Aces, Royals Go Down To Wire In Nail-Biting Hoops Matchup

With 15.8 seconds remaining in Thursday night's Central League battle between Lower Merion and Upper Darby, the Aces clung to a 47-46 lead.

They had come from a ways back to get to that point and weren't eager to relinquish the high ground they had fought so hard to take. The Royals though, who had the benefit of possession, were just as eager to take back what had been theirs for much of the game.

They inbounded it and ran an isolation for stand-out guard Brandon Hashim. Hashim had opened the game with a bucket, could he finish the same way?

He was guarded by Lower Merion's Luke Chambers. Chambers, hips square and arms outstretched, held his position between Hashim and the basket while the guard danced and juked from the top of the key, trying desperately to convince his opponent he was headed somewhere he wasn't.

With the clock at three though, Hashim gave up on the misdirection, took a step in the direction of the basket, and fired. Chambers leaped with him, but the ball sailed just over his fingertips and, to the dismay of the home crowd, through the net.

The buzzer sounded, and 50 or so well-traveled Upper Darby fans stormed the court while the Aces watched in disbelief. 48-47 Royals.

"He was quick," said Chambers after the game.

Things might have worked out differently for the Aces had sophomore Raheem Hall not fouled out with 1:20 remaining in the game and the Aces still ahead by three.

Hall, who scored only nine points, made contributions that exceed what a box score is able to articulate. He was simply disruptive on the defensive end.

The 6 foot 3 inch guard put a hand in the face of every shooter, grabbed every loose ball--many of which he jarred free himself, rebounded with tenacity, took charges, and blocked several shots. He had a hand in every play the Aces made.

"I have a broken finger. I broke it a month ago, and it's finally starting to heal," he said after leaving the locker room, explaining his sudden surge in production. "This was a hard loss though."

Hard indeed. The Aces were down by double-digits in the second period, but on the strength of Hall's play and the sharpshooting of Mike Buckwald and BJ Johnson, who scored 10 and 11 points, they climbed back to take a 41-37 lead going into the final period. It was a lead they maintained till the final second.