Wed. Pa. boys' roundup: Harriton ousts Upper Merion

Harriton relied on balanced scoring and accurate foul shooting to secure a win in its District 1 Class AAA first-round basketball playoff game on Wednesday night, ousting visiting Upper Merion, 48-41.

Upper Merion's James Mobley scored 18 points and the 10th-seeded Vikings (4-18) grabbed a surprising 24-22 halftime lead.

Harriton answered with Matt Sherman's 18 points and nine rebounds, Detasia Dixon's 14 points with 9-for-9 foul shooting, and Itay Levy's 10 points with 4-for-4 marksmanship from the line in the final period.

The Rams (12-11), seeded seventh of 12 teams, advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals at second-seeded Octorara.

Also in Class AAA, Bishop Shanahan (7-16), seeded 11th, pulled off a 54-52 upset at No. 6 seed Pottsgrove (13-10). The Eagles will meet Lower Moreland in the next round.

Shanahan's Dae'mond Pierce scored on a put-back after a missed foul shot with 9.2 seconds remaining for the winning margin. Pierce, a junior, had 18 points and 13 rebounds, including 10 fourth-quarter points.

Pope John Paul II turned Brent Mahoney's 19-point first half into a 46-28 lead at intermission en route to a 73-52 win over visiting Sun Valley.

Mahoney finished with 22 points among a dozen Golden Panthers scorers, and Jamel Stinson contributed six points, 12 rebounds, and four blocked shots.

Upper Moreland got past visiting Phoenixville, 72-56, as Matt Kohn poured in 23 points, and Sean Valenza and Kevin McFall each chipped in with 14. DeAndre Gadsden led the Phantoms with 19 points.