Bigger than two basketball teams, Thursday’s intra-district matchup between Lower Merion and Harriton was a battle of two schools, and two student bodies. The  Herd sharpened its horns. The dog pound let go of its leashes. At last, the stage was set for an epic showdown.

Directly following a brutal beat-down of Lower Merion’s girl’s basketball team, the Rams were pumped to prove that both sexes are better at Harriton. Clad in all white, the Herd lined the bleachers, while a tightly-packed dog pound stood out in a turquoise splotch on the opposite side.

Not once was there a quiet moment. Following a loud warm-up and player introductions, the starters took their spots for the tip-off. The ref raised his arm, the ball left his fingertips—the game had begun.

The Aces grabbed the first possession and hurried down the court. The game was off to an exciting start as both teams, eager to taste victory, scrambled for every ball. Lower Merion gained the upper hand with 6:25 minutes left in the first quarter with 2 points.

Aces in the crowd screamed and cheered, but they were soon silenced by Harriton center Sam Schlichting’s put-back to put the Rams on the board and tie the game at 2-2 with 5:22 left. For a moment, the gym seemed to erupt into a winter wonderland as baby powder flew into the air from every Harriton fan and the white-out crowd got lost in the fog that ensued. Schlicting said afterwards that his “favorite part of the game was scoring the first points for Harriton, turning around, and seeing the herd throw up the baby powder and go nuts.”

So it progressed, in no less exciting a fashion. Back and forth went the ball, back and forth went the score, back and forth went the cheers of the crowd. Although the first quarter wasn’t as high-scoring as some of the others, it did not lack in spirit. Once the points came, they didn’t stop coming. At the very end of the first quarter, the Rams’ Jake Rosenberg got the ball and hit a buzzer-beater three, falling over backwards and sliding across the court as Harriton surged to a 9-7 lead.

The second quarter came out all Rams. The Herd went wild and, for once, it seemed as if the bulldogs had been muzzled. In one of the more exciting moments of the game, Tas Dixon ran around behind the basket and hit a backwards layup to give the Rams a three point lead with five minutes left in the half. Later in the quarter, Dixon proved he was a significant presence on both sides of the court when he stood his ground and took a charge to prevent the Aces from scoring. At the close of the half, the Rams jogged into the locker room with a comfortable 26-19 lead.

The second half was an entirely different story. The Rams continued to try their best but there was no denying their lack of energy in comparison to their first-half triumph. Although it started out close, three LM baskets in a row, the third of which was a dunk by LM junior Jule Brown, surged the Aces into within two points of the Rams with 3:38 left in the quarter. In that time the Aces would manage to come to one point down, only held back thanks to yet another three pointer by Harriton senior Jake Rosenberg.

That is how the fourth quarter began: Harriton clings to a 38-37 lead, but the Aces ride a fast-moving train of momentum. A quick Aces basket put them back in the lead. After missing the subsequent attempt, LM recovered its own rebound and Corey Sherman put it in for another basket. The score was now 41-38 Aces.

Suddenly boos filled the stands as, upon their next possession, the Aces proceeded to run out the clock. Herd members taunted the other team and cried out for real play. As the clock wore down their screams grew louder. Then, with 1:42 left in the game, LM up 43-40, the Rams came alive.

Tough defense by Tas Dixon, Alex Shippen, and Jake Rosenberg pried the balls from the greedy Aces. Harriton surged down the field and missed a three. Back on the other side again, the Rams’ aggressive defense once again earned them a turnover. This time they capitalized with a quick three-pointer, once again by Jake Rosenberg, who ended the game with 11 points and 3 three-pointers.

With 45 seconds left, game tied at 43-43, LM had the ball. They held it all the way down to 5.4 seconds, at which point Jule Brown scored a layup to give the Aces a two point advantage.

The herd cheered “I believe that we will win” as the teams lined up for what would presumably be the last play of the game. Upon the inbound, however, a quick foul at 4.3 seconds led to a second inbounds. Nowhere near the bonus, LM fouled yet again with 2.5 seconds left. For a third time the Rams lined up, the herd screamed, the dog pound growled. However, with a quick pass and an unfortunate stumble by Dixon, the game was over. The Aces won 45-43.

Despite the loss, Harriton found pride in its team and its students, neither of which were lacking in spirit. Sam Schlichting, who finished the game with a double double with 12 rebounds and 10 points, said of the team’s strategy, “We had to stick to our good defensive concepts, be precise on offense. We came out doing exactly that in the first half, next game we need to keep it up the whole game.”

Sam makes an excellent point. Although we may have lost the battle, we did not lose the war. Come out to watch what is sure to be an awesome rematch on January 24^th in the enemy territory, a rematch not just between two teams but between two schools. Let’s end their claim to fame once and for all by getting out there and grabbing the victory for the whole student body. This game was only a preview. The best is yet to come.