Lower Merion rocks Roman
Lower Merion's JaQuan Johnson and Roman Catholic's Shep Garner, longtime buddies and Chester natives, texted back and forth in the days leading to Wednesday night's high-stakes basketball matchup.
Lower Merion's JaQuan Johnson and Roman Catholic's Shep Garner, longtime buddies and Chester natives, texted back and forth in the days leading to Wednesday night's high-stakes basketball matchup.
"Shep asked me if I was ready for the game," Johnson said. "And he said that Roman was hungry to bring home a state title. I told him, 'You're going to have to get past the defending champs first.' "
Thanks to Johnson's terrific second-half performance, a deliberate offensive attack, and stellar defense, the Aces ousted the Cahillites, 64-52, in a PIAA Class AAAA second-round game at Archbishop Ryan.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Johnson netted 18 of his game-high 20 points after intermission. He was solely responsible for an 11-2 run that put Lower Merion in front by 10 (43-33) with six minutes remaining.
"It was me being a senior, and not wanting it to be my last game," Johnson said. "My teammates kept finding me in the right spots."
Johnson shot 7 for 10 from the field (6 for 7 in the second half) and 6 for 8 from the line. The floor general added four rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
"He was fired up, really dynamic," said Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer, whose squad moved to within three wins of its second consecutive state crown and eighth overall. "He really rose to the occasion."
Saturday, at a neutral site and time to be determined, the Aces (23-7) will play La Salle (21-6) in the quarterfinals. The Explorers advanced with a 49-43 overtime triumph against District 3's Cedar Crest.
Against Roman, ranked No. 2 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, No. 8 Lower Merion jumped out to a 14-4 lead.
"We came in here as the underdog," Aces senior Justin McFadden said. "Most people, except our fans, had written us off. That start was big for us. It set the tone for the rest of the game."
McFadden, a Binghamton recruit, and junior forward Jule Brown (eight rebounds) contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively. Junior wing guard Corey Sherman (10) also was a double-digit scorer.
Down by 30-21 in the third quarter, the Cahillites (23-5), spurred by Rashann London, tightened things with an 8-0 burst. Johnson notched three straight buckets, including a three-point play, late in the period to put Lower Merion back in control.
London (19) and Garner (17) combined for 36 points for Roman, which shot 19 for 55 from the field.
Lower Merion 14 13 12 25 – 64
Roman Catholic 9 10 12 21 – 52
LM: JaQuan Johnson 20, Corey Sherman 10, Jule Brown 11, Justin McFadden 14, Steve Pendleton 8, Oliver Henry 1.
RC: Tony Carr 3, Rashann London 19, Manny Taylor 5, Shep Garner 17, TreVaughn Wilkerson 7, D'Andre Vilmar 1.
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