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Sports

Porter's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Lady Aces Past Whippets, Into States

24 hours after the boys clinched a state-playoff berth with an improbable win over Upper Darby, the girls joined them with some heroics of their own.

With 2.2 seconds left in Wednesday's second-round district playoff against Downingtown West and the score knotted at 34, Lauren Pellicane gathered her team in front of the home bench. An official had just waved off what would have been the go-ahead basket, and the Aces needed a new plan.

The stakes were high: the winning team would clinch a berth in the state playoffs while the loser would fall into the consolation bracket and have to beat out seven other teams for the final bid.

What did the coach tell her team with their season effectively hanging in the balance? What final words of encouragement did she offer?

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"We went over a set play that we'd been successful with. We wanted to get the ball to Sheba," explained Pellicane.

These Aces aren't a sentimental bunch. They sure are good, though.

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Jess Porter put back a Sheba Hall missed three as time expired last night at the Bryant Gymnasium to give the No. 5 seed Lady Aces a 36-34 win over the No. 12 seed Downingtown West Whippets and catapult them back into states after a one-year absence.

"I was surprised to be so open [on the putback]," said the bashful Porter after getting mobbed by fans and players alike. "It was the last shot, but I figured some time was gonna be left [after the rebound]."

There was just enough.

"I think in my eight years of coaching, this is the second buzzer-beating win we've had," added Pellicane. "These were our goals before the season: win the Central League and get a state bid."

It was a bid they earned only after surviving a furious Whippet comeback.

On the strength of a typically solid night from Hall, who led the Aces with 12 points, Lower Merion led for nearly the entirety of the first half and opened up a 27-18 lead mid-third period when Hall hit a deep two-pointer and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

They celebrated too soon though.

Downingtown West, riding an active defense and an offense that finally got some open looks, ripped off a 15-4 run to take a 33-31 lead with 45 seconds left.

"We struggled in the second half, that goes without saying, bu we kept playing. The girls kept pushing," said Pellicane.

Out of a timeout, Hall drained a corner three with 30 seconds left to put the Aces up 34-33.

A Whippet foul shot and Porter's heroics later, the Lady Aces punched their tickets for the state tournament.

"We're there for each other," said Porter. "And we're getting closer and closer to our goals."

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Lower Merion 7 10 12 7 36 Downingtown West 4 8 15 7 34
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