The glass slipper seems to be the right fit for the Fords' men's basketball team.
With two games remaining in the regular season Haverford sat squarely on the window sill knowing one loss would squash postseason hopes and leave the team on the outside looking in at the Centennial Conference playoff participants.
The Fords earned a double-digit victory at Muhlenberg followed by a double-digit win at home over Swarthmore, then picked up the help they needed with an Ursinus loss on the final day of the regular season which slotted Haverford into the fifth and final spot in the league tournament. A trip to Westminster, Md., was the prize as McDaniel, the fourth seed, had earned the right to host the quarterfinal game of the playoffs last Wednesday night.
A five-point halftime lead over the host Green Terror evolved into a topsy-turvy second half that saw eight lead changes and six ties but Haverford hung on for an exciting 61-60 victory, earning a trip into the semifinal round where it will square off Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against No. 19 and host, Franklin & Marshall.
The Diplomats swept the season series against the Fords winning the pair of games by an average of 14 points while out rebounding Haverford by an average of 14 more boards per outing.
Saturday's match-up will need to see an improvement in rebounding, for one, if the Fords hope to dance their way into the conference final Sunday afternoon.
Haverford shot just 36 percent from the floor in the second loss to the Dips with shot selection contributing to its shooting performance and rebounding deficit. Better shots from improved ball movement should cure those ills this time around.
Over the past three outings, all victories including two on the road, Haverford has shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and owned a 35-30 rebounds per game edge over its opponents. The Fords averaged 73 points in those three victories while holding opponents to only 61 points per game. The team has also been more careful with the ball, turning it over a total of 36 times while forcing 44 turnovers from their opponents.
Though they hope it doesn't come down to a last-second shot, the Fords have experience in exciting semifinal finishes. The last time Haverford played into the penultimate round of the conference tourney it captured a 70-69 overtime victory over Ursinus in the 2007 semifinal round. Matt Palmer '10 hit a three-pointer with less than three seconds remaining in the extra session propelling the Fords into the championship final.
The glass slipper may be a perfect fit Saturday for one Ford who might mirror Palmer's heroics.