Conestoga accomplished its long-awaited goal of reaching the state tournament when Shane O’Brien’s fourth 3-point basket of the night lifted the Pioneers to a thrilling 56-54 victory over Methacton in the second round of the District 1 6A playoffs.

The 6-2 junior connected from long range with 13 seconds remaining to finally overtake the visitors. After a Rowan Miller free throw, Ben Robinson sealed the deal by stealing the basketball to run out the clock. O`Brien, who finished with 16 points and 3 rebounds, was one of four Pioneers in double figures. Robinson and Cory Hogan added 12 each while Sam Gibbs contributed 10, all in the second half. 

Miller struggled to score, but he made his presence felt with 8 assists, 6 rebounds and a steal. Hogan added 6 assists and 5 rebounds to his totals and Gibbs pulled down 4 rebounds. 

Now for the first time in many years, Conestoga secured its first state playoff bid since 2017 and moved closer to becoming district champions for the first time since 1987.

“I’m proud of the toughness we showed, not just physically, but mentally. They had the lead with under a minute left, but we executed the final play, exactly how we practice every single day. And we closed the game out in my favorite fashion, securing two loose balls, that just shows our grit.” said Forcine.

“Getting to the third round is a huge accomplishment for our program. We haven’t been in the state tournament in quite a while. I couldn’t be happier for our team and community.”

Conestoga will host its third-round game Friday at 6:30 p.m.