By Charlie Sisian and Brendan Fahey

Conestoga boys Varsity basketball team traveled to Upper Darby on Thursday in a Central League tilt.  

From the tip, Conestoga took an early lead, with a barrage of 3 pointers to open the game.  Struggling to contain the Pioneers’ offense, the Royals implemented a full court press, which Conestoga exploited with swift passes that enabled it to obtain shots close to the basket. At the end of the quarter, Stoga led 17-5.  

The Royals opened the second quarter shooting from deep, but struggled to connect.  This was largely due to Stoga’s smothering defense, which forced multiple steals and blocks that turned into easy fast break points. On top of that, Stoga continued to shoot well from the outside, thanks in part to the bigs inside who drew in the defense downlow to create space on the perimeter.  By the half, Stoga had a commanding 33-10 lead.  

Conestoga cooled down to open the second half, while Darby continued to struggle.  At the third quarters end, Stoga still held a strong lead; 43-18.  

During the fourth quarter, Upper Darby pursued a frantic comeback, but it was too little, too late. Through controlling the glass and creating steals, thanks to a solid 3-2 zone defense, Conestoga held on for a victory of 58-31.

With the win, Conestoga improves to 3-1 on the season. Roll ‘Neers!