The Lower Merion boys basketball team celebrates with the District 1 trophy after winning the 6A title over Abington Friday, March 19, 2021. (Andrew Robinson – MediaNews Group)
By Andrew Robinson
Demetrius Lilley hit his first shot Friday night and the rest of his Lower Merion teammates didn’t miss much after that.
The No. 9 Aces’ standout junior big man was an impact player on both ends as he and Lower Merion caught fire early and never cooled off against No. 14 Abington. Once the Aces got going, the Ghosts simply couldn’t keep up in their quest for a fifth District 1 title in the last five years.
Lilley poured in 31 as Lower Merion topped Abington 62-41 to capture the 6A boys’ basketball title, the program’s first since Kobe Bryant was a senior in 1996.
“I was so excited, it’s amazing. We worked really hard for this,” Lilley said. “We weren’t ready to go home.
“I was just taking everything in flow, but I have to say, that basket did look pretty big to me.”
Lower Merion’s last four district title game appearances between 1996 and Friday had ended in losses but the Aces also didn’t have Lilley for any of them. The 6-foot-9 junior showcased the full depth of his abilities, scoring almost as many points as the Ghosts had as a team, shooting 13-of-16 from the floor, blocking and altering shots and hitting the glass for seven rebounds.