Boys Basketball: Styles clash for Plymouth Whitemarsh, Lower Merion

WHITEMARSH >> The Plymouth Whitemarsh and Lower Merion boys basketball teams are proof that two different journeys can lead to the same destination. In this case, that destination is the District One-AAAA semifinals Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Temple University. The second-seeded Suburban One League American Conference champion Colonials will take the floor of the Liacourus Center playing full court defense and looking to make plays quickly with the ball on offense, while the No. 11 Aces will take their time and try to shorten the game.

The teams know each other very well. They play against each other in the summer and faced in the quarterfinals in the district playoffs last year at Colonial Elementary School, a game PW won, 47-36.

“(Lower Merion) Coach (Greg) Downer is one of the best around and they are always going to get the most out of their abilities and hurt themselves very little,” Donofrio said. “He gets them to their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. They’ve evolved all year long and it doesn’t surprise me that he’s gotten them where they are.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh comes into this game after a wild win over No. 7 Central Bucks West, 43-41. Colonials senior guard Oakley Spencer banked home the game-winner with 0.7 seconds left on the clock. Lower Merion earned a trip to Temple with a 68-45 win over Central League rival No. 14 Conestoga. The Aces jumped out to a 16-0 lead in that game and were led by Noah Fennell (18 points) and Jeremy Horn (17). Horn could prove to be a matchup nightmare for PW. The senior stands 6-foot-8, two inches taller than Colonials center Mike Lotito, and weighs 235 pounds. He averaged 10.5 points per game this season.

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