Lower Merion High School | Archive | March, 2013

STATE CHAMPS!!!!!

WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT! The Aces did what the experts thought was impossible,
shocking Chester 63-47 to win the 2013 PA STATE TITLE! For those who were there
tonight or following along at home, this was serious history in the making and
likely the single greatest victory in the history of our proud program.

To put it in perspective, the Aces took down a legendary Chester team that
had won 78 games in a row over three years against Pennsylvania opponents — a
team that had beaten them by double-digits in each of the last three meetings.
And LM did it convincingly, taking the lead in the second quarter and never
looking back. When Raheem Hall found Yohanny for the nightcapping dunk in the
closing seconds, the Dawg Pound — already absolutely delirious — hit a level
of noise and insanity that is still reverberating across Pennsylvania.

LM finishes the season 30-3, tied for the best record in program history. For
head coach Gregg Downer, the game was a storybook ending to the week of a
lifetime. On Thursday, he and wife Colleen welcomed their first child into the
world — an arrival that will now always be remembered in connection with a
magical state championship. This is LM’s SEVENTH state title and THIRD for Coach
Downer in five trips to the finals.

Disney couldn’t have scripted it any better. So much more to come, including
a full recap – but for now it’s time to celebrate!!!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF THIS
AMAZING TEAM AND INCREDIBLE GROUP OF YOUNG MEN!!! LET’S GO ACES!! WE’RE
#1!!!!

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all, a senior point guard, is noted for his fine all-around play and one of the chief reasons the Aces have advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA state finals, and Hall’s scoring and rebounding have improved in the post-season. For the season, he’s averaging 10.6 ppg (12.0 in the post-season), 4.1 rpg (5.1 in the post-season) and a team-leading 3.7 apg.

Main Line Media News (MLMN): One of the jobs of a point guard is to get everyone on the court involved – for you, does that mean getting the ball to the Ace who has the hot hand?

Raheem Hall: If someone has a mismatch or is feeling it, we try to get them the ball, possibly on consecutive possessions. If someone is really shooting the ball well from three point [territory], we all have to be aware of that, and feed it to them in their spots. Or, if Yohanny [Dalembert] is having a great day at the post – he’s strong in the paint, particularly against Central League teams – we have to get it to him

MLMN: As the Aces’ senior point guard, if one of your teammates is having an off-night offensively, how do you handle this?

Hall: I try to continue to motivate them, tell them not to give up on the other end of the court, and to keep looking for your shot – and to rely on other people on the team, because we all try to contribute offensively. If someone is having an off night, we always have someone who can step right up.

MLMN: Good defense has been a trademark of the Aces for many years. What do you think is the biggest key to playing good defense?

Hall: You’ve got to play help defense – we have help defense concepts even in our zone defenses – and be able to see what the other team’s players are doing [on offense] when they’re off the ball. You have to be aware of all of the other team’s players on the court – what they can do [offensively], not just the guy you’re playing.

MLMN: What aspect of your game are you working on the most?

Hall: My mid-range shot and my ball handling.

MLMN: Have you tried to pattern your game after any particular player?

Hall: I try to watch tapes of Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson, who were all-around players. Oscar Robertson was the all-time favorite player of my grandfather, Theodore Byrd, who played basketball for Conestoga High School. He had so many tapes of  [Robertson], which I used to watch all the time growing up, and I still do – my grandfather comes to all of my games.

MLMN: Who is your favorite player?

Hall: Derrick Rose – he’s explosive, aggressive and he tried to do so much. My favorite [uninjured] player is [point guard] Chris Paul – he sees the floor so well, his handles are tremendous and he shoots [well].

MLMN: What’s your favorite book?

Hall: Autobiography of Malcolm X.

MLMN: What’s your favorite movie?

Hall: He Got Game.

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How sweet it is! The Aces used a 14-2 run at the close of the first half to
overcome an 11-point deficit and held off previously-undefeated New Castle 67-63
to earn a trip to the PIAA State Finals. LM will take on Chester on Saturday
night at 8 PM in Hershey.

BJ Johnson ’13 led all scorers with 24 points, playing one of his most
complete games of the season. The 6’7 senior collected ten rebounds, dished out
five assists and hit a huge three to fuel the Aces’ decisive first-half surge.
Yohanny Dalembert ’13 came up big again, finishing with 15 points and 15
rebounds. Raheem Hall ’13 (13 points, 5 assists) and JaQuan Johnson ’14 (12
points, four steals) keyed the Aces’ lethal transition attack, and helped
pressure New Castle into 21 turnovers. Justin McFadden ’14 returned to the floor
after a foot injury in the Harrisburg game and contributed outstanding hustle
and defense to go along with four points. Corey Sherman ’15, Baird Howland ’13
and Jule Brown ’15 also saw action.

Wednesday’s contest was a roller-coaster ride of blistering runs and intense
action. The Red Hurricanes – athletic, hard-nosed and relentless — struck
first, racing out to an early 7-2 lead and controlling the opening frame. Midway
through the second quarter, New Castle led 26-15 and looked primed to extend
their advantage with Dalembert headed to the bench with two fouls. But Johnson
hit a trey to spark the Aces’ comeback. Over the next eight minutes, LM
outscored New Castle 28-6 thanks to a stifling press and a punishing fast-break,
punctuated by a rim-rattling jam by Hall.

