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Robinson's big night gets Conestoga boys back on track

12/14/2022, 11:30pm EST
By Joseph Santoliquito

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)

BERWYN — At first, the moments would trickle in bits and pieces. A flash of brilliance here, a touch of genius there. Gradually, the drips came in cascading torrents.


Ben Robinson (above) had a career-best-tying 24 points as Conestoga beat Norristown. (Photo: Joseph Santoliquito/CoBL)

By the fourth quarter, Conestoga’s 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Ben Robinson could mold the game like putty in his hands, seemingly able to do almost anything he wanted against visiting Norristown.

Robinson scored 14 of his season-best 24 (equaling a career high) in the fourth quarter to lead Conestoga to a come-from-behind 56-51 victory.

It was an important victory for the Pioneers, who entered the game having lost two of their previous three games to Central League opponents Garnet Valley and Haverford High School.

Conestoga (5-2 overall) was on the verge of dropping another, until Robinson came to the rescue, going three-for-three from the floor while nailing six of nine free throws in the final quarter.

Robinson did all of this battling a tight lower back.

“My back would tighten and I went to the trainer’s room to loosen it up and it would go away,” said Robinson, who scored 24 once last year. “In previous games, we weren’t driving as much. We were shooting contested threes, and we decided tonight that we would drive more, and that gave us more open shots. We were able to swing the ball more.

“By the fourth quarter, I started hitting shots. I let the game come to me more and that made me feel more comfortable. I need to attack the basket more, which is something I felt I did more effectively tonight. I wasn’t doing that earlier this year.”

Pioneers’ coach Sean Forcine was certainly pleased.

“Ben can definitely play, and I think this coming out party showed what it’s like playing at this speed and this size,” Forcine said. “I’ve been on Ben about attacking the basket, attacking the basket, not just settling for threes. Tonight, we saw that from Ben. I can’t be more proud of the kid.

“We have a strong culture that all of our kids have bought into. Our guys trust each other. Regardless of the scenario, our guys play the same throughout. We see what Ben can really do when he knows the speed of the game. He scored on all three levels tonight.”

Robinson received considerable help. Brendan Styer created some creases for Robinson to penetrate with slip screens. Abe Dembele dropped in 14 points, though more importantly was a force inside and supplied strong interior defense.

Norristown (1-5) lost for the fifth-straight time this season, despite getting a game-high 25 from Myon Kirlew. It’s been a tough early stretch for the Eagles, though first-year coach Rick Bell saw some glimpses of what his team could be.

There was one stretch in the first quarter where Norristown had Conestoga’s defense moving back and forth like a switch, its ball movement was so good.

“In the end, it was poor execution,” said Bell, whose team has improved over the last three weeks. “Kirlew is the only experienced player we have. But it’s been basic fundamental stuff like boxing out that’s hurt us. At times, and I stress at times, we ran out stuff. When we run our stuff, we’ll get good looks at the basket every time.

“The discipline is not there yet. We can have a good look at the basket if we run our stuff. The one-on-one stuff doesn’t work. It’s a discipline right now and it’s going to take a little more work.”


Robinson (above, at Neshaminy) is the only sophomore in the Pioneers' starting lineup. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

With 7:50 left to play, Robinson tied the score at 43-43 on a 3-pointer. The next trip down the court, he drove through the middle of the lane for the Pioneers’ first lead of the game, 45-43. Kirlew tied at 45-45, and Dembele answered with a driving layup to put the Pioneers up for good, 47-45. Robinson scored eight of Conestoga’s last nine points to close it out.  

Norristown took a 33-30 lead into halftime, making 12 of 20 from the floor. Through the first 16 minutes, Norristown never trailed, getting out a 6-0 lead, and leading by as much as 15-7, 18-11 and 22-15. Though each time it looked like the Eagles would pull away, Conestoga would get a stop or cause a turnover and nibble at the lead.

By halftime, Kirlew had 16 on 6-of-7 shooting, while Dembele led the Pioneers with 9 on 4-for-5 shooting.

By Quarter
Norristown (1-5):  15   |  18  |  10  | 8  ||  51
Conestoga (5-2):  9   |  21  |  10  | 16  ||  56

Scoring
Norristown: Myon Kirlew 25, Roddy Gaymon 9, Andre Gordon 5, Jaden Wise 5, Jayden Byrd 4, Andre Young 3.

Conestoga: Ben Robinson 24, Abe Dembele 14, Brendan Styer 5, Brian Schubert 4, Pat Corr 4, Westin Fryberger 3, Liam Smith 2.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter here.


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