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By Bruce Adams

Conestoga head coach Mike Troy’s 300th win Thursday evening didn’t come easy.
The Pioneers fell behind a tough Strath Haven squad (9-3, 6-2) 10-0 just 4 1/2 minutes into the game, trailed 36-27 with just six minutes left, and had to rely on a last-second three-pointer by sophomore guard Milton Robinson to send the game into overtime.
Once into overtime, the Pioneers (11-1, 8-0) prevailed, winning 52-47, to give Troy his 300th career win in 20 years of coaching – 11 at Conestoga, nine at Devon Prep.
“When you start coaching, 300 wins is unthinkable,” said Troy, who turned 50 on Dec. 29. “The credit goes to all of [my] players over the years – they’ve worked so hard. Winning 300 games means that you’ve had great young men to coach, terrific assistants, good support from the school, and a terrific wife that has the patience to be a coach’s wife.”
After Conestoga fell behind 10-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter, the Pioneers patiently chipped away at the Panthers’ lead and trailed by only 19-16 at halftime.
Troy said, “Our guys were pretty amped up at the start of the game, and we weren’t taking great shots in the first quarter. But we settled down offensively in the second quarter. We [coaches] always preach to the players, ‘Get the ball to the open man, find the open man, and take your time.’”
Conestoga senior forward Charlie Martin, who scored 12 points, said, ‘This was a game of runs, and you can’t get down on yourself when [the other team] goes on a run. We’ve been down [similar to tonight] before, and the older guys on the team, the seniors, really stepped up tonight when we fell behind.”

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By Zach Drapkin

When you play a schedule as tough as Lower Merion’s, giving underclassmen major minutes requires a certain confidence.

LM head coach Gregg Downer must be extremely confident this season, because he’s implemented a rotation featuring half a dozen sophomores.

Downer’s six sophomores came into the year with big expectations, and so far, they’ve stepped right up to the task, starting with 6-4 wing Jack Forrest and 6-1 guard Steve Payne.

Forrest and Payne, both starters, have emerged as key playmakers for the Aces after seeing minimal minutes during their freshman seasons.

“I’m really close with Steve, always have been, and it’s been a great two years,” Forrest said. “We’re really close and we’re working well together.”

The duo was certainly firing on all cylinders on Thursday night, powering Lower Merion to a key 69-57 victory over Springfield in Central League play.

Sophomores accounted for all but 22 of LM’s 69 points in the win.

“We really needed to perform tonight, we needed to step it up, and I think we did that tonight to get that win,” Forrest said.

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Danny Guy didn’t make a basket for 31 minutes Thursday. But he chose the perfect time to step up in a big way.

Guy’s corner triple with 25 seconds left put Garnet Valley up for good in a 48-47 Central League win over Radnor.

Connor O’Brien, who hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 points, did the job defensively on the final possession, blocking an attempt by Sami Ghazzi to preserve the Jaguars’ victory at home.

Austin Laughlin and Brandon Starr led Garnet Valley (9-4, 5-3) with 16 points apiece. Starr supplemented his with eight rebounds and four assists.

Ghazzi led Radnor (4-8, 1-7) with 12 points. Mason Ressler and Phil Regan chipped in nine apiece.

Also in the Central League:

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By Matthew De  George

If you asked five Chester basketball players Tuesday night who they felt contributed a second-half spark against Penn Wood, you were liable to get five different answers.

The obvious replies would be Jamar Sudan, the senior captain, and the shot-making of Ahrod Carter. But when Michael Smith’s imperviousness to pressure defense with the ball in his hands and Jaimhy Evans’ ability to bottle up his man enter the pool of answers, then you know coach Larry Yarbray has the varied team attack he’s after.

All those factors contributed to the Clippers’ 61-53 win, starting off the Del Val League schedule on a winning note.
Sudan led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, but as is the hallmark of any battle-tested Chester team, one star didn’t shine alone.

Carter added 13 points, knocking down his final three looks from the field, including a 3-pointer over a screen at 6:21 of the fourth to put the Clippers up for good. Jordan Camper pushed a triple double with eight points, seven rebounds and eight blocks (all in the first half). And then there were the quieter pieces.

(Webmaster’s note: The Penn Wood vs Chester game was our Game-of-the-Week and can be heard on our Archives link on the left hand side of the page.)

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Garnet Valley’s usual suspects were on the scene Tuesday. But in the final minute, Cade Brennan played the hero.

Brennan scored 13 points, including the game-winning basket in the final seconds as Garnet Valley topped Ridley, 51-49, in Central League action.

Brandon Starr led Garnet Valley (8-4, 4-3 Central) with 18 points, and Austin Laughlin chipped in 14 points.

Damir Fleming led Ridley (5-6, 3-4) with 16 points. Jimmy Bramwell added 12 points.

Also in the Central League:

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By Anthony Dabbundo

After watching him spend most of his freshman year shooting predominantly threes, most people see Haverford guard Gavin Burke as purely a spot-up shooter.

They would be wrong.

It has not come easy for the 5-foot-10 point guard, but Burke has developed into an excellent two-way player. And against Episcopal Academy on Tuesday afternoon, his development over the last year was on full display.

Burke scored nine points, and added an even more crucial five assists — and some tough defense as well — in the Fords’ 54-51 win over the Churchmen.

“He’s got about 35 games under his belt he’s a smart basketball player, so he picks up on what you show him very quickly,” Haverford head coach Bernie Rogers said.

During his freshman year, the sharpshooter made 61 shots, with 35 of them coming from beyond the arc. The difference this year has been his ability to get to the rim, where he scored six of his nine points on the afternoon.

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