BY JEFF FALK
HAMBURG – Not all teams with great chemistry are great. But all great teams possess great chemistry.
The Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball team has had good chemistry throughout this 2016-16 season. But when the Beavers’ chemistry became great, so did they.
On Saturday afternoon at Hamburg High School, Lebanon Catholic’s pursuit of greatness continued during a 58-38 triumph over Pottsville Nativity, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class A playoffs – and heart, leadership and cohesion had a lot to do with it. Lebanon Catholic raced out to an early 13-point lead and then outscored the Golden Girls in both of the middle periods.
With the victory, the Beavers moved to 23-7 and into the state semifinals for the first time in 14 years. Lebanon Catholic will face Sunday’s winner between District Four champion Lourdes Regional and District One champion Jenkintown, on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
The win was also Lebanon Catholic’s sixth straight playoff victory of 20 points or more.
Pottsville Nativity, the champion of District One, completed its campaign at 14-14.
“It’s not that there was no chemistry, but it took some time to develop on the court,” said Lebanon Catholic head coach Patti Hower. “It’s gotten better as the season has gone on. That’s been key. I think our chemistry is great. They (her players) all get along and no one cares who scores or who the high scorer is. Nessha (Pierre) does a great job as a leader. We’ve really come together as a team. I think that’s who we are.
“(To be a great team) on the court, it has to be there,” continued Hower. “You have to have it. Our state championship teams had great chemistry, but they weren’t as athletic as this team. This team is athletic and has great chemistry. It says something that they’ve gotten to the Eastern final and have not been challenged.”
The Beavers’ latest triumph was all about the start.Lebanon Catholic never trailed, and from the middle of the opening quarter on wasn’t seriously headed.
The Beavers’ active man-to-man defense was the culprit, as it forced Golden-Girl-turnover after Golden-Girl-turnover and held Pottsville Nativity without a point for an 8:26 span that stretched from the early portions of the first quarter into the early moments of the second. Nursing a 5-4 edge, the resulting 12-0 run featured six points from junior Alexis Hill and scoring contributions from Pierre and Celine Mars. and gave LCS a 17-4 bulge.
Though not as easy as it may sound, all that was left for Catholic to do the rest of the way was hold serve. The Beavers did, with a few aces thrown in along the way.
“I liked our energy,” said Hower. “I liked the way we jumped on the other team early. We made good decisions. We got good balanced scoring. We got off to a good start, which we’ve been doing in the postseason. It was a good team win. We’re moving on.
“(When we get out to an early lead) we want to keep attacking, but it’s a fine line,” Hower continued. “We can’t take away the attacking mentality because that’s who we are. It’s what we do. But you want to make good decisions.”
A pair of three-pointers from Jasmine Turner, a stick-back by Pierre and a Hill inside move stretched the Lebanon Catholic advantage to 27-7. Then Hill placed her stamp on the outcome late in the second stanza, as the Beavers carried a 34-14 to the break.
“Up in the coal regions it’s pound ’em and grind ’em,” said Hower. “We like more of a run-and-gun style of play. This is probably the most athletic team I’ve ever had. You can make up for a lot of deficiencies with that. As long as you’re playing defense, we can get away with things offensively.”
Hill collected 17 points and 15 caroms, and was her disruptive self on defense and in the open court. Mars popped for 14 points and was opportunistic around the basket. Turner’s 13 points included a trio of treys. And Pierre dropped in 11 points despite battling foul difficulties.
Lebanon Catholic scored 19 two-pointers and went 11-for-15 at the foul stripe. The Golden Girls converted just eight of their 21 free-throw attempts and were turned over 22 times,
“Our strength is our ability to run the court, and we have multiple scorers. And they can all handle the ball,” said Hower. “Celine is playing well, rebounding, making her foul shots. She feels comfortable. She’s really improved. When she was a freshman, there was a stretch when she only made one of 28 foul shots. She was not a good foul shooter. Now she has a soft touch.
“I’m just happy we’re in the semis,” added Hower. “It’s been a few years.”
Another 9-0 run, this one in the middle of the third stanza, allowed Catholic to breathe even more easily. Pierre accounted for five of those points and Mars had four, as the Beavers opened it up to 43-17.
“Against Faith Christian we had a nice lead at halftime, and we came out flat in the second half,” said Hower. “I told the girls, ‘We just don’t want to let them back into the game’. We just kind of wanted to maintain our lead.
“I thought we played well,” Hower added. “They (the Golden Girls) scored toward the end. But they had 14 points at halftime. That’s the difference between this year’s team and teams in the past. Teams in the past haven’t been as good as this one defensively.”
A Mars bucket two minutes into the final quarter gave Lebanon Catholic a 51-25 lead.
“Lourdes (Regional) got us the last two years,” said Hower of a possible state semifinal. “I think we’d welcome a rematch with Lourdes. But it doesn’t matter. Absolutely we can get to Hershey (and the PIAA championship contest). It’s only one more game.”
