3. Total 17 7-9 44.

UM: Jones 3 5-6 11, Riley 0 0-0 0, Tatom 6 5-8 20, Amuefuna 2 1-2 5, Seals 2 0-0 5, Wynne 0 0-0 0, Lawson 3 1-2 7, Perry 1 0-0 3, Etheridge 3 2-2 8, Brooks 2 0-0 5, Hirshorn 0 1-2 1, Swayze 0 0-0 0, Smiley 1 1-2 3. Total 23 16-24 68.

3-point goals: PT: Schravger, Bostic 2. UM: Tatom 3, Seals, Perry, Brooks.