BY JEFF FALK
ANNVILLE – When Annville-Cleona peered across the court, it saw a girls’ basketball team that it thought it had a good chance of beating. The only problem was, the Lebanon Catholic squad looking back was thinking the exact same thing.
This concept of ‘winnable games’. Yeah, it’s a thing.
On Friday night at ‘The Barn’, it was the Little Dutchmen who displayed a little more urgency down the stretch – as well as a softer touch at the foul line -as they shaded the Beavers 46-39 in a tightly-contested Lancaster-Lebanon Section Five affair. With the outcome on the line during crunch time, Annville-Cleona was the obvious aggressor, but the Little Dutchmen also benefited from some cold Catholic shooting at the charity stripe.
With the result, Annville-Cleona improved to 4-7 under rookie head coach Lisa Shucker, and 1-4 in the section. Lebanon Catholic slipped to 5-6 on the season and 0-4 in the league.
“We thought it was a very winnable game,” said Shucker. “We prepare like we’re going to win every game. We think we can win seven of our next 11 games. I think we looked at this game differently because it was our rival.
“Lebanon Catholic is always an extremely aggressive, well-coached team,” continued Shucker. “They’re always going to give you a game. They’re very disciplined.”
“We felt this was a winnable game,” said Lebanon Catholic head coach Patti Hower. “We have some opponents coming up we don’t match up with. We need to win the games we should win. But I think we’re improving.
“I thought they (the Little Dutchmen) played hard,” Hower continued. “They made shots. They took it to the hoop. There’s definitely improvement there.”
The outcome was very much in doubt when Katie Davis scored on an inside move to pull Lebanon Catholic to within 33-32 of the lead, early in the final quarter. But over the next four minutes, Annville-Cleona outscored the Beavers 13-3 to open a 46-35 advantage, with 40 seconds remaining.
During the decisive run, five different Little Dutchmen – Lauren Schrader, Brittney Nye, Mackenzie Drane, Emily Brightbill and Alyssa Ulrich – contributed points. In the fourth quarter, the Beavers went five-for-16 from the foul stripe.
“At the end of the third quarter, I was getting anxious because we were settling for jump shots,” said Shucker. “Our game is pushing the ball up the floor, getting to the basket and getting to the foul line. We didn’t settle for just running clock. We told them (her players), “Run the play. We’ve got to score.’ With three minutes left, I was feeling pretty confident.”
“This team has to learn how to win,” said Hower. “There were some end-of-game situations we didn’t execute.
“I knew it was going to an even match,” added Hower. “We both struggle in some areas. But they made foul shots and we didn’t.”
The Little Dutchmen led throughout the third quarter, but never by a lot. Back-to-back buckets from L. Schrader and Katie Shaak in the middle of the period made it 28-23 A-C, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Brightbill gave the Ltitle Dutchmen a 31-26 lead.
“For our kids, we only may be 4-7, but this win means a lot,” said Shucker. “Some of these girls never beat Lebanon Catholic. We’re on track. They (her players) haven’t given up. It was probably our most complete game of the season.
“We tell them, ‘If you’re on the bench and not cheering, you’re not going in,'” Shucker added. “And ‘If you’re on the floor and not hustling, you’re coming out.'”
“They (the Little Dutchmen) hit some shots, and they were from people who we didn’t expect,” said Hower. “It’s a credit to them. Where we struggle is offensively, and we find it hard to come back. But I was proud of them (her players).”
Nye led all scorers with a career-high 13 points. Avery Hupp tallied 11 points for the Beavers.
Annville-Cleona outscored Lebanon Catholic 32-24 on two-pointers. The Beavers finished nine-for-27 at the free throw stripe.
“I keep telling her, ‘You’re a scorer. You’re athletic,'” said Shucker of Nye. “Finally, she broke through. She’s only a sophomore. She is going to be a good basketball player. But we’re trying to build everyone’s confidence.”
“We’re definitely in a rebuilding mode,” said Hower. “But we’ve improved.
“It’s a different year. It’s a different team,” continued Hower. “They’re (her players) all new. I’ve had to teach a lot, and I’m beat. I’m a little surprised by what we don’t know. They really don’t know the game. They have to watch more.”
