BY JEFF FALK

HERSHEY – There is some conjecture as to how they would’ve done it without them. But given its storied past, perhaps the best way to look at it is that as members of the Lebanon Catholic family, they were afforded the opportunity to share in the Beavers’ success.

Sure they’re all different, but that’s what helps them to never get old.

On Friday afternoon at Hershey’s Giant Center, the Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball team captured its 19th District Three Class A title by overwhelming Halifax 55-27 in the championship game. With newbies Alexis Hill and Jasmine Turner leading the way, the Beavers never trailed, opened a nine-point cushion by halftime, then outscored the Wildcats 33-14 over the second 16 minutes of action.

For juniors like Neesha Pierre, Celine Mars and Hannah Callihan, it was their third straight District Three championship. For Hill and Turner, juniors who transferred to Lebanon Catholic over the summer, it was their first.

Lebanon Catholic is now 19-4 all-time in district title tilts and 74-19 overall in District Three playoff games. No other basketball program in District Three has won as many championships as the Beavers.

The Beavers, who were seeded fourth in this year’s District Three Class A tournament, improved to 20-7 this winter. As the District Three champion, Lebanon Catholic will take on the fourth-place finisher out of District Four, in Saturday, March 10th’s opening round of the PIAA playoffs, at a site close to home and at a time to be determined.

Second-seeded Halifax, which dropped a similar decision to Lebanon Catholic in last year’s District Three Class A championship game, slipped to 23-4 overall.

“They fit in right from the beginning,” said Lebanon Catholic head coach Patti Hower of Hill and Turner. “I think that’s a credit to our players. They welcomed them from the beginning.

“Obviously Alexis is Alexis,” continued Hower. “She can do it all. What Jasmine gave us was that outside threat. She has really fit into that shooting guard role. But I had some good players coming back. It was a nice mix.”

“I knew all the girls before I came to Lebanon Catholic,” said Hill. “The difference was playing with them. After a couple of games we started jelling. I knew them. I just never played with them.

“Coming from Lebanon, my GPA (grade-point average) has been raised a lot,” added Hill. “That was one of the main reasons for going to Lebanon Catholic. I’m happy with the decision now. At first I didn’t want to come. But I’m happy that I’m here.”

With the score tied at two, the Beavers embarked on a 10-2 journey that spilled over into the second quarter and gave them a little breathing room.

It started with a Turner jumper and ended with a stop-and-pop by Pierre. In between, Hill scored a pair of baskets inside and Mars laid in a deuce.

“It is a big number,” said Hower of 19. “It’s been accomplished with a lot of different players. It’s been accomplished with a lot of different teams. Even with my state championship teams, they were fundamentally sound, but they weren’t athletic. This team is very athletic.

“It never gets old. I’m really happy for my players,” Hower added. “A couple of them haven’t been here before. Those juniors, three of them started as freshmen. To get to the district championship, the whole team has to improve. They wanted to win three in-a-row. But it was a team win.”

“I’m still nervous,” said Hill. “I’m glad to be here, but we had to finish. I’m going to want to do this again next year. I think we have a chance.”

Despite being saddled with three fouls, Hill scored on a stick-back to give Lebanon Catholic an 18-7 advantage three minutes into the second period. After she went to the bench, the Wildcats closed to within five points of the Beavers’ lead.

But Callihan nailed a jumper and Mars scored on the inside to send Lebanon Catholic to the locker room with a 22-13 margin.

“That’s what we’ve done all year,” said Hower of her decision to leave Hill on the floor with three fouls. “She’s a smart player. She knows. I think good team defense helped. And that’s where we felt we were better than them, pushing the ball up the floor.

“We had moments where we had turnovers,” continued Hower. “But they (her players) had that intensity, from start to finish, and that creates havoc for the other team. I thought our pressure on the ball affected them (the Wildcats). We’re a much better defensive team than we’ve been in the past.”

“After the second one, I tried to play smart,” said Hill of her fouls. “After the third one, I did play smart. I just know.”

With seven field goals and two-for-three free throwing, Hill poured in a game-high 16 points. Turner knocked down four shots, two of which came from downtown, and connected for ten points.

Lebanon Catholic’s man-to-man defense held the Wildcats to nine two-pointers and zero three-pointers.

“It’s what we do all year,” said Hower. “We work. We work for this all year. The competition we play prepares us for this.

“I thought Neesha played outstanding,” Hower continued. “This is her first year of playing point guard. She’s much more comfortable there. She didn’t say one negative thing about changing positions. She’s really developed as a nice point guard.”

