Simon Gratz holds on to eliminate Lower Merion in OT

Jamal Goode thought he had let his teammates down seconds before Simon Gratz won a Class 4A first-round overtime thriller, 63-61, against Lower Merion on Saturday.

Goode, a 5-foot-8 senior for District 12's third-seeded Bulldogs (16-9), plucked the ball from an offensive player as the Aces tried to overcome a one-point deficit in the waning seconds of overtime at Harriton High.

However, Goode controlled the ball only briefly before losing it out of bounds with 27.9 seconds remaining.

"When that happened, I was like, 'Dang,' " Goode said. "It was a senior play. Pick the ball up, get fouled, knock down free throws, and close the game out right there."

Instead, District 1's fourth-seeded Aces (18-10) retained possession.

Lower Merion again kept possession after an errant three-point attempt was last touched by the Bulldogs. On the ensuing play, however, Goode forced a jump ball, and the possession arrow favored the Bulldogs.

"I was told before I even got here that Jamal is one of those players that will be your heart and soul," said first-year Gratz coach Lynard Stewart. "That's what he is."

"Earlier on, my nickname was for him was 'My Bad,' " Stewart continued. "It was just 'my bad, my bad, my bad.' Now he says, 'Coach, my bad, I'll make up for it.' "

Goode said: "Back then, I had a lot of mistakes, and I had to get to know my coach [better]. We've built a relationship going through the season. Now when I say it, it's like he gives me the privilege to go make it up. He has faith in me as a leader to go make a play."

Goode certainly wasn't the lone playmaker.

Nasir Campbell coupled 10 points with 14 rebounds, including a critical put-back that gave Gratz a 62-61 advantage.

Tyriek Meridith led the Bulldogs with 16 points and seven assists while hitting 10 of 12 free throws. Rashon Johnson added 15 points, and Johnny Eden added 10 more.

Gratz made seven steals, forced the Aces into 15 turnovers, and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds.

Lower Merion was led by 6-foot-8 senior Jeremy Horn, who scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. K.J. Helton added 16 more for the Aces, who led by 30-19 in the second quarter.

Gratz - which brought a large and enthusiastic crowd -responded with a 21-10 run that yielded a one-point lead to start the fourth.

Gratz will play Wednesday in second-round action at a time and location to be determined.

Simon Gratz 13 11 16 13 10 - 63

Lower Merion 15 15 9 14 8 - 61

G: Jamal Goode 10, Tyriek Meridith 16, Johnny Eden 10, Nasir Campbell 10, Rashon Johnson 15, Kevin Tillgman 2.

LM: K.J. Helton 16, Terrell Jones 9, Eli Needle 8, Jeremy Horn 16, Zack Magill 6, Jack Forrest 3, Steve Payne 3.

cartera@phillynews.com

@AceCarterINQ