With the game on the line, Conestoga’s Zach Lezanic stepped up to the line for a 1 and 1. He calmly sank both free throws to put the Pioneers ahead by 3. Garnet Valley was unable to convert on a three-pointer to tie and Conestoga pulled out the hard fought road win 58-54.
It was a cold shooting start for both teams, but things picked up near the end of the 1st quarter and Stoga lead 14-12 behind some aggressive play by Milton Robinson (5 pts). The second quarter saw both team trading baskets with Garnet Valley getting to the rim with some nice backdoor sets and Stoga had a narrow 28-26 lead at the half.
Garnet came out strong in the 3rd quarter as Stoga had some players in early foul trouble. But Evan Medley and Brooks Rush came off the bench to keep the game close heading into the fourth quarter as we trailed by 5.
The 4th quarter saw some timely 3’s and defense by Evan and Milt as Stoga held a narrow one point lead with 2:45 left on the clock. Showing some poise Stoga worked the time off the clock until Zach found a narrow driving lane to put them ahead by 3. Ultimately it came down to making free throws and Stoga converted and left Garnet Valley with an important victory.
Scoring totals: Milton (15), Zach (12), Shane (11), Evan (10), Brooks (5), Connor (3), Wes (2). Varsity is back in action on Tuesday as they hit the road trying to avenge an early season defeat by Haverford High School. Game times are JV: 6:00 PM V: 7:30 PM.