Check out pictures from the ‘Stoga v Parkland game HERE.

Evan Pioch/The SPOKE

By Kurt Rohrbeck
The SPOKE

READING — At some point, all good things have to come to an end.

The Conestoga boys’ basketball team’s season reached a heartbreaking end on Wednesday night at the Giegle Complex here, as they were outdone by a strong Parkland team by a score of 56-49.

Jake Cohen led the Pioneers with 15 points, while Rob Scott finished with 12 and Matt O’Hara had 11. All three, as seniors, played in their final game for ‘Stoga.

In a game where both teams had similar styles and were very evenly matched throughout, it looked as if the Pioneers were finally about to break away in the 4th quarter, after a basket by Cohen put them up 41-36 with 5:27 left to play.

Then there were problems. Parkland started hitting all of their shots and locking down on defense. All of a sudden, the Trojans had gone on a 12-0 run to put themselves up 48-41.

They never looked back from there.

The Pioneers were able to get the gap down to four points, down 50-46 with 57.4 seconds left, but Parkland continued to make their free throws and eventually the Pioneers weren’t able to keep up.

This marks the end of a spectacular season for the Pioneers, who finish with a 28-4 record.

Points: Jake Cohen 15, Robert Scott 12, Matt O’Hara 11, Doug Jakiela 4, Zach Shapiro 4, Austin Smith 3

Click here for a recap of ‘Stoga’s Round One victory against Harrisburg

Click here for a regular season recap, including photo galleries and video recaps from previous playoff games.

Click here for a regular season recap, including photo galleries and video recaps from previous playoff games.

Conestoga vs. Harrisburg State Playoffs 2009 from Shawn Wagner on Vimeo.

By SHAWN WAGNER
TETV

SPRINGFORD - It truly is March Madness for Conestoga. As the state playoffs began, many had Conestoga slated to lose early. The Pioneers proved their doubters wrong, however, as they held off Harrisburg to advance to the second round.

The game was close through the first quarter as Harrisburg showed off their athleticism and perimeter shooting. After the first horn, Harrisburg led by one. Conestoga took off in the second quarter as their passing came alive. The Pioneers outscored Harrisburg 13-5 in the second making the halftime score 23-16.

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At halftime, Conestoga fans were confident, but Harrisburg’s sideline was livid with the officiating. Security had to calm down the spectators as they expressed their distaste. The half had some questionable calls, but the two and a half hour drive for the Harrisburg team and fans could not have helped. Conestoga had the much more pleasant trip—only about 25 minutes.

In the third, Harrisburg provided an attack of pretty drives and tough plays, but only scored one more point than ‘Stoga. The fourth quarter started much the same, and Conestoga appeared to be in good shape as they led by eight with four minutes remaining. It quickly tightened up, much to the dismay of Conestoga. Their eight point lead disappeared as they failed to score for three minutes, and the Pioneers led by one with only a minute remaining.

With possession of the ball, the Pioneers began to try and kill the clock by playing keep away and attempting no shots. Then with 14.1 seconds left, Senior Zach Shapiro went to the foul line shooting 1-on-1. He missed the first and Harrisburg came down with the rebound. A timeout gave Harrisburg a shot at the lead with 11 seconds left.

Conestoga had two fouls to give and used them to kill some play time. Harrisburg had the inbound at half court: 4.7 seconds were left, with Harrisburg trailing by one. Harrisburg drove into the lane, but Senior Jake Cohen was there to tip the lay up away, and the put back was not in time to beat the buzzer. Conestoga failed to score in the last 4 minutes of the game, but held
on for the victory 38-37.

Next up: Parkland who beat Lower Merion on Saturday. The game is this Wednesday

Be sure to check back at Stoganews.com for an HD video highlight and photos.

Player updates:

• Matt O’Hara was clearly the player of the game as he led ’Stoga in scoring with 17. He was also an emotional leader on the court as he was visibly fired up several times especially after he hit several key 3-pointers. Both he and Senior Mike D’Angelo’s ball handling helped ‘Stoga fight through the full court press as they always do. If he continues to play like this, Conestoga will be a tough team to beat.

• Jake Cohen seemed a bit off on the offensive end. He scored only eight points, missing several layups. On the defensive end however he was an incredible presence. His shot blocking skills were as impressive as ever, not to mention clutch, as he knocked away the possible winning shot.

• Rob Scott saw some significant playing time as he scored five points, including a momentum shifting three pointer. One of his more important roles was during the full court press by Harrisburg.

• Mike D’Angelo found him as an unguarded outlet several times in the fourth quarter. D’Angelo was reportedly feeling well, but only managed one bucket.
• Doug Jakiela also only scored once, and  Paul Mita put it in twice.

