The first game of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League boys' basketball tournament was a thriller as host Mercersburg (the #5 seed) went toe-to-toe with #4 Lawrenceville (NJ). The Blue Storm emerged victorious by a final score of 79-76.

It was a classic see-saw battle most of the afternoon with The Big Red briefly enjoying an eight-point lead in the first half before settling for a 36-33 lead at the break. Mercersburg put on a big rally midway through the second half and briefly had a ten-point lead of its own before Lawrenceville brought it back to even. Both teams had opportunities in the final minute, but at the very end, with Mercersburg clinging to a 1-point lead, Bryson Brown '24 stole an inbounds pass on the Lawrenceville end of the floor and was then fouled with 1.3 seconds left.  Brown hit both and The Big Red did not have enough time to get off a realistic shot before the buzzer.

Jasper Hedin '23 had a huge night for the Blue Storm with 30 points, 21 of which came in the second half (aided by four of his five three-point buckets). Hedin was also a force on the boards and blocked several shots on defense. Jinwoo Kim '23 was next with 20 points while Brown added 14 and Josiah Wright '25 chipped in 10.

Mercersburg will play #2 Hill in the semi-finals on Saturday, February 11 at noon.  The other semi-final will feature #6 Hun (who upset #3 Peddie in Friday's second contest) against #1 seed Blair Academy. Tipoff time for Hun/Blair is 1:45 pm. All tournament games are being held on the Plantz Courts at Mercersburg Academy.