Muhlenberg turned back by Executive Education

(This story will be updated later tonight with details and a full boxscore.)

Jeremiah Bembry hit four straight free throws in the final 16 seconds as Executive Education Charter held off Muhlenberg 67-62 Friday in the opening game of the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at Santander Arena.

Reading High faces Vertical Academy in the second game.

The Muhls (11-5) had the lead in the third quarter and were within 52-50 with 5:09 left after Edwin Suarez converted a three-point play.

Bembry’s rebound basket following a missed free throw put the Raptors (7-3) up 55-50 and the Muhls got no closer than three the rest of the way.

Bembry, a Florida State recruit, was named Raptors MVP after scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He scored nine points in the final quarter.

Tashiro Alexis was named Muhlenberg MVP after scoring 16 points.

Suarez had a huge second half, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He finished with a team-high 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Muhls faced an imposing lineup with a pair of Division I recruits, including the 6-6 Bembry and Drexel recruit Kobe Magee. Magee scored 22 points.

The Muhls led 16-14 after one period when J’Daniel Mosquera hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in the first quarter.

Muhlenberg led 28-26 on Alexis’ 3-pointer with 2:32 left in the first half. The Raptors took a 32-30 lead into intermission on Jalil Schneck’s buzzer-beating putback.

The Muhls stayed close despite 12 first-half turnovers, and despite the fact that Edwin Suarez didn’t have a big half. He scored just four points on 2-of-7 shooting and had three rebounds.