• For Harrisburg, Henry led the way with 11, and Griffin had eight.
• Conestoga’s usual offensive producers were not as effective as usual, but O’Hara stepped up big. If O’Hara plays similar, and the rest of the team comes back around, Conestoga will be a serious force.

STATE PLAYOFFS

Round Two: Conestoga lost to Parkland High School.

Round One: The boys’ basketball team hit the ground running in States with a victory over Harrisburg.

Check out how they’ve done so far this season by scrolling down for videos, photo galleries and a season recap…

CONESTOGA WINS THIRD PLACE IN DISTRICTS

Conestoga 54
Pennsbury 52

District Consolation Game
Feb. 28 at Norristown High School

Conestoga Basketball v Pennsbury HD Feb 2009 from TETV’s Shawn Wagner.

LOSS IN SEMIFINALS A SETBACK FOR PIONEERS

Conestoga 52
Penn Wood 62

District Semifinals
Feb. 24 at Temple University’s Liacouras Center

‘STOGA LOSES CENTRAL LEAGUE AT HANDS OF LOWER MERION

Conestoga 41
Lower Merion 46

Central League Championship Game
Feb. 7 at Ridley

UNDEFEATED STREAK BROKEN AT HANDS OF LM

Conestoga 44
Lower Merion 46

Regular Season
Feb. 2 at Conestoga

REGULAR SEASON RECAP

By Kurt Rohrbeck

Senior Staff Reporter

Perfection. It always finds a way to be elusive, even for the best of the best.

The Conestoga boys’ basketball team completed one of the most successful regular seasons in recent memory, with a pair of late losses to Lower Merion earlier in the month being the only games separating them from regular season perfection.
It was a tough loss for this group, as they had been the only undefeated team in District I at the time and surely would have loved to hold on to that accomplishment going into the postseason.

But in the midst of the heartbreaking late-season loss, let’s not forget the rest of the astounding regular season the boys had.

Led by five senior starters—Doug Jakiela, Robert Scott, Matt O’Hara, Mike D’Angelo and Jake Cohen—who all were a part of the team’s Central League title run last season, one could have easily known that this group was bound for success this season. However, no one was quite sure that they would be this explosive and dominant. The team has been winning its contests by an average of about 15 points per game.

“[At the beginning of the year] we knew we had a lot of talent and team chemistry, but we didn’t exactly know how good we could be,” Cohen said, as he admitted that he did not expect the team’s undefeated streak to go as far as it did.

As the season began, the Pioneers began with wins over Central League foes and other nearby opponents. Most of these teams proved to be no match for the Pioneers, as they defeated most of their early opponents with little trouble.

Seemingly bored with destroying their nearby foes, the team looked to the West for some new challengers. While most of us were spending our winter breaks at home in cold, snowy Pennsylvania, the boys spent their time in San Diego for a four-day, three-game tournament with teams from California and Washington.

Again, the boys came home with a big zero in their loss column.

“The San Diego trip was huge for us. It brought us together a lot more as a team,” Cohen said.

After another few Central League wins, the boys faced possibly their toughest challenge all season in a trip to Holy Ghost Prep on Jan. 17. This proved to be the biggest challenge for the team at the time, and as time winded down there was a chance that the winning streak was coming to an end.

But Jakiela knocked down a shot as time expired, giving them a 39-38 win and keeping their perfect streak intact.

Cohen said the game was “certainly a wake-up call,” as it made them recognize that they could not take anyone lightly.

And then there were the late setback against Lower Merion, which cost the team not only its undefeated season but its shot at another Central League title as well.
But while any team would love to be able to say that they are undefeated league champions, the losses to L.M. certainly aren’t the end of the world for the team. Losses are often learning experiences for quality teams, and now the team can focus solely on the District I into the tourney, which begins tonight.

The District tournament marks the beginning of a new season for the team. After coming in as a high seed last year only to get bounced early on, they know for sure that the pressure’s on and they don’t plan on disappointing. There are undoubtedly some spectacular teams out there, especially Chester, who has had a stronghold on the District I title for much of this decade.

But are the boys fazed by their competition? No way.
“We know we can play with anyone out there,” Cohen said, with a level of confidence that radiates through the entire team.

Kurt Rohrbeck can be reached at krohrbeck@stoganews.com.

Printed originally on p. 20 of the Feb. 13, 2009 issue of The Spoke.

By Mike McCarter
Sports Editor

Conestoga boys basketball has once again found itself in district playoffs. After cruising through the Central League at the beginning of the season the team suffered its first and only regular season loss, to rival Lower Merion, at the close of the regular season. This forced a Central League playoff because no team went undefeated in league play.

