Garnet Valley’s Max Koehler (left) and the Jaguars’ high-scoring offense found it tough going against a “Stoga squad intent on slowing the game down. (Photo: Dan Hilferty/CoBL)
By Ty Daubert
Conestoga students rushed their home floor as a Garnet Valley half-court heave fell short.
After 40 minutes of play, it was finally time to celebrate. Fans embraced Ryan Mackey, who had just provided another act of late-game heroics.
The senior guard buried the game-winning free throw with 2.7 seconds left on the clock to give Conestoga a one-point victory as it defeated the Jaguars 34-33 in double overtime in the first round of the Central League playoffs on Thursday night. Led by Mackey, the Pioneers overcame an early deficit in a slow-paced, low-scoring affair by getting points in the right opportunities down the stretch.
“What a game,” Conestoga head coach Mike Troy said. “We went down early, and I thought the guys really dug down on the defensive end, held Garnet down scoring-wise to give us a chance on the offensive end.”