Lebanon Catholic won Class A state championships under Hower in 1991-92 and 1994-95.
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 | Opponent | Results | |
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 Hershey’s Giant Center |
55 27 |
|
3/11 6:30 pm |
Galeton Lebanon Catholic at Warwick |
29 53 |
|
3/16 6:00 pm |
Faith Christian Lebanon Catholic at Tulpehocken |
33 68 |
|
3/18 1:00 pm |
Pottsville Nativity Lebanon Catholic at Hamburg Area H.S. |
|
Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball: A History of Champions |
PIAA Class A Championships |
1994-95
Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball
SINGLE GAME RECORDS
Most points scored in a game by L.C. — 106 vs. PequeaValley (2000-2001)
Most points scored in a game by Opp. — 94 Allentown Central Catholic (1990-1991)
Fewest points scored in a game by L.C. — 9 vs. Columbia (1985-1986)
Fewest points scored in a game by Opp. — 11 Pequea Valley (1982-1983)
Most points in a game — Becky Hower 45 vs Donegal (2000-2001)
Most foul shots made in a game — Joni Brown 15 for 20 vs. McDevitt (1990-1991)
Lauren Boyer 15 for 19 vs. Lancaster Catholic (2004- 2005)
Most offensive rebounds in a game — Myra Kline 14 (1980-1981)
Most defensive rebounds in a game — Lisa Simpson 19 (1985-1986)
Most total rebounds in a game — Hailey Carangelo 22 (2007 – 2010)
Most assists in a game — Marie Schlegel 15 vs. Columbia (1994-1995)
Most steals in a game — Becky Hower 14 vs. Lancaster Christian (1998-1999)
Most 3 point shots made in a game — Becky Hower 7 (1999-2000)
Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball
SINGLE SEASON RECORDS
Offensive Rebounds — Myra Kline 191 (1980-1981)
Defensive Rebounds — Alicia Barlet 240 (1980-1981)
Total Rebounds — Myra Kline 402 (1980-1981)
Steals — Becky Hower 153 (1998-1999)
Assists — Marie Schlegel 221 (1994-1995)
Field Goals Made — Joni Brown 292 (1990-1991)
Free Throws Made — Joni Brown 125 (1990-1991)
Total Points — Becky Hower 731 (1999-2000)
Average — Joni Brown 24.6ppg. (1990-1991)
Free Throw % — Sam Carangelo 89% (2005-2006)
Field Goal % — Meghan Orr 57% (2007-2008)
3 Point Shots Made — Becky Hower 82 (2000-2001)
Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball
CAREER RECORDS
Offensive Rebounds — Myra Kline 362
Defensive Rebounds — Becky Hower 709
Total Rebounds — Becky Hower 1017
Steals — Becky Hower 519
Assists — Marie Schlegel 766
Field Goals Made — Becky Hower 712
Free Throws Made — Abby Minder 343
Becky Hower — 343
Total Points — Becky Hower 2445
Free Throw % — Sam Carangelo 77%
Field Goal % — Sarah Wade 50%
Becky Hower 50%
Average — Becky Hower 20.6
3 Point Shots Made — Becky Hower 226
Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball
TEAM RECORD SEASON TOTALS
L.C. highest average points per game — 66.2 (2000-2001)
Opp. highest average points per game — 58.0 (2005-2006)
L.C. lowest average points per game — 35.0 (2013-2014)
Opp. lowest aveage points per game — 37.5 (2009-2010)
Offensive Rebounds — 603 (1980-1981)
Defensive Rebounds — 825 (1980-1981)
Total Rebounds — 1428 (1980-1981)
Steals — 584 (2001-2002)
Assists — 596 (1980-1981)
Field Goals Made — 780 (1980-1981)
Free Throws Made — 384 (2001-2002)
Total Points — 2101 (1999-2000)
3 Point Shots Made — 118 (2000-2001)
Free Throw % — 69% (1993-1994)
Field Goal % — 46% (1990-1991) (2000-2001)
Consecutive Lanc.-Leb. League Section 3 Wins — 44 1/20/92 to 1/27/95
Consecutive Home Wins — 46 12/27/90 to 12/7/95
Longest Winning Streak — 29 2/20/92 to 2/25/93
Most Wins in a Season — 28-2 (l994-1995)
Fewest Wins in a Season — 3 (1975-1976)
Most Losses in a Season — 18 (2013-2014)
Fewest Losses in a Season — 2 (1992-1993, 1994-1995)
Farthest Advancement in PIAA/State Tournament —
Eastern Semi-Finals (1980-1981, 1984-1985, 1988-1989, 1995-1996, 2000-2001, 2001-2002)
Eastern Finals (1993-1994, 1999-2000, 2002-2003)
State Champion (1991-1992, 1994-1995)