Last Friday, the team faced Upper Darby in the first round of the four team playoff. Conestoga survived, advancing to the final.

In the final of the Central League playoffs, Conestoga had a rematch with Lower Merion. It was a hard-fought battle, but the Pioneers came up short.

Although the team lost the Central League title, district playoffs are still in sight. The Pioneers clinched the second seed in the bracket because rankings are done solely on regular season play.

Conestoga is entering the district playoffs with high expectations even though it has struggled in its last few games. Last year’s disappointing first-round loss in Districts is only motivating the team even more on its quest for a title.

The 32-team playoff will test the team to see how it can play against the best competition in the area.

If the team advances to the quarterfinals then it automatically qualifies for state playoffs. Also, if all goes according to plan there should be a rematch with Lower Merion in the fourth round of Districts. It will be an opportunity for the Pioneers to avenge the loss in the Central League Championship game.

Mike McCarter can be reached at mmccarter@stoganews.com.

Printed originally on p. 22 of the Feb. 13, 2009 issue of The Spoke.

UPDATE–Conestoga (No. 2 seed) will play Cheltenham (No. 31 seed) Friday night at home in the first round of the District One playoffs. The game will be broadcast live on TETV.

By SHAWN WAGNER

TETV

The stage was set Saturday in Ridley for a rematch against the Lower Merion Aces. Huge crowds turned out as expected, although the Lower Merion student section overpowered Conestoga’s. You could say the fans’ numbers mirrored the actual game too.

The Pioneers failed to take the lead at any point in the game, trailing by seven at the half. They trailed by even more heading into the fourth quarter and fans could only hope for another comeback like Friday’s.

When the Pioneers pulled within two with three minutes remaining, the Aces fans began to quiet for the first time all night. However the comeback was not to be repeated as Lower Merion pulled out of reach with two minutes remaining and never looked back. The final score stood at 41 to 46 as Conestoga suffered its second loss this season in less than a week–both to Lower Merion.

Although Saturday’s loss was a disappointment to Conestoga fans, it should not have a drastic effect on the District 1 seeding. Conestoga should still have a high seed giving them home-court advantage for the first two rounds. Should ‘Stoga win those first two games, they are guaranteed a spot in the state playoffs.

All district home games will be broadcast live on TETV. The district first round game is Friday, Feb. 13, and the second round will be played Tuesday, Feb. 17. Seeds should be posted this week on stoganews.com.

Henry Rome/Spoke File

–Conestoga comeback creates crazy rematch–

By SHAWN WAGNER

TETV

It was a comeback that many will look back on as the season progresses. In a thriller, Conestoga boys varsity basketball defeated Upper Darby Friday night at home and managed to beat the Royals for the third time this season. The team advances to the Central League finals.

Trailing 40 to 32 entering the fourth quarter, the Pioneers caught fire, scoring 23 points to Upper Darby’s 9. The blowout in the final period made the final score 55-49.

Conestoga takes on Lower Merion Saturday at 7:30 at Ridley High School. ’Stoga played Lower Merion on Monday, and if that game is any indication, tonight’s rematch will be a close game. On Feb. 2 Lower Merion fans filled the visitor’s bleachers as the highly anticipated game went down to the wire and Conestoga failed to keep their undefeated season alive.

Check stoganews.com for extended video highlights of that game.

Player Updates:

Some blamed Jake Cohen’s lack of dominance Monday night for the Pioneers’ only loss after he scored only 9 points. Friday, he answered many of those critics by leading the team with 22.

Mike D’Angelo was the high scorer Monday with 12 pts and then performed strongly with 13 pts against Upper Darby. Look for him to be a strong factor in Saturday’s rematch with Lower Merion.

Doug Jakiela had a very tough Monday night as he scored only once giving him 2 pts. When he failed to hit a fade-away buzzer beater to win the game, he was visibly upset. He bounced back strongly Friday scoring 10 pts. He may be looking to prove himself against Lower Merion.

A big problem for Conestoga in their Monday match versus LM was foul shooting. LM was 100% from the line while Conestoga barely shot 50%. If they want to compete, they need to improve from the charity stripe.

If Conestoga can keep a high seed, which seems probable, they will play at home Friday the 13^th in the first round of the district playoffs. That game will be live on TETV.

Henry Rome/The Spoke

The undefeated streak of Conestoga’s boys’ basketball team was broken Monday night as the Lower Merion Aces pulled off a thrilling 46-44 victory in front of a packed crowd of about 1,500 fans.

It was the largest crowd this season, Athletic Director Dave Grace said.

Stay with Stoganews.com and The Spoke for updates on the team’s progress as it comes closer to a playoff run.