Momentum was with the Conestoga boys basketball team in the first half of its regular-season final at Garnet Valley Tuesday, Feb. 6. But the second half was a different story for the Pioneers, who watched a 15-point lead vanish as GV got hot and stayed that way until the final buzzer in a 59-50 victory.

“We were solid on defense in the first half, GV went on a run and we couldn’t stop it early enough,” said coach Sean Forcine. “They made some big 3’s and shot well from the foul line. We have to do a better job in our half-court defense if we hope to compete with the top teams in the playoffs.”

Ben Robinson had another strong performance with 16 points, 3 steals and 2 rebounds. Rowan Miller had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists and a strong performance by Senior Rowan Hornaday who contributed excellent defense throughout the match up.

The Pioneers, who finished third in the final Central League standings, will open the playoffs Thursday, Feb. 8 at home at 6 pm against Harriton. The winner will play again on Saturday, Feb. 10.