Down 3-2 early, it was a pair of Nye free throws and a three-pointer that sparked Annville-Cleona’s 13-3 run that gave it a 15-6 lead. Also included in the burst were four more points from Nye, a Shaak stick-back and a driving lay-up by Ulrich.
“We’ve had a couple of slow starts,” said Shucker. “But all the games we’ve won, we’ve had fast starts.”
The Beavers opened the second stanza on a 12-3 spurt – courtesy of five points from MacKenna Purcell, four Hupp points, a deuce by Alyssa Lower and a Sami Hatzfeld foul shot – to knot the score at 19. But Annville-Cleona closed on the half with a 5-2 run that featured a three-pointer from Arianna Clay and a Drane bucket.
“I think it’s going really well,” said Shucker. “If you look at wins, it’s not going well. But we’ve done a lot of building the program. I have such supportive parents. Anything we suggest for the kids, it’s happening. I couldn’t be prouder of how they’re (her players) playing right now.”
“It’s a challenge, because we have to do things to make them better,” said Hower of her troops. “It’s simple things like, how many passes we don’t catch. We haven’t improved as much as I would’ve liked. I don’t want to be negative. But we haven’t progressed as fast as I would’ve liked.”
To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.
2018-19 Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball Schedule
| Date | Opponents | Outcomes | |
| 12/08 6:00 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Veritas Academy |
58 26 |
|
| 12/10 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Daniel Boone |
20 35 |
|
| 12/12 6:00 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Lititz Christian |
51 15 |
|
| 12/14 7:30 pm |
Pequea Valley at Lebanon Catholic |
67 29 |
|
| 12/15 6:00 pm |
Christian School of York at Lebanon Catholic |
19 36 |
|
| 12/17 7:30 pm |
Lancaster Mennonite at Lebanon Catholic |
61 28 |
|
| 12/19 7:30 pm |
Columbia at Lebanon Catholic |
53 37 |
|
| 12/21 7:30 pm |
Conestoga Christian at Lebanon Catholic |
27 30 |
|
| 12/28 7:30 pm |
Mt. Calvary Christian Lebanon Catholic at Lebanon Catholic Holiday Tournament |
27 52 |
|
| 12/29 2:30 pm |
Marian Catholic Lebanon Catholic at Lebanon Catholic Holiday Tournament |
46 19 |
|
| 1/04 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/07 6:00 pm |
Harrisburg Christian at Lebanon Catholic |
||
| 1/08 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Pequea Valley |
||
| 1/10 7:30 pm |
Susquenita at Lebanon Catholic |
||
| 1/12 12:00 pm |
York Catholic Lebanon Catholic at Lancaster Catholic Showcase |
||
| 1/15 6:00 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Lancaster Country Day |
||
| 1/18 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Lancaster Mennonite |
||
| 1/22 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Columbia |
||
| 1/25 6:00 pm |
New Covenant Christian at Lebanon Catholic |
||
| 1/28 7:30 pm |
Trinity at Lebanon Catholic |
||
| 2/01 7:30 pm |
Lancaster Country Day at Lebanon Catholic |
||
| 2/05 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Lebanon Catholic |
||
2018-19 Annville-Cleona Girls’ Basketball Schedule| Date | Opponents | Outcomes | |
