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By Matthew De George

As Radnor regrouped at halftime Friday, Mason Ressler knew the assessment forthcoming from coach Jamie Chadwin.

Against Haverford, the Raiders needed to be more aggressive. And with Ressler regularly attended to by defenders four or five inches shorter, the senior forward would have to lead the way.

Ressler responded with 14 of his 16 points in the second half as the Raiders came from behind for a 46-40 win over Haverford.

“I try to be as aggressive as I can and try to get shots for my teammates and look to score when I can,” Ressler said. “But I really try to use my matchup.”

He and the rest of his Radnor teammates endured a sleepy first half, staggered by an 11-2 run by the Fords out of the gates. The Fords led by nine with 2 minutes, 51 seconds left in the half and by five at the break, only that close when Jack Thompson was shoved on a desperation half-court heave with 0.1 seconds showing and made two free throws.

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By Bruce Adams

Facing a red-hot Penncrest team that entered Friday night’s contest on a 13-game winning streak and sporting a 9-0 Central League record, the host Pioneers survived a late Lion scare to win, 52-47, in a battle of Central League unbeatens.
Conestoga senior guard Scott Shapiro’s sharpshooting from the perimeter gave the hosts a 16-8 first-quarter lead, and the Pioneers (13-2, 10-0) held the lead for nearly the entire game. However, late in the fourth quarter the Lions (13-3, 9-1) went on a 10-0 run to take a 42-41 lead with 2:19 left. It was the first time Conestoga trailed since the beginning of the first quarter.

“When we fell behind, we were patient, we didn’t rush our shots,” said Conestoga Mike Troy. “There were a couple of possessions [early in the fourth quarter] that I wish we could have taken back, but late in the game, we waited for our shots – we weren’t having possessions where it was one pass and a wild shot.”
Just 29 seconds after Conestoga fell behind 42-41, Pioneer sophomore guard Milton Robinson made a play that put the hosts ahead – for good. Robinson, who had not scored a point since the first minute of the opening quarter, drove to the baseline for a basket, drew a foul, and made the free throw to give the hosts a 44-42 lead.

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By Matthew De George

Christian Ray scored 23 points, including his 1,000th as a high schooler, as The Haverford School stretched its winning streak to 13 games with a 58-44 handling of Penn Charter Friday.

Ray spent two seasons at Octorara before transferring to The Haverford School this season and reclassifying as 2019.

Kharon Randolph added 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter, and Jameer Nelson Jr. added 10 for the Fords (16-1 overall, 5-0 league), who emerge unscathed from the first turn of the Inter-Ac schedule.

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By Anthony Dabbundo

They call themselves the ‘Core Four.’

The success of Lower Merion basketball comes from their four leading scorers: Noah Fennell, Jack Forrest, Terrell Jones, and Steve Payne.

Two sophomores, two seniors. Three guards, one wing. As they go, the Aces go.

On Friday night, the core four was firing on all cylinders. For the first time all season, all four scored in double figures, combining for 65 of the Aces’ 68 points in a critical 68-54 win over Strath Haven.

“Our core four all scored in double digits for the first time all year,” said Payne, one of the two sophomores along with Forrest. “This is the best all around game we’ve played.”

“Definitely our best performance of the year, this one takes the prize,” added Jones, the wing and the tallest of the quartet at 6-foot-4.

As a team that starts three sophomores, some growing pains we’re expected this season. The Aces started just 4-5, including 2-2 in Central League play.

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By Matthew De George

For one half Thursday afternoon, Ja’Qualyn Kelly and his Glen Mills frontcourt mates didn’t get much work on the offensive end. It was a good problem to have, watching their fellow Battlin’ Bulls sink six first-half 3-pointers against Chichester.

But the tide invariably changed, dictated by Glen Mills’ control of the game. And Kelly was ready to capitalize.
Kelly scored 16 points, 14 in the second half, as the Bulls adroitly executed the high-low game to net a 64-53 Del Val League win.

Having a team that shot 6-for-12 from 3-point land in the first half attempt a scant four triples in the second may seem imprudent. But Thursday’s was largely a case of Glen Mills reading the defense and reacting accordingly.

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John Harrar and Cooper Driscoll combined to score 13 of Strath Haven’s 15 points in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind, 56-51 win over Harriton.

Harrar had seven of his team-high 18 points and Driscoll netted six of his eight in the final stanza. Harrar notched a double-double with 12 rebounds and Driscoll recorded eight boards and two blocked shots. Jeffrey Conner contributed 10 points for the Panthers (10-3, 7-2).

In other Central League action:

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