But New Castle would not go down easily. The Red Hurricanes — champions of
District 7 and winners of 57 of their last 58 games — showed their mettle with
an 11-0 run of their own to tie the game at 43 towards the end of the third. The
Aces regained their composure, however, and scored the next four points in the
frame.

In the fourth, the Aces led by as many as nine late and made enough free
throws to hold off the Red Hurricanes in the final minutes. When the final
buzzer sounded, the Dawg Pound streamed onto the floor in celebration of a
remarkable, extraordinarily rare achievement — a state final appearance for the
second year in a row and the fifth back-to-back finals appearance in program
history. The last time it happened — in 2006 — the Aces defeated Schenley for
the title in Hershey.

Those who made the trip to Williamsport on Wednesday night were part of a
memorable evening of high school basketball in a truly incredible environment.
The Williamsport High School gym was packed to the tops of the rafters, with
some sections of standing-room only. The noise was deafening with a spirited,
back and forth between fans from both teams. New Castle’s school district closed
early on Wednesday and hundreds of Red Hurricanes faithful filled the gym hours
before the game began. The Dawg Pound, more than 300-strong, once again proved
why it is the best student section in the state, controlling the action from the
stands once the game began, fighting hard in hostile territory.

The noisy wooden bleachers, the incessant roar of the crowd, the interplay
between communities from opposite ends of the state was decidedly old school. In
LM’s first glory era of the 1930’s and 1940’s, the Aces’ strongest competition
always came from the west. The legendary Bill Anderson led his LM squads to
stirring state title victories against teams like Sharon and Farrell with guys
named “Dutch” and “Greer.” Back then, LM carried the flag of the Philadelphia
region against the tough, proud coal and steel towns of the Alleghenies that
once made up Pennsylvania’s hoops heartland. In recent years, LM has found
itself in the “western” bracket of the state playoffs, playing teams from
communities like Erie, Pittsburgh and New Castle once again and rekindling
memories of a golden, bygone era. It was an era when communities caravanned for
hours to some far-flung outpost for the chance to see their boys have it out on
the hardwood – to prove for at least one more year where the balance of
basketball power in Pennsylvania resided.

Some seventy years later, on a cold night in an old steel town, score one for
the boys from the east.

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Lower Merion High School diver Carolyn Howard earned a three-place bronze medal at the PIAA state diving championships March 15.

Howard finished with a score of 438.50, behind first-place finisher   Marie Lohman      of Chartiers Valley (446.20) and second-place finisher   Marie Yacopino of   North Penn                              (443.35).

Although the Lower Merion diving season is over, Howard will continue diving, preparing for Junior Olympic Nationals

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Published: Monday, March 18, 2013

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Lower Merion defeated Martin Luther King, 63-50, in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA boys’ basketball state tournament Wednesday night at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.

Leading the balanced attack for the Aces against the District 12 squad was BJ Johnson with 18 points, Raheem Hall and JaQuan Johnson with 14 points each and Yohanny Dalembert with 12 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.

Martin Luther King was the District 12 runner-up, losing to Roman Catholic, 69-53, in the district championship final.

The Aces will now face District Three champion Harrisburg in the PIAA Class AAAA state quarterfinals Saturday. Harrisburg defeated Upper Darby 79-62, Wednesday

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By Bruce Adams
BAdams@mainlinemedianews.com

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–>Storming out to a 17-2 lead midway through the first quarter, Lower Merion earned a one-sided 77-36 win against Carlisle in its PIAA Class AAAA boys’ basketball state tournament opener Saturday at Coatesville High School.

“We were anxious to move on from the district final [a disappointing 60-46 loss to Chester], and we thought it was important not to give Carlisle confidence early in the game,” said Lower Merion head coach Gregg Downer.

Lower Merion used a full-court press throughout the game to plague the turnover-prone Thundering Herd, who committed nine turnovers in the first quarter. Coming into the game, Carlisle was considered a team with some size but lacking a true point guard.

Aces senior guard Raheem Hall had 10 steals Saturday, which is believed to be a school record. In addition, Hall tallied 17 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

Lower Merion came out smoking to start the game. BJ Johnson (who had 18 points) hit a couple of outside shots to give the Aces a 5-0 lead, Hall scored from inside to make it 9-0, sophomore Corey Sherman (who started the game) nailed a three-pointer to make it 12-2, Justin McFadden (who was 4-for-5 on treys) then hit a three to make it 15-2, and Yohanny Dalembert grabbed a tough offensive rebound inside and dropped it in to make it 17-2 with 3:45 left in the first quarter.

Lower Merion held a 29-15 halftime lead (capped by Sherman’s three-pointer near the end of the second quarter), then exploded for 31 points in the third period.

In the final minute of the third quarter, Johnson converted back-to-back dunks, the first coming on a JaQuan Johnson steal, the second on a Hall takeaway. The Aces led Carlisle 60-28 after three quarters, and pretty much emptied their bench for the remainder of the game.

Lower Merion will be playing Martin Luther King High School Wednesday in the second round of the PIAA state tournament. Martin Luther King defeated Reading, 71-61, Saturday in the first round of the state tournament behind 28 points from Raquan Brown-Johnson.

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