If ever there was a tale of two halves, this was it. And there was a packed house at the Conestoga gym to witness it.

 A deliberate Mechanicsburg club controlled the pace throughout the first two quarters, building a double-digit lead. 

But momentum switched sides late in the third period and never looked back when  Shane O’Brien and Ben Robinson went to work for the Pioneers. Mechanicsburg made one final run, closing the gap to 35-33 with 27 seconds remaining in the session.

Conestoga’s 52-42 victory launched the District 1 champions into the second round of the PIAA 6A tournament. The Pioneers (22-6) will face Hazelton 7pm, March 12 at Freedom High School in Bethlehem. 

Notching their first PIAA playoff win since 2009 and playing their final home game of the season, the Pioneers got 17 points from O’Brien, including four baskets from beyond the arc. The 6-2 junior also snared 5 rebounds. 

Robinson frustrated the visitors by finding lanes to the basket from all angles. The steady 6-2 senior finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and took a charge. Senior Sam Gibbs made his presence felt with 11 points and an assist.

Although juniors Rowan Miller and Cory Hogan didn’t match their scoring averages, they each made important contributions. Miller directed the offense and finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Hogan grabbed 5 rebounds and a steal to go with 3 points. 

Conestoga coach Sean Forcine told City of Basketball Love reporter Andrew Robinson, “It was our biggest crowd by far since I’ve been the coach. The way the community came out to support us means a lot to me as a community member and someone who went to this school.”