| 12/07 4:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona Hamburg at Hamburg Tip-Off Tournament |
23 32 |
|
| 12/08 12:00 pm |
Brandywine Heights Annville-Cleona at Hamburg Tip-Off Tournament |
35 44 |
|
| 12/11 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Conrad Weiser |
36 43 |
|
| 12/14 7:30 pm |
Columbia at Annville-Cleona |
41 33 |
|
| 12/17 7:30 pm |
Pequea Valley at Annville-Cleona |
60 35 |
|
| 12/19 6:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Lancaster Country Day |
25 61 |
|
| 12/21 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Lancaster Mennonite |
29 76 |
|
| 12/22 11:30 am |
Hanover at Annville-Cleona |
29 32 |
|
| 12/27 6:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona Littlestown at Tulpehocken Holiday Tournament |
40 50 |
|
| 12/28 6:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona Halifax at Tulpehocken Holiday Tournament |
48 25 |
|
| 1/04 7:30 pm |
Lebanon Catholic at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/07 7:30 pm |
Biglerville at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/08 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Columbia |
||
| 1/10 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Northeastern |
||
| 1/14 7:30 pm |
East Pennsboro at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/18 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Pequea Valley |
||
| 1/19 5:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Oley Valley |
||
| 1/26 7:00 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Northern Lebanon |
||
| 1/28 7:30 pm |
Lancaster County Christian at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/29 7:30 pm |
Lancaster Country Day at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 1/31 7:30 pm |
Lancaster Mennonite at Annville-Cleona |
||
| 2/05 7:30 pm |
Annville-Cleona at Lebanon Catholic |
||
Lancaster-Lebanon League| League | Overall | |||||||||
| W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | PS | PA | |||
| Lancaster Mennonite | 4 | 0 | 100.00 | 8 | 2 | 80.00 | 613 | 365 | ||
| Pequea Valley | 4 | 1 | 80.00 | 9 | 2 | 81.82 | 623 | 431 | ||
| Lancaster Country Day | 2 | 2 | 50.00 | 7 | 2 | 77.78 | 508 | 277 | ||
| Columbia | 2 | 2 | 50.00 | 4 | 5 | 44.44 | 434 | 487 | ||
| Annville-Cleona | 1 | 4 | 20.00 | 4 | 7 | 36.36 | 391 | 491 | ||
| Lebanon Catholic | 0 | 4 | 0.00 | 5 | 6 | 45.45 | 399 | 422 | ||
PIAA District Three| A | School | W | L | T | Rating | TWP | OWP | TWPW | OWPW | TWPL | OWPL |
| 1 | Lancaster Country Day School | 7- | 1- | 0 | 0.657473 | 0.860000 | 0.409940 | 6.5 | 74.7 | 1.1 | 107.5 |
| 2 | Greenwood | 7- | 2- | 0 | 0.589976 | 0.772455 | 0.366945 | 6.5 | 68.1 | 1.9 | 117.4 |
| 3 | Covenant Christian Academy | 4- | 2- | 0 | 0.476029 | 0.612245 | 0.309543 | 3.0 | 38.0 | 1.9 | 84.7 |
| 4 | High Point Baptist Academy | 3- | 1- | 0 | 0.469217 | 0.642857 | 0.256990 | 2.3 | 21.6 | 1.3 | 62.5 |
| 5 | Lebanon Catholic School | 5- | 6- | 0 | 0.463612 | 0.376884 | 0.569613 | 3.8 | 103.1 | 6.2 | 77.9 |
| 6 | Mount Calvary Christian School | 5- | 3- | 0 | 0.443532 | 0.537975 | 0.328102 | 4.3 | 45.0 | 3.7 | 92.1 |
| 7 | Harrisburg Christian School | 4- | 2- | 0 | 0.440149 | 0.574074 | 0.276463 | 3.1 | 42.1 | 2.3 | 110.1 |
