By Josh Verlin
Park head coach Allen Brydges looked at the Upper Merion sideline at halftime and saw exactly what he wanted to see.
The Vikings were exhausted, searching for breath after going up against the Knights’ full-court press for the opening 16 minutes of the teams’ District 1 AAAA playoff first-round matchup on UM’s home court.
Eventually, Brydges knew, that would pay off.
“When we were walking into the locker room at halftime, I thought they were dead,” Brydges said. “We knew at some point our press would give us that run we needed, that little run we had–we knew it was coming, it was just a matter of getting it.”
Though No. 15 Upper Merion weathered the storm well into the fourth quarter, that press finally got to them down the stretch as No. 18 Academy Park pulled off the 53-51 road win.