Aces Overpower Methacton, Upper Darby Looms

Lower Merion's Friday night playoff opener looked a lot like the regular season it followed: The Aces came out of the gates slowly, but boy did they finish.

In round one of the PIAA District 1 AAAA Basketball Tournament, Lower Merion overcame sloppy starts in the first and second halves to top upstart Methacton 63-57 and advance to play rival Upper Darby on Feb. 22.

"We came out sluggish," said senior guard Mark Krantz, "but we came together as a unit and got the win."

The Aces fell behind 10-2 in the game's first four minutes and allowed Methacton to go on an 8-0 run to open the second half and wrest away the lead, but each time rallied back on the strength of a senior: Mike Buchwald scored seven first quarter points and keyed a 15-4 Ace run to close that initial period while Darius Hall came up with a pair of big threes and more than a pair of defensive stops to carry Lower Merion after the break. Hall paced the Aces in scoring with 16.

"Darius was tremendous down the stretch," said Aces head coach Gregg Downer after the win. "He's an underrated player. I personally think he's one of the best guards in the league."

Hall said the high stakes --loser goes home-- motivated him.

"It felt great to knock down those threes in crunch time. I didn't want to go out on my home court," said the senior.

He almost did.

The game was close, back and forth for nearly it's entirety, and the margin separating the teams was rarely more than one good possession could close. The closeness made sense though. Lower Merion and Methacton are nearly identical.

Both teams ended the season on tears (the Aces with nine wins in 10 games, Methacton with 10 in 13), have passionate fan bases (for the first time all season, a visiting team challenged the Ace fans in sheer noise), make up for an athleticism deficit with hustle and fundamentals, have deep benches, and are more comfortable on the break than running out of sets.

"They're gritty, fearless: I knew tonight was not gonna be an easy game," said Downer of the team that so closely resembles his.

Up next for the Aces is an Upper Darby team that defeated them twice during the regular season on their way to a 21-1 record. They pose a daunting challenge. The Aces though are defiantly undaunted.

"Bring on Darby," said Buchwald as he left the locker room.

Forward Eric Green was more circumspect, but no less confident in his team.

"It doesn't matter who we play, we're just happy to advance" said Green, before thinking better of his answer and adding, "They did beat us twice. We want redemption."

His coach wants redemption too. And he views the Aces shaky track record against the Royals not as a hindrance, but maybe an advantage.

"Sometimes if you're familiar with a team, that can be a bit of a plus," Downer said.

Wishful thinking? We'll find out on Tuesday.