BY JEFF FALK

 SOUTH LEBANON – There are certain common misconceptions surrounding sports: That the better team wins – and that the team that wins is therefore better.

 That the team which needs to win will prevail over a team which doesn’t need to win as much.

 And that motivation can cause a team to play better.

 The Cedar Crest girls’ basketball team has explored all of those over-riding theories this season, with varying amounts of success.

 On Thursday night at “The Cage’, the Falcons checked off their final goal of the season, with a 48-41 victory over Wilson in the seventh-place game of the District Three Class AAAAAA playoffs, an outcome that extended their season into the state tournament. Behind a big game from sophomore Reese Glover, Cedar Crest gained control of its destiny in the third quarter, then sealed it at the foul line down the stretch.

 Now 19-8 on the year, the fifth-seeded Falcons will see their next action as District Three’s seventh-place finisher in next weeks’ opening round of the PIAA Class AAAAAA postseason, tentatively on Friday at the District 12 champion. Cedar Crest joined Lebanon County counterparts Palmyra and Elco as state qualifiers.

 The loss ended  seventh-seeded Wilson’s season at 16-13. During a regular season meeting back on December 11th, Cedar Crest nudged the Bulldogs 53-44 at ‘The Cage’.

 “I’ve been to states. I’ve done that already,” said Cedar Crest head coach Jim Donmoyer. “I’m happy for the kids. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to states. It’s an experience of a lifetime. We didn’t want to end our season with three straight losses and a loss at home.

 “It’s not like a field trip,” continued Donmoyer. “We still want to go and win. And if we lose, we’re going to have five or six kids coming back with that experience. That’s how you build a program.”

  “Last year, not going to states was tough,” said Glover. “From Day One, our goal was to go to states. Tonight we played our hardest because we wanted to go. Everybody on the team plays for each other.”

  Glover seemingly had her hands in everything during a key third quarter stretch, when the outcome was hanging in the balance.

 With the Falcons trailing 21-20 in the middle of the third, Glover tallied all of the Cedar Crest points during an 11-3 run that gave the Falcons a 31-24 lead. The Falcons also netted the first two buckets of the final quarter, courtesy of a Kaitlin Kline jumper and an inside move by Raven Morgan, to extend their lead to 35-24.

 “Reese is a very good offensive player, but only when she’s aggressive,” said Donmoyer. “Tonight she was aggressive. I don’t know if she takes a back seat to the seniors. But this is what she can do.

 “We need a second scorer. We need a third scorer,” Donmoyer added. “Next year, she’ll be the leader of this team. She better be a scoring threat, or we’re going to be in trouble.”

  “It was exciting,” said Glover of her third-period explosion. “I felt like I really had to step up. I like working with Raven inside.

 “He (Donmoyer) tells me I’m supposed to be doing everything,” added Glover. “My main focus is defense because I have a wide wing span. But my job is also to shoot, drive and pass.”

 The Bulldogs did not go quietly, and they were within 38-34 of the Falcons’ lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Cedar Crest held Wilson without a point for a key 2:14 period, during which time the Falcons pushed their lead to ten points, thanks to four points from Kline and a couple of foul shots from Molly Bucher.

  “The kids responded well,” said Donmoyer. “We played very good defense. They scored 41 points, but a lot of it was off turnovers. We turned the ball over and they made easy baskets. But everything we did defensively in the half-court was good. I’m pleased with the play on both ends of the floor.

 “We played them the third game of the season,” Donmoyer continued. “A lot has changed since then. But the game kind of went similar to this one.”

 As she has all year long, Morgan led the Cedar Crest scoring with 18 points. Glover netted 14 points, some nine points over her season average.

 The Falcons made just half of their free throw attempts, but outscored Wilson by seven points at the charity stripe.

  “When I talk to them, they all seem to get along,” said Donmoyer of his team’s chemistry. “It’s not a selfish team. It’s a team game. I think they pull for each other. I hope they want to play more.”

  “I love our team,” said Glover. “We work so hard on defense. Tonight, I played for the seniors. I look up to them. They inspire me.

  “I met most of them last year, and they were all so friendly,” added Glover. “They supported me.”

 By holding the Bulldogs score-less for the first 4:05, Cedar Crest netted the initial seven points of the game. Bucher drained a three-pointer, Glover converted a driving lay-in and Morgan scored on a stick-back.

 “Defensively, we were fine,” said Donmoyer. “We just weren’t putting the ball in the basket. That’s an all-year thing. Another thing we talked about was inside-out touches.”

 With the Falcons struggling with Wilson’s full-court pressure defense, the Bulldogs forged a 13-11 advantage late in the second stanza. But Cedar Crest closed the first half with a drive by Bucher and a pair of Morgan buckets, and a four-point locker room margin.

 “I think my kids are tired of it to a point,” said Donmoyer of the grind that the season has become. “But they’re a part of me, and I want to win. We want to win, and it’s a game. We want to win every game. They’re a competitive bunch of kids.”

 “I think next year, we’ll have to step up,” said Glover of her emerging leadership skills. “I really want to step up for my team and make a difference.”

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 2018-19 Cedar Crest Girls’ Basketball Results