Neither freezing cold nor midterms could keep students of Lower Merion and Harriton alike from gathering in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium on Friday night for the Harriton-LM basketball game. When these two teams met earlier in the season at Harriton, Lower Merion just barely defeated the Rams by two points at the last second. This time, Harriton was determined to come out working harder than ever.

Amidst aggressive cheers from dog pound, the Rams kept it close in the first quarter, which ended with a score of 22-19 in favor of the Aces. In the second quarter, the Harriton squad found itself up against a new-and-improved LM team. The Aces scored 21 points to our 15, giving them a 43-34 lead going into the half.

As the players filed off of the court to await coaching advice, the students in the crowd allowed themselves some time to recharge. Members of the Herd replenished their stock of cheers, refilled their cups of jeers, and prepared for a second half battle like never before. Electricity filled the air. It became apparent that this game would be won not just on the skills of the players below, but also on the effectiveness of the cheering section.

At the start of the third quarter, the stage was set for an epic showdown, and that is exactly what ensued. Despite their 9 point deficit, the Rams forgot about the scoreboard for a moment and simply put their hearts into the game. Their effort awarded them an even 20-20 quarter, a definitive improvement from the first half. Things seemed to be looking up.

Unfortunately, as the fourth quarter progressed, it became clear that the Rams would not have their way. Although they tied LM again, 16-16, Harriton was not able to overcome the deficit surrendered in the first half. They finished with a 79-70 defeat of the Aces.

Tas Dixon, a senior and a captain of the team, as usual was a major contributor. Not only did he lead the team in scoring with 19 points, he also added 6 rebounds and 7 assists, making him a key player in this hard-fought loss. Spencer Dickler, also a senior, added to the scoreboard with 18 points of his own, 15 of which came from beyond the 3-point arc. Other team leaders include Jordan Wright (9 points, 2 rebounds), Alex Shippen (8 points, 6 rebounds), Ethan Anderson (5 points, 5 offensive rebounds), and Sam Schlicting (5 points, 2 rebounds). Overall the performance was a team effort bolstered by the strong leadership of its captains.

Nobody likes to lose, especially twice, but this loss at Lower Merion should not be seen as a negative in terms of how far we have to go, but rather as a positive. It should show just how far we have come from last year, and how far we will continue to go in the future. As long as the Herd continues to show up to support the team, we will hear less and less about the “almost” and more and more about the thunderous victories. After all, lets face it: in a stampede of rams, no little dog is going to fair very well.