Blooming Demetrius Lilley too much for the Fords

LOWER MERION — A little sheepishly, Demetrius Lilley admits that blocking shots isn’t really his thing. For his imposing 6-foot-9 frame, he’s still growing into his athleticism.

“Years ago, I could not block a shot for nothing,” the Lower Merion big man said. “In practice, we practice the wall up, so that’s helped me get better in the game. So I can block shots now.”

In Lilley’s position, camped in the low post at the center of Lower Merion’s defense, the only time he gets recognition on the stat sheet is when he fills up a boxscore or manages to get a hand on a shot. That may get the crowd riled up, but Lilley takes just as much pride in the myriad non-plays, the missed shots that owe to the very thought of him in the lane.

It doesn’t hurt that Lilley is pretty proficient when he does get his hands on the ball.

Lilley scored 25 points to go with 21 rebounds, three blocks and a slew of shots altered or deterred Tuesday night as the Aces topped Haverford, 58-47, in a battle of one-loss Central League teams.

“A block doesn’t really matter, but just knowing that I can change a shot, that matters,” Lilley said. “And it helps my team.”

Lilley was the deciding factor, as has become the norm for the Penn State commit who celebrated his 1,000th career point on the weekend. The regularity with which he got the ball on offense tracked neatly with Lower Merion’s offensive performance. He hardly touched the ball in the first four minutes of play, allowing Haverford (11-3, 8-2 Central) to run out to a 14-10 lead. But he replied in the second quarter with 12 points and eight rebounds, putting the Aces up two at the break.

In the third, the Fords made headway, largely with the Aces (14-2, 10-1) not directing offense through Lilley. But he ended up with seven points in the frame to put Lower Merion up 37-34.

He’s diversified his game ably. He was 11-for-14 from the field, most attempts within three feet of the rim, including an exclamation point slam in the final 10 seconds. But he hit his only 3-pointer of the game, threw a Eurostep at the Fords off the bounce and displayed a soft touch in the lane.

“Next level, I can’t just be the big man,” Lilley said. “I can’t just post up with my back to the basket. So I have to expand my game a little more. Coach (Gregg) Downer gave me a little leeway to expand my game a little more.”

And then there was the defense. By and large, the Fords dialed up the right game plan, recognizing Lilley would stay rooted to the low block, meaning open looks on the perimeter for the smaller man he was supposed to guard. But the Fords didn’t hit enough shots, going 6-for-24 from 3-point range, while deprived a steady steam of easy buckets thanks to the specter of Lilley in the lane.

“When he’s at the basket, it’s definitely difficult to finish around the rim,” Haverford wing JR Newman said. “You’ve got to be creative. If you can’t get the layup, you’ve got to look out for shooters.”

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Lower Merion’s Demetrius Lilley, right, drives past Abington's Caleb Baker during a District 1 Class 6A playoff game last year. (Owen McCue - MediaNews Group)