“Everyone was scoring,” said Hill. “Everyone stepped up. In the second half we put the game away. Personally, I was slacking. But the second half was just better for us.”

Lebanon Catholic put the outcome out of reach by holding Halifax without a score for the first five minutes of the second half, and by posting nine answered points. Turner notched five of those points, Pierre scored on a drive and Jayden Shellehamer threw in a jumper, as the Beavers stretched their lead to 31-13.

With their 17-3 jaunt through the third, the Beavers ended the quarter with a 39-16 bulge.

“We never warm up,” said Hower of her club’s post-halftime routine. “The rest time is more important than the shooting time. That’s their (her players’) preference. We did play better in the second half. In the first half it may have been jitters.”

Two charity tosses from Hill gave Lebanon Catholic a 47-20 margin midway through the final period.

“I said to Alexis on the bench that we could come back here at the end of March,” said Hower of the Class A state final scheduled for Giant Center. “I think we’re as good as anyone (in the Class A field). There’s six teams from District Three (in the Class A field). We’re right there.

“I think this team can make a run in states,” added Hower. “We have an inside game and we have shooters.”

“The coaching is way better,” said Hill of her transfer to Lebanon Catholic. “We got farther than we did at Lebanon. We all get along. It’s like a family. I was glad to come to Lebanon Catholic and they made me and Jasmine feel welcome.

“I want to thank my parents,” added Hill. “I thought I was right, but they were right. The coaching staff has helped me and I’ve learned a lot.”

 

 

 

 To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016-17 Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball Results

Date	Teams	Score
12/13 7:00 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Mahanoy Area	29 44
12/14 7:30 pm	Trinity at Lebanon Catholic	33 56
12/16 7:30 pm	Pequea Valley at Lebanon Catholic	35 62
12/17 6:00 pm	Christian School of York at Lebanon Catholic	12 62
12/19 7:30 pm	Northern Lebanon at Lebanon Catholic	42 45
12/21 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Elco	63 46
12/27 1:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic Marian Catholic	39 52
12/29 7:30 pm	Linden Hall at Lebanon Catholic	39 53
12/30 7:30 pm	Donegal at Lebanon Catholic	51 43
1/03 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Lancaster Mennonite	60 37
1/06 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Columbia	52 42
1/09 6:00 pm	Lititz Christian at Lebanon Catholic	22 71
1/10 7:30 pm	Lancaster Catholic at Lebanon Catholic	42 41
1/13 6:00 pm	Annville-Cleona at Lebanon Catholic	26 48
1/17 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Pequea Valley	75 50
1/20 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Northern Lebanon	31 44
1/24 7:30 pm	Elco at Lebanon Catholic	35 59
1/27 7:30 pm	Lancaster Mennonite at Lebanon Catholic	43 57
1/31 7:30 pm	Columbia at Lebanon Catholic	38 57
2/03 8:00 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Lancaster Catholic	39 49
2/06 6:00 pm	High Point Baptist at Lebanon Catholic	16 71
2/07 7:30 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Annville-Cleona	46 27
2/09 6:00 pm	Lebanon Catholic Cocalico at Warwick	43 42
2/11 7:00 pm	Lebanon Catholic at Cedar Crest	54 63
2/24 7:00 pm	Christian School of York at Lebanon Catholic	35 58
2/28 8:00 pm	Lebanon Catholic Linden Hall at Lower Dauphin	53 31
3/03 3:15 pm	Lebanon Catholic Halifax at Giant Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEBANON COUNTY DISTRICT THREE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

BOYS

Annville-Cleona: None.
Cedar Crest: None.
Elco: None.
Lebanon: 1936 (single class), 1940 (A*).
Lebanon Catholic: (All A) 2000, 2005, 2006, 2013
Northern Lebanon: None.
Palmyra: 1949 (B*), 1957 (B*), 1996 (AAA)

GIRLS

Annville-Cleona: None.
Cedar Crest: 1976 (AAA), 1991 (AAAA), 1994 (AAAA), 2003 (AAAA).
Elco: 1997 (AA), 1999 (AAA), 2001 (AAA).
Lebanon: 1980 (AAA).
Lebanon Catholic: (All A) 1980, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017
Northern Lebanon: 2017 (AAAA)
Palmyra: 2013 (AAA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Prolific Scorers in Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball History 1. Becky Hower (2001) 2,445 points

Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball: A History of Champions

PIAA Class A Championships

1994-95