Sam Wright (above, earlier in March) played a key role in getting the Aces rolling early. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Corky Blake
Even without touching the ball on offense, Lower Merion senior center Demetrius Lilley made an early impact on the Aces’ easier-than-expected 72-44 romp over Scranton in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals Wednesday night at Freedom High School.
The District 2 champion Knights paid so much attention to where the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Lilley was setting up down low against their zone defense, they were unable to locate Lower Merion’s 3-point sharpshooters.
“Our plan today was to take our time, keep our composure,” said Lilley, a Penn State signee. “We wanted to play inside-out, screen and roll, roll hard to the post. I wanted to rebound for my teammates.”
It was a Sam’s Club type of start for Lower Merion (27-3). The District 1 champion scored the first 12 points of the game with junior guard Sam Brown drilling a pair of 3-pointers. Junior guard Sam Wright swished a 3, and the Aces were on their way to the state’s Final Four for the 16th time in school history behind a 15-2 advantage with 3:09 still remaining in the first quarter.