Peters Township uses big second half to end Lebanon's season in PIAA opener

Lebanon held Peters Township's Division I duo in check for the first two quarters before the pair erupted in the third as the Cedars fell to the Indians, 69-49, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A girls' basketball tournament on Friday night.

Saint Francis recruit Gemma Walker led Peters Township (24-2) with 30 points, 23 coming in the second half, while junior 6-3 blue-chipper Natalie Wetzel added 21 points.

"They're tough, they're tall, they have some size and they made open shots," Lebanon head coach Jamie Walborn said. "They are good shooters."

Lebanon only led twice, at 6-5 and 8-7, and tied it at 20 moments before halftime. The Cedars were led by junior Lili Harrison's 16 points, 11 in the first half, including a nifty 3-point play that pulled Lebanon to within one with just under four minutes left in the half.

It just wasn't meant to be for the Cedars as they battled foul trouble throughout the game. Harrison fouled out, Olive Brandt (14 points, all in the second half), Jae Burrus, and Kailah Correa (11 points) each finished with four fouls. On top of that, Lebanon had only three reserves suited up for the game against a physical Indians team.

"With the way the game was called there was a bunch of fouls called," Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou said. "They were managing foul trouble the same way we were managing foul trouble. Harrison is so important for them around the rim and when she's not in the game, all of a sudden the lane opens up and it's easier to get inside."

Peters Township used a 10-0 run shortly after the half to pull away. Walker started that run with a pair of layups and Wetzel put the exclamation point on the run with a pair of 3-pointers to give the Indians a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter.

"That was killer for us," Walborn said. "We were already down three at the half and it was our ball to start the half."

What it means

The road stops here for Lebanon, as they conclude their campaign at 24-5. That makes the Cedars 50-7 the last two seasons with a pair of L-L Section one titles, L-L finals appearances, and PIAA Class 6A tournament appearances. Not bad for a team that has had only one senior on each of those squads.

Key plays

After Lebanon pulled to within one, 23-22, on the first possession of the second half, Peters Township scored the next 10 points and 22 of the next 29 to pull away and lead 45-29 late in the third quarter. Walker scored on a pair of layups on the run and Wetzel drilled a pair of three pointers during the run.

By the numbers

The Indians scored 48 second-half points. The Cedars only allowed more than that six times in a full game this season, and two of those times the total was eclipsed by just one. Peters Township also hit seven 3-pointers, four in the fourth quarter to the Cedars' three; all in the fourth.

Unsung heroes

The lone senior for Lebanon, Zariyah Whigham has blossomed the last two years. One of the best rebounders in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, Whigham has also developed as a scorer. She scored eight for Lebanon in the loss and added eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. All that while being matched up against Wetzel most of the night.

"She's leaving some big shoes to fill," Walborn said of the senior. "We're gonna miss her. She's done a great job the past couple of seasons."

They said it

"They never quit. ... We were down double digits but we never quit. We didn't quit. We played hard. I thought they played to the end." - Lebanon head coach Jamie Walborn when asked to describe this year's team with one word or a short phrase.

What's next

Peters Township will face Spring-Ford in the Class 6A second round on Tuesday after the Rams knocked off Northeastern, 71-37.

First-round games

Friday, March 8

Boys

Class 4A

Eastern York 56, South Allegheny 55: Anson Marcos passed the ball from the foul line to Brady Seitz, who dribbled, took two steps toward the basket and scored with 3 seconds remaining to send the Golden Knights into the second round. They will play Valley View, a 62-57 winner over Shamokin Area, on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. The teams were never more than one or two points away from each other for most of the game. After South Allegheny held a one-point edge after the first quarter, Carter Foote-Renwick and Justin Strausbaugh combined for nine points in the second quarter to pull the teams into a 23-all time at the half. The offenses came alive in the second half, with each team scoring more than half of their points. Strausbaugh set the tone, scoring 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. Carter Wamsley added 13 points for Eastern York and Foote-Renwick finished with nine.

Neumann Goretti 86, Littlestown 63: The Saints turned a seven-point halftime lead into a runaway, and gave their coach his 600th win in the process. The District 12 champs will face District 3 third-place team, Berks Catholic, in the second round. Littlestown closes out the season at 18-8.

Class 5A

Shaler 73, Greencastle-Antrim 58: Jordan Hunt led three Blue Devils in double figures with 13 points. Eli Sterling added 12 and Conner Wright had 10 in a game G-A led early. After trailing by six at the end of the first quarter, Shaler turned things around in the second and never lost the lead the rest of the way. Shaler's Keeyan Smetanka led all scorers with 21 points. The Titans will face another District 3 team in the second round, champion Mechanicsburg at a site and time to be determined.

York Suburban 52, Thomas Jefferson 48: The Trojans jumped out to a 28-22 lead at the half behind a combined 17 points by Kai (nine) and Kane Stryhn (eight points), and then held on as Thomas Jefferson mounted a comeback in the second half. Kai Stryhn led all scorers with 16 points. Kane Stryhn and CJ Rissmiller each added 11. Evan Berger and Nick Trklja led Thomas Jefferson with 13 points each. The Trojans will play Moon Area in the second round Tuesday.

Girls

Class 3A

York Catholic 37, Imhotep Charter 33: The Irish knocked off District 12 champion Imhotep to set up a second-round meeting against District 2 champion Holy Redeemer. Holy Redeemer defeated Bloomsburg 55-38 on Friday.

Class 6A

Norwin 54, York High 29: The Bearcats didn't come away with the win, but they did take the next step in their program's development. Last year they won their first District 3 game. This year they qualified for the state tournament for the first time. They ran into a buzzsaw after the long trek to Norwin to finish the season 16-11. Ciarra Gibbs led York with nine points.

Dallastown 43, Central Bucks East 36: The Wildcats scored first, and then never trailed to advance to the second round against Parkland, a 51-34 winner over Downingtown East. Alonna hit 1 of 2 free throws more than two minutes into the game to put CB East behind. Both teams relied on a sticky defense and limited second-chance shots. Praise Matthews was the only Wildcat in double figures, and led all scorers with 13 points.

Spring-Ford 71, Northeastern 37: The Bobcats never found their shot against host Spring-Ford, which averages just over 60 points per game. Especially beyond the arc. Northeastern hit just one 3-pointer, and Mikayla Coleman had that late in the third quarter. Spring-Ford, which will play Peters Township in the second round, outscored the Bobcats 33-3 beyond the arc. Coleman led Northeastern with 17 points.

Saturday, March 9

Boys

Class 3A

Delone Catholic vs. Devon Prep at Cardinal O’Hara HS, 3 p.m.

Class 6A

Cedar Crest at Lower Merion, 1 p.m.

Central York at Garnet Valley, 1 p.m.

CB East at Chambersburg, 5 p.m.

Emmaus at Red Lion, 5 p.m.

Girls

Class 4A

Pope John Paul II at Delone Catholic, 1 p.m.

Eastern York at Universal Audenried, 3 p.m.

Northern Lebanon at Allentown CC, 3 p.m.

Class 5A

West York at McKeesport, 1 p.m.

Palmyra at Armstrong, 1 p.m.

Indiana at York Suburban, 4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Division I recruits help Peters Township pull away from Lebanon