Lila Jones Is Emerging As A Star For Lower Merion

There was a little civil war that waged occasionally inside Lila Jones’ head each time she had the ball in her hands. It was little voice that would tell her to stop shooting, forcing the senior to dwell more on potentially missing a shot than making one.

It didn’t matter that the 5-foot-6 guard had a sweet shooting touch, a nice arcing ball that often broke the twine. Her grandfather implored her to take the open shot. Her coaches, her teammates. It didn’t matter. Jones was still reluctant.

Until this season.

The result is a 16-point scoring average for a team that is 10-2 overall and 7-0 in the Central League. Silencing the little voice has also translated into Jones being one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the area.

She figures she may have scored double figures in a handful of games prior to this season. She’s reached double figures in nine of the Aces 12 games so far, including a career-best 23 points in a 55-47 victory over Long Island Lutheran on January 8 and team-high 17 in a 43-34 victory over a good Shipley team this past Saturday.

Jones’ role with Lower Merion has taken a dramatic change from the shut-down defender she was as a junior to the go-to scorer’s role she’s been given her senior year. It just took a few nudges, and few stiff shoves to get her there.

“I don’t know what it was about me, but I would never shoot,” said Jones, who’s also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game. “I think it was a lack of confidence. I worked on my shot over the summer. I’d have open shots in summer league and AAU games, I just wouldn’t take them. It’s funny, because my pop-pop would watch me play and I’d hear him all the time, yelling to take the shot.”

It’s been a similar refrain from the Lower Merion bench. Aces’ coach Lauren Pellicane had no problems with Jones shooting.

“Lila is a smooth, tremendous athlete who’s worked hard on her shot and she’s putting the ball in the basket,” Pellicane said. “Lila’s decision-making is getting better, and what I’m most proud of is that Lila’s come a long, long way since her freshman year. She’s put in the extra time and wants to be a better player.”

Jones herself admits she’s done a lot of growing up over the last two years. She doesn’t lug around mistakes—or missed shots. She’s learned to move forward. And she has the trust of her teammates.

“This year Lila realizes that she had to step up, and I know she worked really hard over the summer,” Aces’ teammate Sheba Hall said. “I think Lila always had a good shot. She just had to take it. Her scoring from the outside is really opening up a lot of things on the inside for us.”

It’s also created more opportunities for Jones off the court. She has a chance to land at Division II Dowling College, which happens to be coached by Pellicane’s father, and Jones’ play could lead to bigger things for the Aces this spring.

“I love where my game is right now,” Jones said. “I want the ball if we’re down three, with three seconds left. I want that pressure on me. A year ago, a month ago, I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t. It took a lot of growing, I mean a lot of growing up. If I miss, I know I can keep shooting.”

And erase that little voice that used to ring in her head.