Lower Merion gets a last-second win

Harley Williamson sank a 10-footer off a mid-court inbounds pass at the buzzer to lift host Lower Merion to a stunning 62-61 victory over Prep Charter last night in the fifth annual Main Line Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic.

Williamson took the long pass from Kevin Escott with 0.4 seconds to play and calmly hit the shot to keep the Aces, ranked No. 5 in The Inquirer's preseason Top 10, undefeated at 5-0.

"We made the play on the spur of the moment," Williamson said. "I just saw the ball go right in the hoop. This win gives us a lot of confidence and brings us together."

The game-winner capped a miraculous comeback by Lower Merion, which trailed, 59-53, with 1 minutes, 10 seconds remaining.

The Aces' rally started when senior point guard Carl Johnson (11 points) hit a driving layup to make it 59-55, and Steve Meehan (game-high 17 points, voted team MVP) hit his fifth three-pointer to make it 59-58 with 31 seconds left.

Ferg Myrick gave sixth-ranked Prep Charter (2-1) a 61-58 edge, but Williamson made two free throws to cut the margin to one with 18 seconds remaining. Parrish Grant (15 points) had a chance to increase the Huskies' lead, but missed two free throws with 1.4 seconds to play.

In the first game of the doubleheader, junior guard Dalton Pepper poured in 31 points to help Pennsbury improve to 8-0 with a 65-52 triumph over Penn Wood.

Senior forward Duane Johnson led Penn Wood (5-2) with 18 points.

Prep Charter9 15 19 18 - 61

Lower Merion13 12 22 15 - 62

PC: Willis Nicholson 13, Parrish Grant 15, Ferg Myrick 11, Jesse Morgan 9, Tyree Harris 4, Shaquille Duncan 2, Zaahid Hollowman 5, Amen Tanksley 2.

LM: Eric Stahler 9, Greg Robbins 8, Kevin Escott 6, Carl Johnson 11, Steve Meehan 17, Alon Seltzer 3, Ben Lucas 2, Harley Williamson 6.

Penn Wood13 10 19 10 - 52

Pennsbury17 18 14 16 - 65

PW: Jovan Edwards 5, Tyree Johnson 10, Austin Smith 10, Duane Johnson 18, Chris White 9.

Pb: Dante Devine 6, Brad Fisher 3, Eddie DiRugeris 12, Dalton Pepper 31, Marcs Healey 3, David Brown 10.