In a battle of varsity boys basketball heavyweights, unbeaten Coatesville outlasted Conestoga, 63-60, in a foul-plagued game that saw the Pioneers suffer their first setback of the season.

Stoga led for three quarters before junior starters Rowan Miller and Cory Hogan fouled out in the final period. 

Three Conestoga players reached double figures. Miller led the way with 15 points while Shane OBrien and Sunny Tummala collected 11 each.  Sam Gibbs finished with 9 and Luke Hunter came off the bench to net 9 points.

Head coach Sean Forcine believes his team will benefit from the experience of facing a powerful opponent. 

“I thought we played really hard and with a lot of poise. Coatesville is a tough team that thrives on generating turnovers. We did a solid job taking care of the ball and making the extra pass. Unfortunately, their size got the best of us and we gave up too many offensive rebounds.

 “But I’m proud of our effort and attitude. We will learn from this.”

The Pioneers, who will visit Ridley Tuesday, are playing without one of their leaders as Ben Robinson is in the final stages of recovering from an injury. The 6-foot guard should be ready to go in the coming weeks.