City of Basketball Love

Zach Drapkin (@ZachDrapkin)
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When you play a schedule as tough as Lower Merion’s, giving underclassmen major minutes requires a certain confidence.

LM head coach Gregg Downer must be extremely confident this season, because he’s implemented a rotation featuring half a dozen sophomores.

Downer’s six sophomores came into the year with big expectations, and so far, they’ve stepped right up to the task, starting with 6-4 wing Jack Forrest and 6-1 guard Steve Payne.

Forrest and Payne, both starters, have emerged as key playmakers for the Aces after seeing minimal minutes during their freshman seasons.

“I’m really close with Steve, always have been, and it’s been a great two years,” Forrest said. “We’re really close and we’re working well together.”

The duo was certainly firing on all cylinders on Thursday night, powering Lower Merion to a key 69-57 victory over Springfield in Central League play.

Sophomores accounted for all but 22 of LM’s 69 points in the win.

“We really needed to perform tonight, we needed to step it up, and I think we did that tonight to get that win,” Forrest said.

Step up they did, and Forrest especially so. On a night when some of the Aces’ usual major contributors struggled offensively, he led Lower Merion (8-5, 6-2 Central League) with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, showcasing his athleticism and versatility in the win.

“Well, he’s all over the floor and he’s very good going to the basket. He made a couple threes and he just kind of stabilized us a little bit when some of our other key players were struggling,” Downer said. “I see an emerging sophomore, super athletic. Going to be a really good player down the road.”

Payne was also vital to the winning effort, turning in 20 points, three assists, and three rebounds on the game. Anchoring the backcourt on both ends of the floor, he held Springfield point guard Kyle Long to just two points and heated up alongside Forrest in the second half to secure the W.

“He’s also been getting better and his job is to harass the other team’s point guard, which he’s doing a good job of,” Downer said. “He’s a dynamic slasher to the rim; he’s another sophomore that’s got a lot of ability and a very bright future.”

Of course, with a young team comes the challenge of inexperience. Downer noted that having so many underclassmen on the roster does cause some avoidable mistakes to take place, however, it helps that he has a sturdy five-man senior class to keep the youngsters in check.

The seniors, headed by Noah Fennell and Terrell Jones, provide key experience and leadership to help the team remain unfazed by any challenges it encounters throughout the season.

“We have a good core leadership group there,” Downer said. “Jones and Fennell have been with me for four years and they’ve played in every single high school environment you can play in. They’re very battle tested.”

Against Springfield (5-6, 4-4), Jones racked up 19 points and seven rebounds, and although it wasn’t Fennell’s night shooting the ball, the 6-1 guard was a key component to the Aces staying disciplined to pick up the W.

Lower Merion didn’t get off on its best foot in the game, shooting just 2-for-14 from three-point range in the first half, but coming out of halftime, the Aces reversed that trend, finding the right looks to cultivate a double-digit lead Springfield couldn’t overcome.

In a valiant effort from the Cougars, Ja’Den McKenzie had 16 points and seven rebounds, while Kyle Sullivan scored 11, Justin Collins had 10, and Mike Webb added nine points and seven rebounds.

“I thought it was just one of those mid-January fight-through-it type wins. I didn’t think Springfield played particularly well, I don’t think we played particularly well,” Downer said. “The effort and the energy was good. We’d like to get better defensively and we’d like to get cleaner offensively, but it’s going to take time.”

The win gives Lower Merion four wins since the new year, with playoff time inching closer and closer. The Aces are certainly headed in the right direction, and they’ve got their eyes on the prize.

“We haven’t really hit our full stride yet, but we think we can win a lot of games in 2017,” Downer said. “Hopefully we’re going to be playing our best basketball in February when it counts.”