| 8 | Veritas Academy | 3- | 4- | 0 | 0.376786 | 0.377778 | 0.375574 | 2.6 | 53.2 | 4.2 | 88.5 |
| 9 | New Covenant Christian School | 2- | 3- | 0 | 0.316564 | 0.322581 | 0.309211 | 1.5 | 42.3 | 3.2 | 94.5 |
| 10 | LINVILLE HILL CHRISTIAN | 2- | 3- | 0 | 0.302976 | 0.291262 | 0.317293 | 1.5 | 31.7 | 3.7 | 68.1 |
| 11 | Lititz Christian School | 2- | 4- | 0 | 0.298733 | 0.263158 | 0.342213 | 1.5 | 41.8 | 4.2 | 80.3 |
| 12 | Halifax Area | 2- | 7- | 0 | 0.283484 | 0.178010 | 0.412397 | 1.7 | 74.9 | 7.9 | 106.7 |
| 13 | Conestoga Christian School | 2- | 5- | 0 | 0.275316 | 0.196078 | 0.372161 | 1.5 | 44.3 | 6.2 | 74.7 |
| 14 | Lancaster Mennonite School-Hershey Campus | 2- | 4- | 0 | 0.272976 | 0.238095 | 0.315607 | 1.5 | 36.5 | 4.8 | 79.2 |
| 15 | Christian School Of York | 2- | 7- | 0 | 0.258838 | 0.147783 | 0.394570 | 1.5 | 53.1 | 8.7 | 81.4 |
| 16 | Lancaster County Christian | 1- | 3- | 0 | 0.252305 | 0.166667 | 0.356974 | 0.8 | 37.8 | 3.8 | 68.0 |
| 17 | Dayspring Christian Academy | 2- | 6- | 0 | 0.247075 | 0.168539 | 0.343063 | 1.5 | 45.3 | 7.4 | 86.7 |
| 18 | Harrisburg Academy | 1- | 4- | 0 | 0.234815 | 0.132743 | 0.359570 | 0.8 | 41.8 | 4.9 | 74.5 |
| 19 | West Shore Christian Academy | 0- | 4- | 0 | 0.147700 | 0.000000 | 0.328223 | 0.0 | 41.8 | 5.0 | 85.5 |
| AAA | School | W | L | T | Rating | TWP | OWP | TWPW | OWPW | TWPL | OWPL |
| 1 | Trinity (3) | 8- | 0- | 0 | 0.811186 | 1.000000 | 0.580414 | 7.9 | 101.1 | 0.0 | 73.1 |
| 2 | Delone Catholic | 8- | 1- | 0 | 0.764714 | 0.890052 | 0.611523 | 8.5 | 127.9 | 1.1 | 81.3 |
| 3 | Lancaster Mennonite | 9- | 2- | 0 | 0.697783 | 0.829384 | 0.536937 | 8.8 | 104.3 | 1.8 | 90.0 |
| 4 | Pequea Valley | 9- | 2- | 0 | 0.678545 | 0.818182 | 0.507877 | 8.6 | 101.6 | 1.9 | 98.4 |
| 5 | Susquenita | 5- | 1- | 0 | 0.594918 | 0.776786 | 0.372634 | 4.4 | 72.9 | 1.3 | 122.7 |
| 6 | Camp Hill | 3- | 4- | 0 | 0.524028 | 0.454545 | 0.608951 | 3.3 | 119.1 | 3.9 | 76.5 |
| 7 | Hanover | 6- | 5- | 0 | 0.510734 | 0.502370 | 0.520956 | 5.3 | 97.0 | 5.3 | 89.2 |
| 8 | Columbia | 4- | 6- | 0 | 0.471427 | 0.387755 | 0.573692 | 3.8 | 119.5 | 6.0 | 88.8 |
| 9 | Biglerville | 3- | 6- | 0 | 0.449533 | 0.350254 | 0.570875 | 3.5 | 110.6 | 6.4 | 83.1 |
| 10 | Tulpehocken | 3- | 4- | 0 | 0.434404 | 0.422222 | 0.449294 | 2.9 | 89.1 | 3.9 | 109.2 |
| 11 | Annville Cleona | 3- | 7- | 0 | 0.370336 | 0.270408 | 0.492471 | 2.7 | 99.8 | 7.2 | 102.8 |
| 12 | Brandywine Heights Area | 2- | 7- | 0 | 0.333226 | 0.224599 | 0.465992 | 2.1 | 82.9 | 7.3 | 95.0 |
| 13 | Kutztown Area | 0- | 8- | 0 | 0.212890 | 0.000000 | 0.473089 | 0.0 | 85.7 | 7.8 | 95.5 |
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Thanks for covering the game, Jeff. So impressive. This girl’s varsity game rose to the level of a boys varsity game when I was in school. They came onto the court to music like champions, running drills. There were cheerleaders, and a good attendance for the home team AC girls.
FYI, I taped and posted the final minute as “Live Video” on Facebook, and thought I’d share.
https://www.facebook.com/joellenlitz/videos/10217238042238489/
PS. The Assistant Coach is Craig Andrews.